tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post4767460063306698772..comments2016-05-22T16:15:24.448-07:00Comments on The Atheist's Way: Three women's spiritual journeysEric Maiselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03616912091956978071noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post-36147961933618811022008-09-24T17:35:00.000-07:002008-09-24T17:35:00.000-07:00Kevin, I found the last chapter of The End of Fait...Kevin, I found the last chapter of The End of Faith that discussed Harris's ideas about a rational spirituality to be very interesting and I hope that he writes more about this in the future, although he seems to have left that topic behind lately.<BR/><BR/>DonnaDonna Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12456352318216873030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post-19750640443369953732008-09-24T13:45:00.000-07:002008-09-24T13:45:00.000-07:00I'm very happy to have come across this post. This...I'm very happy to have come across this post. This is something I've been thinking about for a long time. There's no doubt that you can have a completely naturalistic worldview and still pursue spirituality, once you realize that the 'spirit' in spirituality (i.e., the supernatural bit) is just an extraneous belief that gets attached to what is really a completely natural phenomenon. <BR/><BR/>I think this is probably what Sam Harris means when he talks about the possibility of certain experiences through meditation, but a lot of people misunderstand him. <BR/><BR/>I'm actually planning a new blog devoted to this and similar topics, so it's nice to see other people thinking about this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post-87898719337729484092008-09-23T20:28:00.000-07:002008-09-23T20:28:00.000-07:00Anon, you are right. Mr. WriterDD always tells me ...Anon, you are right. Mr. WriterDD always tells me everyone on the internet is an extremist. But what does that mean about me? :-)Donna Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12456352318216873030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post-41874996434717496612008-09-23T15:10:00.000-07:002008-09-23T15:10:00.000-07:00Hello writerdd,It seems to me you may just be hang...Hello writerdd,<BR/><BR/>It seems to me you may just be hanging around the wrong group of atheists. I don't know this for sure, but the folks I hang around are mellower than what you describe.<BR/><BR/>I think part of the problem is the medium: you're basing a lot of what you define by what you see on the internet, and I've noticed that internet interactions in general, no matter the group(s), can get really vicious. I try not to base my opinions of groups on online posts - it will always skew toward anger.<BR/><BR/>In any event, I've found meditation (even "simple" meditation using numbers as a mantra) to be really useful in grounding myself and getting in touch with my inner guru.<BR/><BR/>Barring that, there's always your mind-altering substance of choice with a group of friends.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post-7812894541233573772008-09-23T07:56:00.000-07:002008-09-23T07:56:00.000-07:00Thanks for the comments everyone. I look forward t...Thanks for the comments everyone. I look forward to discussing more about these topics in the future.<BR/><BR/>@garkbit, Stephanie was not talking about scripture at all. She was talking about the way people live their religion -- which can be good or bad, just the same as the way unbelievers live. Most religious people are looking for a way to find joy, peace, love, and purpose in their lives, which is exactly the same thing that unbelievers are looking for. I think we can learn something by trying to see what makes all people the same instead of constantly looking for differences and getting defensive. The "us versus them" mentality doesn't help anyone. <BR/><BR/>You sound like you only think fundamentalists and literalists have a valid interpretation of religion, which is, um, wrong.Donna Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12456352318216873030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post-59760644428249715712008-09-22T23:19:00.000-07:002008-09-22T23:19:00.000-07:00"It is the interpretation of those rules that defe..."It is the interpretation of those rules that defeats me. Stuff like "Thou shalt not kill" or "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"being interpreted as "Thou shalt not kill unless you happen to think that the other person isn't really a person because of your own rules" or ..."<BR/><BR/>I think it is pretty ridiculous to claim an empathy with religious ideals based on mistranslation and cherry-picking of scripture.Garkbithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12234102759650383703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post-86449686623182701352008-09-22T11:17:00.000-07:002008-09-22T11:17:00.000-07:00I don't call myself an atheist because I do not fi...I don't call myself an atheist because I do not fit the definition -- I don't think I do anyhow. <BR/><BR/>What I am however, is what I will call a lapsed catholic. Anyone who has grown up that way knows that it is drilled into you way too hard as a kid to fully be rid of it, but I like to think it informs my moral code rather than originating it. <BR/><BR/>I can strongly relate to the sign of peace comment and it has always been the best part of the service to me. There is a true elevation of spirit in that. <BR/><BR/>I suppose the pursuit of the ability to retain that moment in perpetuity is what the quest for spiritual meaning is for me. I don't have any answer. Not that interested in finding them. I think for me it is enough to be able to articulate the right questions and let the answers come when they feel like it.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08133387753042406441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post-29804865202208778502008-09-22T10:24:00.000-07:002008-09-22T10:24:00.000-07:00I've begun to think of myself as a cultural christ...I've begun to think of myself as a cultural christian, much like a secular jew might still identify with jewish traditions and thought without being a practicing, temple-going jew. <BR/><BR/>Christianity, for me, has become a way for me to connect with the infinite universa and the god of einstein and spinoza. It's got a lot of unfortunate baggage, but it's the tradition I'm familiar with and there's still a lot I can gain from it if I approach it from an open-minded non-dogmatic point of view.<BR/><BR/>I'm a christian in the template of Marcus Borg and John Shelby Spong.That Neil Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00282313787969964446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post-38356076545454890382008-09-22T09:25:00.000-07:002008-09-22T09:25:00.000-07:00Many things about this post really resonated with ...Many things about this post really resonated with me. I think atheists (me included) tend to shy away from spiritual language, because the use of that language implies things we certainly don't mean. <BR/><BR/>If I talk about a spiritual connection with nature, I'm not talking about anything supernatural or superstitious, but a deep emotional connection. The problem is exacerbated because we really don't have another way to describe it.Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13666102861045517530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post-55279517842635927032008-09-22T09:17:00.000-07:002008-09-22T09:17:00.000-07:00This is truly wonderful. I've been pondering whet...This is truly wonderful. I've been pondering whether there were other people of like mind on this matter.<BR/><BR/>I've often described myself as a "taoist athiest" -- I'm an atheist in that I believe that the question of whether god exists is unimportant (the important thing is whether your answer to that question helps you act in a beneficial way).<BR/><BR/>Even that's ham-handed though, and it's nice to see that others believe it's possible to lack belief in a god (or anything "supernatural") and still see wonder, awe, and spirituality in the world.Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07009443419018619462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1228544473034487906.post-34536893490637419592008-09-22T08:53:00.000-07:002008-09-22T08:53:00.000-07:00Thank you so much for this post. I've only been c...Thank you so much for this post. <BR/><BR/>I've only been calling myself an atheist for a few months - although I have not believed in god(s) for much longer than that. I fought against the label for so long because I thought I had to jettison anything that was connected to religion and spirituality in order to be a "real" atheist. Even now that I've accepted the label, I still feel uncomfortable with it, and don't quite know how to proceed. <BR/><BR/>How do I reconcile my deep sense of wonder and connection to the world with the lack of the Divine? What sort of spirituality is open to someone who doesn't believe in god(s)? If there is no truth beyond that which we can objectively measure, then what am I feeling when I look at the sky?<BR/><BR/>Sorry if I rambled or got off-topic. It's just nice to know I'm not the only one struggling with this.Kimberly Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01565349718276824458noreply@blogger.com