Agnosticism as a form of faith?

I wrote the folowing in a comment I made on another blog, and I’ve been turning it over in my mind ever since:

We often hear that it’s the journey that’s the point, and maybe that’s true. I know my own persistent underlying agnosticism is oddly comforting to me at times. It’s as though I’m searching for something, I know not what, but something in me is sure it’s there and that I’ll recognize it if/when I find it. Which, if you think about it, is faith of a kind.

The reason is stuck in my head is because of the combination of facts that 1) I seem to be constitutionally incapable of subscribing to any definite belief as a matter of faith, 2) I admire many belief systems in terms of their beauty and positive outcomes and implications, and many people who are people of strong faith, 3) I’ve had the uncomfortable feeling that my agnosticism is merely a lazy, kneejerk reaction reflecting a not-admirable inability to commit. Along the lines of:

On the other hand, many of us can’t seem to commit to anything at all. There seems to be too many choices, too many options, and by choosing one we will be denying ourselves all the others. Because we don’t want to be narrow or dogmatic, we become disengaged. Because we want to stay open, we become disconnected and lonely.” *p. 39

So it had simply never occurred to me before that perhaps my agnosticism is itself a kind of faith akin to the faith I admire in others.

Which raises the question of what, exactly, faith is, and what is the role it plays in a person’s life. I’m sure there are a lot of good–and bad–answers to those questions, and I’m going to chew on them a bit before proferring my own. But here are some quote on the subject that I liked, from the same source as the above:

Faith is about a loving acceptance of the profound complexity of existence and creation. It is about abiding in mystery, in being unsure, while still being ready to act boldly.” p. 18

“I believe there must be . . . a way that marries openness to commitment. . . . I have come to think of that approach to life as seeking.” p. 52

“Seeking is about realizing that the journey has not ended, but that each place in which you find yourself demands attention and commitment.” p. 52

“That is the first principle of seeking–to get moving, even if you only have a direction, not a destination” p. 53

“Movement is the first sacred principle. Whenever you think you’ve reached the end, there’s always more up ahead. There’s always more meaning and purpose than we can possibly imagine.” p. 54

“faith. . . the place inside ourselves from which we find the strength to become seekers and open ourselves to new people and new ideas.” p. 63

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*All quotes with page numbers are from You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right, by Brad Hirschfield

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