Atheism vs. Agnosticism
What Is the Difference?
Have you grown up in a family where
religion is life? The pressure to agree with your parent’s beliefs
can cause some teenagers to go a different route, whether it being a completely
different religion or going the path of atheism or agnosticism. A big
question though is what the heck is atheism and agnosticism?
A carefully picked group of eighth grade students argued
over the definitions of atheism and agnosticism. The arguments showed
how little students know about these ideas. Right before the argument
escalated to a fight, they were interrupted, by the actual dictionary
definition. Atheism is a disbelief in of deity and Agnosticism is one
who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence
of God or a god.
Atheism is a very well known idea but Agnosticism is
not very well known. These following excerpts are what some Memorial Middle
School students thought agnosticism meant:
• “I don’t know,
is it like autumn or something?”
• “Is it a body part?”
• “An animal?”
• *Shrugs shoulders*
Obviously most people are completely clueless (including
me before I found out). Yet when the same people were asked about atheism
they all knew the answer. Why this difference? I don’t know but
both are more then just words to some people, they are a way of life.
