I'm Agnostic Now? (Part II)
A choice we can't not make
CONTEMPLATION
Author’s note: This essay is part two of “I’m Agnostic?”
If you haven't read part one yet, click here before proceeding.
According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, an agnostic is “a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (such as God) is unknown and probably unknowable.” Furthermore, they are “not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god.”
In part one of this contemplation, we discussed the first half of the definition above and concluded that knowing something with 100% certainty is indeed impossible. Today, we will dive into the second part of this definition:
Agnostics are not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god.
This part poses a logical inconsistency. I will point that out and attempt to demonstrate that no one can be truly agnostic.
Of course, I can claim to not be committed to a worldview. My actions, however, would betray me. We are all committed to a worldview, and that perspective on life dictates our decisions.
I’ll use an example to illustrate this:
Let’s say that I visit my friend, and he says he’ll order pizza for us. If I trust him to do what he says, I will not pick up any food on my way to his house since I expect him to provide it. If I don’t trust him and think he will fail to place the order, I will bring food.
I can claim to trust him or to not trust him, or I can even say – as an agnostic would – “I am not committed to an opinion of him.” Even as an ‘agnostic’, I would show up either empty-handed or with a pizza that I picked up on the way… because my actions reveal my beliefs.
In the same way, I can claim to be agnostic, but all one must do is look at my actions to find where my faith lies.
Faith is a choice. It is made after careful observation of the evidence. If the evidence compels us to believe in a Creator-God, our actions will reflect that decision. If the evidence convinces us to believe in the absence of a creator, then our actions will reflect that. There is no way around it.
So, if the question at hand is, “How can I recognize what someone truly believes?”
- I must examine the decisions they make, the actions they take, and the fruit they bear. With what worldview do their decisions and actions align?
Perhaps, even more importantly, should I ask the question, “How can I recognize what I truly believe?”
- The answer remains the same: I must examine the decisions I make, the actions I take, and the fruit they bear.
To believe nothing and remain uncommitted to a worldview would be to either live in ignorance, unaware of the basis on which one makes decisions, or to remain motionless, avoiding all actions and decisions.
In conclusion, it seems none of us can truly be agnostic. Our actions are dictated by and reveal our worldview.
Faith in God or anything else is a choice. And it is one we can’t not make.
I look at the world that surrounds me and read the eyewitness reports written by those who met Jesus. Based on this evidence, I choose to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that God the Father created the world and me, and that it is impossible for the life I see all around me to stem from any source other than Him.