Many people know some information about religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism and even about atheism, but when the term agnostic comes up, many are confused by what agnostics believe.
Reba Wooden, executive director of the Center for Inquiry of Indiana, an organization that fosters a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values, said if you get into philosophical definitions about agnosticism it can get complicated. but at its root, agnostics are people who are on the fence on the existence of a higher power.
“Generally speaking it’s a position of saying ‘I don’t know for sure if there’s a supreme being or not.’ They don’t go so far as saying they’re an atheist but leave just a little bit of doubt there, so they call themselves agnostic,” she said.
Agnostics question proof of a god (and even the existence of hell, Satan, an afterlife, etc.) and probably lean more toward disbelief. However, some agnostics don’t want to be known as atheists and believe they are similar to believers – both groups take a stand on beliefs that are absolutes.
Wooden said many agnostics look to science for answers to their questions.
Agnosticism may be a foreign concept for people who have faith in a higher power, however Wooden said believe it or not, there are agnostics in every church.
“There are ministers in the pulpit who are agnostics or even atheists. These people haven’t decided to leave the church because it offers things they feel they need. They need the sense of community or their family and friends are there. There’s also the fear of rejection,” said Wooden. “For ministers, it’s a matter of a livelihood. They can’t admit it publicly because they’d lose their job.”
Wooden cites a social network called The Clergy Project that is a safe haven for practicing clergymen who are closeted agnostics/atheists.
The Center for Inquiry leader understands agnosticism, but personally practices “secular humanism” described as agnostics who live a high moral lifestyle rather than the belief or disbelief in a deity or following a book.
“You shouldn’t kill people. You shouldn’t steal other people’s property. All those things both religious and non-religious think are the right thing to do. But religions try to say it all comes from their ‘holy book’ but it doesn’t. It comes from the experience of people living together and deciding ‘if everybody behaves and lives a certain way we can all get along,’” said Wooden. “They also heap a bunch of other stuff on top such as ‘you can’t wear this’ or ‘women shouldn’t do that.’”
At 73 years old, Wooden wasn’t always an agnostic. Growing up in Southern Indiana, she said there was nothing else except the Methodist church and school/work. She enjoyed the members of the congregation and positive community service but doubted the theology.
“You hear these Bible stories and wonder if it was true,” Wooden said.
As a college student, she got involved in a Sunday hiking group and decided she’d rather spend her Sundays doing that. She was also a history major, liked science and learned about other religions. Further exposure to those subjects aided her disbelief in a higher power.
“There are surveys that show that atheism/agnosticism is highest among higher educated people than it is in lesser educated people,” said Wooden. “The day the professor talked about how it was decided which books are in the New Testament, a committee created by the Roman Catholic Church, I think that was the last straw.”
Joe Shoemaker’s story is similar to Wooden’s. As a youth he attended a Christian church, didn’t really believe what he had learned and decided to renounce his faith. Today, he identifies as an atheist.
“There was a time when I was an agnostic. I think they’re chicken s*** atheists. They’re hedging their bet, just in case,” said Shoemaker. “But it’s a place where some people need to be and I recognize that.”
Growing up in Anderson, Shoemaker didn’t come from a church-going family but decided on his own to attend services because his peer group attended church. He became immersed in church activities, yet had doubts about various Bible stories.
“I never bought the whole Noah’s ark thing. There are over 4,000 species of beetles alone. There’s no way this story could happen. I understood it metaphorically, but I could never get my mind around the fact that this actually happened,” said Shoemaker.
Although he didn’t believe in Christianity, he continued to search for meaning in his life and practiced prayer and meditation; practiced Native American ideals; studied under the Dalai Lama; visited Zen monasteries; and studied Buddhist philosophy among others.
Over time he said he concluded “there’s no there…there” and decided to stand by “scientifically proven fact/evidence.”
“’Is there a god?’ I don’t know should be the answer. ‘Do I believe in God.’ The answer is no. I reviewed the evidence and it’s not compelling to me,” he said. “I get that as human beings we survive best in groups and for a lot of people that’s what their faith provides … along with a lot of nonsense, story telling and dogma.”
Shoemaker said if there is a god, he doesn’t understand why he would “bless” certain people, and be cruel to others. He cites an instance where a friend was spared from a horrific car crash and attributed the miracle to “God watching out for him.”
“I remember the next day, there was a plane wreck and everybody died. All of whom were probably calling on God asking for help to intervene. Yet my friend explained that without even asking, God saved him from that semi,” said Shoemaker. “My brain finally went, ‘this is absolute nonsense.’ It’s narcissistic to think God saves a chain smoker from cancer but this 7-year-old with an inoperable brain tumor they did nothing to deserve, is going to die. Believers want to have it both ways. When God helps me, he’s awesome. When God lets little children die, he’s mysterious.”
Furthermore, Shoemaker disagrees with believers adding their opinion into “shared spaces” such as health care, law and schools. He tells a story of his children joining the choir at their public school. For an upcoming concert, students sang songs that were primarily Christian. He didn’t think it was fair for his daughter to sing those songs nor was it fair to assume all Christians believe in the type of god that students sung about.
“Believers don’t all agree! There’s Baptists, Methodists, Episcopals. Once you all agree, then come and have a conversation with me about things like changing laws,” he said.
Although Shoemaker is an atheist, he said he’s retained a few lessons from his time as a Christian such as giving to those who are less fortunate.
