Why I Like Agnostics

[oxfordtweed]

Earlier today, there was a rather disturbing instance of a pastor calling the Jews "Satan worshippers." I do wish that I was kidding.

This sparked discussion in at least one other community around LiveJournal, and some of it wound up being rather... enlightening, for want of a better word.

And it also got me thinking. Every religion, non-religion, and theology has its evangelists. Christianity is, of course, the one that jumps to mind first and foremost, but everybody does it. Even the atheists will bang on until they're blue in the face. Insults can and do get thrown around, and people are accused of being ignorant and told that they're going to hell, and it just gets insane.

But when was the last time you ever heard an Agnostic evangelise? When was the last time someone knocked on your door and said, "Hi. I'd like to talk to you about how god may or may not exist?" They just don't do it.


I don't know. I had a point somewhere in this that was eventually going to turn into an essay, but I have a headache and I lost it somewhere. So I'll just leave you to draw up your own conclusions.

Comments

[dinasalnikova.livejournal.com]

And do you belive in god?
If yes, why?

[mr-x-indeed.livejournal.com]

You're new, right? That's not a bad thing at all; I'm just having a bit of a laugh, since I don't often get asked that question.

Short answer: No (http://mr-x-indeed.livejournal.com/802.html).

[dinasalnikova.livejournal.com]

me either.
yes, i`m new:)

[mr-x-indeed.livejournal.com]

The entry I linked to in the other comment explains in detail why I'm not at all religious, if you're curious.

[dinasalnikova.livejournal.com]

You see, i`m not an english-speaking person, though i`ve read your entry up to end before i commented it. I was afraid to understand it in a wrong way. But now i see that i`m not mistaken.
I know, i seem stupid :P

[mr-x-indeed.livejournal.com]

Don't. I confuse myself sometimes. :P

[dinasalnikova.livejournal.com]

The same about me as you can see:)

[arguingvitality.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if it reached the US but we had this brilliant campaign in the UK called 'The Atheist Bus Campaign'. Basically buses in London were emblazened with the slogan 'There probably isn't a god, so stop worrying and enjoy your life.' A lot of die-hard athiests complained that the 'probably' was too soft but the idea was to do something positive about atheism and inject an element of 'we just don't know' into the argument. It was quite nice seeing them around :)

[mr-x-indeed.livejournal.com]

Oh, god, that would never fly here. Despite what our Constitution says, America is a Christian nation, and goddamnit, you have to be nice to the Christians. Least, that's what it seems like, half the time. D:

[arguingvitality.livejournal.com]

That has confused me about America in the past, as an outsider. Studying politics we learnt all about the constituion and the founding fathers attitude to religion and my teacher had to sit there and say 'yeah... didn't quite work out like that.'

[lost-letters.livejournal.com]

Evangelists piss me off so hard, also i hate that comm so much.Its so full of the worst of christianity

[pipe-organ-wolf.livejournal.com]

I so want to knock on peoples' doors and say that now. It would be so refreshing after all the Baptists and Jehovah's Witnesses we've had canvassing the neighborhood lately.