Atheists are a funny bunch. The deep conviction and zeal by which they preach their beliefs of non-belief, never ceases to enthrall me. They glance at you with a sense of superiority if you so much dare to harbor a slightly different view on that age-old-question vexing humanity: whether this life we live was created by a divine, conscious architect, or if it was all one big, random fluke. Their holier-than-thou approach by which they perceive the world is endlessly amusing. Especially when they get all worked up. Come to think of it, the only other group of people who entertain me as much are religious zealots. You see, in my mind, atheists and fanatic believers are virtually indistinguishable.

Here’s a simple answer to the question of whether God exists or not. No one knows. End of story.

God would have to show up and make a bold, universal move, like communicating with all of humanity at once, for there to be categorical proof of a divine existence. Not just a few select discussions with preferred prophets of the monotheistic faiths, but an all out, indisputable appearance. Likewise, atheists have absolutely no way to confirm, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God does not exist. The most vociferous atheists cannot discount the possibility that even the most Godless explanations of how life happened, could still have been constructed by a divine, invisible force. It’s a futile intellectual pursuit.

Agnostics get a bad rep on both sides of the divide. Believers pretty much discredit them as heathens, and atheists see them as yet-to-evolve versions of themselves. But if you think about it, to be agnostic is the most intelligent response to the God dilemma. Agnosticism is the view that the existence or non-existence of any deity is unknown and possibly unknowable. At least with the current scientific tools and human abilities we as a race possess.

It’s as simple as this: Imagine I present you with a black box and ask you if you can tell without a shadow of a doubt if there is a rabbit inside. Unless you have x-ray vision, there is no way for you to tell. Those who assure you there is or isn’t a rabbit in the box are only conjecturing. And it’s a 50/50 gamble.

Agnostics are also often misrepresented as intellectually and spiritually “lazy”, and have chosen an easy way out by sitting on the fence. But in most cases, nothing could be further from the truth. Agnostics are forever questioning divinity, and therefore exercising their powers of logic, perception, and intuition. Some may have a compelling instinct of God’s existence, and others may be more inclined not to believe, but regardless, most agnostics are perpetually thinking and doubting which makes them fundamentally superior.

Agnosticism doesn’t preclude you believing in a particular faith or being an atheist. Just don’t be cocky about it.

Atheists and fanatic believers on the other hand are the real intellectual slackers. They are the ones who have chosen to follow like sheep and accept a blanket answer to the most impossible question of all time. And more profoundly, because of their unshakable belief one way or the other, it is always atheists or believers who are most judgmental of each other, sometimes with detrimental outcomes.

Agnostics on the other hand judge no one. Except atheists and believers, of course.