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RE: Why do I find mysticism so appealing?
December 24, 2014 at 12:59 pm
(December 24, 2014 at 11:00 am)JaceDeanLove Wrote: Hello. I'm a 16 year old who lives in Central Texas. I was curious why I'm so drawn to mysticism and the supernatural? I find beauty in the wiccan faith. I also find Buddhism and Withcrafy to have a certain allure to them. I was also curious if anyone else feels this way? Is there a way I could get involved with all that, and still be atheist?
I suspect you find them appealing mainly because they offering the alluring promising of allowing you to (pretend to) know or control things without having to do the hardwork needed to, and face the frustration that come with, really knowing, understanding and controling things.
They are like the college degrees and certificates you can buy on line and put on your resume but which no responsible person would consider to be to your credit.
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RE: Why do I find mysticism so appealing?
December 24, 2014 at 1:57 pm
(December 24, 2014 at 11:00 am)JaceDeanLove Wrote: Hello. I'm a 16 year old who lives in Central Texas. I was curious why I'm so drawn to mysticism and the supernatural? I find beauty in the wiccan faith. I also find Buddhism and Withcrafy to have a certain allure to them. I was also curious if anyone else feels this way? Is there a way I could get involved with all that, and still be atheist?
Because you're a teen. You don't have enough knowledge or wisdom to distinguish between fantasy and reality. This ability will come with education and experience.
Skepticism is not a position; it is an approach to claims.
Science is not a subject, but a method.
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RE: Why do I find mysticism so appealing?
December 24, 2014 at 2:21 pm
(December 24, 2014 at 1:57 pm)Chas Wrote: (December 24, 2014 at 11:00 am)JaceDeanLove Wrote: Hello. I'm a 16 year old who lives in Central Texas. I was curious why I'm so drawn to mysticism and the supernatural? I find beauty in the wiccan faith. I also find Buddhism and Withcrafy to have a certain allure to them. I was also curious if anyone else feels this way? Is there a way I could get involved with all that, and still be atheist?
Because you're a teen. You don't have enough knowledge or wisdom to distinguish between fantasy and reality. This ability will come with education and experience. . . . or when your imagination dies and you are no longer open to experience.
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RE: Why do I find mysticism so appealing?
December 24, 2014 at 2:30 pm
(December 24, 2014 at 2:21 pm)bennyboy Wrote: (December 24, 2014 at 1:57 pm)Chas Wrote: Because you're a teen. You don't have enough knowledge or wisdom to distinguish between fantasy and reality. This ability will come with education and experience. . . . or when your imagination dies and you are no longer open to experience.
... I agree. I can tell the difference from reality and fantasy fine. I just like the spiritual side of things. I know it's a load of crap, but I find beauty in it.
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RE: Why do I find mysticism so appealing?
December 24, 2014 at 2:57 pm
(December 24, 2014 at 2:30 pm)JaceDeanLove Wrote: (December 24, 2014 at 2:21 pm)bennyboy Wrote: . . . or when your imagination dies and you are no longer open to experience.
... I agree. I can tell the difference from reality and fantasy fine. I just like the spiritual side of things. I know it's a load of crap, but I find beauty in it.
Don't let religion and its mythologies get to you. just a heads up in advance.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization join today.
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RE: Why do I find mysticism so appealing?
December 24, 2014 at 2:57 pm
(December 24, 2014 at 2:57 pm)dyresand Wrote: Don't let religion and its mythologies get to you.
...because they WILL steal your wallet.
"Well, evolution is a theory. It is also a fact. And facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty. Facts are the world's data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts don't go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Einstein's theory of gravitation replaced Newton's in this century, but apples didn't suspend themselves in midair, pending the outcome. And humans evolved from ape- like ancestors whether they did so by Darwin's proposed mechanism or by some other yet to be discovered."
-Stephen Jay Gould
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RE: Why do I find mysticism so appealing?
December 24, 2014 at 3:10 pm
(December 24, 2014 at 2:30 pm)JaceDeanLove Wrote: (December 24, 2014 at 2:21 pm)bennyboy Wrote: . . . or when your imagination dies and you are no longer open to experience.
... I agree. I can tell the difference from reality and fantasy fine. I just like the spiritual side of things. I know it's a load of crap, but I find beauty in it.
The beauty in reality far outweighs the false beauty in spiritualism.
I suggest you read a few layman books on subjects like: cosmology, QM, evolution, etc.
What we know, and are finding out about these things are so much more interesting and beautiful than any fantasy.
I was pretty much the same as you when I was about your age. As each spiritual subject I was interested in was shown to be wrong and refuted time and time again, I decided that I'd much rather my beliefs be true, or at least likely to be true. I do not want my mind to be cluttered and handicapped by false beliefs.
It's got nothing to do with your imagination dying, or not being opened to experience. It's being opened to experiences that are supported by demonstrable evidence and reasoned argument.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
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RE: Why do I find mysticism so appealing?
December 24, 2014 at 3:26 pm
(December 24, 2014 at 3:10 pm)Simon Moon Wrote: (December 24, 2014 at 2:30 pm)JaceDeanLove Wrote: ... I agree. I can tell the difference from reality and fantasy fine. I just like the spiritual side of things. I know it's a load of crap, but I find beauty in it.
The beauty in reality far outweighs the false beauty in spiritualism.
I suggest you read a few layman books on subjects like: cosmology, QM, evolution, etc.
What we know, and are finding out about these things are so much more interesting and beautiful than any fantasy.
I was pretty much the same as you when I was about your age. As each spiritual subject I was interested in was shown to be wrong and refuted time and time again, I decided that I'd much rather my beliefs be true, or at least likely to be true. I do not want my mind to be cluttered and handicapped by false beliefs.
It's got nothing to do with your imagination dying, or not being opened to experience. It's being opened to experiences that are supported by demonstrable evidence and reasoned argument.
The beauty of science.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization join today.
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RE: Why do I find mysticism so appealing?
December 24, 2014 at 4:58 pm
(This post was last modified: December 24, 2014 at 5:00 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(December 24, 2014 at 11:00 am)JaceDeanLove Wrote: Hello. I'm a 16 year old who lives in Central Texas. Hi.
Quote:I was curious why I'm so drawn to mysticism and the supernatural?
:looks up:
Quote:I find beauty in the wiccan faith. I also find Buddhism and Withcrafy to have a certain allure to them. I was also curious if anyone else feels this way? Is there a way I could get involved with all that, and still be atheist?
There really is no "wiccan faith". More a collection of faiths, beleifs, or systems all flying the freak flag under the Wiccan Company Banner. There's no reason that you couldn't find a brand of either (wicca or buddhism) made to order, for the atheist teen. Similarly, witchcraft is a nebulous term that doesn't -have- to have anything to do with gods. Neither are my cup of tea, but you wouldn't be lonely (as an atheist) in either camp.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Why do I find mysticism so appealing?
December 24, 2014 at 5:05 pm
(This post was last modified: December 24, 2014 at 5:05 pm by thesummerqueen.)
The generalized Wiccan religion as described in many books in the library IS a beautiful religion, as religions go. I almost converted myself at your age. Making things happen with candles and oils and herbs? That's sexy stuff. Dancing naked in the moonlight? Pretty awesome. I'll warn you though - none of the Wiccans I've ever met were as good looking as the ones pictured or painted into the books.
The mysterious and the spiritual are beautiful as long as they're portrayed in positive lights. Reality is the same way. The problem is that the former is often portrayed as positive and the latter is often portrayed as negative. Don't fall into that trap.
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