Agnosticism

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Agnosticism

If our primary faculty is the intellect, and the purpose of the object is to know the truth, then the first step in living a fully human life is to figure out – what is the truth about life itself? What is the meaning of the universe? What is the point of existence? Why are we born, why do we die, and is there anything after death?

Many people, when they face this question, instead of tackling it head-on, simply hide from it. They bury their intellects, like an ostrich buries its head in the sand. They call themselves agnostics – which means, the ones who don’t know. The ones who don’t know if God exists or if He doesn’t. The ones who are uncommitted.

They say, “Oh, who knows what it’s all about? That’s beyond my pay grade. I have other things to worry about than the ultimate meaning of life.” And so they give up on the human project before they’ve really even gotten started.

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Why Agnosticism is Attractive

Agnosticism is immensely attractive to people. It makes them feel like they’re above the fray that other people get caught up in. Neutrality can seem like sophistication – “I can see both sides,” they say, “But I don’t really feel compelled either way.” And, of course, by being agnostics they feel like they don’t have to govern their life according to just one set of principles. Like they don’t have to pick a side. Like they can stay out of it. But they’re wrong. They are picking a side, whether they want to or not.

Jesus says, “Whoever is not with me is against me.” And the fact is, in living your life, you can’t be neutral. You can’t not choose.

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No Neutrality in Action

It’s true that when it comes to belief, there are usually three options. You can believe, you can disbelieve, or you can be undecided. But that’s not how it works in action. Action is always binary. You either do something, or you don’t do it. There’s no middle option.

So, for instance, let’s say a fire alarm goes off while a bunch of people are in the building. There are three options in terms of belief. You can either think there’s a fire, think it’s a false alarm, or you can reserve judgment – you don’t know if the fire’s real or if it isn't. But there are only two options in terms of action. Either you leave the building or you don’t.

So an agnostic can talk about neutrality or being undecided all he wants, but in practice he’s either living like God exists or living like God doesn’t exist.

Which means everyone is committed, by his choices, to a particular worldview, whether he or she admits it or not. And what if that worldview turns out to be totally wrong?

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Why you need to get it right

Now in our fire example, if there is a fire, and a lot of people act like there isn’t a fire by deciding to stay in the building – well, the fact that their decision doesn’t really fit the reality could have some very unpleasant consequences. So too, if it turns out that there is a God, and you’re going to stand before Him in judgment one day to render an account of how you performed during your short time on earth – if that’s all true, and you live as though it isn’t, the fact that your decisions haven’t really matched the reality could have some pretty devastating consequences one day.

Living life in a way that doesn’t line up with the way things are – that tends not to go so well. Think of someone who drives as though there’s no one else on the road. It only works for so long. Eventually, they always slam into reality in a pretty painful way.

It’s better to try to take account of the way things are in advance, to make sure your decisions are taking the full reality into account.

Which means the evasiveness of agnosticism, even though it can feel like the easy way out, is never successful in the long run. By ignoring the ultimate question, all it does is put off the inevitable.

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The ultimate truth

Chesterton says that people today just want to worry about what’s right in front of them. They just want to deal with the matter at hand. They just want to tend their own private gardens. But, says Chesterton, if you want to tend your own garden, you’re going to have to know something about what lies beyond your own garden. You’re going to have to know about the larger world. You have to know about seasons and soils and weather patterns, about water and sunshine. And if you want to live your own life well, you’re going to have to know something about what exists beyond your own life

You have to know about the God who made us, and the destiny He made us for, about the seasons of the Church, and the good soil of the sacraments. You have to know about the nourishment of the scriptures, and the water of life that is prayer.

So don’t rest content in your ignorance. Don’t let those around you fool you into thinking agnosticism – not-knowing – is adequate to our condition.

Our intellects were given us for truth, and for the ultimate truth. Anything less than that is not enough to live by.