Most of these are
Meriam Webster definitions. A couple of definitions are also provided
by Wikipedia.
Atheist--one
who believes that there is no deity
Agnostic--a
person who does not have a definite belief about whether God exists
or not
Gnosticism
("having knowledge"), is a modern term categorizing a
collection of ancient religions whose adherents shunned the Demiurge–
which they viewed as created by – and embraced the spiritual world.
(Wikipedia)
Fundamentalism--a
movement in 20th century Protestantism emphasizing the literally
interpreted Bible as to Christian life and teaching
Evangelical--of
or relating to a Christian sect or group that stresses the authority
of the Bible, the importance of believing that Jesus
Christ saved you personally from sin or hell, and the preaching of
these beliefs to other people.
Deism--a
movement or system of thought advocating natural religion,
emphasizing morality, and in the 18th century denying the
interference of the Creator with the laws of the universe .
Theism--belief
in the existence of a god or gods; specifically a
belief in the existence of one God viewed as the creative
source of the human race and the world who transcends yet is immanent
in the world.
Spirituality--most any kind of meaningful activity. It is often separated from organized religious institutions, as in the phrase "spiritual but not religious". Traditionally, spirituality refers to a process of re-formation of the personality live a life according to divine will, but there is no single, agreed-upon definition of spirituality.
Many people think
atheists and agnostics are different. Actually, most atheists are
agnostic. Richard Dawkins has even said it would be fine with him if
god did exist. Most atheists like Richard Dawkins do not have any
special knowledge about the existence of non-existence of god.
Therefore, most atheists are, in fact, agnostic They just do not
know.
An agnostic,
therefore, is someone who lacks special knowledge about something like
God or religion. It is the opposite of gnostic.
On the other hand, a gnostic atheist would be positive that god doesn't exist. Few atheists take this position. Most view god as irrelevant or that people who are adamant about gods' existence need to prove it.
On the other hand, a gnostic atheist would be positive that god doesn't exist. Few atheists take this position. Most view god as irrelevant or that people who are adamant about gods' existence need to prove it.
Fundamentalists and
Evangelicals are gnostic. There is no doubt in their minds about the
existence of god. Many also think the US is a Christian nation and accordingly Americans should be following god's law, whatever that might be. For example, Kim Davis, the Rowan county Kentucky clerk, thinks she is denying marriage licenses to gay couples under the authority of God.
When the nation was
founded, many of the founders were deist. They believed in god , but
not organized region. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James
Madison and John Adams were deists.
Franklin may have
even been an atheist: One of his famous quotes:
Light houses are
more useful than churches.
Theists, on the
other hand, participate in organized religion. It would be safe to
say that most evangelicals and fundamentalists are gnostic theists.
They believe god needs to be worshipped in the context of an
institution or ritual.
There is an example
of theism in Judaism. Orthodox Jews say the Temple of Solomon needs
be rebuilt on the Temple Mount because it is the only place that God
can reside on earth. This is considered the holiest place in Judaism,
Of course the Al
Aqsa Mosque would have to be destroyed to rebuild the temple.
There are also
people into spirituality who do not show any interest in organized
religion, but believe something is out there. People who are into
spirituality appear to be the modern version of deists.
In summary, most
atheists are agnostic. And most fundamentalists and evangelicals are
gnostic theists. People into spirituality are, for all intents and
purposes, deists.
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