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I am religious and believe in free will

71 (27.7%)

I am religious and do not believe in free will

10 (3.9%)

I am not religious and believe in free will

114 (44.5%)

I am not religious and do not believe in free will

61 (23.8%)

Total Members Voted: 251

[UXLZ]

Mmm... The criteria for that seems a bit... Open-ended. For instance, one day my computer might randomly decide to not turn on (do to a shorted wire or something) and I wouldn't know that, thus chalking it up to a spiritual experience.
When you say 'can't find an explanation to', do you mean something more along the lines of something where rationally there isn't really much of an explanation. Like seeing twin moons in the sky, or something.

Have any of the people here who have had spiritual experiences of the unexplained phenomena kind ever attempted to find the explanation on the internet or something? (Or at least look for similar cases), or do you simply say 'yep, that was a spiritual experience?'

[Cryxis, Prince of Doom]

Big things, life changing or thought changing things
They can be minor things I guess but ya it's open ended for a reason, a lot of things can happen that can change a person or just change their attention or other things

A spiritual (I'm not even sure this is the right word) experience for me was a near death experience a few years ago when the roads got iced over really bad and we got stuck in a ditch for 8 hours with light jackets, an almost dead car battery, and nothing else to keep us warm.
Several other cars almost hit us and we could have easily gotten hypothermia or some other cold related thing
(It was very cold)
But nope after 8 hours a two truck got us and we stayed at a family friend's house till the roads cleared
But ya seeing cars come so close to smashing into you while going down an icy hill at high speeds and just barely missing you, that's a bit life changing.
Oh and the freezing cold part too

[MaximumZero]

As before, Humanist/Atheist. If you want to, you can label me "Angry Atheist" or "New Atheist" or "Dawkins Atheist" or whatever. I have no use for the supernatural whatsoever.

As a Christian (Presbyterian) what books and other media do you recommend to learn more about atheist beliefs, and to learn where an Atheist worldview is based off of?

There is no common set of atheist beliefs. Atheism is simply not believing in any gods. Think of it like this: the abrahamic god is as important to me as Loki, or Dionysus, or Cu Chulainn, or Susano-o, or the Great White Buffalo is to you. Mythology is just religion that you don't believe in.

Also, MZ, I associate the Dawkins atheist with the view that religion, whilst not only being tripe, is inherently bad for humanity. "Root of all evil" and all that. Is that what you think?

In as many words, yes. Religion was useful when people couldn't explain strange phenomena in the world, when people were still afraid of thunder and had no explanation for pork and shellfish killing them, because they didn't know about foodborne illnesses. The problem is, though, if you continue to use a crutch after your legs are healthy, you never really learn to walk.

[Crashmaster]

I've noticed that spirituality is frequently associated with unexpected good fortune while equally statistically unlikely misfortune is rarely attributed to deistic involvement.

If one team thanks jesus for winning them the football game what does the other team think?

[scrdest]

I've noticed that spirituality is frequently associated with unexpected good fortune while equally statistically unlikely misfortune is rarely attributed to deistic involvement.

If one team thanks jesus for winning them the football game what does the other team think?

Actually, it goes both ways. Just look at HIV in the Eighties or Haiti a couple years back. It's just that it's used for different purposes.

[That Wolf]

Some personal spiritual experiences changed me and my life for the better.

I'm glad that it changed your life better, but what makes events 'spiritual?' What made those events different from others?

What makes a spiritual event different from others is that a realisation comes over you like a warm/cold blanket and you feel an emotion that is not easily attained in daily life. Alot of them came from my psilocybin experiences.
Not to say that I wasnt already a loving person but it made me see that love is not an emotion but a state of mind, and I have achived that state of mind many times.
I was a stupid kid who didnt know what he was doing but that changed on the day I took them. And many years later I still feel strongly about them and strongly suggest you try it if you know you are ready.
I have been changed for the better and so have my friends who I showed this 'gift' to.
I never met a deity, or saw dragons and elves. It made me see my wrong doing and that all life is beautiul.
Despite me needing to eat it I still love it

I love you. Yeah YOU the one reading this.

[UXLZ]

psilocybin

Is this some sort of drug? Not sure what a 'psilocybin' is or means.

[Helgoland]

It's the stuff that makes shrooms unsuitable for use in mama's omelette.

[MaximumZero]

Magic mushrooms.

[UXLZ]

Ah... Huh...

[Helgoland]

Good stuff though, or so I hear. Much easier than the more hardcore synthetic hallucinogens.
It's a damn shame I can't take the stuff, really. I've heard very few bad things about them all in all.

[UXLZ]

So they cause artificial epiphanies. Interesting...

[That Wolf]

So they cause artificial epiphanies. Interesting...

They make more nural pathways, the epiphanies come from yourself. I suggest dumb people never do them seeing its a waste and theyl just go "duude look at the colours, i feel good man, dont say stuff too deep or my buzz will be harsh"
If you fear your own demons then I suggest to not do them either.
Its atomic structure is really close to DMT (an extra carbon me thinks) and that is in every living thing and is released from the pineal gland upon death.
But yes I will accept that you could call it artificial, but dont judge it until youve been their because I used to think things like that are wrong and bad for you because they ram that stuff down your throat at school. When in fact its not bad for you.

[Orange Wizard]

Checking wikipedia, mushrooms do not "make more neural pathways" (though I may have missed something). They do mimic the effects of serotonin - one of the "happy" chemicals in the brain.

[That Wolf]

Maybe they strengthen certain pathways.
What Im saying is i can now lift objects with my psycokinesis

Nah im pretty sure it does make pathways.
I just read the wiki and it says the basics.
Most the research done in the late 40s to 50s proved to much for the govt to handle and they stopped it for some reason...
Maybe they are scared people will wake up and realise theres more to life than buying shit watching tv, and going to work to earn money just to give to a rich cunt person... maybe