(December 17, 2014 at 6:22 pm)Strider Wrote: Are any of you atheists, freethinkers, agnostics, or others open to various religious experiences? If you're a Christian, are you opposed to a religious experience outside of your own dogma? When I say experience, I mean engaging in a religious activity such as attending a worship service, visiting a holy place, going to a retreat, or an event or occasion of that nature.
Personally, I am open to experiencing different religions, but that is as far as my interest goes. I'm done with the protestant strain of Christianity because I have had as much experience with Baptists, Southern Baptists, Methodists, and others as I will ever, ever need or want. For instance, I wouldn't mind going to Mass and watching the rituals. I find the historical aspect, architectural achievements, and garb of Catholicism quite interesting.
Next year I'll be engaging in a religious pursuit, which may be of interest to some of you. I'll be walking the 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Shikoku, Japan. It is roughly 1,200 km and makes a circuitous route around the mountainous island. The route was supposedly established by the Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi, but as always the truth is a bit different than the legend. Anyway, walking the route is supposed to build one's karma and lead toward enlightenment. I'm in it to see the temples, the architecture, experience rural Japan, and meet people along the trail. I am interested in having a spiritual experience, but I believe one could have feelings of spirituality by walking that distance anywhere in the world.
What are your views on atheists and religious or spiritual experiences? Can they be in any way useful to us as atheists? Counterproductive? Insightful in some way? A complete waste of time?
I'm of the mind that they can be both useful and insightful, but one must be somewhat wary because part of the religious package practitioners sell you on includes tailored experiences designed to evoke an emotional reaction (Christian concerts for example).
I'm open to anything as long as I'm left to make my own decisions and that decision is respected by the people leaving me to it who then desist from badgering the crap out of me when I burn down their mission.
MM
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions" - Leonardo da Vinci
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
