Spirituality for Athiests..

[flamingjimmy]

I don't believe in spirits, or spirituality. The words are useful as metaphors, but they don't carry any meaning in themselves to me. My sense of self comes from my thoughts, within my head, and I'm fine with that.

[Ghozer]

So, your saying you don't see this sort if thing often? - me and 90%of my friends are far FAR from religious, but were all quite spiritual, the way of life, the way we look at things and can see things from different views, the way we see the world and how it all works as one blah blah blah.... This happens more than you think, we just don't see the need to talk about it or bragg or push our thoughts on others because that ita self isn't very spiritual

[Vague_Boy]

I'm quite suprised at the lack of response to the thread though, esp. given such a cunning thread title. I can only imagine that with both atheists and religious people, there is some difficulty with or resistance to seperating religion and spirituality.

 

There seem to be some people on here who are quite niggled by the very idea of atheism and keep returning to it, like someone with a sore tooth. Perhaps people lumped this thread in with those other tiresome ramblings?

 

They seem quite intolerant of the entire concept of someone not believing the same things they do, and even a little threatened by the idea.

 

Hence we get threads like

 

What to do if you're an atheist and your child is possessed?

 

Atheist Extremists

 

Thoughts of a dying atheist

 

Do Atheist have the same rights as religious groups

 

And other equally bizarre questions.

 

I'm waiting for "Do Atheists Eat?" or "Are Atheists allowed to give blood that might be given to a religious person"?

 

After all, they're no more idiotic than "What to do if you're an atheist and your child is possessed?"

[EbonyBranch]

Is there a secular word for 'spirituality'? I'm quite contemplative, often inspired by vistas/people/ideas, etc., often deeply moved by music, pictures, and other art, but I don't believe in anything supernatural.

[donkey]

I'm asn atheist but am mesmerised by books like the Tao Te Chuing, and the Diamond Sutra as well as various other texts. Such texts refer to reality directly, as opposed to some other wordly or heavenly dimension. I am sure there are Texts from other religions which deal with direct experience as well, but unfortunately they have been contaminated with superstition. Some people also say that quantum physics can also challenge basic perceptions and assumptions in such a way that may invoke what some people would regard to be 'spiritual' states.

[EbonyBranch]

Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins is a very 'spiritual' book about science and evolution. He uses the metaphor of a rainbow to illustrate how nature fits together. Perhaps we should try to reclaim the word 'spiritual' from the supernaturalists.

[purdyamos]

Having gone googling for some Alan Watts, I'm delighted to see that Trey Parker and Matt Stone have produced some animated clips to Alan Watts audio snippets. Now that's more like it! The sound quality is poor unfortunately.

 

 

 

Edit: I was going to type 'We should reclaim the word spirituality' but left it, then I saw Ebonybranch had typed it for me!

[epiphany]

I'm asn atheist but am mesmerised by books like the Tao Te Chuing, and the Diamond Sutra as well as various other texts. Such texts refer to reality directly, as opposed to some other wordly or heavenly dimension. I am sure there are Texts from other religions which deal with direct experience as well, but unfortunately they have been contaminated with superstition. Some people also say that quantum physics can also challenge basic perceptions and assumptions in such a way that may invoke what some people would regard to be 'spiritual' states.

 

I think atheists are in a privileged position as far as not having the unnecessary baggage of religion to distract them from the far deeper issues of selfhood and reality. Scientists, arguably, are even better positioned in that respect. They have that relentless left-brained ability to deconstruct and see the whole based on the detail of the part.

 

Religion can only be described as a manufactured need. Why else would those billions of lost souls not simply let it go, seeing it for what it truly is and where it has come from? It is baggage.

 

When all religion and indoctrinated forms of spirituality are crushed by the rational mind, what is left? An open path, a purer exploration of selfhood. It doesn't matter what you call it then, or which "holy scripture" may validate it.

 

Religion is so blind and destructive to this end. The tragedy of it is that people prefer to run to institutions and cults for spiritual saviour rather than looking within themselves, where the solution is already there, waiting.

[epiphany]

Having gone googling for some Alan Watts, I'm delighted to see that Trey Parker and Matt Stone have produced some animated clips to Alan Watts audio snippets. Now that's more like it! The sound quality is poor unfortunately.

 

 

 

Edit: I was going to type 'We should reclaim the word spirituality' but left it, then I saw Ebonybranch had typed it for me!

 

Excellent, thanks.

 

Prickly goo.

[purdyamos]

Excellent, thanks.

 

Prickly goo.

 

 

I'm going to have to nick that. *Sends message to Helpdesk*