For those who have experienced God?

Question

Lemme try again...

If you believe you have spoken to, heard, saw, or felt God's presence, how do you think an atheist would explain it?

Are they rational for believing this?

Answer 1

They would likely describe it as they do almost everything in my faith, as a 'delusion' - it's a catch-all. It's catchy as well.

Answer 2

I'm an atheist, an I've had what I have to call, for want of a better word, "religious" or "spiritual experiences." In fact I think it's irrational to deny the reality of an experience that's so common to mankind. I simply don't connect this class of experience with the traditional superstitious concept of "God."

It helps that I've studied comparative religion, and I've come to recognize the essential similarities of experience among devotees of different traditions. People all over the world, from every religion, have left strikingly similar accounts of the results of their religious practices. How could this be the case if there were only one "true" faith?

If you're a Christian, you have to believe that the Muslim is lost, or deluded, or even wicked for believing as he does; and vice-versa. To admit the reality and validity of his experience is to cease to be a Christian. This in spite of the fact that the two of you may be having essentially the same experience. As an atheist, I just take it a step further, and say that while I admit the reality and validity of both of your experiences, you're both wrong insofar as you're dogmatic, and mistake symbols for the things they represent.

I've also studied Buddhism, and practiced the Buddhist meditation techniques, and obtained some of the classic "spiritual" results. And Buddhism is atheistic. The goal is to annihilate the Ego and become one with the "Absolute" - whereas the Christian mystic would say "the Soul is swallowed up in God." God, the Absolute, or whatever you choose to call The Goal - in the final analysis, it's just terminology!

Answer 3

Alright, I am athiest, sometimes leaning toward agnostic, from the aspect that without ego, I can't presume too much. But as we know, we all have ego, so, I have flip flopped back and forth all my life.

In my early thirties, I had a dream involving God that can never be forgotten. While I can't begin to discuss the content here, I will go so far as to say it was profound in the "Biblical" sense. Yes, me and Him. Stop laughing, I'm not done...

Bathed in warmth and light, I awakened with gentle tears streaming down my face, turned and looked at my partner, who said he had been awakened by my soft crying and moaning, and said I looked, well, freshly f****d.

So, back to your question, "How would I explain it?" (Great question, btw) My partner at the time, was Catholic, and as we had been toying with the possibility of marriage, I had agreed to partake in some one-on-one mentoring with his Priest so I might better understand his faith.
I liked Father Luke a lot, and while Catholicism remains a mystery to me to this day, we had some very riveting theological discussion.
The night before the dream, we had met, and I had posed this question; "Why do you suppose, Father Luke, that God has denied me faith?" He responded, "Faith is God given."

So, with tongue in cheek, I say this; the mind is a powerful thing, and I have a vivid imagination.
But, next time 'G,' have a little respect and ask first.

Answer 4

From what I've seen on here....they would probably accuse me of having some sort of psychological disorder and having an imaginary friend. In the real world, when I'm dealing with atheists face to face, they think the so called presence of God is just created by the person's mind because they are thinking about it and trying to find it, which is not a psychological disorder as many atheists in here seem to think it is.

Answer 5

Ok, believers of God... from, what I've read of your responses here it appears that most of you are aware that rational thinking, logical minded and generally well informed atheists would likely say you are delusional... I happen to be one of those.

So, when will you take the re-measure of you own reality and see that it's actually true? You truly do need to mend yourselves. You are far off the mark from being honest with yourselves...

The doubts you continue to have and your occasional weakening of faith are reminders that you ought to respond to. Take action, now. Attempt to learn what the truth really is; don't guess at it or invent false ideas of it or re-warm the half-truths of the past in more self-deluding lies.... It's time to stop believing-in an invented reality, but instead, to recognize and learn and know true reality as it is.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb62/Randall_Fleck/Sam_Harris__GIF.gif

[][][] r u randy? [][][]
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Answer 6

A rational atheist would always attempt to explain a believer's description of experiencing God as delusional.
This is their preconceived bias. I am not faulting them for this as there are an awful lot of pure phonies in the religion business.
I would just caution them to not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Just because many are delusional about experiencing God, does not mean that others do not experience God or Consciousness in a valid and measurable way.
Take for instance the documented studies of adept Buddhist Monks. Scientific analysis shows that something supernormal or metaphysical is going on there.
Just because they cannot fully explain it does not mean it isn't real.
God is an inner phenomenon, subjective and dependent on the mentality and talent of the experiencer.
Ever since a meditation practice breakthrough that I experienced during a year long retreat in 1994, I experience God's presence within my own consciousness all the time. God doesn't talk to me per se.
It's more of an awareness thing, a silent telepathic union with my greater superconscious nature.
I have been practicing deep meditation for 40 years.
Unless someone is willing to also meditate like I have, how can they say that I am delusional?
The rules of scientific inquiry dictate that you would need to do what I have done in order to compare your experiences with mine.

Answer 7

I haven't experienced God personally per se, BUT I ran into Saint Thomas Aquinas in the wormhole gateway the other day - he grabbed me and started saying that he was just coming back from a heated meeting with God, who told him that: " He [God] was so PERFECT that He did NOT have to Exist." ... So I said: My dear Saint, God help you, if God ever finds out that you spilled the beans. .. He then looked at me like was NUTS. :-)

Answer 8

As an atheist, I explain it in the following manner:

You feel exactly whatever it is you want to feel.

If you're determined to find an Invisible Pink Unicorn, no matter what, sooner or later you will find it in some manner.

Justr don't expect everyone else to find your impression particularly believable.

Answer 9

As a former atheist I tried to explain my experience of divinity to myself for a LONG time...the synchronicities and revelations kept piling up and piling up until I understood that I could no longer explain them as "coincidences" That was my favorite term to explain away the divine presence that I have now come to know is there...but a coincidence is by definition a "rare occurence" so the more that things try to be expalined away by coincidence the less likely they are a coincidence....

Answer 10

Mostly, I think someone's experience with God is self-created. I hate to use this as an example, because it sounds really really bad and I don't think Christianity is...so please bear with me!

But if someone you know is schizophrenic, and the go on and on about one of their "personalities" you dismiss it as irrational. Only they can see/hear/touch this other being, therefore it is illogical to conclude said being exists.

Most experiences with God I've heard about from friends include praying for confidence, or something similar, and then suddenly feeling confident...or feeling they've been forgiven/redeemed/full of Jesus's love...to me, that just means they wanted the feeling so badly that they created it for them self. Mind over matter.

Why do you think placebos work so often? Because the person thinks it will cure them, thus they are cured.

Answer 11

I speak to God everyday...that's what praying is...He is more real to me than someone that i can see... i'm not sure how an atheist would explain exactly what i have experienced and the only explanation that i have for anyone is that you have no idea until you've experienced it, and after you have experienced it, it's just that one thing that is totally indescribable.