(December 14, 2015 at 11:27 pm)DespondentFishdeathMasochismo Wrote: The question of what it means to be spiritual as an atheist is never really something I gave much thought. I was wondering today what spirituality could mean if not worshiping something supernatural. I discovered that it is simply the search for meaning in life and a connection to the world around you. My futurist friend who believes that spirituality is the merging of human and machine in the coming decades describes spirituality as " To me spirituality is simply discovering yourself in relation to the universe and existence". 


That puts spirituality into a unique perspective, one that I feel gives an unlikely name to something I've been searching for. To me, spirituality could be walking around outside and listening to a really good album, like Tim Hecker's Virgins, or Silent Hill 2 OST, or any album by Coil, feeling at peace with the world around you, feeling as though you have acceptance and ease and calm with the world. I know there's some Budhist Monks who train their whole life to achieve "enlightenment". I've never written off enlightenment, to me it's always represented a higher state of consciousness. 

What can atheists do to discover their own spirituality? Bring themselves closer to acceptance of existence on the planet earth? I'd dare say that being at peace with the world around me is "virtuous".

Spirituality = the search for the spirit within.
The spirit concern is not the booze but it is the real YOU so spirituality is the work involved to discover the real you.
We wrongly think that the real me is what i feel to be right now but no.
The more we enter the consciousness the more we understand that is a lot lot more but the talk could go on and on.
The same apply to the consciousness.
The search continue until our consciousness merge in the infinite one and that represent the end of the search.  

(December 15, 2015 at 7:13 am)Little Rik Wrote:

(December 14, 2015 at 11:27 pm)DespondentFishdeathMasochismo Wrote: The question of what it means to be spiritual as an atheist is never really something I gave much thought. I was wondering today what spirituality could mean if not worshiping something supernatural. I discovered that it is simply the search for meaning in life and a connection to the world around you. My futurist friend who believes that spirituality is the merging of human and machine in the coming decades describes spirituality as " To me spirituality is simply discovering yourself in relation to the universe and existence". 


That puts spirituality into a unique perspective, one that I feel gives an unlikely name to something I've been searching for. To me, spirituality could be walking around outside and listening to a really good album, like Tim Hecker's Virgins, or Silent Hill 2 OST, or any album by Coil, feeling at peace with the world around you, feeling as though you have acceptance and ease and calm with the world. I know there's some Budhist Monks who train their whole life to achieve "enlightenment". I've never written off enlightenment, to me it's always represented a higher state of consciousness. 

What can atheists do to discover their own spirituality? Bring themselves closer to acceptance of existence on the planet earth? I'd dare say that being at peace with the world around me is "virtuous".

Spirituality = the search for the spirit within.
The spirit concern is not the booze but it is the real YOU so spirituality is the work involved to discover the real you.
We wrongly think that the real me is what i feel to be right now but no.
The more we enter the consciousness the more we understand that is a lot lot more but the talk could go on and on.
The same apply to the consciousness.
The search continue until our consciousness merge in the infinite one and that represent the end of the search.  

Well, I completely reject that notion of spirituality, on the basis of being absurd and unfounded. 

It strikes me that people believe in "supernatural" forces; "Supernatural" or "magic" or belief in "holy spirit" or anything supernatural for that matter, is literally just replacing what you don't know with something made up. That sort of spirituality is literally just making shit up, or tricking yourself into believing in your imagination.

Having an imagination is actually a really good thing, but it's really important to separate in your head what is real and what isn't.

  “God is spirit,” so it puzzles me when professed atheists lay claim to be being 'spiritual.' It seems to me they are either theists unclear in their thinking and/or desiring to avoid the stigma of religion, or atheists not wanting to appear cold and unfeeling.

(December 15, 2015 at 1:29 pm)Reflex Wrote:   “God is spirit,” so it puzzles me when professed atheists lay claim to be being 'spiritual.' It seems to me they are either theists unclear in their thinking and/or desiring to avoid the stigma of religion, or atheists not wanting to appear cold and unfeeling.

Yeah I'm a "professed" atheist, as if that's up for debate. I'm an atheist who's "unclear of my thinking" or I am just trying to shallowly avoid being seen as cold and unfeeling. "Hey guys! I'm totally not unfeeling, I'm really emotional just like you religious folk!" 

Your post is insulting on so many levels, please don't insult my intelligence.

I too am looking into this aspect. I have had what may be called "spiritual" experiences. I have also read Sam Harris book on being spiritual without religion.

the basics is that religion deals with the aspect of being spiritual but has too much dogma that was invented for more control than freedom to find "one's self"

science, by its nature, can't pin point it and so lacks the ability (for now) to find the "spiritual" side of life.

From what i have experienced, spirituality is the perception of you being a part of everything else. It is the sense of being in the here and now instead of past and present. You can start to understand that you are more than just your wants and needs. One has the power to let go of things that are not important and understand the actions that are beneficial at the moment they are needed. Ultimatly you find a deep sense of happiness and peace.

Now that said most only get to that state for a short amount of time by various means ie: zen meditation, drugs, near death experinces, religious rituals).

The safest way to do it is usually through zen type meditation but as it is the safest way it is also the slowest.

I hope this helps. I may receive some dirty water from my atheist brothers and sisters on this subject but if I am nothing else I am at least a defiant free thinker.

(December 15, 2015 at 1:29 pm)Reflex Wrote:   “God is spirit,” so it puzzles me when professed atheists lay claim to be being 'spiritual.' It seems to me they are either theists unclear in their thinking and/or desiring to avoid the stigma of religion, or atheists not wanting to appear cold and unfeeling.

"God is spirit" is your definition, not ours, one which you're imposing onto the discussion without foundation or adding new information. But even if we go with your definition, it in no way follows that spirituality pertains to "God". Beethoven wrote music, but not all music is Beethoven. Thus, whatever "it seems" to you is your problem, not ours.

The word 'spiritual' is so incoherent, that it defines nothing.

There are as many definitions, as there are people using the word.

When I take my 15" mirror telescope away from the city lights, and view some distant sky object, I get the feelings of awe and wonder. Does that qualify as 'spiritual'?

Depends - do you see "God" with it? Because apparently if you don't, you can't be spiritual. That or you're trying to fool yourself so you can keep sinning, or something.

(December 15, 2015 at 1:24 am)Reflex Wrote: Your notion of 'spirituality' seems to be a vacuous feeling rather than an intelligible approach to the Absolute, viz. that what transcends us, encompasses us and redeems us (that is, guides us toward having a more abundant life) and reveals to us our true purpose. It "shows itself as so impoverished that, like a wanderer in the desert craving for a mere mouthful of water, it seems to crave for its refreshment only the bare feeling of the divine in general. By the little which now satisfies Spirit, we can measure the extent of its loss."

There's a bit of irony in you calling someone else's concept "vacuous", only to follow with the sort of drivel that means everything and nothing.

It is a tale told by an idiot...