... supposedly "supernatural higher beings". Examples might include aliens, angels, etc?
I expect most answers will be no since most if not all examples would violate the empirical evidence requirement. However, there might be some who might dismiss the existence of an omni-X "God" but accept the "logical" possibility of an evolutionary process that might arrive at other races more sophisticated than our own.
Understand that in the above, by "angel" I don't necessarily mean the Judeochristian spiritual being but perhaps (for example) a benevolent advanced being that has found a way to transcend spacetime and who might be mistaken for angels in the Judeochristian theology.
Of course, the examples I gave are just that - examples. I'm more curious if your conclusion about the (non-)existence of a god is based on a logical process that might not preclude "lesser" beings or rather on an empirical process for which you see none and that therefore would presumably preclude these too.
2007-07-29 09:16:01 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
UnPope: Your comment about what "binds" atheists together is precisely why I ask this question. While personally I'd like to know the answers I also would like to "put this out there" in order to demonstrate that atheism is not monolithic
2007-07-29 09:25:09 · update #1
Bikernoj: Perhaps semantics but I have never seen atheism defined as a denial of *any* higher or supernatural being. Some sources:
American Heritage Dictionary:
a. Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.
b. The doctrine that there is no God or gods.
Merriam-Webster:
a : a disbelief in the existence of deity b : the doctrine that there is no deity
2007-07-29 09:29:51 · update #2
I reject the idea of any supernatural phenomena. There might be aliens out there that are far more advanced then us. Who knows, there seems to be scant evidence on the subject. But, the universe is very big and we cannot rule out the possibility that abiogenesis occurred on another planet somewhere in the universe that has conditions favorable for life. After all, it happened here.
2007-07-29 09:31:46 · answer #1 · answered by Chris J 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No soul, no afterlife, no spirit, no ghosts, no supernatural, no ESP and special powers, this is a natural universe. Life might exist on other planets but there are no little green/gray men probing people or visiting this planet.
Though other atheists might hold other opinions, all that 'binds' us is the fact that we don't believe in gods.
edit: exactly my boy! Atheism isn't a club like christianity. It is an artificial label that has been invented due to the pressure of the times. I'm no more an atheist than I am a gravitationist. I simply don't believe in gods.
2007-07-29 09:20:19 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Atheists vary somewhat as to whether they believe in any supernatural anything.
I do not.
Aliens, in the sense of living somethings that live on a planet besides Earth are NOT supernatural, but natural.
Most likely they've never been here, as the distances are prohibative; no, they wouldn't have supernatural powers; they'd just be a different life with a different biological history than us.
They can't break the laws of the universe any more than we can.
2007-07-29 12:42:23 · answer #3 · answered by tehabwa 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Atheism, by definition, is a total lack of belief in any higher power, deity, force, etc.
Agnosticism, on the other hand, simply does not know if there is a force, power, energy, etc. that may or may not exist, and the universe is very large and very old. Agnosticism is NOT trying to choose "which God to follow" like people think, and most self-called "atheists" are actually agnostic.
2007-07-29 09:24:04 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
The definition of "god" is rather vague. I would include other beings, such as angels, as a type of god since it is also a supernatural being with super powers.
I do think that aliens exist, though I highly doubt any have noticed us or made it to Earth. The Universe is just too sparse and we haven't been around long enough to be noticed. I don't think they would be supernatural. They would be evolved creatures just as we are.
2007-07-29 09:17:40 · answer #5 · answered by nondescript 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nothing supernatural. Aliens almost certainly exist - the universe is too large for life not to happen anywhere - but there's no evidence of any ever being on earth.
Most of us are always happy to consider new evidence, though.
2007-07-29 09:20:36 · answer #6 · answered by Dreamstuff Entity 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it's statistically likely that life exists elswhere in the universe.
I don't tend to believe in the supernatural, but I concede that there are some phenomena that we don't have a credible scientific explanation for....yet.
2007-07-29 10:46:50 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Angels of any kind, no.
The possibility that life exists on some planet orbiting one of the trillions of other "suns" is a fairly logical thought.
2007-07-29 09:19:56 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
We can invent beings all day long if you like.
It would surprise me if there were not other forms of life in the Universe, but I have seen no evidence for anything supernatural.
2007-07-29 09:19:12 · answer #9 · answered by fourmorebeers 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Supernatural beings: No
Aliens: They are a possibility.
2007-07-29 09:23:12 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋