Hate me, for I deserved to be hated

[vorlon13]

I don't mind having some 'ritual' in my life. There is certainly 10 minutes worth at the beginning of every 12 Steppers meeting after all.

And if my friends and/or relatives want a religious aspect to a funeral/wedding/christening, unless they are otherwise assholes, I'll go sit thru whatever. I'll take notes and rat out all their silliness here afterwards too. Especially blasphemies and heresies. (My BiL's funeral service featured an astonishing blasphemy delivered by a supposedly pious Baptist preacher, much to my surprise)

Best funeral I've been to in decades was for a cousin who became a 'biker babe' in the late 60s and recently passed away. You had to pay attention to discern any religiosity at all, yet my older relatives who attended weren't offended (Maybe they thought witches were going to consecrate her to Satan and they were relieved it was just low key?) I dunno, I wouldn't mind an unservice like that for myself. I certainly came to know her better from hearing her friends describe their shared adventures than from anything I heard from her parents or siblings. On the rare occasions they could even bring themselves to talk about her at all.

[Jackalope]

I have no idea what the bounds on 'spirituality' is.

I'm in awe of the natural world / universe. Does that count? I have no idea.

Do what feels right to you, and so long as it harms none, I have no issue with it.

[Whateverist]

I'm not fond of the S word or any of its trappings. But I thought you were really wondering about the P word, paganism. I'm more curious what that means to you.

[robvalue]

I think "spiritual" means "whatever people think is spiritual". If it simply means feeling emotional about things, then sure, almost everyone is spiritual. Emotions are natural, and in fact are just a result of all the chemicals and stuff. Technically they are logical, since they are a result of our bodies following the laws of the universe in reaction to events. We know they are unreliable when it comes to seeking objective truth, but life isn't just about finding truth. And ultimately having "good emotions" is kind of the whole point of life, at least from a personal point of view.

[Alex K]

I get the warm fuzzy feeling when I'm in awe of the universe and its wonders, and certain music can do that, too. I guess I am spiritual then. Hey why not.

[ignoramus]

I get all spiritual when I do it like they do on discovery channel.

[thehedglin]

I get all spiritual when I do it like they do on discovery channel.

These days, all they do on the discovery channel is rebuild cars, go through auctioned storage bins, and make survivor type reality shows. I suppose, in that way, it mimics aging. By the time I hit fifty, it will be all antiques and fishing.

[AFTT47]

I have no idea what the bounds on 'spirituality' is.

I'm in awe of the natural world / universe.   Does that count?  I have no idea.

Do what feels right to you, and so long as it harms none, I have no issue with it.

I have a bit of reverence for the natural world. It's an emotional reaction based on my personality and I don't see any problem with it at all. It's part of who I am.

[Ben Davis]

---

My conception of our world is quite complicated in reference to any one else.

I first and foremost identify as an atheist.

What is strange is that I still adhere to spiritual ideal of paganism.

It is frustrating, because I am quite logical to a huge degree, and yet there is this spiritual aspect that I cannot shake.

I am not Christian, thank atheism.  I am not of any judeo-christian theology, thank goodness.

For some reason I feel a connection with paganism spiritually.  

My question is, is it possible for one to be anti-theist yet still spiritual toward some degree?

---

To the OP, what type of paganism do you adhere to? Paganisms are religious/quasi-religious beliefs which generally celebrate anthropomorphisms (often non-theistic) of naturally occurring phenomena. For example, my sister celebrates the Green Man, a tree spirit who currently inhabits a massive tree in Sussex and who represents spring/rebirth and the like. The Jack in The Green festival is a big deal in Sussex! Other popular paganisms are Wicca and Gaianism although polytheisms like the Hellenic religion are also included. What floats your boat?

[Whateverist]

I get the warm fuzzy feeling when I'm in awe of the universe and its wonders, and certain music can do that, too. I guess I am spiritual then. Hey why not.

Ahh, I see.  Then I'm also spiritual since women's bodies give me the most sublime fuzzy feelings.