Can atheists believe in the Spiritual realm? If so, how?

[Diatheosis]

The idea of Creation(existence if you so will) having popped out out of itself without Will is indeed strange. Although, in some Eastern concepts the consciousness upholding everything is considered impersonal, above personality and their highest bidding is the get rid of their personalities. I find it interesting that the personality is not considered at least equal to the impersonal aspect of that first cause of existence, or consciousness. It seems the personality for them is seen as too restricting. So in this context it depends how you define God, is the impersonal source considered as one?

 

Answering this question underlies the idea of spiritual realm, or what today might be understood as multidimensional reality (which atheists would probably prefer).

 

In my opinion, we don't still escape the problem of the beginning of everything because starting everything out of 'nothing/nowhere' as we understand with the human comprehension, would require will. That in turn implies personality, because I think will cannot be associated with impersonal. For what is consciousness, if not being aware of one's existence, and I don't know can it be anything else than personal.

 

By this I only tried to solve the problems of something existing in the first place. The question can a person not believing in God, a-theist, believe in what normal perception does not reach, ie. spiritual? Some apparently think they can, in fact, much of spirituality I think is inspired to drive people from away God whilst still being able to tap into the supernatural. Well, what is supernatural then? to us what is supernatural, is natural for God because it makes perfect sense to Him.

 

So I think the term atheist needs a clearer definition here. Some quite surely want to be defined as one because not believing in any kind of spiritual activity at all, whilst the word itself only implies that one does not believe in (personal) God. Does the spiritual, although rooted to the word 'spirit', insist God?

 

I guess the concept of multidimensionality nowadays offers some at least a temporal exit for atheists although it needs to be explained in some way too. Having been an atheist myself, probably somekind of self-existing infinity can be a solution, although it is in my opinion impossible go deeper into that because initially we must answer the questions of not only how but why did all began in the first place and how come life exists in its current form, meaning human beings can be self-conscious.

 

As for things linked to the supernatural, like people somehow bending the laws of physics, some admitting other possibilities than trickery, subconscious mind can be a possible answer. Take hypnosis as instance. Remember, I am now only trying to figure these things from the point of view of those who do not prefer God's Word as the answer. Subconscious mind for some serves as some kind of irreligious semiscientific option for the existence of things science has not been able to explain. Taking that you do believe in this as well as evolution, I must ask, whence the reason for human mind developing qualities that overcome the laws of physics? Why would life contain such program and what is the purpose of it? Perhaps there are some whose belief system can give explanation for this, for I cannot make sense out of such.

 

Here some of my thoughts on this one. Interesting to see this discussion proceeding.

[Lothar's son]

Since atheism only means the denial of the existence of a personal God, yes atheists can definitely believe in something spiritual.

 

However most atheists tend to be materialists which think that everything real can be reduced to matter.

 

 

To my mind, the existence of facts like subjective feelings and thoughts not identifiable with brain processes fits much better a theistic worldview.

 

 

 

Lothar's son - Lothars Sohn

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Edited August 4, 2013 by GoldenEagle
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[TsukinoRei]

There are some atheists who do believe in a type of life after death. As in spirits conjured up by mediums etc.

This does not compute with me, especially if they are atheists or agnostics. How can one believe in the spiritual realm when by all accounts, their core belief system denies a Spirit - God?

Does anyone have any idea how they explain this?

 

Extra-dimensional life forms.