I'd like to think of myself as an Agnostic. Unfortunately, the government of Malaysia does not recognize this category as a 'religion'. In fact, come to think of it, is it illegal for one NOT to have a religion? If you look at the Malaysian Pledge, the first pledge is 'Kepercayaan Kepada Tuhan', or "Believe In God'. So, if you don't believe in God, does it mean you are not Malaysian?
Personally, I'd like it if the term 'religion' is replaced with 'beliefs' instead since 'religion' indicates a belief in a 'higher' being watching over us, while some of us don't actually believe that, nor can we deny the existence of such a being.
For the uninitiated, Agnosticism should not be confused with Atheists. Atheists are people who DO NOT believe in the existence of God. Agnostics on the other hand are more interested in the 'Truth'. Therefore, Agnostics do not reject the idea of God nor do they follow it. Of course if you Wiki the term Agnostic, they'll go into different categories of Agnostics which is just mind boggling.
For the record, Agnosticism is NOT an 'organised' religion. It is not even a religion. It is just a belief restricted to the individual. There are no teachings, nor books, nor associations, nor weekly assemblies, etc. It is basically your own belief on what is the truth about life.
Of course the religious people would call us 'fence sitters'. Some of these religious people would 'pity' us because they feel we are 'lost' and would be damned to hell since I do not prescribe to their version on what is the 'truth' about God and etc....
The other extreme would look 'down' on the 'Godless heathen' or even assume that I am the Devil's Advocate, trying to convince them away from their believe in God!
I'm a believer of religious freedom. Who am I to tell you what you believe is wrong? Being a self described Agnostic, I can't say that you are wrong in your belief. For every evidence I can put forth that you are wrong about your beliefs, you can show me a 'miracle' which proves me otherwise. So, why should I convince you that you are wrong when I am not sure whether I am right?
But what annoys me is that when people come to talk to me with the intention of 'convincing' me to believe in their religion, but they themselves are not open to accepting my views. So, how is it fair that I must keep an open mind and listen to YOUR version of the truth and try to accept it, while you are not willing to do the same with MY version of the truth?
So what is the truth? Actually, no one is certain. No one can guarantee 100% that their beliefs are 100% true. Why not? Because there is no concrete evidence. No solid proof. Some may say that their Holy book(s) which was written thousands of years ago is the truth, because it was written thousands of years ago or because that particular book says it is the truth! I mean, just because something is old or it says it is the truth, doesn't mean it is!
If I am able to build a time machine (assuming it is really possible to do so) and I am to go back in time and leave the Star Wars series in the hands of some guy 2 to 3 thousand years ago, I'm willing to bet there would be many believers in 'The Force' and the Star Wars series would actually be a 'documentary' instead of a movie! Get my point?
Since there is no way to 'prove' 100% beyond all reasonable doubt that it is the truth, there is a word which is used with all religion. It is called Faith. Faith is a belief, not upon evidence, but by your instincts (or gut feeling) on the truth.
So, if you have faith in what you believe in, who am I to take that faith away from you? On the same note, since you have faith in what you believe in, who are you to deny another person's belief?
If you wish to 'share' your beliefs, then be prepared to open up to another person's beliefs too and be prepared to change your beliefs at the same time.
As for myself, I am no religious scholar. I'm just an accountant, trying to get a nut in this world. But I have done my fair share of learning about the various religions such as Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Bahaism, Zoroastrianism, Shintoism, Sikhism, Confucianism, Jainism, Judaism, Taoism, Wicca, Voodoo and other 'Pagan' religions to name a few. I'm willing to bet that some of you have never heard of some of the religions I've mentioned above!
So how much do you know about the 'other' religion for you to actually 'criticize' that their followers are 'wrong'? What makes you think that you are right?
If what you believe in is the truth, why are there so many other versions of the 'truth'? There could only be one truth. When there's so many versions, surely something is not right? Or could it be they are all right?
Personally, I'd like to think of all these religions as different paths leading to the same destination. It's a matter of choice and no one person has the right to say to another that their choice or path is wrong. At the end of the day, we would only know the truth when we are no longer alive. So, in the meantime please respect another person's beliefs even though it differs from yours ;)
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