What Is Agnosticism?
Agnosticism is the belief that the supernatural or divine is unknown, if not unknowable. After the enlightenment, which privileged reason and scientific method, provided the context for a particular species of agnosticism. It is not that there were no agnostics prior to the enlightenment though the term “agnostic” began to denote a system of belief post-enlightenment. Throughout history, humans have often recognized the mysterious nature of the divine realm. Post-enlightenment, however, agnosticism became more closely associated with the human inability to provide rational grounds for belief. Defining agnosticism in terms of rational or intellectual grounding, then, is a relatively recent phenomenon.
Agnosticism is not necessarily associated with either belief or disbelief in the divine. Some agnostics may live “as if” a particular sort of god exists while acknowledging that they don’t know the divine. It is possible, then, to find agnostic theists who believe in the existence of some higher power (perhaps even practicing a specific religion) even though they believe knowing the divine is impossible. Other agnostics are atheists living as if there is no higher power. As such, it may be best to understand agnosticism as a posture or orientation that shapes one’s expression about the existence of the divine.
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1. How Agnosticism Challenges Traditional Views of Knowledge
When we talk about “knowing,” we are not simply talking about what we often refer to as “intellect” or “cognition.” Instead, “knowing” occurs in at least four ways:
Propositional
Propositional is a “knowing that” (e.g., I know that a bike is a mode of transportation).Procedural
“Knowing how” is a matter of procedural knowledge (e.g., I know how to ride a bike).Perspective
Recognizing the bike as a relevant feature of our environment in relation to other features is perspective knowing (e.g., I need to go somewhere and the bike I know how to ride is the only mode of transportation available).Participatory
Participatory knowledge involves experiences (e.g., I know what it feels like to ride my bike down a hill and have the wind blowing in my face).
These ways of knowing can be distinguished and, to some degree, separated. When thinking about agnosticism today, there is a tendency to emphasize propositional knowing. To some degree, this is conditioned by the enlightenment emphasis on reason and the scientific method. Beliefs that are not grounded in reason or cannot be demonstrated scientifically are relegated to the realm of myth. Yet, the limitations on human knowledge reach beyond our capacity to reason. For instance, rational thought and scientific methods fail when it comes to knowing God because they seek to know God in the wrong way (procedural), push God and his revelation to the background while bringing human reasoning to the foreground (perspective), and do not experience the power and presence of God throughout their lives (participatory).
Our will is misdirected so that we refuse to repent even when confronted with what is evident about God through creation (Rom 1:18-23) and the proclamation of the gospel. Whatever our finite biological limits may be, we cannot discount the influence of our hardened hearts that keep us from knowing what God has made known. Through faith in Christ, we come to know God in each of the four ways of knowing as we imitate Christ. Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:7).
Attempts to know apart from Christ will always be incapable of knowing God and understanding the world he has created.
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2. What Does the Bible Say About Agnosticism?
Instances of agnosticism in the Hebrew Bible are less evident. What we generally find in the Hebrew Bible is a mix of false religion consisting of incomplete human narratives that describe the supernatural realm. Because the narratives were incomplete, those mediating between the gods and humanity often found that the gods acted in unexpected ways. They were capricious, or unpredictable. There were a mix of “known” (stories describing gods in terms of generally consistent aspects of the world) and “unknown” (mysterious and unpredictable attributes of the gods).
God ultimately reveals himself to Israel to give Israel a clear, though not necessarily complete, understanding of who He is. This revelation was to be attractive to the nations. As the nations fumbled around in the dark being led by inconsistent (and non-existent) gods, they would be drawn to the surety of God’s revelation to Israel (Deut 4:6-8).
Israel’s collective life was to reflect a full-orbed knowledge of God. It was not simply “propositional” (knowing assertions about God), but procedural (understanding how to live before and approach God), perspective (recognizing God as infinitely more relevant than any other actor or factor we may face), and participatory (have experiential knowledge of God rooted in obedience, trust, and worship). This fully-orbed knowledge was to shape Israel’s life making Israel distinct among the nations. The church is also to demonstrate this sort of knowledge.
Moving to the New Testament, the clearest example of agnosticism is found in Acts 17. Paul addresses the men of Athens whom he describes as “very religious” (Acts 17:22), yet he goes on to note the altar on which was inscribed “To the unknown god” (17:23). Here, we see an instance in which a religious community acknowledges their ignorance of a god they worship. Their lack of knowledge does not keep them from worship. Paul calls the men of Athens to repentance noting that God “overlooked” the “days of ignorance” but has also set a day in which all will be judged (17:30-31).
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3. Understanding Agnosticism in Today's World
Is agnosticism’s claim that god is unknown or unknowable correct? Yes and no. Here it may be helpful to distinguish between humans who have a saving faith in Christ and those who do not. For those who have such faith, God is both known and knowable. Christ is the “image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). As such, knowing Jesus and imitating him allows Christians to grow in their knowledge of God. For those in Christ, God has overcome our inherent limitations to make himself known to us. Apart from Christ, humans cannot know God.
There are limits to human knowledge. Humans can observe the world around them, build stories, and advance theories, but our knowledge is always incomplete. That incompleteness involves an inability to know beyond our senses (often enhanced through technology). If we assume we must rely solely on finite human capacities, Agnostics are right to say that humans are incapable of looking past their limited viewpoint. There is a sense in which God is unknowable (or only partially knowable; Rom 1:18-23) if we have only our finite human capacities.
For those who are not in Christ, God is also unknown. Though some may believe God exists, they cannot know him until they believe in Jesus Christ. In this sense, then, those who have not come to saving faith are right to suggest that God is unknown to them. They are wrong, however, to universalize their agnosticism as if it applied to all people at all times. God is neither unknown nor unknowable because God has revealed himself in his word and through his Son.
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Why Faith Transcends Science in Understanding God
Agnostics believe they cannot know. They often mean that they cannot offer sufficient rational or scientific evidence for God. If the supernatural realm exists beyond our physical senses and cannot be demonstrated through repeatable experimentation, agnostics claim there is no basis for claiming that there is a God. While many agnostics believe there is a higher power, they also tend to see the higher power as unknowable.
As Christians, we must take care not to adopt an agnostic framework for faith. Faith is “the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). Faith is not simply something we can prove with reason or demonstrate through science (though doing so is often appropriate). Instead, faith connects us to an intergenerational community whose experience of God has been recorded in the Scriptures and passed down to us. It unites us with Christ who prays for us and waits with us for the culmination of all things. It opens us to the Holy Spirit who bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. We have more than propositions about God. We have a fully-orbed knowledge of him that grows every day as we obey his word, confess our sins, and commit to following the way of Christ.
Originally published Monday, 13 May 2024.