Leaving Christianity and avoiding Atheism
My path to agnosticism started in my early 20s which is when I began having doubts about my Christian faith. Around that time, I had spent several years defending the Christian faith against the objections that atheists and skeptics would bring up. Eventually some objections stuck in my mind, and I came to accept that I had no good answers for them. The one thing that kept me from jumping to the atheist side is seeing that many atheists also held unproven beliefs (mainly metaphysical naturalism and materialism), and the fact that many of them had an anti-Bible and anti-supernatural bias. It seems that the goal for many in both camps was more about supporting their beliefs and those that share them than on getting to the truth. From there, I went through a phase where I rejected both Christianity and atheism.

Embracing Agnosticism and its positive impact on me
The first time I embraced the agnostic identity, I did so because I saw it as a middle-ground position. I admired the intellectual honesty and humbleness of other agnostics. But years later, probably in my 30s, I came across the writings of Thomas Huxley and realized that there was more to agnosticism than just being on the fence. There was an intellectual framework that was centered on avoiding the type of dogmatic beliefs and attitudes that many Christians and atheists had in place. Instead of just remaining on the fence, Thomas Huxley described the agnostic as being someone that was open-minded, a freethinker, a non-partisan (not taking sides or not putting that above evidence). Now I see agnosticism as being one of the best mindsets that one can have when it comes to getting to the truth or following evidence wherever it leads.

Leaving the Democrat Party to become politically Independent
The previous two sections, especially the parts in red font, will probably give you some clues as to why I became an Independent. Just as I saw Christians and atheists as two groups that were more focused on supporting their beliefs than looking for truth, I also saw the same thing happening in politics. I quickly noticed that both Democrats and Republicans tended to twist the truth to fit their beliefs and agenda. Political party also seemed to matter more than truth and perhaps that has to do with having power. Because of all of this, I became an independent shortly after President Obama's first term.

I've since used agnosticism as an intellectual framework for my Independent position. It helps me bring an open-mindedness and non-partisan (putting truth before political party) perspective to the table. Now I'm willing to support either party and any policy just as long as it is good. I'm open enough to seek information from Fox News, MSNBC, and any other source just to get both perspectives and just as long as it is not a source that's always giving false information (no network is entirely perfect/accurate). Much more can be said about how agnosticism impacts me, but I'd rather show it as I share my perspective on many different issues dealing with religion, politics, science, etc. I also look forward to interacting with everyone in the comment sections, and that's the case whether you agree or disagree with my views.

All of my views are subject to change based on evidence.