The main difference between atheism and agnosticism is that the atheist does not believe in gods and denies their existence, while the agnostic claims that there is no certainty whether gods exist or not.
See below for other differences between the two.
| Atheist | Agnostic | |
|---|---|---|
| Life after death | Does not exist, or not sure. | Unknown. |
| Belief | An atheist believes that God, or gods, do not exist ("positive atheism") or does not believe in the existence of known deities but does not claim that they do not exist ("negative atheism"). |
An agnostic believes that it is impossible to know whether God, or gods, exist ("strong agnosticism"), or believes that the answer can be discovered but is currently not known ("weak agnosticism"). Some agnostics feel that the answer is unimportant. |
| specific types |
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| Argument | Atheists do not believe in claims of the existence of a deity. They argue that the burden of proof is on those who say there is a god. | The agnostic does not believe in claims that the existence of deities can be proved. By the same token, however, it does not deny the existence of God or gods. |
| Etymology | from Greek atheists, formed with the negation prefix ἀ- (a-, "not") + theos ("god"), that is, it is the negation of god. | Derived from the Greek word Agnostus, formed with the negation prefix ἀ- (a-, "not") + γιγνώσκω (gnostos, "I know"). It means ignorance. |
| Term created by | Reference from Ephesians 2:12 in the New Testament. | Thomas Henry Huxley. |
| famous examples | Chico Buarque, Drauzio Varella, Friedrich Nietzsche, Oscar Niemeyer. | Charlie Chaplin, Thomas Jefferson, Carl Sagan. |
What is it like to be an atheist?
The meaning of atheist is someone who does not believe in gods, no matter what their reasons are or how they approach the question of whether they in fact exist.
What is being agnostic?
The agnostic is someone who claims ignorance about the gods, and does not claim to know whether they exist or not. That is, atheism involves what a person does or does not believe, while agnosticism involves what a person does or does not know.
Belief and knowledge are related, but they are different matters.
Are there agnostic atheists?
Many people are under the mistaken impression that agnosticism and atheism are mutually exclusive, but "not knowing" does not necessarily exclude "I don't believe."
An agnostic can be an atheist or a theist. The atheist does not believe in the existence of a god and does not believe in proof of his existence. The theist admits the possibility of the existence of a god, but cannot prove his existence.
What do agnostics and atheists believe?
Atheists do not believe in gods or religious doctrines. For them, there is no life after death, whether positive or negative, or it is not possible to prove it based on available evidence.
Atheists believe that human beings are responsible for their own well-being (or destruction). Therefore, prayers have no result. They argue that religion has a negative effect on humanity.
Agnostics have a more uncertain relationship to belief, feeling insecure about asserting the existence or non-existence of gods. For some agnostics, it is impossible for anyone to prove or disprove the existence of God.
For apathetic agnostics, the question of God's existence is irrelevant and unimportant.
Agnostics and Atheists in the World
About 16% of the world's population is unaffiliated with a religious faith. Countries with large non-religious populations include Sweden, China, Czech Republic, France, Iceland and Australia.
According to data from the 2010 Brazilian census, by the IBGE, 8.0% of the population declared themselves "without religion" (15.3 million). Among them, about 615,000 declare themselves to be atheists.
In São Paulo, there is the Brazilian Association of Atheists and Agnostics (ATEA), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting atheism, agnosticism and the secularity of the State. The association has existed since 2008, and in 2016 it already had more than 19,000 members.
See also the differences between:
- creationism and evolutionism
- Being Catholic and being Christian
