[Jewelry making - Article 00264] - Re: [Orchid] Universal interfaith symbol

[Lee Einer]

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    Hi, Dawn- You stated- 

>     To me, it seems that agnostics and atheists don't believe in
>     anything; how would you symbolize the lack of belief? 

    Nihilists don't believe in anything. Agnostics claim not to  possess
    a revealed knowledge of god. Atheists don't profess belief in the
    existence of a god or gods. Neither agnostics nor atheists, on the
    whole, claim to possess a  revealed knowledge of god's absence, or
    to accept god's absence on faith. I think that an accurate statement
    of the atheistic position is that they value knowledge and reason
    over belief and faith, and that knowledge and reason have not
    provided them with incontestable evidence of the existence of a god
    or gods. 

    It is also possible, and in fact quite common, to  embrace a
    religious belief system without claiming a revealed knowledge of
    god. Experience tells me that many churchgoers fall under this
    category;  under the strict definition, such people are both
    religious and agnostic. 

    Being an atheist does not mean that one believes nothing is good,
    valuable, worthy of reverence, etc. To the contrary, one may love
    life,  respect one's fellow beings, reflect in awe on the majesty of
    the universe, strive to become a better person, and   conduct
    oneself honestly and with integrity, all without embracing 
    religion. OTOH, one may embrace religion, even embrace it
    fanatically, and still be an utter villain. I've seen it done! 

    A symbol which evokes the highest aspirations of humankind without
    reliance on sectarian images or doctrine would likely resonate with
    many agnostics and atheists as well as many of those who would
    describe themselves as believers. My guess is that the harder sell
    would be with those for whom their own sectarian path is the only
    road, and who will not accept or acknowledge a symbol from outside
    their tradition. 

Lee Einer


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