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Atheists can be spiritual too

#91
Syne Offline
(Jul 17, 2019 01:06 AM)Magical Realist Wrote:
Quote:Using it once to give the impression that you understood more than simple, mundane awe, when you haven't described any relevant personal experience, is meaningless, sad, and only proves my point.

I don't have to have an experience of it to understand and accept the definition of it.
Acceptance doesn't demonstrate understanding.

Quote:
Quote:You said you acknowledged the first two definitions, hence you acknowledge the second one, that you've given no indication of every having experienced. That is in contrast to the wholly mundane one you do claim to experience.

Once again I don't have to have an experience of something to use and understand its definition. I use and understand the definition of death all the time, but that doesn't mean I've experienced it. BTW, how exactly does one experience something "beyond the limits of possible experience"?

You do have to prove your understanding to be anything but a poser.
I've explained such experience before, and I'm not rising to the bait of your red herring here. This is a typical tactic of people who make baseless claims. They simply try to make someone else defend something in the hopes that it will distract. Rolleyes
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#92
Leigha Offline
(Jul 16, 2019 08:43 AM)C C Wrote:
(Jul 15, 2019 04:38 PM)Leigha Wrote: On SF ... I mention that I'm a believer (again), and everyone wants to tell me that I'm wrong to believe in a god at all. 


Just assume or practice whatever it is you need to do to stay psychologically fit. Whether it's the positive stance's set of doxastic options (believe there is _X_ ... believe there is not _X_) or the negative cognitive orientation's empty states (don't have belief that there is _X_ ... don't have belief that there is not _X_).

Quote:Confused They don't tell me why, except that there's no ''evidence'' for a god.


Try making an issue about there being no evidence of extraterrestrial life or space aliens and see how agitated a particular clique potentially becomes over that sacred cow. Suddenly inference elevates to being treated as if it is on par with direct sensory validation. A bit ironically, the very ones who rail against any skepticism of ET biological entities might be some of the same lining-up to chastise MR for posting UFO topics. (OTOH, those characters I'm reflecting back on may have departed quite a while ago.)

lol So true. It (SF) has its good and bad moments, I suppose. I think that when you come into this natural flow of peace in your life...you just stop finding the need to explain it. It seems that many non-believers expect you to provide proof of your belief system, or why you have chosen to believe in God. (or a god) Sometimes, I'm in the mood to explain it, other times, not so much. Sharing one's faith however, is a bit different, than explaining why you're following a particular belief system. Sharing indicates a calm, peaceful approach to discussing faith, whilst explaining suggests a need for validation.
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#93
Secular Sanity Offline
(Jul 17, 2019 04:11 AM)OOLeigha Wrote: lol So true. It (SF) has its good and bad moments, I suppose. I think that when you come into this natural flow of peace in your life...you just stop finding the need to explain it. It seems that many non-believers expect you to provide proof of your belief system, or why you have chosen to believe in God. (or a god) Sometimes, I'm in the mood to explain it, other times, not so much. Sharing one's faith however, is a bit different, than explaining why you're following a particular belief system. Sharing indicates a calm, peaceful approach to discussing faith, whilst explaining suggests a need for validation.

I don’t think that explanations necessarily suggest a need for validation. I think that they suggest a need for understanding. It probably boils down to the difference between an explanation vs. justification.

(Jul 14, 2019 06:54 PM)Leigha Wrote: In thinking about this thread a little more, I'd say that when I identified as an atheist a few years back, I felt a sense of longing, that I couldn't really pinpoint. That longing was for spirituality, I've come to realize now. Does spirituality have to encompass a belief in God? Not necessarily, I guess...but for me, it did. I believe in God, and that there is a ''plan'' for my life, and that aching went away when I came back to faith.

I have atheists as friends who have never deconverted, meaning they never believed, and have always been atheists. They were raised by atheists, as kids, which is somewhat unusual, as many atheists are former theists/believers. That said, they might not have the same longing that I did after leaving the faith, but they feel a void that they can't explain. They have existential questions that they can't answer. I wonder sometimes if they're afraid to explore where that longing might lead them, because it can be scary when we recognize a void in our lives, and don't know how to handle it.

For example, here you explained that you felt a longing and then I explained why I didn’t feel the same void that your other atheist friends felt. Neither of us offered a justification for our feelings but I think that justification is what most people are expecting from you when you profess your faith on a science forum.

I think that any worldview that is different from your own will feel threatening. It’s easier to be open-minded when you don’t have the need to defend yourself. Books provide a non-threatening environment to explore opposing opinions. Online discussions…not so much.
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#94
Leigha Offline
I'm not threatened by anyone's world view, and have had different world views besides this one, such as identifying as an atheist, etc. I just don't see the need to defend my beliefs, because they're personal to me. (unless someone asks, I don't mind) Just like an atheist doesn't need to 'defend' their position, to me either. Being that this sub-forum is on a science forum, and we grow accustomed to defending our positions and sharing facts/evidence for those positions, it makes sense why there might be a subtle expectation of that from non-believers. And we are curious, by nature. No harm there, either.
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