Questions: Atheism, agnosticism, and common misconceptions

     What is an atheist?

     "Does a god exist?"  When someone asks this question, there are two possible answers.  Either a god does exist or one does not.  A theist is the person who would answer "yes" to this question; theists believe in the existence of a god.  An atheist is the person who would answer no to this question; atheists do not believe in the existence of a god.

     Atheism is best described as a lack of belief in a god, supernatural being, or deity.  It is a neutral position in regard to the question of the existence of a supernatural deity that indicates an absence of faith.

     What is agnosticism?

     Agnosticism has come to be understood in two different ways over time.  When the term was first coined by Thomas Huxley in 1869, it was a word describing the theory that the answer to the question of a god's existence cannot be known.  In other words, it was answered the question "Does a god exist" by saying, "I cannot know."  Most people today use the term as an "in-between" answer; a way of indicating that their answer to the question "Does a god exist" is simply, "I don't know."

     Agnosticism is best described as the following: the theory that man does not have the knowledge to determine whether a god exists; the suspension of judgment due to a lack of knowledge.

     Common Misconceptions:

1. Atheism is a belief system/religion/doctrine/philosophy/etc.
   
   Atheism is nothing more than a lack of belief.  It is not a set of beliefs or doctrines.  In fact, atheists can hold a wide variety of beliefs and still be consistent with their lack of faith in a supernatural being.  Atheists can, and do, have different ethical systems, political ideologies, opinions, etc.
   
   

2. Agnosticism is a compromise between atheism and theism.
   
   It often seems like people who are exploring their doubts for the first time are hesitant to identify themselves as atheists.  Instead, many people call themselves "agnostic" and refuse to explore their doubts any further.  Agnosticism, however, cannot be considered a compromise between atheism and theism.  Atheism and agnosticism are concerned with two different aspects of the existence/non-existence of a god.  the former describes a lack of faith while the latter describes a lack of knowledge.

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