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Originally Posted by Frisky  I just doint see how you can be spiritual, and at the same time conclude the universe was created without some type of God.
But hey, thats just me. Maybe I'm wrong |
Secular spirituality - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I like this explanation.
To add to it, I am an atheist, but I'd like to point out that much of what we experience in life as human beings transcends the material world irrespective of whether you believe in a divine God or other planes of reality. I can show up to my cousin's wedding (the material reality), but that material state does not inform me what state of being I will observe (anger, spite, joy, love) or how I will relate to my enviornment (detached, connected). These are issues of spirituality, for me.
I don't think it is possible for someone to live an anti-spiritual life. Anger is a state of being as well, and if you want to strictly define spirituality as the pursuit of 'higher' states of being, I don't think you can neatly separate human qualitites and emotions as if they are mutually exclusive. They are not. My experiences with anger, powerlessness and despair, for example, enables me to be more forgiving and empathetic.
Creating a divide between the spiritual and anti-spiritual just seems like another false dichotomy that people set up for their own self-interest (i.e pride, arrogance). For me, spirituality is an essential aspect of being human, so to say that some people are not spiritual seems dehumanizing to me.
The only way I can see justifying calling some people anti-spiritual is if you strictly define spirituality to matters relating beyond this state of reality, but then, that would seem rather disingenous because much of what people are concerned about when speaking about spirituality actually pertains to states of being (or consciousness) and the meaning of existence.
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Secular spirituality emphasizes humanistic qualities such as love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, responsibility, harmony, and a concern for others[2]:22, aspects of life and human experience which go beyond a purely materialist view of the world, without necessarily accepting belief in a supernatural reality or divine being. Spiritual practices such as mindfulness and meditation can be experienced as beneficial or even necessary for human fulfillment without any supernatural interpretation or explanation. Spirituality in this context may be a matter of nurturing thoughts, emotions, words and actions that are in harmony with a belief that everything in the universe is mutually dependent; this stance has much in common with some versions of Buddhist spirituality. A modern secular definition: "Spirituality exists wherever we struggle with the issues of how our lives fit into the greater scheme of things. This is true when our questions never give way to specific answers or give rise to specific practices such as prayer or meditation. we encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world. An idea or practice is "spiritual" when it reveals our personal desire to establish a felt-relationship with the deepest meanings or powers governing life." - Robert C. Fuller
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Ha! Now that I got that off my chest, I'll stop derailing your thread.
