[WillowTheWhisp]

Well if you look at the definitions you posted and at the fact that Busman says he is an agnostic you'll see he is using the word as a noun rather than an adjective which means that he describes himself as a person who believes that nothing is known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena.

I find it interesting how Catholicism features so strongly in this area and enjoy hearing people's memories of their childhood experiences. I have a friend who relates tales of nuns who put the fear of God in her. Having spent some time in Ireland I found a lot of people over there who relate similar tales of childhood and having the catechism drummed into them and yet some grow up with a very devout faith which somehow trancends all of that whilst others merely end up cynical about religion as a whole.

As for the actual priests and nuns etc, they are after all human beings and none of us are perfect. Unfortunately some of us are more imperfect than others and it's always those ones whyo make the most interesting stories. I used to pester the life out of Fr. Henderson at St. Joseph's by going round there asking him all sorts of deep and meaningful questions which he'd probably never had to bother thinking about before but I really wanted to know the Catholic view on such matters. At the time I was looking for a church to belong to as I was fairly disillusioned where I was and yet I had my own personal beliefs and faith. I also had a very close friend who was RC.

I remember Fr. Henderson being grumpy and irritable but also patient enough to try to answer my questions. I also remember him on one occasion when one of his parishioners who had Irish setters was walking her dogs along by the railway and one suddenly pulled the lead and she fell over. Although he went to see if she was OK he just said "If you had smaller dogs it wouldn't happen". That left us both laughing. It was just his way. Like the time he "punished" the congregation by making them sing a hymn again because it hadn't been sung to his liking the first time. Maybe other people have different memories of him but I'll always remember him fondly.