Christianity is one of the world’s most popular and influential faiths. It’s one of the three major Abrahamic religions, and despite its various denominations and sects, it’s usually centered around the existence and divinity of God and Jesus Christ as described in the Bible. Christianity is a theistic faith and contrasts with atheism, an absence of belief in deities, and agnosticism, a belief that the divine is unknown or unknowable. You may be surprised to learn that Christian atheism and Christian agnosticism exist as actual belief systems.
Exploring Christian Atheism
Christian atheism exists as a type of Christianity that both rejects typical theistic views of God and focuses on the teachings and practices of Jesus Christ. The following four beliefs can be thought of as tenets of this concept:
- Believing that neither God nor knowledge of God are real
- Considering contemporary culture as a critical part of responsible theological work
- Alienation and separation from the church in its current forms
- Focusing on Jesus Christ as the central figure of Christianity
A key element of this belief system is the idea that faith cannot be separated or disengaged from the world. Adherents reject most Christian traditions and theology and view most forms of the Christian faith as rejections of truth. To these atheists, Jesus was not divine or the son of God, but rather a guide or an example to follow. Many consider Jesus’s real work on Earth as the betterment of humankind, not the acceptance and worship of God.
Understanding Examples of Christian Atheism
This version of Christianity may assume a number of forms in actual practice, including the following:
- Cultural Christianity: Adherence to traditions without a belief in God or other divinities
- God in the World: Rejection of a transcendent God in favor of one who exists in the world and its contents
- Ethics: Belief that morality and ethics are informed by the faith
- Jesuism or Jesusism: Focus solely on the teachings of Christ, as opposed to those of St. Paul or doctrinal traditions inspired by the Nicene Creed
Some notable Christian atheists include Russian composer Antin Rubinstein, American journalist and LGBT activist Dan Savage and British ethologist and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins.
Examining Christian Agnosticism
Christian agnosticism exists as a type of agnosticism that is applicable to the characteristics of God. Whereas traditional agnostics believe that God is unknowable, the Christian adherents believe that it’s impossible to be sure of anything outside of certain fundamental tenets. This faith tends to be driven by these three ideas:
- God as a higher power may or may not exist.
- Jesus may or may not be divine with a special relationship to God.
- God may be worthy of worship.
Christian agnosticism is often considered a softer form of weak agnostic beliefs that acknowledge that at some point in the future, given sufficient evidence, God may become knowable.
In the mid-1960s, theologian and Presbyterian minister Leslie Weatherhead published The Christian Agnostic, in which he asserted that agnostics were closer to a true understanding of God than conventional followers. In this work, Weatherhead stated a belief in God as a higher power and Jesus as divine, but neither the son nor God as sinless, citing Biblical examples of anger. The Bible exists as an inspirational collection of works, but includes contradictions, and the Holy Spirit does not exist as a separate entity as per Weatherhead. Some notable Christian agnostics include Spanish artist Salvador Dalí and Mexican actor and director Gael Garcia Bernal.
Understanding Christianity
As with many things, religion is full of complexities. Although Christianity would seem to be completely at odds with atheism and agnosticism, Christian atheists and agnostics exist. Adherents in these groups have beliefs that are similar to, yet critically distinct from that of Christian theists and other atheists or agnostics.