I think practicing meditation (even prayer) can be an uplifting experience; biofeedback studies show it and my personal experience with it has been quite illuminating.
It's interesting to note that many religious people assume that when others (not of their own faith) have such "spiritual" experiences, they typically attribute the other's experience to emotionalism, while attributing their own as either the one truly spiritual experience (or more spiritual). Some religious writing warns people against confusing emotionalism with spiritualism.
I think it's all based on biological factors. If you believe it - (prayer, meditation, biofeedback, whatever) -works, then it does work; and if you actually accept a deity or faith to have caused it (the good feeling or sense of peace and wonder and bliss) - why question your personal experience?
It's much easier (and natural?) to question/doubt the validity of the other's experience and belief. I think Buddhists are more often the exception to that behvior/attitude because their philosophy is a bit more encompassing; they tend to 'draw a more inclusive circle than most (western) religions do; western religion tends to be exclusive and thus experiences of its particular brand of "spirituality"/oneness also tend to be interpreted in that same kind of exclusive way.
In any event, atheists, agnostics, and true belivers all can experience the wonder and bliss of the universe and the wonder of dew drops on daffodils; they just interpret the experience differently.
