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Agnostic vs Theist - What's the difference?

agnostic | theist |

As nouns the difference between agnostic and theist

is that agnostic is a person who holds to a form of agnosticism, especially uncertainty of the existence of a deity while theist is theist.

As an adjective agnostic

is of or relating to agnosticism or its adherents.

agnostic

English

(wikipedia agnostic)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A person who holds to a form of agnosticism, especially uncertainty of the existence of a deity.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date = 1876-06-01
    • , first = Leslie , last = Stephen , authorlink = Leslie Stephen , title = An Agnostic's Apology , magazine = The Forthnightly Review , volume = 25/19 , issue = 114 , page = 840 , url = http://books.google.com/books?id=1WVIAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA840 , passage = The Agnostic is one who asserts—what no one denies—that there are limits to the sphere of human intelligence. }}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date = 1953-11-03
    • , first = Bertrand , last = Russell , authorlink = Bertrand Russell , title = What is an Agnostic? , magazine = Look , url = http://scepsis.ru/eng/articles/id_5.php , passage = An agnostic thinks it impossible to know the truth in matters such as God and the future life with which Christianity and other religions are concerned. }}
  • * {{quote-book, year = 1985
    • , title = Contact: a novel , first = Carl , last = Sagan , authorlink = Carl Sagan , publisher = Simon and Schuster , location = New York , isbn = 978-0671434007 , page = 175 , passage = When I say I'm an agnostic , I only mean that the evidence isn't in. There isn't compelling evidence that God exists — at least your kind of god — and there isn't compelling evidence that he doesn't. }}

    Coordinate terms

    * deist

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of or relating to agnosticism or its adherents.
  • * {{quote-book, year = 1889
    • , title = Agnosticism , first = Thomas Henry , last = Huxley , authorlink = Thomas Henry Huxley , url = http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/CE5/Agn.html , passage = In matters of the intellect do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable. That I take to be the agnostic faith, which if a man keep whole and undefiled, he shall not be ashamed to look the universe in the face, whatever the future may have in store for him. }}
    His agnostic viewpoint is summarized in his book.
  • Doubtful or uncertain about the existence or demonstrability of God or other deity.
    • She left the church when she became agnostic .
  • (computing) A software component (or other entity) that is unaware or noncommittal regarding the specific nature of the components with which it interacts; polymorphic; modular; pluggable
    • The socket communications layer is agnostic''' with regard to its underlying transport mechanism -- it is “transport-'''agnostic ”.
  • (usually with a prepositional phrase) Having no firmly held opinions on an issue or matter of uncertainty.
    • I'm agnostic on whether ethanol is a green fuel
    He says he's agnostic concerning the Secretary's claims.

    Related terms

    * agnosticism * gnostic * ignosticism

    See also

    * atheist * sceptic , skeptic (Mainly US) *

    Anagrams

    * * * * English terms with alpha privatives

    theist

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who believes in the existence of a god or gods.
  • * 1999 , Jeaneane D. Fowler, Humanism: Beliefs & Practices, page 66
    • The term stands in contradistinction to theism which, in its widest sense, means belief in a personal god, goddess, gods and /or goddesses.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year = 1764 , author = Voltaire , title = Philosophical Dictionary , url = http://www.online-literature.com/voltaire/philosophical-dictionary/91/ , passage = The theist is a man firmly persuaded of the existence of a Supreme Being as good as He is powerful, who has formed all beings with extension, vegetating, sentient and reflecting; who perpetuates their species, who punishes crimes without cruelty, and rewards virtuous actions with kindness. }}
  • * {{quote-magazine
    • , year = 1854 , title = Speculative Atheism , first = Theodore , last = Parker , editors = Linton, W. J. , magazine = The English Republic , volume = 3 , page = 205 , passage = and I call him a theist who believes in any God. }}
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year = 1870 , title = An Essay in aid of a Grammar of Assent , first = John Henry , last = Newman , page = 119 , url = http://books.google.com/books?id=YEkXAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA119 , passage = No one is to be called a Theist , who does not believe in a Personal God, whatever difficulty there may be in defining the word "Personal." }}

    Antonyms

    * atheist

    Hyponyms

    * bitheist, ditheist * deist * monotheist * omnitheist * pandeist * panentheist * pantheist, cosmotheist * polytheist * tritheist

    Related terms

    * theism

    Anagrams

    * * English words suffixed with -ist