Is it possible!?

[haas mark]

I have a friend that is not religious in any way, but says he doenst want to consider himself atheist. Is it possible to say you have NO religious denomination, yet are not atheist or agnostic???

[Mr Bean]

Agonsitic is lacking any belife so unless he claims some belife he IS Agonsitic, just like if your Black you can't claim your white unless your Micale Jackson

[Stormbringer]

I have a friend that is not religious in any way, but says he doenst want to consider himself atheist. Is it possible to say you have NO religious denomination, yet are not atheist or agnostic???

He's by default an agonostic. He can claim whatever he likes but that's what he is.

[Darth Wong]

I have a friend that is not religious in any way, but says he doenst want to consider himself atheist. Is it possible to say you have NO religious denomination, yet are not atheist or agnostic???

Atheism is defined as the lack of any positive belief in a divine being. He probably doesn't want to define himself as an atheist because he buys into the strawman definition of atheism as "absolute belief that there is nothing beyond the physical universe whatsoever". I'd say he falls into the "atheist but doesn't know it" category, because of the popular distortions of the term.

PS. an agnostic is just a Christian whose faith is weak.

[haas mark]

I have a friend that is not religious in any way, but says he doenst want to consider himself atheist. Is it possible to say you have NO religious denomination, yet are not atheist or agnostic???

Atheism is defined as the lack of any positive belief in a divine being. He probably doesn't want to define himself as an atheist because he buys into the strawman definition of atheism as "absolute belief that there is nothing beyond the physical universe whatsoever". I'd say he falls into the "atheist but doesn't know it" category, because of the popular distortions of the term.

PS. an agnostic is just a Christian whose faith is weak.

Can agnostic refer to any religion?

Also, I tried to tell him he was an atheist, but oh, well.

[Stormbringer]

PS. an agnostic is just a Christian whose faith is weak.

Can agnostic refer to any religion?

Also, I tried to tell him he was an atheist, but oh, well.

An agnostic can of any faith. Basically they're sitting on the fence between aetheist and religious.

[Darth Wong]

PS. an agnostic is just a Christian whose faith is weak.

Can agnostic refer to any religion?

I was not being extra-careful in my wording, but yes. An agnostic is usually someone who will declare that most of the world's deities do not exist due to logic, but will reserve judgement on one particular god (or pantheon of gods). This exclusion is entirely irrational, and indicates a lapsed <insert name of religion here> rather than an atheist.

Also, I tried to tell him he was an atheist, but oh, well.

Our society has done a great deal to demonize and distort the word "atheist". Many atheists are reluctant to declare themselves atheists as a result.

[haas mark]

PS. an agnostic is just a Christian whose faith is weak.

Can agnostic refer to any religion?

I was not being extra-careful in my wording, but yes. An agnostic is usually someone who will declare that most of the world's deities do not exist due to logic, but will reserve judgement on one particular god (or pantheon of gods). This exclusion is entirely irrational, and indicates a lapsed <insert name of religion here> rather than an atheist.

Thanks to both you and Stormy for answering that one. Problem, though, is that he's never declared a religion before.

Also, I tried to tell him he was an atheist, but oh, well.

Our society has done a great deal to demonize and distort the word "atheist". Many atheists are reluctant to declare themselves atheists as a result.

Hmm...........He's Australian. Not that that has anything to do with it, but our society is definitely different form his, ne?

[Darth Wong]

Thanks to both you and Stormy for answering that one. Problem, though, is that he's never declared a religion before.

That doesn't mean he wasn't exposed to one, or quietly indoctrinated his whole life. For example, anyone in America receives a certain amount of pro-Christian indoctrination and programming while growing up. You simply can't escape it.

Hmm...........He's Australian. Not that that has anything to do with it, but our society is definitely different form his, ne?

Yes, but I suspect the majority religion is similar.

[Alan Bolte]

Some people, especially younger people, actually refuse to even think about the subject. They aren't anything, but they won't say they're atheists. They are typically irritated by anyone who tries to engage them in theological discussion of any sort, particularly those who wish them to define themselves. My sister is like that.
In addition, it's very possible not to enbrace any particular faith, but instead to have a general idea that there was a creator(s), or that something is watching over them, or that there really are such things as spirits and demons... the list goes on. In any case, the unfortunate stigma attached to the word atheist causes many people not to consider themselves atheists, even if you prod them on the subject.
Although the logical default would be atheism (I admit to a certain amount of bias in that statement), the present human default seems to be agnosticism. Your friend is agnostic until he claims or can be shown to be otherwise.
Your particular wording so far leaves us without any way to determine exactly what it is he does or doesn't believe.

[pecker]

Isn't agnosticism not so much a belief there is no god, but the belief that it's impossible to ever know?

[Darth Wong]

Isn't agnosticism not so much a belief there is no god, but the belief that it's impossible to ever know?

That's how Huxley defined it. The belief that it's impossible to know whether there's a God. Of course, by that token, it's also impossible to know whether there's a Santa Claus, but I don't think most agnostics consider Santa Claus a real possibility. As I said, in this country it's generally just window-dressing on what is essentially a lapsed Christian.

Even to believe in a non-denominational supreme being indicates a certain amount of "programming" by peers, family, and society. Why a single supreme being rather than, say, wind and fire spirits, as the ancients believed? Why monotheism?

[neoolong]

Isn't agnosticism not so much a belief there is no god, but the belief that it's impossible to ever know?

But it's not impossible to know. If some deity came down and started smiting people and there was scientific proof that he was doing so, then he is considered a deity and does exist.

Seems to me that the definition is flawed.

[Exonerate]

Hmm... Well, I have a friend who believes in the existence of a God; not in the omnipotent sense, but ever present...

[salm]

what´s a person called who doesnt give damn if ther´s a god or not?

[Darth Wong]

what´s a person called who doesnt give damn if ther´s a god or not?

If you don't actively believe in a god (or make excuses to pretend this god is not an unreasonable idea, as in the case of agnostics), then you're an atheist.

[Sonnenburg]

what´s a person called who doesnt give damn if ther´s a god or not?

A Sith.

[data_link]

what´s a person called who doesnt give damn if ther´s a god or not?

Smart.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

I have a friend that is not religious in any way, but says he doenst want to consider himself atheist. Is it possible to say you have NO religious denomination, yet are not atheist or agnostic???

Now you're leaving out some important pieces of the puzzle. Does your friend refuse to discount the existence of a god or gods? If so, he's agnostic. If he's discarded the notion of gods, yet refuses to classify himself as an atheist, then he's still an atheist.

<edit>
And in the atheist case, it's what Wong said.
</edit>

[haas mark]

what´s a person called who doesnt give damn if ther´s a god or not?

If you don't actively believe in a god (or make excuses to pretend this god is not an unreasonable idea, as in the case of agnostics), then you're an atheist.

If you don't actively believe in God, but know there might be a possibilty, but still don't give a shit, is that agnosticism?

[SirNitram]

Hrm. Well, I subscribe to the dictionary definition of Agnosticism, leaning towards Theism(Theism, a term I stole from 3001, is sort of a 'I don't know if deities exist but if there are there are more than one).

But I'd say your friend is borederline atheist/agnostic. Using the dictionary definitions, mind you.