It seems to me that atheism is a form of religion and, ultimately, dogmatic. I could lay out the propositions behind my reasoning, but I do not care not to. Atheism and theism both require a form of faith. Agnosticism is different. The agnostic can worship. The agnostic can pray. The agnostic is not certain, but by virtue of the fact that the agnostic cannot be certain, there are certain prayers that seem highly appropriate. Above all, there is this prayer (Eastern Orthodox): “God have mercy on me.”
Mercy is a Christian concept, but the word and its essence existed long before the Judaea Western Christian ethic. It is as old as the first wrong done to a human being. We have “Christianized” the word, but we must not lose the essence of its meaning. If there is the ultimate, then the incipient can utter in a desperate mix of fear and hope, “God have mercy on me.”
