How is it possible to deny a higher force when actually experiencing the beauty of the natural world? -not just looking at and analyzing the aspects that compose a nice setting, but feeling at one’s inner core an inherent alignment with harmonious balance.
It is disturbing that the atheism columns are getting so much attention. Is it that we Americans get off on irreverence? I would like to draw the distinction between spirituality and religion and postulate that the true issues atheists have are not with spirituality but with the spiritual ego identity that arises within an ideology that people flock to rather than taking root within their own spiritual essence.
Surely it is possible to spiritually gain awareness and learn important concepts as a member of a particular religious organization, yet often people lose sight of the source from which that brand of religion arose. The ultimate question one must ask is, “Am I engaging in that which promotes within me a sense of balance and wholeness that draws from within the best of me?” Is that not what the great masters teach? So I must ask those who spend so much time and energy criticizing another’s brand of faith, is the criticizing promoting your inner sense of balance.
What is the pathway to overall wholeness in the biggest picture possible for humankind? From what are we hiding when we project negativity into the world? Motivation is the key question, because it will color all communication, all manifestation.
Where is the heart? Both an organ and a guidance system, we can look to our own for the ‘knowing.’ What is your Heart focus this Valentines month?
Comments
"It is disturbing that the atheism columns are getting so much attention. Is it that we Americans get off on irreverence? I would like to draw the distinction between spirituality and religion and postulate that the true issues atheists have are not with spirituality but with the spiritual ego identity that arises within an ideology that people flock to rather than taking root within their own spiritual essence."
This is total nonsense. Get over youself. Stop trying to figure out the problems with other peoples beliefs.
You totally miss the point marlena, and I find you exactly what you are complaining about me being, arrogantly judgeing the beliefs of others that you fail completely to understand, in your case atheists like me. For me irreverence itself is my ultimate spirituality, it is the triumph of the human spirit over universal oppression that is all religion, it is science against ignorance, it is reason against superstition, it is something much bigger than "god" it is a universal dialectic where conflict and cooperation are occurring on all length and time scales leading to spirals of progress and anything and everything are possible if you plan it correctly, it is incredible leaps of understanding and the celebration of blasphemy as the most glorious expression of emancipated humanity. With science and reason we will rebuild the city of Babel and we will destroy the oppressor who tries to stop us and evolve to the next stage. The death of god the oppressor will be the most glorious victory of humanity! This is the rush I feel when I see all beauty natural and manmade. How can you say our lives are without colour?
You seem to have missed the point of atheism, which is simply that atheists don't believe that a god or gods exist. It doesn't mean we can't appreciate the world as being amazing, brilliant, scary or whatever - just that we don't find a god or gods to be a good explanation of how things are. Or as Douglas Adams put it, "isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe there are fairies at the bottom of it too?".
This should help any Atheist. Stop using the word GOD when trying to figure out if there is a God. Geez! Replace the word God with designer.You might be able to say that there is no God but there is no way in heaven or hell that an athiest can state, with a clean concience, that there isn't a designer. there is NO WAY POSSIBLE that one can look upon the designes and creations of the earth...their complexities, consider them, and come away with the definate conclusion that there is no God\Designer. And lets remember, it takes MORE faith to not believe in intelligent design than it does to believe it. Sorry if a got off topic.
no reg, thats just what makes the universe so beautiful, there is not designer it is inherently self organizing, driven to the exponentially increasing beauty inherent in its structure by its own internal dialectic. For me thats what makes it so beautiful. If there was a designer then the designer would have to be even more complicated than the universe, and who would have designed the designer eh? it never ends. what you thing of as Universe+ designer I just cut out middle man and think of as universe.
Reg ->
Watch this: There is no Designer. Life is not Designed, life is a byproduct of chaos and naturally occuring forces.
See, that wasn't hard at all.
Remember, it takes MORE faith to believe in something that has no evidence (intelligent design / a designer / faeries) than it does to not believe in it.
What atheists have a problem with is any unsubstantiated claim about the nature of existence. Arguing for the existence of a God or a life force or a spirit or what have you are all equally specious. Atheism is not a political attitude toward authority, it is rejection of the supernatural as a viable explanation or justification.
"Feeling like" there might be a "higher force" is not evidence for its existence. The heart is an organ for pumping blood. There's nothing unfortunate about that.
Most religions have an arrogant assumption, that men is the reason the universe was created, so as to support the pathetic attention god gives human. While this assumption is dumb and awkward, the arrogant ignorance of the believers ensures a sensible discussion cannot be carried out
Do you look at parasites and find beauty? Do you look at starving children and find beauty? Do you look at members of several species dying slowly of dehydration in the worst droughts and find beauty? Do you look at animals being devoured alive by reptiles and find beauty?
I scratch my head when people talk about the beauty of the natural world. I can see beauty in it, but I also see struggle for survival. Beauty is a judgment call. What some people call beautiful, others will see as blight.
I criticize faith because it is not, in and of itself, a value. People can have faith in anything; it doesn't mean the faith is beneficial. Faith doesn't yield anything practical. Faith isn't going to invent new medicines or surgery techniques; it is not going to yield alternative sources of energy or fix the economy; it's not going to solve any problems that are universal.
Atheism requires just as much faith as and other belief about God. And because atheism is just as much of an unprovable opinion as any faith, those who attest atheism as their version of religion (or "ultimate concern," as Paul Tillich would say) tend to get as dogmatic and argumentative as those professing any other faith. We see this pattern in the posts below.
I suggest using this exchange as a personal growth exercise. Kindly notice how much you might be invested in one position or another, and whether you might be so adamant because you may be covering up those secret doubts in your loudly shouted position. In my life, for instance, I only get defensive and upset when I feel insecure.
From my viewpoint, the dialog that follows is healthy, even if the overheated. So cool your jets, folks. Practice a bit of tolerance and even some introspection, if you please.
I see no need or reason to attribute to a "higher power" the beauty of the natural world because there's no evidence for said higher power. The world is just that; natural. Likewise I see no need, as some do, to attribute the natural ugliness of the world--famine, disease, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.--to supernatural causes such as "Satan" or to claim that humans caused some deity to create them out of anger.
The barrier some put between spirituality and atheists is artificial. There are spiritual atheists, and I am one of them. Faith and/or religion are not required for spirituality despite the popular notion that they are.
I can't help but wonder why you're so disturbed by atheists' columns getting attention. Considering the fact that religious individuals held court for the first 200+ years it seems quite selfish to be jealous of other people finally getting a voice.....
“How is it possible to deny a higher force when actually experiencing the beauty of the natural world? -not just looking at and analyzing the aspects that compose a nice setting, but feeling at one’s inner core an inherent alignment with harmonious balance.”
The answer is that it is quite easy to experience the beauty of the natural world, to not merely look at it and analyze it but to experience the satisfying feelings that all about you is a harmonious balance, without resorting to fictional explanations like gods and fairies and mysterious beings from the spirit world. A rainbow is its own reward, not a message from some nameless deity.
When you learn to actually live in this world; to appreciate nature for what it is rather than what you want it to be, and realize that you can be – and are – a whole person all on your own, without some set of invisible hands making you that way, then you will be a much happier person. You will probably find that you no longer need to post lines of mumbo jumbo about “spiritual ego identity” and “Heart focus” on the web in order to hold your own doubts at bay.
Just more content-free new age confusion. Not one coherent sentence in the piece. Small wonder it's so easy to start cults and gather followers among today's "seekers."
It's about knowledge, not faith. About embracing the shadow, not denying the ego. It's about understanding who we are from an evolutionary perspective, and accepting that life contains the full catastrophe--violence, competition, destruction--not just love, light, and some kind of vague notion of the retreat into the "heart."
We all inhabit this world of conflict, and we'd do well to acknowledge that we are all subject to its rules. You cannot achieve the heights of bliss without plumbing your depths.
It's time to grow out of these naive and limiting concepts and figure out the fullness of who we are. "Spirituality" is deep self-awareness, not some pink, fuzzy fantasy.
“How is it possible to deny a higher force when actually experiencing the beauty of the natural world? -not just looking at and analyzing the aspects that compose a nice setting, but feeling at one’s inner core an inherent alignment with harmonious balance.”
The answer is that it is quite easy to experience the beauty of the natural world, to not merely look at it and analyze it but to experience the satisfying feelings that all about you is a harmonious balance, without resorting to fictional explanations like gods and fairies and mysterious beings from the spirit world. A rainbow is its own reward, not a message from some nameless deity.
When you learn to actually live in this world; to appreciate nature for what it is rather than what you want it to be, and realize that you can be – and are – a whole person all on your own, without some set of invisible hands making you that way, then you will be a much happier person. You will probably find that you no longer need to post lines of mumbo jumbo about “spiritual ego identity” and “Heart focus” on the web in order to hold your own doubts at bay.
"This should help any Atheist. Stop using the word GOD when trying to figure out if there is a God. Geez! Replace the word God with designer.You might be able to say that there is no God but there is no way in heaven or hell that an athiest can state, with a clean concience, that there isn't a designer. there is NO WAY POSSIBLE that one can look upon the designes and creations of the earth...their complexities, consider them, and come away with the definate conclusion that there is no God\Designer. And lets remember, it takes MORE faith to not believe in intelligent design than it does to believe it."
Actually, it's quite easy to state with a clean "concience" [sic] that the universe seems to be the result of natural processes. Complexity is not the hallmark of design. In fact, it's just the opposite. Good design is always simple, elegant and purposeful. The universe is full of messy, inelegant and uncontrolled processes.
Can I say that there is definitely no designer? No, I can't. But I can't say that there are definitely not leprechauns, unicorns, or little grey men visiting Earth in flying saucers, either. I CAN say that unless you presuppose a creator and ignore any evidence which disagrees with that supposition, it's very difficult to make the creator hypothesis fit the known evidence.
Contrary to popular theist canard that it takes more faith to be an atheist than a believer, it takes NO faith to be an atheist. If you start with the null position, that is, saying "I don't know", and simply observe the universe without bias, there's simply no evidence (so far, at least) which would fit the hypothesis that the universe was created by a designer and not natural processes.
Instead of engaging in a lengthy philosophical conversation about who is right and wrong in the debate about God, I would like to comment on the process in which this conversation is taking place. It is clear that the words expressed in this article struck people deeply, and not necessarily in a comfortable and positive way. It should always be a goal to learn to understand our responses to discomfort and anger. There should never be any judgment or shame in the experiencing of negative emotions, but careful attention should always be paid to how we express them and the impact that expression has.
To put it mildly, I am shocked at the level of aggression and vindictiveness with which people have responded to this article. When you are feeling judged, discriminated against, or misunderstood, education is the answer. Simply stating these things can be enough to express yourself. However, by so negatively, and frankly, rudely judging the source of your anger, you are merely perpetuating the cycle that you so readily seek to cut down. I might point out that those who have criticized Marlena for being judgmental, naive, and arrogant, are in fact behaving in a similar manner to that which they criticize. You have made assumptions about her as you condemn her for making assumptions about you; assumptions I might add that are the farthest from correct.
No one should feel as though their beliefs are not worthy of a voice, and while it is certainly true that we are not all born equal in this world, there should never be a moment when we don't cease to correct these wrongs. I implore you not to focus on that which creates anger, but on the manifestion of anger and how it can be turned instead into energy used for change.
dear matt meeks,
you are an idiot. science can clearly prove that there is no necessity for a "designer" as you so state. Quantum mechanics can prove the creation and existence of the universe in and of itself. maybe if you weren't so blinded by your own beliefs you could learn this for yourself. atheists are given much too negative a light in the media, and seen as "bad and evil people" for some reason. why? because we are not foolish enough to believe in an invisible deity that can see everything you do and will send you to eternal damnation and hellfire if you are disobedient. YET, he loves you! lmao.
clearly, society is moving towards an existence without religion, without a "god" or "designer." this is due to the advances in science and technology, which obviously suggest the nonexistence of such a being. Throw out your ignorant old world ideologies. This is the 21st century.
god is fake!
God is the energy of love, not the dogma religions attach to it. One need not prove or disprove the existence. Enjoying the benefits of surplus love is a bonus to living with an open heart. I think this was the point of the article, though not so clearly stated. As Heather intelligently indicates, the name calling and negative dialogue is not fruitful.
As a spiritual atheist, I whole heartily agree that many atheists lack a sense of community and connectivity that is often inspired by religion and religious activities but too often is this sense of well being attributed to some all-powerful being rather than a strong connection to our species and to our fellow animals or for that matter if one can shed off their animal centric view on life our fellow plant brothers and sisters. The world would be a better place if people used critical thinking skills, respected the natural world, and realized that perhaps they are not the center of the universe.
One can appreciate the natural beauty of the world without resorting to superstitious non-sense, e.g. "a higher power". You presume atheism is negative. You are incorrect.
It is refreshing that atheist columns are getting attention. Perhaps people are tired of being bamboozled by spiritual charlatans. Perhaps people are escaping the darkness of religious superstition and spiritual obfuscation, and moving into the light of reason.
A new postmodern hero is emerging. A hero who challenges dogma and rejects magical thinking. Will you be a post modern hero?Be brave, be strong, be an atheist!
As a spiritual atheist, I whole heartily agree that many atheists lack a sense of community and connectivity that is often inspired by religion and religious activities but too often is this sense of well being attributed to some all-powerful being rather than a strong connection to our species and to our fellow animals or for that matter if one can shed off their animal centric view on life our fellow plant brothers and sisters. The world would be a better place if people used critical thinking skills, respected the natural world, and realized that perhaps they are not the center of the universe.
<i>How is it possible to deny a higher force when actually experiencing the beauty of the natural world?</i>
What does one have to do with the other? Why do you feel the need to dilute the "beauty of the natural world" by infusing something else into it? Aren't you, in fact then, not truly experiencing the natural world if just as you try to, you retreat from it in favor of your imagination?
<i>It is disturbing that the atheism columns are getting so much attention.</i>
Because that means yours is now getting less attention?
<i>The ultimate question one must ask is, “Am I engaging in that which promotes within me a sense of balance and wholeness that draws from within the best of me?”</i>
Indeed.
<i>So I must ask those who spend so much time and energy criticizing another’s brand of faith, is the criticizing promoting your inner sense of balance... From what are we hiding when we project negativity into the world?</i>
Is criticizing atheism "promoting your inner sense of balance", Marlena? What are you hiding, aside from jealousy and fear for your popularity, when you project your negativity towards atheism into the world? No doubt you'll object to this characterization, suggesting that you're providing a service, a warning to those you feel are acting in a harmful way. If so, then you're beginning to understand where an atheist is coming from.
For the altruistic atheist, the religious are not aligned in a "harmonious balance", they're delusional, and that delusion, although at times comforting for them, is inherently harmful. It leaves them vulnerable to manipulation and could make them generally less skeptical and ultimately gullible. At worst, some religions encourage some of the most non-harmonious human behavior such as willful ignorance and prejudice towards others due to their race, gender, sexual orientation or beliefs. So due to some or all of these factors, the altruistic atheist feels compelled to criticize and condemn these existing negatives being projected into the world for the sake of those being harmed.
For the non-altruistic atheist, religion often makes it impossible for them to live their lives as they wish, to seek their own paths towards "harmonious balance" due to perpetual intrusions and impositions by religion. The effect it has on elections, politics, health, science, children's educations, denying equal rights, inspiring wars and terrorism, and even the mundane such as being able to buy certain items or even shop at certain times are all examples of the multitude of intrusions and impositions by religion into their lives. Is it being negative to object to these negatives? I think not.
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