First off I respect your decision in being an Atheist i'm not here to bash your beliefs or tell you your wrong. I just want to know something. Have you ever had a feeling or thought that there's more to life than what can be seen, touched or maybe even rationalized? Or have you ever had a longing to seek something beyond your grasp or perception? Lemme know, thanks.
2006-10-13 07:45:51 · 17 answers · asked by mr_kastner 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Of course. It is called learning.
This is what I find most distressing about some of the answers I see in here. So many people use religion as a crutch so that they don't need to learn, don't need to understand.
You have heard the old time cry, "If man were meant to fly, God would have given him wings." I enjoy flying. It lets me learn more things about more people and places.
2006-10-13 07:56:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I've had such a feeling. I had such a feeling when I accepted Jesus as my personal lord and savior -- but make no mistake, I am an atheist now and understand the neurology and psychology of that feeling.
I have had a near-death experience and multiple out-of-body experiences, all very consistent in their content. The first of the out-of-body experiences is perhaps the most life changing experience I've ever had because I was in the presence of Fenrir Wolf of norse mythology and for the first time in my life I felt like I had an alpha (the pack archetype is very powerful in my psychology) who cared about me and would not let the omega (me) fall. However, I do not ascribe supernatural meaning to these experiences -- spiritual, only in the sense that they are meaningful to my view of my personal life. Again, I understand the neurology and psychology of these experiences.
The interesting thing is, I have two ways to intentionally trigger the OOB's, so whenever I feel the longing for my reach to exceed my grasp, I can do so. Well, within reason, they're both somewhat ritualistic in nature and require time and great effort.
2006-10-13 07:54:28 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think any of us is under the illusion that we understand everything. We always want to know more. We don't understand the specific difference between living and non-living organisms. We haven't completely resolved the fundamental nature of matter and energy, or the structure of the universe (including time). We have no satisfactory answer for the "cause" of the Big Band (if that notion even makes sense). We can even be open to a spiritual dimension of reality, waiting on demonstrable proof. We just don't feel the need to explain what we don't understand through invisible, anthropomorphic beings manipulating history behind the scenes.
2006-10-13 07:55:39 · answer #3 · answered by skepsis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's 2 questions.
I have always assumed there were things beyond my, and everybody else's, perception and comprehension. It may well be that our puny brains aren't capable of sorting out fundamental problems the universe presents. There is nothing that guarantees continued significant progress in science. But that doesn't mean I can fill in the gap in knowledge with my favorite myth, or anything else that strikes my fancy. The point is that what you don't know is exactly that - what you don't know. There is a kind of sadness because there are things I can't know about. But as tragedies go, it ain't so huge.
2006-10-13 10:27:55 · answer #4 · answered by JAT 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Humans are big on rationalization. Religious people rationalize that God has some grand plan when bad things happen. Atheists rationalize that bad things happen for nop apparent reason. So, there must be no God. Agnostists rationalize that science is a great tool that provides no absolute truth. So, we can't know if ther is a God or not.
2006-10-13 07:51:54 · answer #5 · answered by Your Best Fiend 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there is something more than what can be seen, touched or rationalized. its called emotion.
We don't need to believe in eternal life or anything else that religion may offer. we enjoy the now (at least i do) and for the most part we do it with out committing what Christianity or other religions might consider sins.
2006-10-13 07:53:20 · answer #6 · answered by fish lips 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am constantly amazed and astonished at life in general, the generation of which is beyond human comprehension, but I do not go the route of believing in fantasy or magic. I left that behind by the time I was about seven years old.
2006-10-13 07:52:33 · answer #7 · answered by finaldx 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, of course there is more out there than I am capable of perceiving, and have thought so. No offense, but when that thing I might long to seek is a pacifier then I try to rationalize against it.
2006-10-13 07:51:08 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Actually, I really WANT to believe there's a benevolent God (as opposed to the Christian one) and an eternal afterlife. Who wouldn't WANT to believe that?
But, alas, it runs so contrary to all the evidence - not just scientific, but evidence in my everyday life and in the world around us - that I CAN'T.
Why do Christians always say atheists are taking the easy way out? If I could really believe all that mumbo jumbo, it would make me feel better.
But wanting to believe something doesn't make it true.
2006-10-13 08:00:06 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Atheists are big on rationalization. If I can't rationalize something or accept it's existence, how can I long to seek it?
2006-10-13 07:48:20 · answer #10 · answered by ....... 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋