Altfish
Veteran Member
Who is special? I'm claiming no such thing.
I rarely go to the meeting, but am a member of GM Humanists and Humanists UK.
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Something dawned on me....
- Thread starter Spirit of Light
- Start date
I rarely go to the meeting, but am a member of GM Humanists and Humanists UK.
I cannot speak for those guys, but this atheist sees them
as spiritual, & possibly about the non-physical realm too.
Altfish
Veteran Member
The 'Religious' holidays/festivals were stolen off the Pagan religions, they just renamed their festivals.
To be honest a major holiday at the coldest time of year is rubbish - so I'd support moving Xmas to (say) July. I'd also make Easter on a fixed date - say the third Sunday in April.
I celebrate Xmas; but not in a religious way, it is a chance to meet family and friends. I do enjoy carol singing but enjoy all communal singing.
We could alternatively celebrate Darwin Day, Towel Day, Star Wars Day, to name just a few.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
That's what atheism is there for. A response to people who first invented the idea of a God.
mikkel_the_dane
My own religion
An this atheist believes that all humans with a sufficient cognition have positive non-physical beliefs. Including most atheists.
I don't know much about the physical world.
And far far less (ie, nothing) about the non-physical.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
A napkin day?
Altfish
Veteran Member
You obviously are not a follower of The Hitch Hikers Guide
I'd say that atheism is more about the metaphysical world, or the supernatural realm and its alleged denizens, since that's also what theism is about. It's just a different answer to the question of whether one believe such things exist or not. It's also a comment about physical reality, but in the negative, namely, that there is insufficient evidence to believe that miracles occur, prayer is answered, or revelations imparted by deities. Atheism implies a belief that the physical world might not contain such things.
Many atheists have spiritual experiences, by which I mean that they can experience a sense of connectivity to the world mixed with a sense of awe, gratitude (with or without an entity to be grateful to), and mystery. Such an experience has nothing to do with spirits such as ghosts, gods, demons, and the like.
To connect spirituality as I've defined it with spirits is yet another equivocation fallacy caused by using two different definitions of spirituality interchangeably. There is nothing spiritual about believing in spirits. In fact, too often, a god belief will separate one from the world. When I read to be not of this world, to divert one's gave from the reality around them and direct it to an imagined realm and imagined spirits occupying it to the degree that one says that there would be no meaning or purpose to life without a god belief, they have become psychologically disconnected from reality. Whatever awe, mystery, and/or gratitude they feel is directed toward things that may not exist at all, what you call the spiritual realm and have identified as existing outside of the physical realm.
The physical realm is the only one I know exists, and my spiritual experiences occur there, as do everybody else's. Enjoying my dogs is a spiritual experience. I'm amazed and endlessly grateful that such creatures exist and can bring so much happiness, and how connected one can become to them. I never forget that. Enjoying a sunset or moving music likewise. No spirits needed. No special realms considered. No special rituals involved. Not necessary to set aside time for these things, as they occur in the course of daily life. Nobody to thank or pray to or worship.
Atheists are really not understood very well by people who call themselves theists or spiritualists. We are largely seen as empty vessels left behind by those who see themselves as religious or spiritual.
This one is pretty funny. Here we're depicted as robotic vacuum cleaners with no inner life, bumping into objects as we mindlessly go through life.
In @Revoltingest's recent thread on dumb sayings, there was mention of "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush." As his scottiness noted, this is not actually such a dumb saying at all, because if you actually have a bird is not worth losing in order to possibly (not certainly) catch two that you don't yet have -- and might never.
You have your life. It is here and now, it exists, it will go on for a longish (at our human scale) time. It can provide much joy, and possibly some pain, and everything in between.
And you can ignore it in favour of something that you suppose you might have, but don't know for sure (and the odds don't look good), something you call "spiritual."
In my own view (and in the view of the French Philosopher Andre Comte-Sponville, in his book "The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality"), a spiritual life can be enjoyed in your present, physical life by simply recognizing and embracing your connectedness to everything else in this present, physical life.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
Yeah, by what he says here, he is not a creature of high intelligence. It is a foolish statement. It is a blurb, good for the back cover of his books.This one is pretty funny. Here we're depicted as robotic vacuum cleaners with no inner life, bumping into objects as we mindlessly go through life.
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Tiberius
Well-Known Member
To a degree, I think it's wrong. Specifically, the bits where science and religion overlap. The religious accounts of how the world was formed, for example.
InvestigateTruth
Well-Known Member
I agree this is correct as long as we are talking about origin of religions. But for example some Buddhists do not believe in a God, so, they are basically Atheists, but still follow a spiritual path according to some sects in Buddhism. However I believe Buddhism originally was a Revelation from the same God who revealed Abrahamic Religions. It is just that Buddha's mission was not as much to talk about a God, but to teach spirituality.
Sheldon
Veteran Member
Yes sorry, Atheism is defined as the lack or absence of belief in any deity or deities, it is not about anything else, though what an individual atheist believes beyond that can encompassed literally anything.
Also there are atheists who are not materialists. I should have started with that perhaps?
Spirit of Light
Be who ever you want
Your answer is well written
IndigoChild5559
Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
Judaism is concerned with obeying God right here right now in this world. What is hateful to you, don't do to others. This, according to Rabbi Hillel, is the whole Torah. all the rest is commentary. Now go study the commentary.