Is Agnosticism an Option?

Last week, we saw why atheism cannot claim to be based on Reason alone as if it had nothing to do with faith. Atheism, as an ism, is a belief system, too. As we cannot “prove” the existence of God, we cannot “prove” the non-existence of God. We don’t arrive at atheism or theism by way of Reason; both are the fundamental premises, on which we build our worldviews with our Reason.

Agnosticism is one response to this dilemma. It has two meanings. One is the belief that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven. The other, which is related to the first meaning, is the state of not committing to either of the two. The agnostics in this second sense say that they are open to either of the two if there is enough evidence, especially for God’s existence.

This brings up the question of what constitutes evidence. The court of law does not accept everything people say as evidence, such as mere hearsay or personal opinions. Judicial evidence must meet certain criteria. The question is how we determine the legitimacy of those criteria. To do so, we need some criteria, don’t we? Then, what should be the criteria for those criteria? This infinite regression will not stop until we accept certain things as self-evident.

Some say, “If I see God, I will believe.” Can God show Himself to us if He wants to? Of course! We have many instances of God’s appearance in the Bible. But when people demand it as evidence, they show their (a priori) commitment to empiricism as the ultimate standard of truth. But is it? If we can’t see something, does that mean it doesn’t exist? Rationalism and Romanticism disagree. We don’t see Reason or feelings, but do we doubt their existence? As an ism, empiricism, too, is a belief system, which requires a leap of faith.

Likewise, just because we can’t see God doesn’t mean He doesn’t exist. God is by definition a spiritual, immaterial Being. God “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see...” (1 Tim. 6:16). So, God’s appearance is only an artificial projection from His invisible Being. It’s similar to how He revealed Himself in nature. As the genius of Leonardo da Vinci is shown in “Mona Lisa,” so has God revealed Himself through creation, which bears His fingerprint.

We can understand the agnostic position. But is it a tenable position? Either God exists or He doesn’t even if we cannot prove one or the other. Also, not making a decision is itself a decision. You will not be able to excuse yourself before God: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So [people] are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

If people don’t believe in God, it is not because there isn’t sufficient evidence; it is because they demand only the kind of evidence they want. In fact, they already know God deep inside, but they suppress that knowledge because they don’t want to be accountable to God and face His judgment for all their thoughts, words, and deeds.

Of course, adopting theism does not resolve all the problems. There are many theistic religions. Can they be all true when they present, for example, different ideas about God’s being—polytheism vs. mono-theism and Unitarianism vs. Trinitarianism? How do we know which one is true? We don’t have enough time or brain power to investigate all religions thoroughly enough. But Christianity stands distinct from all other religions: it alone claims that we need a Savior because we cannot be good enough to meet God’s standard no matter how hard we try. If we fall short of our standard so often, can we expect to meet God’s perfect standard? Stop striving; put your trust in Jesus Christ. God will forgive you and grant you eternal life on account of His sacrifice for you. Then, not fear of judgment but gratitude for God’s grace will be your motivation to live your life to the fullest.