Atheists what do you make of this...?

Question

I have premonitions and have been able to accurately predict events. The time frame between my premonitions and the actual event range anywhere from a day to several years. In addition to premonitions, I have also encountered ghosts/spirits on many occasions. Many of these events, both premonitions and ghost/spirit encounters have been witnessed by others (so its not all in my head).

My question to you is what scientific/non-spiritual explanation might there be for these phenomena? I am not trying to disprove atheism, I would like a non-spiritual/religious explanation for this.

I know how this sounds and I don't expect anyone to believe me. I am a skeptic at heart and am open to any possible explanation. I am also asking atheists, because most religious people would just tell me it is the Devil.

Answer 1

What do I make of that? You're full of crap or crazy or both.

Answer 2

The first and most obvious possibility, obviously, is that you're lying. Or you may be serious but deluded. I mean, those are rational, non-spiritual explanations that come to mind. But giving you the benefit of the doubt - for the premonitions, subconscious calculation of the relative likelihood of various possibilities. For the ghosts, hallucinations or illusions of some sort.

But I always say that I'm an atheist but not a materialist, and I don't necessarily doubt that some experiences of this type represent phenomena that science has yet to analyze.

Answer 3

Could be any number of things. I've been having premonitions the Red Sox would win the World Series since the early 70s, but it didn't happen til 2004, and then it happened twice in four seasons. Could be a case of shoehorning - squeezing the empirical data to fit the predictions.
You also don't mention what percentage of your predictions/premonitions DIDN'T pan out. Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while, and we, as humans tend to notice them only when they do, not when they don't..
I'd be interested to hear more details, but I'm not able to analylze this properly without them. Under what circumstances did they occur? This is the best I can do without more details.

Answer 4

This can only be tested scientifically by documenting your premonitions with as much accuracy as possible, and having them notarized. Then sealing them in an envelope and having all such envelopes given to the same person, with the date that they are to be opened written clearly on the seal.

This would give some evidence of your assertion. Otherwise, it can be simply post--hoc (after the fact) recollection that appears to be premonitions.

My guess is that you have some vague feeling of positive or negative events, but that there is so little detail that you can apply your premonition to a variety of events.

Consider Pat Robertson's annual predictions, and then his assertion that non-related events prove his predictions.

^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^

Answer 5

It's called intuition, we all have it.

I think I can predict the future too, but when looked at it with a critcal viewpoint, I can't really predict it

On the morning of the world trade ceter/ pentagon distaster I woke up feeling strange-- a feeling of dread. Turned on the news and watched the towers collapse. In the back of my mind I thought " hey you predicted this".

In retrospect I have woken up hundereds of times with feelings of dread and usually nothing horrible has happened.
I can try to justify my feeling by saying well something bad happened somewhere, but that is a cop-out, something bad happens somewhere everyday.

As far as intution goes a lot of it happens because we see things in life without really noticing it. Our brain remembers without us actually considering it. for example we may see a situation that reminds us of something in the past that had a predictable outcome. When we see a simular situation again we may not even notice it, but our brains recognized it. Something happens and we say " holy smokes I knew it was going to happen". You didn't really predict the future you just recognized a possible outcome.

This explains why you can't predict the future with any degree of accuracy when it comes to when it will happen.

As far as ghost and such, mass sightings are not conclusive proof that there was such an event as you think it is. People are quick to believe explanations when they don't know what they have seen. A group of people are no better at it than just one person. It's a fascinating area of psychology that is just beginning to be understood.

good luck

Answer 6

4% of the population have hallucinations, 10% of us will suffer from mental illness. The brain is the most complex object in the universe, it spends all it's time trying to second guess what's coming next, seeking little clues in people and nature just so you can survive. Why be amazed when occasionally you get it right? What about all the dreams that don't get it right or are so vague they could mean anything. Properly conducted tests have turned up nothing in precognition so far and we have instruments that can detect energy fields billions of times smaller than the direct human can sense. Nothing shows up there either. When I am tired I have seen things that are not there, when I saw my mothers dead body I sensed something walk out of my life, but I don't spend all my time in seances. From helping mentally ill and elderly relatives, I know the person lives in the brain, and when the brain is sick anything can happen, when it's ill part of the person can disappear to re-emerge with the correct medication. Souls lost or otherwise don't come into it.

Answer 7

Why would atheists be on the R&S board? They don't believe in R&S.

As for your premonitions and ghosts... watch out the Pentacostals and Evangelicals will accuse you of witchcraft.

As for a non-spiritual explanation, go see a psychiatrist. You're hallucinating.

Answer 8

You most likely have vague premonitions like "Ship sinks" or "Powerful leader falls" ... when something specific DOES occur (that is not uncommon) you attribute a dream to it and say it is confirmed.

Your ghosts/spirits are your mind playing tricks on you. The human mind can easily create images and make you hallucinate. (This includes the other people.)

Answer 9

Well, if I was a staunch atheist like Richard Dawkins, then I would tell you that stuff like this is child's play for our optics software.

It really is.

But I'm more laid back, only 1/3 atheist but am not animist.

I don't beleive in spirits, but I do beleive in high emotional imprints causing what seems like 'ghosts' appearing in the space the print was laid.

Premonitions, well, I do beleive in high powers originating from the brain, and I've had them too, to a lesser extent.

So I'm cool with it.

Answer 10

There have been many before you with self conceived 'gifts'. Upon trying to verify the 'gifts' we find no such verifiable proof exists. I do not believe any of your statements. I still think there is that $1 million dollar reward out there if you could prove your gift of precognition. I am certain you could not.

Answer 11

Life is the same, the same things happen everyday, just to different people, so when you see something, in a dream or a vision, its unlikely that it will happen to you, but you can bet your ***, it will happen to someone, somewhere, If it happens to you, its just chance. Try predicting the next terrorist attack and prove to yourself and the rest of the world you can, if not, then don't. Its my guess you wont, coz no-one can!