The trouble with both atheists and religionists (yes, I am coining a word - the word believer is a misnomer many times) is that they are both stuck in their belief system - one believes there is no God while the other believes there is God. The moment you start a premise with a belief system, it throws all logic and proof out the window.
The atheists say, "Aha! But show me proof that God exists." I say, "Didn't the Berlin wall come down? Didn't apartheid end? Didn't African Americans get their rights?" Are these events anything short of miracles? Of course Moses didn't part the sea and Jesus didn't convert water to wine. All that is urban legend. But is it that much of a stretch to consider that not all that we see around us can yet be explained by science? It is this unwillingness to accept the possibility of an alternative narrative that makes atheists fundamentalists. It makes them no different than the religionists' refusal to accept the possibility that God may not exist.
The agnostics, on the other hand, do not care either way. They are the open source coders of this world, their allegiance neither to Apple nor to Microsoft. They use the best possible piece of code to write the most efficient programs. They don't care if this code was written by Bill Gates or Steve Jobs/Wozniak or Linus Torvalds or their grandmother. If it fits their requirement, meets their objective then the code becomes their bible (for lack of a better synonym).
Apple or Microsoft fanboys never get to write the most efficient programs. To them, nothing exists beyond their respective ecosystems. Yes, their programs will achieve the same results as those of open source coders but they will also be more convoluted.
To me, the debate between atheists and religionists is a Canon vs. Nikon or an Apple vs. Microsoft debate. Agnostics have all the fun. Award winning pictures are not taken because you have the best camera gear. They are taken because you woke up at 3 in the morning to capture the most perfect light 30 minutes before dawn. And any camera today will help you capture that.
The difference lies in knowing.
The atheists say, "Aha! But show me proof that God exists." I say, "Didn't the Berlin wall come down? Didn't apartheid end? Didn't African Americans get their rights?" Are these events anything short of miracles? Of course Moses didn't part the sea and Jesus didn't convert water to wine. All that is urban legend. But is it that much of a stretch to consider that not all that we see around us can yet be explained by science? It is this unwillingness to accept the possibility of an alternative narrative that makes atheists fundamentalists. It makes them no different than the religionists' refusal to accept the possibility that God may not exist.
The agnostics, on the other hand, do not care either way. They are the open source coders of this world, their allegiance neither to Apple nor to Microsoft. They use the best possible piece of code to write the most efficient programs. They don't care if this code was written by Bill Gates or Steve Jobs/Wozniak or Linus Torvalds or their grandmother. If it fits their requirement, meets their objective then the code becomes their bible (for lack of a better synonym).
Apple or Microsoft fanboys never get to write the most efficient programs. To them, nothing exists beyond their respective ecosystems. Yes, their programs will achieve the same results as those of open source coders but they will also be more convoluted.
To me, the debate between atheists and religionists is a Canon vs. Nikon or an Apple vs. Microsoft debate. Agnostics have all the fun. Award winning pictures are not taken because you have the best camera gear. They are taken because you woke up at 3 in the morning to capture the most perfect light 30 minutes before dawn. And any camera today will help you capture that.
The difference lies in knowing.
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