Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 107 total)
  • Spiritual bollocks
  • reluctantlondoner
    Full Member

    I am a confirmed atheist, and can’t see any place in my life for religion (and I kind of wish more people were like me).

    I do yoga, I like riding bikes and I like nature – all of which is about spiritual as it gets for me. I am inherently suspicious of the word as it conjures woo woo/hippy images for me. I’ll have no truck with crystals and whale music.

    But I read a book recently where the bloke banged on about endurance sports being spiritual and it got me wondering: WTF is a spiritual practice? Can you have one if you are an atheist? Do you have one, and what does it do for you?

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Spiritual is a word with so many meanings it effectively has none.

    It has been appropriated by some for anything that makes you feel a bit relaxed or happy.

    I’m sure that as an atheist you’d probably go along with the idea that the religious experience of spirituality is probably an altered state of mind rather than actually being ‘closer to God’, so I don’t see any problem with an atheist having a similar experience.

    Call it what you want.

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    They are confusing a rush of Adrenalin and Endorphins with something that doesn’t exist.

    reluctantlondoner
    Full Member

    That makes a lot of sense – altered state of mind – whether from endorphins or whatever – yeah, I can see that.

    stimpy
    Free Member

    +1 for Mr Woppit

    Three_Fish
    Free Member

    I think ‘spiritual’ has a multitude of definitions. If you don’t like the term, don’t use it, as you’re possibly going to be miscommunicating. From my own observation, I’ve found that many people tend to use it to describe a level of their own unconscious. Much in the same way that some others refer to the same thing as ‘god’.

    In regards to the guy doing the endurance riding: he’s doing something which creates great stress physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s no surprise that he describes the experience as profound as he must internalise so many processes in order to achieve success, or even just to participate for any considerable length of time.

    Could you describe the sense of well-being that you obtain from yoga?

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    @reluctant, those of us who do have a sense of spirituality aren’t going to debate it on here. Its been done over and again on the forum and I have to say the “antis” are pretty aggressive and unpleasant. If you re into Yoga I suggest you explore some of the meditation aspects of it, if you do so with an open mind I think you’ll get a lot out of that.

    chewkw
    Free Member

    You spiritual atheist you are screwed! 😆

    What the bloke has described is him high on drugs after taking performing enhancing substances and we know they all do it … 🙄

    Can you have one if you are an atheist?

    Not with Abrahamic faith and yes you can.

    Jamie
    Free Member

    Wahey! Atheist circle jerk. Someone get Dicky Dawkins on the phone…

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Wahey! Atheist circle jerk.

    Well, as I said, if it makes you feel relaxed and happy, then yes, you could call it a spiritual experience.

    tsurani
    Free Member

    This video explains it well

    joolsburger
    Free Member

    If you’re interested in this stuff read Waking up by Sam Harris. Top of a long climb, beautiful dusty summers day, amazing view and feeling good = Spiritual.

    jekkyl
    Full Member

    it’s that feeling you get in the last 10 miles of a 40 mile ride.

    kayla1
    Free Member

    It’s about contentment I think. A gentle bimble/plod/walk/meander can be just as fulfilling as a full-on blast/sprint/jump/run if you have the right frame of mind. Appreciating nature and all its wonder and horribleness, enjoying what you have instead of looking to things you want, and the fact that we’re just passing through and are temporary tenants of the world around us, can give a very strong sense of wellbeing and at-oneness with the whole shebang 😀

    Let go Luke…

    I’m an atheist too.

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    I have to say the “antis” are pretty aggressive and unpleasant.

    Wahey! Atheist circle jerk. Someone get Dicky Dawkins on the phone

    stoddys
    Free Member

    Just a little sideways.
    How many atheists celebrated Christmas this year?

    metalheart
    Free Member

    Have you never had a certain feeling on the top of some hill, you spent the last hour and a half grinding up it in your granny gear, there’s no one else about, there’s maybe even a little nip in the air, it somehow feels special?

    Or you’ve just pushed your grade climbing and for the last 15 minutes you’ve existed in a timeless space where you’ve suddenly felt very much alive (probably as you thought it was going to end, badly)?

    Now, could call that spiritual (I’d just call it “alive”) if you wanted.

    tomkerton
    Free Member

    Stoddys – Christmas has in the main lost its Christian connotations now (not saying that’s right or wrong – just a fact) and the main things we associate with Christmas have closer links to a heathen winter festival – Santa Claus/feasting/decorated tree/family gathering.

    chewkw
    Free Member

    It’s all about performance enhancing drugs … 🙄

    RaveyDavey
    Free Member

    I consider myself to be an atheist but I’m also open to the fact that there is more going on in the universe and even on Earth than we know about. I feel it when I look up at the sky or stand on a high mountain or dive to the pathetic depths I’ve achieved thus far. Maybe that’s spiritual ut I don’t really have a clue.

    amedias
    Free Member

    How many atheists celebrated Christmas this year?

    I had some time off work because the office was closed, and I gave presents to people I like because it’s become somewhat of a tradition.

    I certainly did not ‘celebrate Christmas’, whatever that actually means nowadays as I’m sure its pretty much defined by your own beliefs.

    I feel it when I look up at the sky or stand on a high mountain or dive to the pathetic depths I’ve achieved thus far. Maybe that’s spiritual ut I don’t really have a clue.

    Me too, but I think that’s just my mind wrestling with the realisation of my insignificance to the wider universe*, and the mind-boggling infinite complexity of it all!

    I think a lot of us have had the ‘feeling’ that is being described, but whether you chose to call it spiritual or not, again depends on your personal beliefs.

    I often go out on a ride to ‘think’, but what actually happens is I go out for a ride, my mind is racing thinking about all the things I need to think about for a bout 10-15mins, and then a few hours later I finish and realise I’ve been in that lovely place where I think of nothing at all and was just enjoying ‘being’ for a while.

    *and reminding me that since basically the universe doesn’t give a shit about me, I shouldn’t give a shit about it but just get on with being me and enjoying it 🙂

    kudos100
    Free Member

    WTF is a spiritual practice? Can you have one if you are an atheist? Do you have one, and what does it do for you?

    I wouldn’t worry about it, you obviously believe a load of atheist bollocks.

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    Gosh, how profound. Are you “spiritual”?

    egb81
    Free Member

    As far as I understand, people that claim to be spiritual are just afraid of death but don’t fancy all the rules of religion. There needs to be something more than just the life you live and death can’t be the end but they don’t mind the gays, hell doesn’t sound very nice and praying takes too much time in their busy schedules.

    vickypea
    Free Member

    I’m with jambalaya on this one. This forum is not a place for an intelligent and mutually respectful discussion about what spiritual means, if you have a religious faith.

    twinw4ll
    Free Member

    It’s how i feel after a particularly good malt. 😀

    tang
    Free Member

    My favourite Zen saying:

    After ecstasy, the laundry.

    If you accept that, you will be happy. And don’t be a dick of course.

    teamhurtmore
    Free Member

    Don’t get drawn in Vicky – it’s just tradition and it is NY Eve!

    Cougar
    Full Member

    This forum is not a place for an intelligent and mutually respectful discussion about what spirituality means if you have a religious faith.

    I don’t know, it might be quite interesting to compare and contrast. “Spiritual” may well be a thing if you’re talking about parts of the psyche than can’t easily be described in conventional terms.

    Love, for example, is really just a chemical imbalance which induces an irrational belief that one person is slightly less mental than everyone else. But if we all looked at it like that, the Arts would take a battering.

    I’d hope that even Woppit would struggle to argue that feelings and emotions don’t exist, so arguably any activity could be “spiritual” if it makes you feel better. Ever felt blissed out after a good massage? Or, the canonical example perhaps, sex?

    Sure, if you’re going to bury a lump of quartz in your front garden(*) in order to align your inner chakras then you can get in the sack with the Homeopaths et al, and my views on “finding god” are well documented elsewhere; but if you’re just going to dismiss “spiritual” as non-existent then I’d love to hear your scientific explanation of, oh, I don’t know, consciousness?

    (* – not a euphemism)

    fasthaggis
    Full Member

    and I kind of wish more people were like me

    I really,really don’t.

    I have a ton of mind-altering crystals and whale music to shift next year.

    dannyh
    Free Member

    I don’t know, it might be quite interesting to compare and contrast. “Spiritual” may well be a thing if you’re talking about parts of the psyche than can’t easily be described in conventional terms.

    Love, for example, is really just a chemical imbalance which induces an irrational belief that one person is slightly less mental than everyone else. But if we all looked at it like that, the Arts would take a battering.

    I’d hope that even Woppit would struggle to argue that feelings and emotions don’t exist, so arguably any activity could be “spiritual” if it makes you feel better. Ever felt blissed out after a good massage? Or, the canonical example perhaps, sex?

    Sure, if you’re going to bury a lump of quartz in your front garden(*) in order to align your inner chakras then you can get in the sack with the Homeopaths et al, and my views on “finding god” are well documented elsewhere; but if you’re just going to dismiss “spiritual” as non-existent then I’d love to hear your scientific explanation of, oh, I don’t know, consciousness?

    (* – not a euphemism)

    Or you could just stick the kettle on…….. 😕

    thestabiliser
    Free Member

    The missus got bought a lump of tourmaline to ease her stress by a seemingly rational and intelligent human being. The missus put it to her chest and immediately reported an effect and insisted i try it too. I obliged and made positive noises and smiled whilst secretly wanting to thrash a mini with a sapling. Go figure.

    BigButSlimmerBloke
    Free Member

    How many atheists celebrated Christmas this year?

    ..and how many “christians” celebrated the pagan festival of saturnalia by burning lights all night long to keep the evil spirits away?

    yunki
    Free Member

    just as an aside, seeing as the mighty Woppit has stomped in..

    I appreciate atheism, and I personally find it hard to understand why people with religious faith choose to believe what they believe..

    but I find it harder to understand people who think that disrespecting folk because of their belief is OK

    dannyh
    Free Member

    The missus got bought a lump of tourmaline to ease her stress by a seemingly rational and intelligent human being. The missus put it to her chest and immediately reported an effect and insisted i try it too. I obliged and made positive noises and smiled whilst secretly wanting to thrash a mini with a sapling. Go figure.

    Yes, but the bloke who has found a market for a useless, inert lump of mineral is feeling very spiritually gratified as a result, so in whole-world terms two people feel better and only you felt worse. Net effect = greater happiness.

    Jamie
    Free Member

    – it’s just tradition and it is NY Eve!

    Which was originally a Pagan holiday before the Buddhists stole it from the Christians and then the Mormons made a sandw….erm…I seem to have got derailed. What was the question again?

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    but I find it harder to understand people who think that disrespecting folk because of their belief is OK

    I’ll alert the media.

    yunki
    Free Member

    will you?

    I’ll alert your mum

    pondo
    Free Member

    Top of a long climb, beautiful dusty summers day, amazing view and feeling good = Spiritual.

    Works for me.

    Jamie
    Free Member

    I’ll alert the media.

    I’m not entirely sure the media will take you seriously, given past events.

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