# Atheism and Spirituality



## Moldy Dixie (Oct 25, 2012)

okay, so Im an athiest, but I also believe in yer basic hippie-dippy spirituality, reincarnation, karma, 'energy', has anyone else found these beliefs to coexist well before? it works out fine for me, Id like to see if theres anyone else out there with similar beliefs, or anything like that.


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## Blackout (Oct 25, 2012)

HAIL SATAN!!! 666
So, if "evil" they have named us, evil we are-and so what!
The Satanic Age is upon us!
why not take advantage of it and LIVE


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## freeranger (Oct 25, 2012)

i read once about a french atheist who still practiced the more ritual oriented forms of christianity (maybe he was catholic). but he was a philosophical materialist atheist. so for him there was no energy, karma, etc. just atoms and molecules. he just felt it gave his life a seasonal rhythm and daily pattern or coherence through the rituals.

when christianity was still a tiny persecuted jewish sect the romans and greeks at times referred to christians as atheists. because in their minds monotheism inconceivably dispensed with all the gods and asserted one overarching force in the universe. basically it depopulated the heavens and that was a bit much for most people to swallow.

i think the thing ive realized over the years is that atheism is not some monolithic set of propositions that everyone accepts. and that there are many kinds of atheism out there.


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## dprogram (Oct 26, 2012)

I'm an atheist as well. atheism = without religion. It's pretty cut and dry in my eyes. I use science, logic, and reasoning to come to conclusions about what I hold valid. I'd like to believe in reincarnation and I joke about karma as if it's a real thing but I can't just can't do it because it ends up cancelling itself out in my head. Science allows for change as it's malleable as new information and discoveries are made. I have even had experiences that I felt were spiritual but after researching (to damn much) I found that these feelings could be measured in certain areas of the brain and existed in everyone regardless of their belief system. I think I understand what you're saying.


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## Moldy Dixie (Oct 26, 2012)

I guess Ive taken too much acid, but the thoughts/realizations from it, as well as Platos writings of Socrates really convinced me solid about reincarnation. Im not really sure what my beliefs on karma are, i havent thought about it enough, maybe i dont precicely belive in that, idk.


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## ped (Oct 26, 2012)

I'm a yokal slave to DNA


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## Pheonix (Oct 26, 2012)

I believe in science but I also believe in most of the philosophy of Buddhism but not the religious mumbo jumbo. I don't believe in reincarnation since it has a huge hole in it at the end of the Jurassic period when 95% of all life was destroyed. What were the dinosaurs reincarnated as since there wasn't enough life to support all those dino souls? I don't believe in Karma either since I've noticed most assholes get every thing they want I.E. Bankers, CEOs & Politicians, while good kind people are riddled with problems in their lives.


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## dprogram (Oct 26, 2012)

Moldy Dixie said:


> I guess Ive taken too much acid, but the thoughts/realizations from it, as well as Platos writings of Socrates really convinced me solid about reincarnation. Im not really sure what my beliefs on karma are, i havent thought about it enough, maybe i dont precicely belive in that, idk.


I wish I had an actual number of how much I've dropped. Psychedelics are great for opening doors to new ways of thinking but they aren't the answer to figuring out life (I used to think it was). I had to stop once I started realizing that I was actually taking it too far and that I had already seen all that could be seen with that substance. I think psychedelics are a great "reset" for you mind and there have been scientific studies done on how taking them can actually elevate your mood long term. Interesting to say the least. I want to try DMT. Have you read about it? There's a controlled lab experiment on humans with a documentary that follows the patients whole experience and it's called DMT: The Spirit Molecule.


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## Brad-Odsal (Oct 26, 2012)

Moldy Dixie said:


> okay, so Im an athiest, but I also believe in yer basic hippie-dippy spirituality, reincarnation, karma, 'energy', has anyone else found these beliefs to coexist well before? it works out fine for me, Id like to see if theres anyone else out there with similar beliefs, or anything like that.


Just for clarity the word Karma means intentional action. There is another term; vipaka, which means " th result of intentional action. So karma/vipaka just means that the quality of your experience now (vipaka) is the result of your past intentional actions (karma). Actions motivated by greed, hatred etc. degrade the quality of ones experience, while actions motivated by compassion uplift the quality of ones experince. This ties in with reincarnation and energy. Not energy in the sense of being some mystical spiritual force, but energy in the sense that things are simply happening. Like me typing my thoughts on this thread, finger hitting hitting the butons, words appearing on screen, people reading and comprehending, etc. It takes energy to do stuff and for stuff to happen. Its process or transformation, not birth and death or beginning and ending. Like cotton into thread, thread into shirt, shirt into dirty ragged shirt, dirty ragged shirt into something to wipe your ass with when there is no toilet paper, shitty ragged shirt tossed on side of the road to disentegrate into the earth, worm food, worm excrement, grass, flowers plants an so on... That is just how shit works, it applies to everything, even the thing we think is a self, mind, emotions, individuality. It just another phenomena, part of the weave that is the frabric of reality. Doesnt come from anywhere or go anwhere just transforms through process which in our sentient realm takes the form of karma/vipaka.
I dont if that answers your question or not.


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## Deleted member 125 (Oct 26, 2012)

using a organized belief system to make yourself feel better about anything makes you a weak person. period. there is no if ands or butts about it, buying into anything less then believing in yourself and KNOWING you control your life is fucking stupid. it doesnt matter if its burning a candle and sitting alone for 20 minutes or beleiving that eating a cracker makes you one with jesus its all ridiculous. id lay off the "mind altering" drugs and try to regain a part of your brain. religion and being spiritual are one in the same, its a crutch.


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## Brad-Odsal (Oct 26, 2012)

Pheonix said:


> I believe in science but I also believe in most of the philosophy of Buddhism but not the religious mumbo jumbo. I don't believe in reincarnation since it has a huge hole in it at the end of the Jurassic period when 95% of all life was destroyed. What were the dinosaurs reincarnated as since there wasn't enough life to support all those dino souls? I don't believe in Karma either since I've noticed most assholes get every thing they want I.E. Bankers, CEOs & Politicians, while good kind people are riddled with problems in their lives.


From a Buddhist point of view the huge hole you mention doesn't exist. Buddhist do not believe that this planet is the only one in the universe capable of supporting life. Buddhists also believe that this reality we experience is only one particular mode of perception and that there are many other modes that are imperceivable to our mundane senses which also take the forms of environments. This is all probably mumbo jumbo to you, which is all good. I don't agree with your assertions about "bad" and "good" people getting what they want and don't want. Just because someone is a politician or CEO doesn't mean that their every action has a negative motivation and that applies to "good" people as well. And how do you determine that a Banker, politician and CEO are getting what they want? By the fact that they have lots of money and possessions? That doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of ones life experience. Happiness and misery, richness and poverty are states of mind which are determined by how a person thinks and acts.


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## Pheonix (Oct 26, 2012)

Brad-Odsal said:


> From a Buddhist point of view the huge hole you mention doesn't exist. Buddhist do not believe that this planet is the only one in the universe capable of supporting life. Buddhists also believe that this reality we experience is only one particular mode of perception and that there are many other modes that are imperceivable to our mundane senses which also take the forms of environments. This is all probably mumbo jumbo to you, which is all good. I don't agree with your assertions about "bad" and "good" people getting what they want and don't want. Just because someone is a politician or CEO doesn't mean that their every action has a negative motivation and that applies to "good" people as well. And how do you determine that a Banker, politician and CEO are getting what they want? By the fact that they have lots of money and possessions? That doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of ones life experience. Happiness and misery, richness and poverty are states of mind which are determined by how a person thinks and acts.


 
OK mumbo jumbo isn't the correct word the correct word is non-scientific. Just like God it cant be proven or disproven since no matter what I say your gonna call me wrong and explain your non-scientific belief with more info that cant be proven or disproven. If your belief system works for you that's great, but just like any other religions it all comes down to blind faith.

But maybe I'm just what the Buddhist call a layman, I believe that means simple minded person.


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## Brad-Odsal (Oct 26, 2012)

cantcureherpes said:


> using a organized belief system to make yourself feel better about anything makes you a weak person. period. there is no if ands or butts about it, buying into anything less then believing in yourself and KNOWING you control your life is fucking stupid. it doesnt matter if its burning a candle and sitting alone for 20 minutes or beleiving that eating a cracker makes you one with jesus its all ridiculous. id lay off the "mind altering" drugs and try to regain a part of your brain. religion and being spiritual are one in the same, its a crutch.


I agree with the part about believing in yourself and being in control of your life. However, if a person understands that thoughts and motivations effect the quality of ones experience then that person could actually raise the quality of his or her existence through ritual. In that sense, it isn't a crutch but a means for gaining control and utilizing that power.
We all have our rituals or means of working through life. Getting drunk, lighting candles, fighting, fucking, travelling, art, music etc. It's useful to know our rituals or ways. Then they can be consciously utilized or ditched so that we can control our lives.


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## Moldy Dixie (Oct 26, 2012)

Yeah, like I believe in science, but i also dont believe half the shit im told, and that includes science, like just cause my government paid teacher back in high school said something does or does not exist, that deosnt mean i believe them.


> I want to try DMT. Have you read about it? There's a controlled lab experiment on humans with a documentary that follows the patients whole experience and it's called DMT: The Spirit Molecule.


yeah, i saw that doc, i found it interesting that someone in it reported seeing the place where one waits to be reincarnated, because thats what i saw, ive only done it once though. one of the thoughts Ive had about Karma recently is that instead of it affecting the person, it affects the entire world, like the world is shit cause theres so many people doing things out of greed and powerlust. idk if thats as much Karma as it is the physical, scientific results of their actions though.


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## Noble Savage (Oct 28, 2012)

I don't know how anyone could watch Jimi Hendrix and not believe in the supernatural


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## Moldy Dixie (Oct 28, 2012)

I appreciate yer love of Jimi, but thats very off topic and unhelpful homie


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## Deleted member 5971 (Oct 29, 2012)

karma and reincarnation is a waste of time, theres defidently energy's we shudnt entertain out there, but as far as buddhisim goes. meh not buyin it


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## ped (Oct 29, 2012)

Why entertain the purely hypothetical when you have this right in front of you?


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## Noble Savage (Oct 29, 2012)

hard to reasonably reason that I am able to reason without reason.


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