Saturday, June 8, 2013
Agnosticism and secularism
"When I reached intellectual maturity and began to ask myself whether I was an atheist, a theist, or a pantheist; a materialist or an idealist; Christian or a freethinker; I found that the more I learned and reflected, the less ready was the answer; until, at last, I came to the conclusion that I had neither art nor part with any of these denominations, except the last. The one thing in which most of these good people were agreed was the one thing in which I differed from them. They were quite sure they had attained a certain "gnosis,"–had, more or less successfully, solved the problem of existence; while I was quite sure I had not, and had a pretty strong conviction that the problem was insoluble. And, with Hume and Kant on my side, I could not think myself presumptuous in holding fast by that opinion. [...]. So I took thought, and invented what I conceived to be the appropriate title of "agnostic." It came into my head as suggestively antithetic to the "gnostic" of Church history, who professed to know so much about the very things of which I was ignorant. […] To my great satisfaction the term took."
- T.H. Huxley (1893) -
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By Huxley's simple definition of the word, I am an agnostic. I am not a Christian (Catholic or Protestant) nor an atheist. Agnostic - just that.
On the politics, I strongly advocate secularism. All activities and initiatives of government shall be devoid of any religious consideration. That's why I strongly oppose giving autonomy to Muslims in Mindanao and the creation of ARMM. Every Filipino citizen, Muslim or Christian, must be governed only by a single uniform legal and judicial system. The Muslims should not be allowed to impose Sharia on anybody (even on Muslims themselves) just as the Christians are not allowed to impose the Laws of Moses in any Christian in this country.
