Any Atheists Ever Had A "Spiritual" Experience?

[ADigitalArtist]

I meant to spell it that way because my atheism was baked in or maybe I'm just hungry!

I'll allow it. I am an Oregonian, we understand getting baked.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

I'll allow it. I am an Oregonian, we understand getting baked. View attachment 16683

“It is a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word.”

― Andrew Jackson

 

[Twilight Hue]

As soon as a problem happens the first thing many atheists say is "God help us."

I on occasion like saying God almighty or God-...

Nevermind.

 

[Twilight Hue]

My teacher isn't around anymore and i will never see him again because he dosent exist. I'd swear time to time I hear his voice in my head still guiding and teaching me. Its probably my greatest spiritual experience, even although I know it's only my own mind by which this voice is heard. Its essentially mayko and that's how it's regarded, but one I'm fond of and treasure because it's a part of who I am.

It's a very weird sensation.

 

[YmirGF]

As soon as a problem happens the first thing many atheists say is "God help us."

Hardly, although I might say it whilst rolling my eyes in exasperation. It's simply a colloquial expression in my neck of paradise.

In regards to the OP, I am not a big fan of the term "spiritual" due to the obvious religious connotations. Likewise, as Phil indicated, after several decades of unrelenting unusual activity I'm not altogether sure what a bona fide spiritual experience is as I simply see my experiences as arising from the peeling away of layers of reality that uncovers ever deeper aspects of reality.

This does not mean that others might quickly describe my experiences as spiritual experiences even though I chose not to.

 

[Altfish]

Oh yes, on hearing some great music, on seeing my new grandchild for the first time.
As you say, not sure 'spiritual' is the correct word but elation and pleasure combined, I'm happy to use the word spiritual for want of a better one.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

As soon as a problem happens the first thing many atheists say is "God help us."

Yeah...So either they're speaking colloquially or they are not atheists. Either works.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I'm wondering if any other atheists here have ever had a "spiritual" experience. I've put the word "spiritual" in quotes because as atheists, we don't tend to believe in spirits. But, I don't know of another word to describe the feeling or experience that I mean.

I had the opportunity to go on a brief meditation retreat yesterday. It was 6 hours of varying types of meditation, all in silence. During one of the walking meditations, I became a little irritated. There I was on my day off of work walking through the grass barefoot on a cold afternoon, unable to speak, and unable to connect with my wife who was there as well. I wanted to walk with her. Then, it occurred to me that I really was walking with her. We just were not side-by-side nor were we communicating. But we were both walking, together in a way. And it occurred to me that I was walking with everyone at the retreat, and really everyone in the world. I began to feel a deep sense of connectedness. I thought of theists who describe their "walk with god," and it occurred to me that maybe I understood what they mean. I felt that I was walking on a spiritual journey with all of humankind, and really, all life and all concepts. It was a profoundly spiritual experience.

Yes, certainly have. As with you, it was during a shared experience in nature, with silence (and darkness in my case) seeming to help turn thoughts inwards.

I saw it as recognizing how similar people are, at the root of things. Without agreement, we all fell silent and reflective due to circumstance.

One of the more memorable moments in my life.

 

[ThePainefulTruth]

• Here is a quote from a fictional character who was a doctor and fierce atheist, in the TV series "House".
• 
  
• 
  
• "I choose to believe that the white light people sometimes see... they're all just chemical reactions that take place when the brain shuts down.... There's no conclusive science. My choice has no practical relevance to my life, I choose the outcome I find more comforting.... I find it more comforting to believe that this isn't simply a test." Dr Gregory House

I loved that show, but I also remember how pissed i was when he said that. Just because he, or anyone, finds it more comforting to believe it isn't a test, doesn't mean it isn't. That statement is nothing more than an argument against human life having meaning. What would motivate someone to adopt that preference?

 

[ThePainefulTruth]

I'm wondering if any other atheists here have ever had a "spiritual" experience. I've put the word "spiritual" in quotes because as atheists, we don't tend to believe in spirits. But, I don't know of another word to describe the feeling or experience that I mean.

I had the opportunity to go on a brief meditation retreat yesterday. It was 6 hours of varying types of meditation, all in silence. During one of the walking meditations, I became a little irritated. There I was on my day off of work walking through the grass barefoot on a cold afternoon, unable to speak, and unable to connect with my wife who was there as well. I wanted to walk with her. Then, it occurred to me that I really was walking with her. We just were not side-by-side nor were we communicating. But we were both walking, together in a way. And it occurred to me that I was walking with everyone at the retreat, and really everyone in the world. I began to feel a deep sense of connectedness. I thought of theists who describe their "walk with god," and it occurred to me that maybe I understood what they mean. I felt that I was walking on a spiritual journey with all of humankind, and really, all life and all concepts. It was a profoundly spiritual experience.

Why would you consider that anything more that a self-induced euphoria or the like?

 

[Jedster]

I loved that show, but I also remember how pissed i was when he said that. Just because he, or anyone, finds it more comforting to believe it isn't a test, doesn't mean it isn't. That statement is nothing more than an argument against human life having meaning. What would motivate someone to adopt that preference?

Well, he was just asserting his atheism. If he was to believe that life is or could be a test, that would imply some implicit intelligence behind existence. I agree that it can be seen as nothing more than an argument against human life having meaning, however, I took it as to mean that we each have to put meaning into our own lives.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

While we're at it, for an alternative definition of "spiritual", one that might make more sense than most to the nontheist, go here.

By that definition, yes - I've had plenty of "spiritual" experiences. I just don't attribute them to anything I'd associate with "spirits".

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

As soon as a problem happens the first thing many atheists say is "God help us."

While this isn't my experience, I've never understoood why some theists think that an atheist appealing to God when they're at their most desperate and least rational is somehow a point in theism's favour.

Starve a person long enough and they'll eat dirt... but nobody looks at that and says "aha! Deep in your heart of hearts, you KNOW that dirt is food!"

 

[fantome profane]

Yes, I have had experiences of transcendence, experiences of unity that are truly literally "selfless" (without self). Experiences of profound significance.

But I have never experienced a "God" or anything to lead me to think that such a thing exists. In fact the mystical experiences I have had lead me to believe then concept of a personal "God" is meaningless, and if the ego is an illusion the concept of the ego surviving death is also meaningless.

 

[Iti oj]

I'm wondering if any other atheists here have ever had a "spiritual" experience. I've put the word "spiritual" in quotes because as atheists, we don't tend to believe in spirits. But, I don't know of another word to describe the feeling or experience that I mean.

I had the opportunity to go on a brief meditation retreat yesterday. It was 6 hours of varying types of meditation, all in silence. During one of the walking meditations, I became a little irritated. There I was on my day off of work walking through the grass barefoot on a cold afternoon, unable to speak, and unable to connect with my wife who was there as well. I wanted to walk with her. Then, it occurred to me that I really was walking with her. We just were not side-by-side nor were we communicating. But we were both walking, together in a way. And it occurred to me that I was walking with everyone at the retreat, and really everyone in the world. I began to feel a deep sense of connectedness. I thought of theists who describe their "walk with god," and it occurred to me that maybe I understood what they mean. I felt that I was walking on a spiritual journey with all of humankind, and really, all life and all concepts. It was a profoundly spiritual experience.

Yeah I had a few.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

I'm an extremely even-keeled type of person. Not much rocks my boat in one way or the other, so I tend not to get "carried away", or have feelings that carry me away, too often. As others stated, contemplating the vast wonders of the universe can get to me at times. Like stepping out on a clear night out in an air/light-pollution free area and seeing the amazing number of stars in the sky. I feel a sort of swell of "something". Not sure if that counts as "spiritual" or not. Also as others have said, I attribute zero supernatural aspects to it. Never have had any sort of experience that didn't have a ready explanation, including that "swell".

 

[Brickjectivity]

I'm wondering if any other atheists here have ever had a "spiritual" experience. I've put the word "spiritual" in quotes because as atheists, we don't tend to believe in spirits. But, I don't know of another word to describe the feeling or experience that I mean.

Not an atheist but let me ask you if you would consider an emotionless experience to be spiritual? I think it would be more spiritual than an emotional one. Most people do not thrill over non-emotional things. For example I like trees, but I don't like Mathematical descriptions of trees unless I am trained to appreciate that. Where do the emotions end and the spiritual appreciations begin? Is my liking trees emotional or spiritual? I like it, so I have an emotion when I see it but I am not deeply interested in its abstract quality, since that does not thrill me.

I had the opportunity to go on a brief meditation retreat yesterday. It was 6 hours of varying types of meditation, all in silence. During one of the walking meditations, I became a little irritated. There I was on my day off of work walking through the grass barefoot on a cold afternoon, unable to speak, and unable to connect with my wife who was there as well. I wanted to walk with her. Then, it occurred to me that I really was walking with her. We just were not side-by-side nor were we communicating. But we were both walking, together in a way. And it occurred to me that I was walking with everyone at the retreat, and really everyone in the world. I began to feel a deep sense of connectedness. I thought of theists who describe their "walk with god," and it occurred to me that maybe I understood what they mean. I felt that I was walking on a spiritual journey with all of humankind, and really, all life and all concepts. It was a profoundly spiritual experience.

You physically need your wife, so I think there is more emotion than spirituality to imagining her with you when she is gone; but the feeling that you are connected to everyone I think is a little more transcendent. It is not normal to leave your house and find someone you don't like, then spend time with them; so that must be spiritual. It feels normal to stay at home and spend time with those you love, so that is not spiritual.

 

[ThePainefulTruth]

Well, he was just asserting his atheism. If he was to believe that life is or could be a test, that would imply some implicit intelligence behind existence. I agree that it can be seen as nothing more than an argument against human life having meaning, however, I took it as to mean that we each have to put meaning into our own lives.

How can there be value or comfort in meaning that's self-determined and dies with us? Why does he value the comfort of oblivion over the challenge of being tested...fear? In any case, his path to atheism turns out to be a baseless, cowardly, petulant assertion, made to provide him with the empty comfort of oblivion, and using a faith as blind as any theist's. There being no evidence either way, for or agaisnt the existence of God or a hereafter, how can anyone who claims to be reasonable, be anything other than an agnostic first?

 

[David T]

Yes I have had an enlightenment experience, it changed my whole life for the better, in my experience I realized there is no god, that we are all One in Consciousness, there is nothing outside this Consciousness, and the only thing that separates us is our belief we are separate, and so we make up belief systems such as religion to bring us back to where we already are, its quite funny.

That's probably way close to the new testament and much of the old testament. The magical wizard that monotheism has (evolved devolved?) Into is really just a product of mostly the intellectizing at the university level. Not totally but alot.

 

[David T]

Not an atheist but let me ask you if you would consider an emotionless experience to be spiritual? I think it would be more spiritual than an emotional one. Most people do not thrill over non-emotional things. For example I like trees, but I don't like Mathematical descriptions of trees unless I am trained to appreciate that. Where do the emotions end and the spiritual appreciations begin? Is my liking trees emotional or spiritual? I like it, so I have an emotion when I see it but I am not deeply interested in its abstract quality, since that does not thrill me.

You physically need your wife, so I think there is more emotion than spirituality to imagining her with you when she is gone; but the feeling that you are connected to everyone I think is a little more transcendent. It is not normal to leave your house and find someone you don't like, then spend time with them; so that must be spiritual. It feels normal to stay at home and spend time with those you love, so that is not spiritual.

Trees!! They are just waiting for us to go extinct and then they are taking over the joint!! Science is leading the way!!!