Do you know what the difference between atheism and agnosticism is? It’s pretty simple. Atheists say, “There is no god,” while agnostics say, “I don’t know it there’s a god.” A simple look at the etymology of the two words can help. Atheist is basically Greek for ‘having no god’. Agnostic is basically Greek for ‘having no knowledge’.
Atheism has become the default ‘religion’ for people who don’t believe in Jehovah, Vishnu, Allah, Waheguru, baby Jesus, Santa Claus, or Xenu, and I can definitely see where they’re coming from. It’s pretty easy to step a little too far and say, “These religions are preposterous fairy tales. Clearly they are all wrong and there is no god.” But remember, the opposite of something wrong is not always right.
I see atheism as something reactionary, whereas agnosticism is born out of true critical thought. Socrates once said, “I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.” This is the tenet upon which agnosticism is built. The fact is that our ignorance is a universe unto itself, and it takes a good deal of critical though to understand this.
Posted by jk 