Why did I name my blog "Agnostic and Loving It"?
My first reason for choosing that name: IT'S TRUE! I do love being an agnostic. Why? Because it's freeing. It's the only honest belief (or non-belief) one can have when it comes to the supernatural and the afterlife. Agnostics believe that God is "unknown and unknowable." simple as that. To disagree with that statement, to say, "No, no, I do know the ultimate truth" is to kid yourself. It may feel good, but is intellectual dishonesty with yourself really a good thing? I don't think so.
I grew up Catholic and still remember the moment 40 years ago (I was 24) when I let it all go. It was liberating. No longer was I required to “believe” things that were becoming more and more difficult to believe. No more guilt – it vanished almost immediately.
My second reason for calling my blog "Agnostic and Loving It" is to let the Faithful out there to know that there can be happiness, satisfaction and peace of mind without believing in Jesus -- or whatever God one chooses to follow. I still recall the daily prayer in parochial school we recited in unison for “fallen away Catholics,” a group we viewed with sadness and pity. Now that I’m one of them, I know it was wrong to view them that way. Yet, whenever I tell a Christian evangelical that I'm agnostic, I never fail to pick up a hint of pity and smugness. "Ha ha, I know the truth and you don't" I hear them thinking. Or, more uncharitably, "You just wait. You'll find out."
Was I ever afraid of my decision to let it all go? Not really. Oh, I occasionally have the fleeting thought, “Gee, what if I’m wrong? What if the Catholic Church’s teachings really are true?” But then the absolute absurdity of it all comes to the rescue and I’m back to reality. Besides, I reasoned at the time, if God did not want us to ask questions or harbor doubt, then why did he give us minds and brains that inexorably lead the intellectually honest among us in that direction? And what is wrong about doubting in the first place? Other than the fact that, once it starts, the whole believe structure can come crashing down (What a relief; try it).
Isn't it obvious that no one can force themselves to believe in something? True, you can pretend to believe, but you can’t make yourself believe. You either believe or you don’t. It’s not a voluntary decision. Isn't it absurd that God would put us in the position of lying to ourselves, of forcing some of us to pretend to believe something that we really can't believe in anymore. I would guess that many Christians are struggling with this one.
posted by Jim Fleming @ 3:06 PM
3 comments
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3 Comments:
Jim,
This is a great blog, and I am loving it – just to go along with the name of the blog. I grew up catholic as well – Je …. I was an altar boy for the pope in Vatican City – so I understand where you are coming from. I like when you say that from now on you are going to write for yourself and not for the public out there. You are your own teacher and that is all it matter. We are not here to make it better – well, it is nice when it is possible – but to make it worth. Let me tell ya … there are a lot of people out there that don’t have a clue … so way bother with them? Besides, they don’t want to know anyhow. They fell much better this way, believing in something . In Italy we have the catholic church in charge of everything, while here we have the dollar to rule the mind. It’s just a big hypocrisy if you think about it, but that’s what the majority of people want. Sometimes I fell like I am in the middle of a desert, even do a like to be with people. Well, that’s enough for today. Thanks to Jesus we have democracy today … even if what he preached about was more like communism … ohhhhhh I said it … now Bush is going to come and get me …. See ya …...
Sameule, I really appreciate your comment. I agree completely.
An alter boy for the Pope in Vatican City! Wow! (I was an alter boy for a monsignor once!).
You got a point about Jesus. He was more communist than capitalist in his outlook toward his fellow man. (Omigod, I said it, too).
Yes, that’s right, his fellow men. Now, this is assuming that Jesus really existed. But let’s say he did not exist, what are we going to do about it? Throw away two thousand years of history? I don’t know, but we can certainly say that humanity wasted a lot of time on inquisitions, crusades, popes, altars, masses, bottle of wine – well, drinking wine is never a waist of time – and confession – mea cupla, mea cupla, mea maxima culpa. That’s a real problem. Men didn’t know what to do with their spare time – that means after work – so they come out with all these ideas. And then, since they were not happy with the mess they had done they said:” Let’s vote for Bush for President”. And that was it. Since then humanity has reached the bottom. And for what? Just because a fellow guy, who lived in Galilee, or maybe just in the mind of a clever novel writer, who said nothing more or less of what the Greeks had said five century before. Must be hard for Socrates to see another man to get credit for what he said! Oh Zeus, you were a god ad now you are a Zoo!
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