Are you Gnostic Theist or an Agnostic Theist?

[beastmaster]

That's just a fancy way of asking whether you KNOW god exists or only BELIEVE (based on faith) that he exists. I know there is some obvious overlap of semantics here- I believe that my shoes exist in the next room while at the same time knowing it to be a fact. You get the idea. This question was inspired by John 20:29: "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Growing up I thought this quote applied to the vast majority of Christians, thereby putting them in the second category, but after reading through many of the posts here I've found many claim to have direct knowledge of God through personal revelation/personal experience. I can only assume that Christian Forums is an accurate cross-section of the worldwide Christian community, but I'm very surprised at the percentage of people who say they know through experience rather than just Believe (based on faith) that God exists.

 

[food4thought]

I FULLY BELIEVE based on faith that God is who He says He is. I KNOW based upon experience that I have encountered a spiritual Being who has communicated with me.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... semantics

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Hi,

I guess growing up around Christianity I knew God existed from time to time, but I also went through periods of great unbelief. Eventually I just settled down into unbelief and lived my life for myself, with mixed emotions both good and bad. It was not until God revealed himself to me in a dream that I actually had to make a decision to follow him. Since that time I have had mixed feelings times when God seemed far away and times when he seemed nearer. But for much of the time I did not know God. Now many years latter I can say with confidence I know God. Or at least know of him. He has revealed himself to me in many experiences. Which I have listed on my website at Know God Personally now I know 100% God is real, I have no doubt whatsoever.

 

[lesliedellow]

Neither. I think agnostic is a term that should be reserved for those who do not think there is enough evidence to justify either theis or atheism. In other words, it should be the noun it always had been until atheists tried to purloin it as an adjective.

Now that I have got that off my chest, I am not 100% certain God exists; nobody can be.

 

[RaiseTheDead]

That's just a fancy way of asking whether you KNOW god exists or only BELIEVE (based on faith) that he exists. I know there is some obvious overlap of semantics here- I believe that my shoes exist in the next room while at the same time knowing it to be a fact. You get the idea. This question was inspired by John 20:29: "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Growing up I thought this quote applied to the vast majority of Christians, thereby putting them in the second category, but after reading through many of the posts here I've found many claim to have direct knowledge of God through personal revelation/personal experience. I can only assume that Christian Forums is an accurate cross-section of the worldwide Christian community, but I'm very surprised at the percentage of people who say they know through experience rather than just Believe (based on faith) that God exists.

People who post here do not make a representative sample of the population. I stopped needing to faith to simply know God exists long ago, and I'm in good company on CF; there's lots of us here.

 

[elman]

Neither. I think agnostic is a term that should be reserved for those who do not think there is enough evidence to justify either theis or atheism. In other words, it should be the noun it always had been until atheists tried to purloin it as an adjective.

Now that I have got that off my chest, I am not 100% certain God exists; nobody can be.

I think many are 100% certain but that does not mean God exists. Many people are certain of many things about which they are mistaken. I agree that we cannot know if God exists or does not exist.

 

[GrayAngel]

Faith is not any less valuable if it is based on evidence. I am a gnostic theist; I've had personal experiences which have assured me that God exists. He has communicated some things to me that I couldn't have known on my own, for example. However, since the human mind has a tendency to try to explain everything away by natural means, some measure of doubt still exists. I'm about 99.99% sure He exists.

 

[whateverist]

That's just a fancy way of asking whether you KNOW god exists or only BELIEVE (based on faith) that he exists. I know there is some obvious overlap of semantics here- I believe that my shoes exist in the next room while at the same time knowing it to be a fact. You get the idea. This question was inspired by John 20:29: "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Growing up I thought this quote applied to the vast majority of Christians, thereby putting them in the second category, but after reading through many of the posts here I've found many claim to have direct knowledge of God through personal revelation/personal experience. I can only assume that Christian Forums is an accurate cross-section of the worldwide Christian community, but I'm very surprised at the percentage of people who say they know through experience rather than just Believe (based on faith) that God exists.

This makes sense to me. If one has personally experienced revelation, does one still have faith .. or now only certainty?

 

[leftrightleftrightleft]

I don't really believe true certainty exists. You're only certain until you find out you're mistaken. I believe in God on faith while at the same time being aware that I could be mistaken. The elements of doubt in my faith are those that define what my faith is.

 

[Leap]

Agnostic does not mean "on faith" and in fact means Doubting and so the opposite of "on faith".

That said, I take God's existence on faith.

 

[oi_antz]

I FULLY BELIEVE based on faith that God is who He says He is. I KNOW based upon experience that I have encountered a spiritual Being who has communicated with me.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... semantics

Me too!

 

[whateverist]

Agnostic does not mean "on faith" and in fact means Doubting and so the opposite of "on faith".

That said, I take God's existence on faith.

Agnostic doesn't mean doubting. Agnosticism is simply the recognition of what you may reasonably claim to know. Faith is believing without proof. Recognizing there is no secular proof for or against God, faith is required to maintain belief in God. Faith is not always comfortable or easy. Mother Teresa wrestled with faith for most of her life.

 

[Leap]

Agnostic doesn't mean doubting. Agnosticism is simply the recognition of what you may reasonably claim to know. Faith is believing without proof. Recognizing there is no secular proof for or against God, faith is required to maintain belief in God. Faith is not always comfortable or easy. Mother Teresa wrestled with faith for most of her life.

Agnostic is "I don't know". Faith is certainty as an act of trust, the very certainty that the Age of Reason, the Enlightenment and Modernity railed against.

 

[whateverist]

Trust is more like it. Faith has much more to do with trust than with reason. Certainty then is based on the strength of ones trust. If your trust is strong, so is your faith. There are no reasons that can over turn faith just as there are no reasons that can alleviate the need for faith.

 

[elman]

Trust is more like it. Faith has much more to do with trust than with reason. Certainty then is based on the strength of ones trust. If your trust is strong, so is your faith. There are no reasons that can over turn faith just as there are no reasons that can alleviate the need for faith.

One can be certain in their faith and incorrect at the same time.