[Agnosticism (Greek: α- a-, without + γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge; after Gnosticism) is the philosophical view that the truth value of certain claims — particularly metaphysical claims regarding theology, afterlife or the existence of deities, spiritual beings, or even ultimate reality — are unknown or, in some forms of agnosticism, unknowable.[1] It is not a religious declaration in itself, and an agnostic may also be a theist or an atheist.]I was raised a devout Methodist (among other things that included avoiding alcohol).
At the age of 17, close friends showed me the light, and I became a full-blown atheist overnight (given my Sixth-Form class at school it was an exception to be anything else). This also allowed me a couple of years later to be able to enjoy the occasional beer!
I stayed like that until 1995 when, while working in Munich, I met a mad Scotsman (must have been mad - he was always buying rounds of drinks for everyone!), who was also a devout Roman Catholic (another sign of madness - he had a load of friends who support Glasgow Rangers). He is incidentally still one of my closest friends.
I found that I agreed with him on most things except religion. He did persuade me though that logically I could no more disprove the existence of God than he could prove it, and therefore I should become an agnostic. He, having faith, did not need logic, therefore he could stay a Catholic.
So for years I described myself as an atheistically-inclined agnostic. It was only after my heart attack last year, and nearly dying during the second operation, that I reverted to atheism - on the grounds that science suggests that when the brain and heart cease to function, the rest of the anatomy will, and it makes no sense to believe that anything else survives. The conscience and subconscious being both parts of the brain, they will depart with the brain.
For all that I will happily accept agnosticism - there is a logical argument for it. For that matter, I will accept anyone believing anything as long as it does no harm to anyone else, physically or emotionally.
