Dear Atheists

[ParagonLost]

I don't think it's fair to compare vampire or unicorns with God. For example there aren't many people who say they experience unicorns or fairies. It's a non word it has no substance in reality. But with God the experience can be knowledge granting, and in fact confirm his existence. Mysticism is a perceptual thing; a participation with divine realities. In the plural because it can be more than one reality. It is filled with phenomenological content and it's directed towards an object. In my case Jesus. Or Christian symbols and language. Phenomenology refers to a person's perception of "meaning" as opposed to the event as it exists outside of his mind. Lets take for example you're a outsider looking in. It's impossible to do, I don't even know how you do something like that but imagine your on the inside then you can be creative and interpret your framework as to what "feels" right or tactility. It must be said that feeling isn't just a emotion I'm talking about but feeling embraced or held.

I think it's completely fair to compare any god to unicorns or vampires. Both are mythical creatures that we have absolutely no evidence for the existence of. As I said before, the fact that a large group of people believe in something or used to believe in something does not give that something any more or less validity. Historically, VAST amounts of the population have been mistaken about many things, often for long periods of time, until the TRUTH was discovered. As of now, we have no scientific evidence for the existence of god, so as far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing.

Who says the experience of god is knowledge granting? You? How do you know this? How do you KNOW that whatever you're experiencing is god? Here's a hint: you don't. Just because you experience something and FEEL/INTERPRET that experience as god does not make it so. How is this so hard for theists to understand? Your personal experience with the world around you doesn't define the world it only defines YOUR experience with the world.

There are theistic and non theistic mystical experiences. Numinous Theistic Mystical Experiences are dualistic in nature and there's a division between characters, You and God 2 separate objects in the experience. Non Theistic can be a experience of filling one with the universe or nature. Sometimes Theistic intimacy can help you declare "I am God".

Do you think you could explain your experience you had on LSD in words. I would imagine it would be hard. I understand that you may believe my experience of the resurrection is not vernacular but self deceived delusions. In my opinion It means three things. 1. Jesus is a divine reality based off experience
2. Jesus is Lord the object of my reality. 3. Jesus was raised from the dead. Spiritual Resurrection.

So what is your point? Some people have mystical experiences. So?

And no, not EVERY aspect of experiences I've had with hallucinogens can be explained in words, what does that prove? Once again I'm not claiming that hallucinations I've had are anything more than what they are: hallucinations.

If your only proof for god is a 'personal vision' of jesus' supposed resurrection, I would advise you to get some psychological help.

Thanks for your post. I think we need to understand the difference between a haullucination and something im calling authentic religious experiences. Shamans would often use entheogens or ayahausca for their religious rituals and this would add a visiual propellant as well as auditory hearing. There are mystical and ecstatic forebearance and what your asking is if they could be considered hallucinations. It's important to note that all I'm talking about takes place within the brain and is not external but biological.

William James defines Mystical Experiences as "real" experiences. But you know what i mean by real? That is real subjective experiences. The left hemisphere of the brain interprets language, and reading, as well as writing as well as things that are rational. The right hemisphere is used for meditiation or sleeping and imagination. I think Fmri scans show that the right hemisphere is also responsible for mystical experiences or fairy tales. William james concludes that our mystical states are like our rational state having both truth and deception in it's qualities. It could also develop illness.

Deikman's essays do suggest that there are people who experience religious fervor but do not practice meditation. This experience can be without drugs but they can also be taken with some kind of drugs. But the important point is that yes mysticall experiences can be frightening and cause harm but they can also be filled with significance and purpose. Kind of like a good or bad drug trip. There are experiences that can go hyper or farther than just emotion and you can feel ego loss.

Sandra Stahlman writes

"Although necessary to be able to discriminate, filter, analyze, describe - to engage the environment actively, it is equally important to be able to be receptive to information we would "normally" disregard. In the receptive mode we are able to see the greater picture, to reconcile difference, to be creative. There is an idea in our culture that the rational mind is preferred, even to the point of exclusivity, over the intuitive/non-rational mind. Deikman points out that our brain was designed to have both complimentary modes, and he believes that when both work together the results are a more healthy being."