rcman777@excite.com wrote:

You deny that someone can possibly know they know the truth ('It's just
belief, not knowledge,") while at the same time claiming to know the
truth.

{Check the first in this series for the URL}

It's the old Roman Catholic compound identity trick. They did it to Mary
Magdalene (M.M. and some reformed prostitute). In this case rcman is
deliberately confusing agnosticism with Atheism.

Truth is the totality of material facts, known or unknown, knowledge is
awareness of at least some of them. Belief is either making sustainable
assumptions pending acquisition of knowledge (so it comprises an
admission of total ignorance), or it is dishonesty.

You can prove or disprove things without knowing everything. We know
that grass is green, not because so far all percieved grass has been
green but because it is known why grass is green i.e. it contains
chlorophyll, which is essential for photosynthesis.

We know that the God described in the Bible cannot possibly exist
because the Bible explicitly attributes a purpose to God's creation, and
a specific structure to the universe to fulfil that purpose, Astronomy
demontrates that the Bible's model of the universe is false. Which is
probably why the church banned it until the late 19th century.