Do you have spiritual experiences that support your beliefs?

[faith_observer]

Hi, I am very interested in learning about other peoples' spiritual experiences. Have any of you felt or experienced the presence or guidance of the divine, or had other spiritual experiences that lead you to or confirmed your personal beliefs? Would you be willing to share some of those experiences?

Thank you!

 

[Vinayaka]

My personal beliefs all came originally from personal experience. But then from reading, I was able to match them to a faith. Otherwise most people figured I was nuts.

But I can't share much. One of the beliefs of my faith is 'Sacred is secret.' and I follow that (most of the time anyway)

 

[StarryNightshade]

Hi, I am very interested in learning about other peoples' spiritual experiences. Have any of you felt or experienced the presence or guidance of the divine, or had other spiritual experiences that lead you to or confirmed your personal beliefs? Would you be willing to share some of those experiences?

Thank you!

Yes, but nothing that is going to be taken seriously as being "real". Personal experiences are just that: personal. In my experience, most people are just going to be dismissive of them anyway and claim that they were nothing more than natural occurrences which I couldn't understand.

In short, I have, but I generally don't share.

 

[idav]

Hi, I am very interested in learning about other peoples' spiritual experiences. Have any of you felt or experienced the presence or guidance of the divine, or had other spiritual experiences that lead you to or confirmed your personal beliefs? Would you be willing to share some of those experiences?

Thank you!

I've experienced comfort and enlightenment. Perfect serenity in a sea of chaos through complete understanding. I don't really know what to make of it many christians and buddhists experience very similar things.

 

[jonathan180iq]

Yes, but nothing that is going to be taken seriously as being "real". Personal experiences are just that: personal. In my experience, most people are just going to be dismissive of them anyway and claim that they were nothing more than natural occurrences which I couldn't understand.

In short, I have, but I generally don't share.

Aren't all experiences the root of religion?

In response, some people are truly deeply affected by their experience with aliens or bigfoot or chupacabra or whatever. There is a reason that subjective experiences are not valid - because they're crap.

 

[StarryNightshade]

There is a reason that subjective experiences are not valid - because they're crap.

But isn't that also subjective?

 

[jonathan180iq]

I've experienced comfort and enlightenment. Perfect serenity in a sea of chaos through complete understanding. I don't really know what to make of it many christians and buddhists experience very similar things.

Is there any chance that it was just a release of serotonin as a way of the brain protecting itself from stress, and nothing more?

 

[jonathan180iq]

But isn't that also subjective?

Yes - And that's the point.

At some level you're going to reach something that you just simply don't believe in. Insert whatever that is into the equation of subjectivity. Let's call it variable "X"...

somewhere out there, someone has had a profound experience with "X" and they deeply believe it to be true. Does their imaginary friend actually exist because they really really really feel it?

 

[StarryNightshade]

Yes - And that's the point.

Fair enough

At some level you're going to reach something that you just simply don't believe in. Insert whatever that is into the equation of subjectivity. Let's call it variable "X"...

somewhere out there, someone has had a profound experience with "X" and they deeply believe it to be true. Does their imaginary friend actually exist because they really really really feel it?

Sans the "imaginary friend" bit, I essentiality agree.

In my journey, I've come across things that I flat out don't agree with. Like wise, I've come across what I do believe in. Honestly, feeling and believing something to be true is 1000% times better than "knowing" it to be the "truth".

 

[idav]

Is there any chance that it was just a release of serotonin as a way of the brain protecting itself from stress, and nothing more?

Thing is my brain is full of knowledge and understanding too. So any realization and epiphanies I have are based on sound truth. At least thats what I aim for. The brain is super remarkable and I feel we are barely tapping into its potential. With the way reality is, there is a rabbit hole that I feel can be tapped into. Of courut se we would experience things as some chemical reaction but we don't know the source of experience itself.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Hi, I am very interested in learning about other peoples' spiritual experiences. Have any of you felt or experienced the presence or guidance of the divine, or had other spiritual experiences that lead you to or confirmed your personal beliefs? Would you be willing to share some of those experiences?

Thank you!

Hello, observer! In answer to the first question, yes, I have had experiences. In answer to the second, I have shared before, and will again, but not in a thread in the Religious Topics section, for the same reasons some others have pointed out in this thread.

I am also interested in hearing about peoples' experiences, and have found the best way to hear about them is to read the threads in the DIR section and ask respectful questions on the different topics posted there.:yes:

 

[jonathan180iq]

Thing is my brain is full of knowledge and understanding too. So any realization and epiphanies I have are based on sound truth. At least thats what I aim for. The brain is super remarkable and I feel we are barely tapping into its potential. With the way reality is, there is a rabbit hole that I feel can be tapped into. Of courut se we would experience things as some chemical reaction but we don't know the source of experience itself.

It's certainly what we aim for, but you and I are no different from any other individual in that we can be, frankly, just wrong. We will always be plagued by bias, no matter how much we try to avoid it. We can get pretty damn good at it, but it's always going to exist somewhere. And we are always going to be limited by a lack of knowledge, which is why individual experiences will never measure up.

From what I know, experience is simply a connection of neurons, linking different parts of the brain together and then trying to be deciphered into something reasonable by our individual sets of experiences. The more we consciously buy into the supernatural, for example, the more likely it is and the more "sense" it makes that our experiences are supernatural and/or have some deeper meaning. But, like I also seem to type, does that make it any more true, even though it makes perfect sense to us?

 

[Riverwolf]

Hi, I am very interested in learning about other peoples' spiritual experiences. Have any of you felt or experienced the presence or guidance of the divine, or had other spiritual experiences that lead you to or confirmed your personal beliefs? Would you be willing to share some of those experiences?

Thank you!

Sure, though an up-front warning: nothing here that's supernatural, weird, or otherwise "unexplainable." Rather, I've interpreted the mundane.

Almost three years ago, now, while I was practicing Hinduism, I began to take a strong notice in ancient European culture. I'm not talking Greek or Roman, now; we're talking Celtic and Germanic.

This may have started around the marketing and release of Skyrim, the fifth Elder Scrolls game, which I had been eagerly anticipating, but it just snowballed into pursuing music, movies, etc. that involved the Tribes of Europe to some degree. It went on for quite a while until I came to an interpretation of what was going on:

Woden was calling me Home.

I have always had more polytheistic leanings despite the prevalence of monotheism in this culture. During the bulk of my teenage years, and then a bit after, I was practicing a custom form of Neopaganism, one based very loosely on the forms derived from ancient European practices. I started practicing Hinduism after reading the Isa Upanishad (which I STILL hold to being one of the single finest spiritual texts ever), but while I loved the Hindu Gods (with a strong focus on Siva and his family; I regarded Lord Ganesha as my Teacher), I never could get fully into Indian culture, ancient or modern. I remained as Western as I always have been. I might have been able to make that work, but it seems the Gods felt differently.

Odin's call was heard above them all, indeed. And the call of the Wandering King is not one that can be ignored. I choose to heed it.

 

[sun rise]

My answer is yes. Many others including Sam Harris who is a notable atheist have also described such experiences. I would describe mine in poetic imagery as smelling the perfume from flowers that others have said exist.

 

[The Hammer]

I would say most people have had experiences that validate their faith, in some way or another. But yes, I have had many experiences that validate my faith. In fact my faith is built entirely around the concept of the divine only being experiential.

 

[Setepenaset]

I have them occasionally. Just a few minutes ago, I dozed off a bit and had a dream where Isis appeared and answered a question that has been troubling me for a couple weeks.

 

[idav]

I have them occasionally. Just a few minutes ago, I dozed off a bit and had a dream where Isis appeared and answered a question that has been troubling me for a couple weeks.

Thats funny you say that. I often times find answers in my dreams, but sometimes difficult to retain as I awake.

 

[LuisDantas]

Hi, I am very interested in learning about other peoples' spiritual experiences. Have any of you felt or experienced the presence or guidance of the divine, or had other spiritual experiences that lead you to or confirmed your personal beliefs? Would you be willing to share some of those experiences?

Thank you!

I'm not sure how on can tell whether an experience is spiritual or not. If it involves contemplation, purpose and direction, then I assume very few people lack them.

Mine are mainly rational contemplations and somewhat spontaneous insights that give me absolute certainty that there are no such things as deities and that individual boundaries are all but a complete illusion. There is also a difficult to communicate motivational aspect to them; a tasting of mortality as a supreme answer, a remover of complications if you will.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

My lack of spiritual experiences supports my lack of belief.

 

[Whiterain]

My lack of spiritual experiences supports my lack of belief.

I have convincing experiences but still try not to make irrational rational, keeps you in a nice pseudo sane area.