Conor Whelan
1 min readJul 15, 2021

Belief is, by definition, without evidence, otherwise it is knowledge. If we’re talking about knowledge, agnosticism is the only logical position, as knowledge stems from experience (as the word derives from gnosis) and you can’t experience the absence of the divine as it that which is beyond the physical senses (hence atheism is a belief system), much like the other dimensions of many world theory that theoretical physics proposes. Spiritual experience, if possible, could only be experienced by the individual, and is impossible to convey directly to another. Therefore, people can only say what they claim to have experienced, and it’s up to you whether you believe them. But if it is true that there is a place beyond this world where someone can experience eternal bliss, as some claim to have experienced in their life time, then I am encouraged to try myself. This is a matter of belief, of course, but I hope one day to turn it into experience. I don’t intend to do harm on the way. With that important proviso, I don’t see what’s wrong with the individual practicing private faith. Although I do understand that it becomes problematic when someone tries to excert their beliefs on others — which would include denying people the right to their beliefs.

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Conor Whelan
Conor Whelan

Written by Conor Whelan

A poet, storyteller, actor and new dad connecting the self with nature through words and images.

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