A second question for Atheists?

Question

Do you believe in any sort of paranormal activity, like ghosts, ufo’s, Bigfoot, etc, etc. If not, doesn’t that make the world a little less interesting to live in? I don’t necessarily believe in these things but they are fun to read about and ponder the possibilities.

Why do people think I am trying to prove or disprove the existance of a "God" with this question. My main goal in every question I post is to get interesting well though out, well stated posts. I really enjoy reading what other people think.

Answer 1

I believe in the paranormal to the extent that, once understood, this stuff becomes as normal as anything else. Take UFOs: though we might think the distances too great for space travel a la Star Trek to be a reality, what the hell do we know about other civilizations out there and what they're capable of (and I assume such civilizations exist if only because the the universe is so vast)? I mean, we thought atoms had electrons circling them as if the subatomic world was a solar system of sorts. We also thought for some 2,000 years that all things were made up of earth, fire, water, and air.

In the end, seeing as to how our brains can't process even a quarter of what we see, or hear, or feel, etc., how can we simply dismiss the mystical or the spiritual?

As for the atheists that get angry at this question or misinterpret it, they should really open their eyes, they are sounding like the ignorant Christians, Muslims, and Jews they love to disparage (oh yes, let's not forget our Hindu friends).

Answer 2

I'm not an atheist, but I have a good understanding of the atheist view. To answer as an atheist would, then:

> paranormal activity
Nope.

> ghosts
Nope

> ufo
I saw one once. Weird looking. I observed it for several minutes, then it turned... and I identified it as a NOTAR helicopter with a reflective paint job! I don't believe that the Earth has been visited by extraterrestrial intelligent beings.

> Bigfoot
Hoax

> doesn’t that make the world a little less interesting to live in?
Nope. There's still plenty of things to explain, such as why galaxies hold together so well (do you believe in exotic dark matter?) and why the universe is being expanded at an accelerating rate (exotic dark energy?). Why we have so much non-coding DNA, and why there are highly conserved sequences of it.

Answer 3

I believe in ghosts but I think they're just things science has yet to explain.

Though science has noticed such things as a drop in temperature and an increase in electromagnetic readings when ghosts are near so the beginnings of proof are there.

Of course UFO's exist because UFO's are just Unidentified Flying Objects. A UFO can be anything, including a meteor.

So I'm going to assume you mean aliens. If we exist, it stands to follow that we can't be alone. And if we're the only life in existance, then the universe is in a very sad state because human beings are nasty hateful creatures.

However, that DOES NOT automatically default to meaning there is a god.

You see, science has the courage to say "I don't know but I'll find out" while religion says "I already know everything even if I'm wrong".

Answer 4

I don't believe in anything that violates the basic rules by which we know (from countless experiments and scientific observation) the universe works. Bigfoot was a hoax. Ghosts, etc. violate natural laws and (if they existed) would bring our world to a screeching halt.

No, I don't think it makes the world "a little less interesting" at all! Quite the contrary. The universe is magnificent and intricate and mysterious and beautiful just as it is, and our current knowledge of the how and way things work is comparitively small.

There is so much REAL knowledge out there to discover, it seems like a complete waste of time and energy to speculate about things that absolutely can not be real.

Answer 5

So now, not only do I not have a purpose for life, I also need to make it interesting????

Why is Bigfoot considered something paranormal? Scientists are finding new species of animals on this planet nearly daily. Perhaps the Bigfoot is the same type of so far undiscovered primate. UFOs - I dont beleive they visit this earth and give butt probes. But, I think life must exist outside of our solar system. Ghosts? Pure BS.

Answer 6

I don't believe in God, but I do believe that there is more in this world than what meets the eye.
I believe that there's live on other planets, I believe in UFOs (In the true sense of the word - as soon as a flying object is unidentified it is a UFO, so those really do exist).
I believe in karma, and healing (I've experienced healing on my own body, and was shocked to find that it really did work. Whether or not it was my mind playing a trick on me doesn't really matter - I felt tons better after wards, which was the whole point of me doing it.)

It's not that I believe that everything has to be proved scientifically - I just don't believe in God.

Answer 7

I haven't seen any sort of paranormal activity. I have also never seen any valid evidence that any paranormal activity has ever happened. Therefore, I don't see any reason to believe in it, just like I don't believe in faries, celestial teapots, invisibal pink unicorns, Thor, or Jesus.

That being said. Do I know that there is no such thing as paranormal activity? Nope. It is impossible to know for sure, but until any reliable evidnce comes in there is no reason to believe in such phenomena.

One good person to research considering paranormal activity is James Randi. He has a $1 million prize that he would be more than happy to pay out to anyone who can demonstrate any supernatural or paranormal abilities.

Answer 8

Ghosts - no
UFOs - yes
Bigfoot - no

but i agree with the person above me a few posts...the last two aren't paranormal.

about UFOs though...i'm assuming you're including alien life forms. They might not have visited us, but when you think about how many different galaxies there are out there...I believe it's ignorant to think that we're the only species. And just for Ss and Gs, i have to believe that there's a race out there smarter than us.

And on a side note, i'm happy to see someone who wants mature discussion and appreciates different opinions

Answer 9

I don't believe in stuff like that, but I don't really see what that adds. There's enough weird stuff around as it. Who needs bigfoot when you have the giant squid? Also very elusive, but we know it exists from retrieved carcasses. And how about quantum theory? It tells us that you can't simultaneously know the position and momentum of an electron. If you want something to ponder, try that on for size.

Answer 10

Bigfoot isn't "paranormal" it's a myth, UFO's aren't "paranormal" either. Ghosts make sense according to most Buddhist reasoning due to the fact that we DO have the concept of rebirth realms called "pretas" (hungry ghosts) etc.

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