Faith in the unknown: How to define agnostic from those who identify with it

About 29% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated according to a Pew Research study, either identifying as an atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular.”

But while atheists and agnostics may fit into the “other” category with religious studies, they’re different identities and systems of belief entirely. This was what University of Toronto researchers set out to accomplish in the study “To Believe or Not to Believe: Stereotypes About Agnostics,” which looks at how agnostics and atheists are stereotyped differently.

Here’s a glimpse at what being agnostic means.

What does agnostic mean?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of agnostic is “a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (such as God) is unknown and probably unknowable,” or “one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or nonexistence of God or a god.”

Agnosticism is a belief in the unknown; an identity rooted in the notion that there may be a higher meaning to human life but that humans will “never be able to access that meaning,” says Brandan Robertson, an author and theologian.

For Kimberly Stover, a support group leader with Recovering from Religion, agnosticism means being “curious (and) open-minded while using logic and being rational.”

Stover, who grew up Christian, is now a member of the deconstruction community and began her journey of agnosticism after studying the Bible from a scholarly lens.

“I saw mythology, I saw stories, folklore being passed on and through oral tradition, I didn’t see a holy sacred, literal truth anymore,” Stover says.

Hailed as the “TikTok Pastor,” Robertson uses his platform to discuss Christian agnosticism, among other teachings. After studying the Bible in college, Robertson said he left college “knowing less about God” than he did before he got there. What came next was a journey of “awe and mystery,” a path from “wander to wonder,” he says.

“I discovered that I actually think that’s the point,” Robertson says. “As finite human beings, we can never know with any objective certainty anything about God or the universe, and that’s not a scary thing.”

Even though nonreligious affiliation is on the rise, agnosticism is not a new belief. The word was first used in 1869 by British biologist and Darwinist T.H. Huxley who used it in opposition to churches. The Christian agnosticism that Robertson ascribes to is also not new – theologian Leslie D. Weatherhead’s 1965 book “The Christian Agnostic” proposes following the teachings of Jesus outside of the doctrines of modern Christianity.

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Does an agnostic believe in God?

As with any identity, specific beliefs depend on the individual. There’s a notion that any belief in a god would be contradictory to agnosticism, but it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Veronica Bergstrom, one of the researchers in the University of Toronto study, proposes that agnosticism exists as a four-quadrant model rather than a two-dimensional one. On one side is agnosticism opposite Gnosticism, or the knowing of a God, and on the other is atheism and theism – the disbelief and belief in a God.

“Someone could be either an agnostic atheist saying ‘I don’t believe in God but I don’t know whether He exists,’ or be an agnostic theist saying ‘I believe in God but I don’t actually know whether He exists,’” Bergstrom told USA TODAY.

It comes down to belief vs. knowing, which aren’t mutually exclusive, Bergstrom says. That’s precisely the case for Robertson, who says his agnosticism doesn’t undermine or overshadow Christianity. He’s experienced “what (he) knows to be God,” but he uses that hope while also holding to scientific evidence of human existence.

“I’m still very committed to the Christian expression of spirituality and I can talk Christian and I’m very interested in studying the Christian tradition,” he says. “But at the end of the day, my faith comes down to a humble admission that I don’t know and I don’t think any of us can know.”

But it differs for everyone – Stover says one of the biggest myths she’s seen about agnostics is that they’re still searching (and prime for conversion), which she herself believed when she was a Christian.

The University of Toronto study showed participants stereotyped agnostics as confused, faithless, indecisive and even cowardly.

“I’m not wondering if the evangelical God exists,” Stover says. “When I’m saying I’m agnostic, I’m open to a higher power, a higher consciousness, but I’ve already rejected the idea of an evangelical God.”

What are the beliefs of an agnostic?

Just as values differ across Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and more religions, the core beliefs of an agnostic are individual.

“There’s no reason to feel that you need to land anywhere or be any certain label,” Stover says, of deconstructing religion. “Your journey is unique.”

One consistency across many agnostics, however, is the rejection that one sect of religion has got it right. The teachings of Jesus that Robertson clings to are ones that embrace people of all cultures and religious perspectives. That humility lets Robertson and other agnostics consider curiosity outside of institutional tradition.

Christian agnosticism has been a way for Robertson to connect with “jaded Christians,” especially LGBTQ individuals who have felt rejected by the church, to help “queer your religion” while holding onto hymns, traditions or teachings that still resonate.

“These words are public forum, they’re open for people to choose if they resonate with them or not,” Robertson says. “I think agnostic is a beautiful word for the spiritual paths that a lot of people are coming to these days beyond institutional religion but still interested in questions of spirit and purpose and consciousness and meaning.”

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What does agnostic mean? How it relates to atheism, religion