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Agnosticism is a Religion

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Agnosticism is a Religion
Agnosticism: Religion or Disbelief? Mark Twain, Albert Einstein and Marie Curie are all agnostics. In fact, 10% of America is agnostic (Robinson). There are hundreds of millions of agnostics out in the world (Adherents). However, the religion, agnosticism, is sometimes not taken as a true religion, when in reality it is essentially a real religion. This group of people is denied the acceptation from many gnostics and atheists as being religious. These gnostics and atheists are simply wrong. Agnosticism can even fit the definition of religion; therefor it must be taken as a serious religion. Not only that, but agnostics are very similar to what people agree as believers of an actual religion. Agnosticism must be a religion for fitting the definition of religion, relating to most other major religions, and even having ethics and additional characteristics that take hold in religions, such as belief and faith.
Agnosticism is a religion since it fits the common definition of spiritual religion. For example, a definition of religion is a set of beliefs concerning supernatural and divine. Although agnosticism does not believe in a set god or being like most religions, it still concerns things supernatural (Poidevin). Religion does not require that you worship, praise, or even speak to a god; it is simply a belief about super natural beings, according to a common definition. In addition, the definition of agnosticism is it is the doctrine that only material things can be known, and hence the knowledge of god, or for that matter anything supernatural, is impossible
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(Hepburn). This may contradict what many theists and atheists may believe by saying that they do care if there is a god or ultimate being and are not merely taking the occupation of agnostic to dissipate any heat they may receive from non-agnostics. However, most agnostics actually take it seriously and came to the conclusion that ultimate knowledge of a god is impossible to know without



Bibliography: “Agnostic Beliefs about Religion.” HubPages. Hubpages Inc. 2008. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. http://hubpages.com/hub/Agnostic-Beliefs. “Agnostic Religion.” All about Philosophy. All About GOD 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. . “Major Religions Ranked by Size.” Adherents. Adherents: National & World Religion Statistics 2007. Web. 11 Feb. 2011. . “Number of Agnostics in the World.” NumberOf. How Many 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. . Dixon, Thomas “Agnosticism.” New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. 2005 ed. Print. English, Ryan. “Agnostics Beliefs – Know More About It.” Ezine Articles. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. < http://ezinearticles.com/?Agnostic-Beliefs---Know-More-About-It&id=4663848>. Freeman, Tzvi. “What do Agnostics Believe?”. Chabad. Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. . Hepburn, Ronald. “Agnosticism.” Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Gale, 2006. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 Feb. 2011. . Ingersoll, Robert. Why Am I Agnostic. Louisville, KY: Bank of Wisdom. 1889. Print. Larue, Gerald. “What is Religion?” Teaching About Religion. University of Southern California 2003. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. . Poidevin, Robin. Agnosticisim: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. Robinson, B.A. “What is ‘religion’?” Religious Tolerance. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. < http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_defn.htm>. Spalding, J.L. Religion, Agnosticism, and Education. Chicago, IL : A.C. McClurg & Co., 1902. Print.

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