[Johnny B.]

I’ve never met an atheist face to face.

Hi! Nice to meet you.

Do you know that leprechauns don't exist? If you answered "No", then does that make you "agnostic" about leprechauns? And, if you can't reach a conclusion about leprechauns, how could you reach a decision about anything?

There's a big difference between "I can't be metaphysically certain that God doesn't exist, but I see no evidence of him" (atheist) and "I don't know" (agnostic).

[what's up]

There's a big difference between "I can't be metaphysically certain that God doesn't exist, but I see no evidence of him" (atheist) and "I don't know" (agnostic).

I don't see a whole lot of difference between "I can't be metaphysically certain" and "I don't know". The word "metaphysical" is beside the point.

Most agnostics also say they see no evidence of God.

[Claud]

Do you know that leprechauns don't exist? If you answered "No", then does that make you "agnostic" about leprechauns? And, if you can't reach a conclusion about leprechauns, how could you reach a decision about anything?

Aha! Exactly! And there you've swerved into the truth of it.

You *can't* reach a decision. You must have faith.

Whether it is the Christian in the pew or whether it is the scientist formulating a hypothesis, it all begins with "I believe". Once you believe, once you commit to an option and see where it goes, you can move forward. You can investigate. You can discover and learn.

Without faith, the world stops at the end of your own nose.

[cuban leaf]

I’ve met a lot of “atheists” on the internet. I’ve just never met one face to face. Every single one, after a brief question and answer will ALWAYS end up saying something like, “well, maybe I’m really more agnostic than atheist...”

Every. Single. One.