Have you got an agnostic / type view?

Question

Do you believe that there may actually be some kind of intelligent creative force at work? Not so much an old bearded man who created humans in his own image but something beyond human comprehension? Part if the reason I don’t agree with atheism is because I think it’s better to reserve judgement until you know, better to leave possibilities open… Every now and then I feel like there’s an order in things and there must be purposeful intelligent design behind it.

What are your thoughts / theories ?

Answer 1

I'm an atheist, but I'm not actively denying existance of anything "higher" than us humans.

There might as well be an extremely advanced race of aliens out there that have advanced scientifically so far that they can create stars, planets and even life. Look at us puny humans - we're on our way to create artificial DNA and biological computers; we have created mini-stars in the form of thermonuclear explosions (albeit uncontrollable). If we can do it, perhaps there's an alien civilisation in some very distant corner of the Universe that can do things which we'd say only a God can do.

You never know, you never know. It's hard to be an atheist without a little bit of agnosticism, you'd have to be some kind of fundamental atheist then.

Answer 2

I understand your doubt, but the fact is, there is nothing to even suggest that there is something behind all that is.

One of my favorites is the teapot that is in orbit between Earth and Mars. Your job is to prove that it's not there! ~ : )

Answer 3

I do not know if there is or is not a higher mind behind the universe's function.

However, by studying the world around me I can deduce that if there is such a being, it does not answer prayers and is not concerned with our s*x lives or any other aspect of our existence as individuals.  It does not desire our worship, it is not swayed by our entreaties, and it does not become irritated if it does not receive such flattery.

It also does not seem to be necessary for any ongoing life proccesses or physical proccesses, which seem to have been proceeding uninterfered-with for billions of years.

And, therefore, it does not matter.

Answer 4

depends on what your referring to. Considering the fact we cant even agree how the moon was formed to make a statement that  we understand the Universe in its entirity would be stupid as well as arrogant. But as for a God? He has had plenty of opportunity to show his trouble making self and prove everyone wrong so I doubt his existence.  I am, however, 100% behind Richard Dawkins outlook on the Universe/Life.

Intelligent design doesnt answer everything plus it raises more questions such as free will(if we were designed is out future already mapped out etc...)

Answer 5

Since you asked this question in the science section and not the religion section, the scientific answer is no, one does not "reserve judgement" exactly. The entire point of doing science is to make a judgement. Part of the scientific method is parsimony: the concept that we do not multiply concepts beyond necessity. If we can explain phenomena without X, then we do not claim X. We can explain all known phenomena without gods, so we do not claim gods. If further evidence arrives that indicates X, then we change our minds.

Scientific results are always tentative, always "leaving possibilities open" in the sense that new data can come in and prove us wrong. Only in religion is one's judgement final. In science, we always accept the possibility that we might be wrong, that we might have to adjust our judgement based on the observed facts. But we base our judgements on the facts currently at hand, which indicate no gods.

Your view is not agnosticism. Agnosticism is the epistemological position that gods are unknowable. You have not decided on a philosophical view yet.

Answer 6

Even devoted atheists are technically agnostic since they cannot disprove the existence of God, however, an atheist may respond to you by arguing that there is no need to reserve judgment for that for which there is no evidence. For example, are you also reserving judgment that there is a pink elephant in space, how can you completely disprove that somewhere in the vast universe there is?

My belief however would be that there is a higher power but I cannot justify it scientifically. I just seem to 'feel' inside that there is something there, an atheist may argue that there is a biochemical reason for this, however that does not make me feel it any less and does not lessen my will to believe.

Answer 7

I am telling you that there is a God without a doubt. It is quite clear if you study and I am not saying read , but truly study the bible as a skeptic, and you will see . I studied the bible trying to disprove it and was blown away by what I discovered.

Answer 8

No, I'm fully atheist.  The reason is that man has invented about 2,500 gods.  The idea that I need to keep an open mind about any imaginary being that man can come up with is just too silly for me.

I don't see any evidence at all of a design, the earth is slowly falling into the sun, the moon is moving farther away, too much sun can kill you, parasites, natural disasters, etc...

Even up to 100 years ago, 50% of all children born into advanced cultures died before age 1.  In some cultures they don't even name a baby before age 1.  Medicine changed most of that.  But for thousands of years, that's how life was.  That doesn't seem very intelligent to me.

And Paul M is wrong.  By his logic, every single person on earth is agnostic about every single god that man can invent.

Answer 9

I am on the same line as you.

For me we can explore our universe only with light or electromagnetic radiations X-rays or gamma rays> So, we are limited to 13.6 billions year light> It is possible that our universe is embedded in some thing else, but it is only an hypothesis>

We must admit that given the human possibility we can not  say any more

Answer 10

Listen to what some scientists have said:

Dr. George Ellis, “The symmetries and delicate balances we observe in the universe require an extraordinary coherence of conditions and cooperation of laws and effects, suggesting that in some sense they have been purposely designed.  That is, they give evidence of intention, realized both in the setting of the law of physics and in the choice of boundary conditions for the universe."

Freeman Dyson, “As we look out into the universe and identify the many accidents of physics and astronomy that have worked together to our benefit, it almost seems as if the universe must in some sense have known we were coming.”

And I like what Dr. Philip Ball said, “Our Universe is so unlikely that we must be missing something.”  He even admitted on his blog: “The fact is that this fine-tuning is one of the most puzzling issues in modern physics, and if I were a Christian of the sort who believes in a Creator . . . I’d seize on this as a pretty strong indication that my beliefs are on to something.”

You see, the fundamental constants of physics and chemistry are just right to allow the universe and life as we know it to exist.  Things like the strength of gravity, the relative masses of subatomic particles,  the precise strength of the nuclear weak force, the nuclear strong force, and electromagnetism, and so forth.  From what I understand, there are more than 30 separate parameters that must be finely tuned to produce a life-sustaining universe.  As Dr. Robin Collins has said, “Wipe out one of those principles, wipe out one of those laws—no life.”

And look at what we have with this earth in our solar system and galaxy.

(1) The right kind of galaxy.

(2) The right place in the galaxy.

(3) The right kind of star.

(4) The right distance from that star.

(5) The right sized planet.

(6) The right spin of the planet.

(7) The proper magnetic field.

(8) The high composition of carbon.

(9) The high water content.

(10) The nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere.

(11) The size and distance of our moon.

And on and on.  The thing you have to realize is, any slight variation in any of these would make the earth uninhabitable as we know it.  Boy, we sure are lucky, aren’t we?  Well, people are certainly free to believe what they want.

Answer 11

My thoughts and theories are none of your business.

You should have placed this question in the religious section of Yahoo Questions and Answers where people with a religious bent congregate and hash out their ideas and philosophies.

Please make that intelligent move the next time you decide to speak up.

Thank-you.

Answer 12

well, i don't know if i'm best suited to answer this question, because i am an athiest. but i do really see your point... i really do. its interesting how you talk about you want to reserve possibilities... i never really thought of that when it came to faith.

but anyway, onto your question. i too sometimes wonder if there is an overwhelming foce keeping everything in line... keeping the universe expandind...keeping time moving forward. i don't think this force is intelligent. beyond human comparison? maybe.

i don't know if i would be 100% athiest. athiests believe that there is nothing that is higher and has control to some extent. i, however, don't believe in god or inteligent design, but i do think that there is some kind of force... some kind of property in the universe that is keeping everything in line. not exactly keeping things from crashing into each other, because that can be easily explaned. but what did start the universe? we have absolutely no idea. we know there was an event that created the universe, and created all energy in the universe, started time's ray, and started the universe expanding, but what triggered it? we don't know. i think this force that i am talking about did. i don't think its intelligent, but i do think its there.

perhaps another dimension.... or perhaps its just an unknown force. we don't know. we will probably never know, because like you said, it is probably beyond human comparison.

i don't think there was intelligent design for a lot of reasons. i just can't find a place for it in the universe. when i look at everything i've learned, all the formulas i've memorized, all the theories and fundemental laws i base my entire education on, when you add the factor of god, or intelligent design, they cripple. and i hope i'm not offending your faith in any way, because everyone is entitled to their own faith.

i think its something thats just there. it effects everything, yet is unnoticed. and maybe we should leave our possibilities open. the worste thing to do to science is make it closed off. i do, however, refuse to allow religion to come into science because it messes everything up.

religion and science are two completely different things. when they are mixed together, both of them end up crippling which is why i fell its best to leave the alone.

thats just my idea.

Answer 13

you have just summed up exactly how i feel! to the tee lol!