Another Good Reason to be a Christian

[Jenny A]

I think you need to get out more.  Seriously.  There are a number of religions that can produce what you are speaking of, Buddhism (which is atheist) is one of them.   Yoga with or without woo, seems to produce much of the same.  So does meditation, with or without god.  A number of artists, musicians, and deep thinking scientists seem to have it.  Terry Pratchet appears to have had it. And while I've met Christians who are as you describe, I've not met many. 

I get a sublime joy and connectedness when I'm at work in the Preserve, when I look out at the stars and know that as distant as they are, their ashes make up my body, when I'm at the beach and marvel at the fact that over millions or years the waves have incessantly risen and fallen and yet no two have ever been identical ... to my mind, inventing an artificial construct in order to arrive at joy bespeaks a mind incapable of perceiving the wonderment and beauty that we are immersed in.

Yes,  I get that when hiking, on the beach, or in the garden.   Occasionally really emotionally connected sex will do it.  Sometimes breast feeding did that, but it's been more than a decade.  I also sometimes get it working on a painting.  If I do, it tends to be one of my very best paintings.  Do you get it playing?