Spirituality without Faith- Is It Possible? (page 3)

Terry

This is like taking the word FLAVOR and attaching it to no object which can be tasted.

Flavor becomes a conceptual representation without referent.

Spirituality, at core, is ignorance of what IS and the becoming emotionally moved by one's own ignorance.

Children are strongly moved by shadows in a closet on a rainy night. It is what they can't quite see and what they are able to imagine which is the

source of their overwhelming emotion. In other words: ignorance.

Superstition is ignorance. Superstition attaches identities to unknown postulates and creates rituals of significance.

What is the source of awe, wonder, appreciation for beauty and order? IGNORANCE!

Our senses are stimulated mightily by contact with reality. We are creatures which react to phenomena. That is how we evolved; to interact successfully and functionally within a context of interdependance on real things.

But, our sensations only form MEANINGFUL concepts when we take care to clearly and accurately identify the source of stimulation.

A strong physical and emotional reaction to nerve stimulation without identifying it accurately is the source of pagan religion. It begins with AWE!

Thunder? Must be a super being in the clouds named Thor who is hurling thunderbolts!

No, SPIRITUALITY is infantilism. It is purposeful wallowing in what our senses respond to and creating authorship however fanciful.

WORSHIP is anthropomorphic gratitude that we can feel at all!

If you want to give thanks, worship your nerve endings and leave it at that.

People who crave fuzzy wuzzygosh and golly and give a name to it are like little girls with dollies on their pillow. It is all a kind of mock serious pretense in the absence of an object which can respond.

Little girls can become mothers and spiritual people can become worshippers.

Much ado.

nvrgnbk

Sorry Terry.

You really lost me with this one.

To be impressed with and appreciative of something does not show mental weakness. IMHO.

That's all spirituality is to me. To be in awe of and deeply appreciative of beauty. To be aware of "connection".

Congratulations on your newfound supremacy.

I'd start a thread to celebrate it, but I'm all out at the moment.

Take care friend,

Nate

Mariusuk.

Spirituality is my view is another "will be quantified by science one day" issues. I have FAITH that it will happen lol

OnTheWayOut

I tried reading the entire initial post. I kind of get lost in it, but

to be spiritual, it seems that you have to believe in SOMETHING.

Nature replaces God, or the Force becomes your object of focus.
I say "focus" because you don't have to worship something to
appreciate it.

If you believe in worldwide harmony being important or karma or
positive thinking toward each other, you have spirituality. If you
choose not to call it "faith" that is fine.

Atheists most often have firm morality or environmental concerns or a
desire for peace- does this mean "Spirituality without Faith" ? Many
would say yes, others would say their faith is placed in something other
than God. Whichever you want to say, fine.

Semantics can bog us down. If I insist that JW's are in a mind-control
cult (and I do), I shouldn't be losing sleep if someone says they are
just a high-control group. If you don't know about God or which religion
is right or if there even is a God, that doesn't stop you from being the
person that a Christian or Hindu would respect.

eclipse

Terry, while I agree that superstition is ignorance.

I do not think spirituality is superstition.

Spirituality, to me, is a state of being, where as superstition is a mythos.

I think it is possible to be both spiritual and logical / scientifically / factually minded.

Terry

You really lost me with this one.
To be impressed with and appreciative of something does not show mental weakness. IMHO.
That's all spirituality is to me. To be in awe of and deeply appreciative of beauty. To be aware of "connection".
Congratulations on your newfound supremacy.

I put hundreds of books on the shelf at the bookstore where ministers, pastors, reverends, gurus, philosophers, counselors, enlightened beings, witches, psychics and a host of others make a healthy living off the ignorance of people who cannot identify the source of their own capacity for AWE.

Spirituality is like discovering your own genitals! Endless amusement follows! But, at least you know they are YOUR genitals and not invisible, wispy "somethings".

FEELINGS are the favorite sport of children. Kids don't really care WHY something FEELS good. They just want more.

But, unless and until you IDENTIFY the source of your feelings you are just at sport with your own genitals.

SPIRITUALITY is feelings for the sake of feelings.

Attaching imaginary beingness to the phenomenon of FEELING itself is a silly game.

Just FEEL for goodness sakes; don't get all ritualistic about it.

Why make the pastors, gurus, witch doctors and enlightened shaman rich?

SUPREMACY belongs to who is totally in charge of something.

If you aren't totally in charge of your own head, then; who is?

Millions of people give over their mind to OTHERS because those OTHERS can play with their genitals for them (i.e. make them FEEL emotions strongly).

I find it mindless, personally.

But, heck; to each his own.

Mariusuk.

I like the way you think Terry, I think we share common thoughts on these issues

nvrgnbk

I don't pay money for this $hit, Terry.

I've only given money to atheists like Sam Harris and Jared Diamond. LOL!

And in the end, we agree more than we realize.

It really does all come down to genitals. LMAO!

I think eclipse said it right, and I think Narkissos often alludes to the same, that we perhaps are getting bogged down in semantics.

Edited: Sorry, OTWO, for attributing your words to eclipse. You two look nothing alike. LOL!

Terry

Spirituality, to me, is a state of being, where as superstition is a mythos.
I think it is possible to be both spiritual and logical / scientifically / factually minded.

Words, to convey actualy meaning, must attach to a referent.

To be Spiritual is to be in a state of mind resonant with emotions without attachment to a referent. The emotions refer back to themselves in a reinforcing loop of feedback.

There is no "other" so there cannot be a sense of ONENESS toother. It is illusory gibberish to try and stuff the universe into it willy nilly.

If, as you say, "Spirituality is a state of being..." I'll ask you this: BEING WHAT?

Spirituality without Faith- Is It Possible?

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