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Is being an agnostic playing it safe?

Is being an agnostic playing it safe?

Spirituality

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Someone commented recently about how agnosticism was supposedly "playing it safe". Here is the context:

"Religious fanaticism is just as bad as the dogma of atheism. Better to be agnostic, to play it safe, and just use our God-given animal instincts to enjoy our temporary earthly animal life."

In what sense can one claim that " to be agnostic [is] to play it safe"?

Is there any Christian teaching that suggests agnostics could be "saved"?

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“I am agnostic. I don’t know if there is a God or not.” Okay. Welcome to being human. What else ya got? - And in this way, the Christian and the atheist are more alike than different. We are all agnostic. But it is only the Christian and the atheist who are willing to take a risk. They both courageously make an existential stand when no conclusions are available."

Jared Byas

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@Ghost-of-a-Duke

I once knew an Anglican priest who claimed he did not know whether God exists. I guess that’s fairly typical of Anglicanism, they’re sort of fence sitters on all kinds of dogmatic issues.

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@moonbus said
@Ghost-of-a-Duke

I once knew an Anglican priest who claimed he did not know whether God exists. I guess that’s fairly typical of Anglicanism, they’re sort of fence sitters on all kinds of dogmatic issues.
Some are, that is true. I'm Episcopalian, which is sort of the American version of Anglican. While some in my church are fence sitters, I find that somewhat regretful. Sitting on the fence, being a crowd-pleaser, was never my style. My personal dogma may have bits of unsureness to it, after all, I do not have ALL the answers, but I would call it fully-formed. Not a lot of room for wishy-washy here.

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@ghost-of-a-duke said
“I am agnostic. I don’t know if there is a God or not.” Okay. Welcome to being human. What else ya got? - And in this way, the Christian and the atheist are more alike than different. We are all agnostic. But it is only the Christian and the atheist who are willing to take a risk. They both courageously make an existential stand when no conclusions are available."

Jared Byas
I disagree.

I would say that the Most High, the very Son of God, has shed his blood for us. Surely, we know.

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@suzianne said
Some are, that is true. I'm Episcopalian, which is sort of the American version of Anglican. While some in my church are fence sitters, I find that somewhat regretful. Sitting on the fence, being a crowd-pleaser, was never my style. My personal dogma may have bits of unsureness to it, after all, I do not have ALL the answers, but I would call it fully-formed. Not a lot of room for wishy-washy here.
Sitting on the fence, being a crowd-pleaser, was never my style. ... Not a lot of room for wishy-washy here.

I'd be interested to hear why you think agnosticism is a "ctowd pleaser" stance or why you think it's "wishy-washy". You seem to be assigning some value or virtue to the absence of doubt.

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In the context of everyone having to speculate about the ultimate origin of the universe ~ literally no one knows ~ dj2becker [and sonship, too] used to try to mock people who do not settle for one explicit narrative as having "no courage".

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@fmf said
Someone commented recently about how agnosticism was supposedly "playing it safe". Here is the context:

"Religious fanaticism is just as bad as the dogma of atheism. Better to be agnostic, to play it safe, and just use our God-given animal instincts to enjoy our temporary earthly animal life."

In what sense can one claim that " to be agnostic [is] to play it safe"?

Is there any Christian teaching that suggests agnostics could be "saved"?
It depends on who you ask.

Safe from fear of the unknown and the general feeling of not knowing how we got here or where we're going? Then, no.

Safe from advocating a belief based on arguably flimsy evidence? Then, yes.

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@fmf said
Sitting on the fence, being a crowd-pleaser, was never my style. ... Not a lot of room for wishy-washy here.

I'd be interested to hear why you think agnosticism is a "ctowd pleaser" stance or why you think it's "wishy-washy". You seem to be assigning some value or virtue to the absence of doubt.
Do you have a reading problem? Or do you just prefer to spin what people say?

I was speaking of Anglicanism, which moonbus brought up, not agnosticism, which you brought up. You act as though you never read his post that I responded to.

And the absence of doubt, especially among Christians, IS a virtue. Jesus himself speaks of "the faith of the mustard seed". Doubt hangs people up, preventing action, preventing conviction and yes, sometimes, preventing courage.

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@fmf said
Someone commented recently about how agnosticism was supposedly "playing it safe". Here is the context:

"Religious fanaticism is just as bad as the dogma of atheism. Better to be agnostic, to play it safe, and just use our God-given animal instincts to enjoy our temporary earthly animal life."

In what sense can one claim that " to be agnostic [is] to play it safe"?

Is there any Christian teaching that suggests agnostics could be "saved"?
You failed to ask permission for the copy and write for the use of it. You can only f it up, by taking it out of context. Do you have any idea as to what I was implying by playing it safe?

I did not specify a specific religion, as far as fanaticism. Therefore, why are you isolating the safety to Christianity? Or, are you implying, as a declared atheist, that you are only atheistic towards the existence of the Christian god?

With that said, I suppose that I can overlook your plagiarism, since you did not disclose and give credit the author, me. But I'm honored for you to consider my petty talk worthy of a thread creation, and opened for discussion. Not that I think you mean any good for its use. Still, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, and see where you go with this. Stick to the ball to play it even safer!

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@suzianne said
And the absence of doubt, especially among Christians, IS a virtue. Jesus himself speaks of "the faith of the mustard seed". Doubt hangs people up, preventing action, preventing conviction and yes, sometimes, preventing courage.
And the absence of doubt, especially among Christians, IS a virtue.

A "virtue" of what kind?

Doubt hangs people up, preventing action, preventing conviction and yes, sometimes, preventing courage.

Doubt about God etc. "prevents action" in what way?

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@suzianne said
I was speaking of Anglicanism, which moonbus brought up, not agnosticism, which you brought up. You act as though you never read his post that I responded to.
moonbus's post was about the agnosticism of an Anglican priest he knows

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@pettytalk said
Do you have any idea as to what I was implying by playing it safe?
That's what the thread OP asks. Feel free to say what you were implying.

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@pettytalk said
I did not specify a specific religion, as far as fanaticism. Therefore, why are you isolating the safety to Christianity?
Because I am interested in what Christians have to say, as well as non-Christians here who spend time talking to Christians.