Which Religion is Closest To Agnosticism? – Dialectic Two Step
Estimated reading time: 4 minute(s)
Response: My guess is many Buddhists would take the bait on this one and declare the Buddha an agnostic. I’m going to say he wasn’t. Perhaps I’m being nitpicky, but I think it’s instructive.
Many would say that there are three perspectives on the existence of God
Theism – Belief in God
Atheism – No belief in God
Agnosticism – Not sure whether or not to believe in God
But these three positions assume a willingness to engage with the question. They assume that the question is answerable or relevant. I’d suggest there is at least one more perspective, which you might call
Pursuing the answer is not helpful-ism – A belief that none of the other positions offer any practical benefit.
The Sutras are slippery on this topic, but I think they lean heavily toward this position.
In many texts, there are direct references to the Hindu Pantheon. But, in these Sutras the Buddha is seen as superior to the Gods, while also being a human. This is a little odd.
In other Sutras, the Buddha is said to have been silent on metaphysical questions, including those regarding the existence of a deity.
And in yet another he answers the question “Is there a God” contradictorily to two different people. He told an atheist there is a God and a theist there is not. The explanation was that these people needed to move on from their metaphysics and get on with the work of liberation.
So perhaps Buddhism may be in close proximity to Agnosticism on a spectrum of beliefs, but I think it’s different enough to say they aren’t the same thing.
Dialectic Two-Step is an ongoing series of my thoughts on questions that come my way.
Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two. - Octavio
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