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Hi fellow space travelers
#1
Music 
Hi fellow space travelers
I'm Ari, and I'd like to check y'alls party out. Sorry if this intro will sound a bit scattered, but I have a lot of ideas that I'd like to get on paper

I came to a 'loose conclusion' a couple years ago that the greatest truth (or sense of the fundamental nature of the universe) a human being can encounter does not pertain to deity as most of us know it. I was raised in a non-religious household, mother being non-practicing jewish and father a strict atheist, so there was no tension or emotion around discussions of god or any of its antitheses. Leading up to my late teens this was all well and good, until an experience with ecstasy left me questioning whether or not I had a soul. The idea that such an intense feeling of 'love' could be manufactured so easily was an upsetting thought, and I set out to discover the many ways people are able to get in touch with the 'divine'. This included, in rather direct fashion, heartache/break, buddhist chanting, reiki classes, wicca dabbling, psychic classes, even a few temple and easter services through the 20's. Now in my 30's, I've come away with a fondness still for astrology and tarot cards, but I am aware of a liberating and fundamental fact: This is all there is. And it's amazing.

Is it possible to reach atheism through spiritual experience? I believe so, as long as we still use the word 'spiritual' to encompass the experiences I (and certainly others) have had that do not fit the traditional atheist model. I hope to detail on this later. In the future, as some other thinkers have already pointed out, the words 'god,' 'spirituality,' ...and possibly even 'evil' will become irrelevant in the future. Simply the scaffolding for a greater expression of our evolution in the universe.

Anyhow, I hope to learn and share with everyone.
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#2
RE: Hi fellow space travelers
They are irrelevant now.

Welcome aboard.
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#3
RE: Hi fellow space travelers
(April 2, 2015 at 12:00 am)Minimalist Wrote: They are irrelevant now.

Beg pardon? Those words? Not while we are still trying to cope with all the varieties of human experience.
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#4
RE: Hi fellow space travelers
Welcome, Arjiuna.

You are an atypical atheist in that most come to the position through critical thinking and logic. Your discussions should prove interesting.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

Albert Einstein
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#5
RE: Hi fellow space travelers
Welcome aboard Ari.
So... Some chemicals is all it takes to have a spiritual experience, huh?
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#6
RE: Hi fellow space travelers
Hello arj, welcome Smile

In my opinion, "spiritual" is a meaningless word. It's a metaphor for the kind of intense feelings our brain can produce under certain conditions which we may hastily attribute to something other than the natural. I'm not trying to be critical, just to answer the question as posed best I can.

But that's just my take. If it helps you, then that's fine Smile People can come to atheism in any way they like, and belief in general supernatural stuff makes you no less of an atheist.

I hope you enjoy the forum!
Feel free to send me a private message.
Please visit my website here! It's got lots of information about atheism/theism and support for new atheists.

Index of useful threads and discussions
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#7
RE: Hi fellow space travelers
Hello, and welcome Smile

What's a "strict atheist"? And what is the "traditional atheist model"?
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#8
RE: Hi fellow space travelers
(April 2, 2015 at 2:30 am)pocaracas Wrote: So... Some chemicals is all it takes to have a spiritual experience, huh?
Well, no. Chemicals are what it takes to have an emotional experience.

(April 2, 2015 at 2:58 am)robvalue Wrote: In my opinion, "spiritual" is a meaningless word. It's a metaphor for the kind of intense feelings our brain can produce under certain conditions which we may hastily attribute to something other than the natural. 
I don't think feelings are required to have a 'spiritual' experience. But as you say the word is a metaphor; we don't have the vocabulary to accurately describe the event.

(April 2, 2015 at 3:00 am)rexbeccarox Wrote: What's a "strict atheist"?  And what is the "traditional atheist model"?
These phrases may be inaccurate, but I meant to describe one who rejects all possibility of extra-sensory data in addition to the usual god/pantheons. And when I say extra-sensory, I mean senses that completely adhere to the natural world.
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#9
RE: Hi fellow space travelers
Ummmmmm....welcome.


:S
"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan
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#10
RE: Hi fellow space travelers
(April 2, 2015 at 9:17 am)c172 Wrote: Ummmmmm....welcome.


:S

Hey.
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