Atheists - belief in paranormal etc.?

Question

Interesting slew of questions showing belief in ghosts, aliens on earth (note on earth not just existing) demons and so on.

Is it just that believers are liable to believe no matter what and sceptics become atheists or are there atheists out there who do believe in these various manifestations and conspiracy theories.

Thanks for the responses. I remember reading Carl Sagan's 'The Demon Haunted World' and thinking that the elephant in the room was religious belief.

As for me I'm with James Randi.

Answer 1

This is an interesting question; and I look forward to reading the responses you get. Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but I consider the whole subject of the paranormal to be a load of rubbish.

Answer 2

ok lots of concepts here. Maybe I am the wrong person to answer cos I am basically confused myself.
I am not an atheist in the true sense. I just have not found a god that i can believe in (although Buddhism seems to be most sensible to me). I do not see the link between religion & paranormal. So I guess I would say that I am spiritual rather than religious

Answer 3

If only the believers could prove that there is a man living in a cloud (imagine all the converts). Religions have had thousands of years to provide proof and continue to come up empty handed. What seems to be the problem?

Answer 4

Personally I think that belief in the supernatural is the result of post facto memory editing to suit preconceptions rooted in animal responses to situations where human senses are getting either too little or two much stimulation to provide usable information. But that's just me.

I've exchanged posts with a fellow in an atheist yahoo group who started talking about energy and the eagle nebula. I was perhaps more rude to him than I should have been. :'(

I'm sure there's a fair amount of variety among atheists, it just means disbelief in gods after all.

Answer 5

I reject the Christian God, but in no way do I reject all supernatural phenomena. You have to admit that there are certain topics where people can make some very convincing cases. Some of these paranormal topics have loads of testimonials supporting them. "Paranormal phenomena" isn't an organized movement like Christianity, so it makes no sense why so many independent people are reporting that they've either witnessed something that they can't explain or experienced something they can't explain. What do they have to gain? Are they ALL lying? Some people out there have had some genuinely strange experiences... not among the likes of "I prayed to God and I got a raise and that's proof that God exists!!", but ordinary, sensible people who have had legitimately strange yet believable encounters.

I don't believe in any deity, but I'm not going to sit here and try to claim that human beings have discovered or are aware of all the dimensions of life. I believe there are definitely things out there that we might not know about right now, things that the majority of people would pass off as superstition or myth. A friend of mine calls those things "unexplained science," and I tend to agree with that.

Answer 6

The black ghost or shadow people are demons, the white ones are friends, possibly dead relatives and loved ones with you in spirit. We are not supposed to know everything. If we did, then what would be the point of anything because we would already know it all. We live in the physical universe, there are other dimensions in which the not physical or meta-physical lie in. These are not conspiracies or beliefs, these things are real, if you do not experience them does not mean that it is not true, it means that you are not intended on knowing such things. I laugh when people tell me there is no this and there is no that, like they are so sure about everything.

Answer 7

i'm no longer an atheist... yet, i don't have an argument with the supernatural stuff in Buddhism through fact it is frequently cool. some instructors and faculties of Buddhism down-play the "magical" stuff. it is through fact it is all "expedient potential"... it somewhat is a thank you to hold human beings to the Dharma, whether it is not something which you will desire to benefit enlightenment. Our ancestors have been masters of placebo, and faith can grant the fairly some maximum tricky (and customarily useful) placebos obtainable. If somebody desires crutches, will we make relaxing of them? If human beings want their placebos... could be make relaxing of them? optimistically sometime they're going to strengthen and understand that they do no longer *want* the mystical, the ghosts, the magic, etc. till then, if it enables human beings... I say decide for it.

Answer 8

I don't believe in most of that nonsense, but this I know as fact: There are angels and demons at work in the world. Not ghosts, aliens, etc.

Answer 9

Jesus said, "Seek and ye shall find." How true that is! If you seek ghosts, you will find them. If you seek proof they don't exist you will find that also. If you seek God, you will find Him. If you seek the devil you will find him also. If you seek the good in people you will find it. If you seek the bad in them you will find that also. So the best thing to do is to determine which thing will be the most beneficial to you and seek it. You will, as Jesus said, surely find it. The drunk seeks happiness from a bottle and finds the happiness it has to offer. Some people steal money and recieve the happiness it gives. Some, drugs, others sex. So it's all just a matter of finding what true happiness is with as little trial and error as possible. Happiness can be a very illusive thing.

Answer 10

I believe in karma. If that counts. Because I think it works with science, and doesn't require a God. I just think the energy in the universe evens out. But I beleive more in collective Karma, e.g. if I do something bad, something good will happen (but not necessarily to me.)