{THE AGNOSTIC} ADVOCATE

That familiar
cliché is often the response I receive after answering that seemingly simple
yet complex question: “Do you believe in
God?” The response, “I’m agnostic,”
usually scares people off or moves the conversation to other points-of-entry,
but every once in a while someone will prod a little further because they are
legitimately interested or trying to figure out if I’m being
serious.  The reason this question persists is because of the power
of labels. You can gather a large amount of information about someone who is an
atheist or a believer. And in a world where it’s all about how much information
you can gather in the shortest amount of time, my stance on ‘God’ does not sit well with many.

Many make the
assumptions that I am a cynic or a sinner, true or not, the ideas people have
about me does not turn me on or off. I’m always interested in seeing how people
react. Labels interest me GREATLY!
So much so, that I wrote two other blog entries on this subject (more or less). As a homosexual, I know
all too well how the language of stereotyping can be limiting, hurtful, and
sometimes dangerous. You’re gay. To some, that also means you’re feminine. Or,
it means you know how to dress well. In some cultures and religions, it extends
beyond the insulting and carries into the inhumane. To be gay means to be sick
or unholy.

I’m not claiming
this as a ground-breaking observation. But what interests me is how we label when
it comes to ‘God’ when we all are GODS! You don’t like being labeled as gay and having people assume you know
the choreography to Run the World (Girls), do you? Well, I don’t. I believe
we are many up of many different elements that no matter which side you fall on
in the god debate, you can fit into a mold because NO one is 100% correct. Being agnostic, I get to unfold the both
sides into something larger. So when I use the word ‘God’, am talking about the
believer’s god or the non-believer’s universe? I think you know the answer
to that question. So what do you believe?