Hi. I handed out a survey for a science class and I had to collect demographics. One of the demographic questions was asking about students' religion. Two students said they were agonists. What is an agonist? Is agonism really a religion? I was looking on Wikipedia and it said that it was a political theory.
I suspect the students mean agnostic. Agnostic, for most people means unsure, or uncertain.
The word agnostic has an interesting history, especially from the Greek root.
(Broken Link Removed)
An agnostic doesn't know whether God exists.
An atheist knows that God doesn't exist.
thanks
You're welcome.
Hello! It seems you may have encountered a typographical error or a miscommunication regarding the term "agonist" and its relation to religion. The correct term that refers to a religious belief system is "agnostic." The term "agnostic" is used to describe an individual who neither believes nor disbelieves in the existence of a higher power or deity, due to insufficient evidence or knowledge.
Agnosticism is not necessarily considered a religion per se, but rather a philosophical or epistemological position. It pertains to one's understanding and perspective regarding the concept of God or a higher power. Agnostics generally maintain a skeptical or uncertain stance, acknowledging that the existence of a divine being cannot be proven or disproven definitively.
On the other hand, "agonism" is a term associated with political theory, as you mentioned while researching on Wikipedia. Agonism in politics refers to a framework that embraces conflict and disagreement as valuable and necessary elements in the democratic process, emphasizing respectful debate and negotiation to find common ground and progress.
To summarize, in the context of your survey, it is likely that the two students who identified as "agonists" meant to indicate that they were agnostics — individuals who do not affiliate with any particular religious belief or identify as having uncertain beliefs regarding the existence of a higher power.