I have addressed a couple of questions to Atheists, and many of them have answered me saying that they are...?

Question

... Atheists, but they believe in something, or they are "spiritual atheists". Considering Atheists dont believe in God, consequently they dont believe in Creation, what do they believe? How can someone be "spiritual atheist"? This person doesnt believe in God, but believes in spirits?

By the way, I apologize for stereotyping Atheists in my questions. I didnt mean... However, some of the questions stereotype Christians too. I believe in Jesus, but I am not the type of Christian that carry the Bible everywhere. And although I am not one of the fanatic ones, I can feel ofended with some questions.

My religion is Spiritism.

Godzilla: if you believe in spirits and had the chance to talk to one, they will talk about God, so it is impossible to separate spirits from God. Sorry!

Undergroundman: Spiritism is my religion, or you can call a phylosophy.
Samantha: I agree with you totally, but I believe in God.
Rick T: "My" Spiritism is not based on the Scriptures, although it not totally apart, but based on the books of Allan Kardec.

Answer 1

Now this is interesting. This is what I found, looking both Atheism and Spiritual Atheism.

Atheism is a doctrine that states that nothing exists but natural phenomena (matter), that thought is a property or function of matter, and that death irreversibly and totally terminates individual organic units. This definition means that there are no forces, phenomena, or entities which exist outside of or apart from physical nature, or which transcend nature, or are “super” natural, nor can there be. Humankind is on its own.


and..

As you know, common Theists believe in a literal "God" who supposedly created and rules the universe; while common Atheists reject the idea of "God" altogether.

Generally, Spiritual Atheists are people who do not believe in a literal "God" (thus the term "Atheist"), but still consider themselves to be (often deeply) "Spiritual" people.

For Spiritual Atheists, being "Spiritual" generally means to have thoughts, words, and actions that are in harmony with the idea that we are all, in some way, connected - that the entire world can be thought of as one entity made up of smaller interacting entities.

Therefore, Spiritual Atheists generally feel that as they go about their lives striving to be personally healthy and happy, they should also be striving to help the world around them be healthy and happy. This empowering concept is referred to as "Wholistic Ethics".

Although Spiritual Atheists do not believe in a literal "God"; they generally recognize "God" as an important and powerful symbol of the inter-connectedness and one-ness of the Universe. They see that, individually, everything in the Universe is a part of "God"; and, collectively, everything in the Universe is "God". And that there is only ONE "God".

Even so, many Spiritual Atheists are very reluctant to make use of the word "God", due to the extreme desecration it has suffered by common Theists and Atheists alike.


The point of the Spiritual Atheism movement is not to provide another spiritual point of view; but, rather, to unify all Spiritual Atheists of all points of view.

Answer 2

We humans tend to try to cubbyhole religion and spirituality with a set of beliefs that we think belong to each group. That is just not the case. I know exactly what I believe but it doesn't have a name that all would agree on. I believe there is a higher power which one could call GOD. I believe Jesus was a prophet. I believe the Bible is a set of writings, put together by a lot of people over a long period of time. All of which may or may not belong because of the history of its compilation. I believe that we live many lives. I believe in karma. I believe we are our own judges and that our behavior in this life will influence where we will be between lives and in the next. I believe there are people who can receive messages from the spirit world. I believe that we all have spirit guides. Above all, it is important to live an honorable life. If one needs help in knowing right from wrong, then maybe going to church will help them.

Answer 3

atheist - a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings.

Synonyms Atheist, agnostic, infidel, skeptic refer to persons not inclined toward religious belief or a particular form of religious belief. An atheist is one who denies the existence of a deity or of divine beings. An agnostic is one who believes it impossible to know anything about God or about the creation of the universe and refrains from commitment to any religious doctrine.

Now if an athiest tells you they are "spiritual atheists" they are actually trying to say that they view life in a different way, not necessarily that they believe in spirits. When they say "spiritual" they are using the wrong terminology, they just see life in a positive way. So next time an atheist tells you they are "spiritual athiests" ask them what spirits they believe in and im pretty sure they wont say any just the fact that they just view life without a god.

Answer 4

What is Spiritism?

I think you're taking a too narrow idea of what people's choices are. Spirituality is a fluid concept that can be applied to the kind of monotheistic God people believe in, but it can also be applied to a more general sense of attitude towards nature or art and beauty or other things. In that way, you can be a spiritual atheist.

Spirituality doesn't depend on a God. In fact, Theravada Buddhism, supposedly the original kind of Buddhism preached by the Buddha, is not a religion based on worship of a god. But Theravada Buddhists can be very spiritual people even thought they don't believe in a god.

Answer 5

If the proper termonology is used, 'atheist' means a belief in no afterlife, god, or goddess. I've seen many people (Christian or other) use this term to mean 'not Christian, Jewish or Islamic'.
However, there are several different beliefs that could simply be covered by the word 'non believer'. There are Wiccans, Hinduists, Satanists, Buddhists, etc. I'm sure there are others but I can't think of their names right now. There are several theories about creation and even some believe there is no beginning and will be no end...just change.
I know there are several different degrees of Christianity-just remember, there are many, many different philosophies/theories about life and/or religion.

Answer 6

I don't call myself an atheist because I do believe in spirits and the power of Nature. Yet because I was once a Christian but do not believe in God, I will answer questions directed towards atheists.

Answer 7

Everyone believes in something, just different somethings. Athiesm is a religion unto itself. A true athiest, just doesnt know what they believe, so they claim to believe NOTHING, but believing nothing is a religion, a belief system. If you spend enough time with an athiest, you will find this out. They will deny God and Jesus Christ , yet many will admit to having certain experiences they cant understand. so they believe in something, just dont know what it is. God says He gives us all a certain measure of faith and we can run with it and increase it, or abandon it. Athiests still have that little measure of faith, it doesnt really ever just go away, but they dont want God, so they run from all of it, wanting only to do SELF. Selfism is also a religion, the religion of self.
I had a die hard athiest admit to me she saw an angel. even got a picture of it. yes, it was there. hmmmmmm? so no believe in God, but a sudden believe in angels. go figure. huh? great question.

Answer 8

~~~ Janet ,,, Respectfully,,,,Correction: Your assumption is incorrect that atheists don't believe in "Creation". We simply reject the notion of a Supreme Being in the Religious Context ie: god, as being this "The Architect". This also does not deny the existence of "spirits" in a NON-religious Context. Spirits are not exclusive to Religion. You realized your own bias in your 2nd paragraph when you apologized for "stereotyping Atheists". Well Done. However, you declare in your next sentence that "I believe in Jesus" (christ, the world saviour), consequently By Definition, you are a Christian. Your "Spiritism" as you refer to it, assumes your Own Interpretation of christian scripture, thereby rendering you as a Cult of One,,, unless you have followers,,, or are a follower of someone elses interpretation. Finally, your feeling "offended with some questions" is due to your own Personal Insecurity,,, or lack of Faith in your own belief,,, or both. ~ You are most welcome to pose a Q and expect a Respectful and Knowledgeable from this humble atheist. ~

Answer 9

Why can't someone be a spiritual Atheist. Who said that only people who believe in god can be spiritual. What about all the people before Jesus was alive, they believed in spirits. Whether it be spirits of nature, or earth, or what have you. There is nothing that says you can only be spiritual if you believe in god.

Answer 10

I have to think there are many people who, although they find the idea of a vindictive, jealous, petty creator god ludicrous, cannot deny the experience of spirit. This experience may be something described in quantum physics as parallel universes, or something else we'll be able to explore and measure scientifically some day in the future.