Atheist-Who says personal experience can not be counted as tangible evidence when describing?

Question

supernatural phenomena? Is it hard to believe that the experience in question was only for the observer and no one else?

I can fully accept you not believing, but does that necessarily mean that it did not happen?

Answer 1

Look, I'm not an atheist, but maybe I can offer some insight. When you or I or anyone else have a direct experience with the Divine (God, god/dess, ALL, whatever) it's called an unverifiable personal gnosis, or UPG. It's proof to the recipient, but the recipient is the only one who has it. As far as religion can be logically discussed, it would therefor only seem logical that if this proof came only to you it's *meant* only *for* you. A deity that wanted someone else to see/know/believe the same thing would surely be capable of manifesting the same experience for others. To paraphrase a friend of mine, any deity that would expect people to believe "X," whatever "X" may be, without any kind of personal experience of "X" and only one person's word must either be insane or very cruel, if not both.
I have plenty of faith and a very solid belief system based on my UPG. It's really cool when you find other people who share your UPG--the same experiences with the divine. But me trying to convince you that I'm right and you're wrong regarding religious beliefs is ridiculous, because I cannot definitively prove anything to you, any more than you can to me.

So nobody is really saying that personal experience doesn't count as tangible evidence of what you're calling "supernatural" phenomena, it's just that it only counts for you.

Answer 2

Consider the amount of "personal experience" of drug users, shamen, witch doctors, or followers of any other religion, are you willing to accept these experiences as tangible evidence?

Personal experience is strongly affected by itself and previous experiences, i.e. you are not objective when you analyze the experience nor when you experience it.

In other words, what you think happened may have appeared to be exactly what happened, but to others around you something (slightly to greatly) different may have occurred. Consider less advanced civilizations first encounters with those armed with guns, or when someone does "magic" especially if the audience doesn't know it's a trick.

Answer 3

But then how am I to weigh the private studies of satisfied Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus..? If revel in validates around the board, then we've got a concern: all religions, even ones which contradict and deny each and every different, are precise and legitimate. But if a few studies, because of their contradictory nature, have got to be taken to be improper (with out ruling which, even) then we are as a rule again in which we began: subjective revel in isn't evidence or primary proof.

Answer 4

but if you are scientifically minded its hard to believe something that is purely word of mouth with no evidence. obviously it would be harder to discount if it happened to me but it hasnt, so i cant believe it. nothing wrong with being sceptical about things. Do you believe every single thing you hear? i dont