[i_rooster]

Because, I am not.

[RAILhead]

Originally posted by i_rooster:
Because, I am not.

IBL

[Scientist]

I never really used to be. I went to a Catholic gradeschool. One day my class went to the church building to talk to a preist about religion. I think this was in 3rd or 4th grade. In response to his question, "what is a soul". I responded by saying that it was an internal organ, found within all of us like a kidney or a spleen. He thought that was pretty funny.

I had a couple semispiritual moments. When I was around the same age my friends and I didn't really like Christiantity so we started our own religion. We liked to climb the maple tree that stood in the front of my yard. We decided that we would worship (perhaps revere is a better word) the tree, as a sentient being worthy of admiration. It didn't have any special powers, except it would talk to us in our minds if we reflected on its magesty. Since the tree was in my yard, I named myself highpriest and led all ceremonies for the tree sprit Titan. The group of us would sometimes gather around the tree to breath on it and provide it with lifegiving CO2. Once, while climbing the tree, I broke off a small branch. Sap poored out of Titan's wound and I decided it was best for me to give up the preisthood. This was a very traumatic moment for me.

A few weeks ago while in the shower, I had this wonderful feeling. I felt like there was a loving God watching me and protecting me. I felt very loved. It was really an odd feeling for someone who has been an atheist almostall his life.

As of a couple years ago I now often hallucinate when I wake up in the middle of night in a dark room. It usually only happens if I am dehydrated or stressed. I'm not sure if that counts as a spiritual experience or not.

So I guess I am slightly spiritual, but not to the extent of most people. Oh, and in 5th or 6th grade I liked to learn about the Norse gods. I never actually believed in them, however I somehow managed to partially convert some of my friends to that religion for a short time.

[sugar_coated]

Spirituality is chemical.

[Wiskedjak]

I consider myself to be a spiritual person, but not a religious one

[Chuckit]

Originally posted by Wiskedjak:
I consider myself to be a spiritual person, but not a religious one

What does this even mean?

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by Chuckit:
What does this even mean?

It means I have spiritual beliefs, but that I don't rely on religion to tell me what those beliefs are. One does not need to subscribe to a religion in order to be spiritual

[undotwa]

Originally posted by Scientist:

I had a couple semispiritual moments. When I was around the same age my friends and I didn't really like Christiantity so we started our own religion. We liked to climb the maple tree that stood in the front of my yard. We decided that we would worship (perhaps revere is a better word) the tree, as a sentient being worthy of admiration. It didn't have any special powers, except it would talk to us in our minds if we reflected on its magesty. Since the tree was in my yard, I named myself highpriest and led all ceremonies for the tree sprit Titan. The group of us would sometimes gather around the tree to breath on it and provide it with lifegiving CO2. Once, while climbing the tree, I broke off a small branch. Sap poored out of Titan's wound and I decided it was best for me to give up the preisthood. This was a very traumatic moment for me.

Very weird

[Athens]

I to consider myself to be a spiritual person, but not a religious one. Religion is just a man made institution that uses spirituality to control its subjects.

[Scientist]

Originally posted by sugar_coated:
Spirituality is chemical.

So is everything else...

[zigzag]

I think "spirituality" is mostly just a fancy word for emotion. It's emotion with a self-conscious overlay - we feel good about something and attribute special meaning to it.

If someone says "I'm a spiritual person" and you ask them what they mean, they usually can't say - it pretty much comes down to feeling good about one thing or another. But "I'm very spiritual" sounds more noble than "I feel really good about [insert pleasant experience here]."

College girls love to hear that you're a very spiritual person as you're undoing their blouses.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by zigzag:
I think "spirituality" is mostly just a fancy word for emotion. It's emotion with a self-conscious overlay - we feel good about something and attribute special meaning to it.

If someone says "I'm a spiritual person" and you ask them what they mean, they usually can't say - it pretty much comes down to feeling good about one thing or another. But "I'm very spiritual" sounds more noble than "I feel really good about [insert pleasant experience here]."

College girls love to hear that you're a very spiritual person as you're undoing their blouses.

I believe there is a higher being (or beings) responsible for our existence, I believe there is a purpose to our existence, I believe we all go somewhere after our deaths and that where we go has something to do with how we live our lives. I don't believe there is enough information available to know what those higher beings are, what our purpose is or where we go.

I like to think that our existence is like a classroom and that our purpose is to learn lessons that will allow us to pass on to the next existence. Failure to learn a lesson results in repeating the grade. I think the lesson to be learned in this existence is how to tolerate differences, since differences seem to be the primary root of almost all of our conflicts.

[zigzag]

Originally posted by Wiskedjak:
I believe there is a higher being (or beings) responsible for our existence, I believe there is a purpose to our existence, I believe we all go somewhere after our deaths and that where we go has something to do with how we live our lives. I don't believe there is enough information available to know what those higher beings are, what our purpose is or where we go.

I like to think that our existence is like a classroom and that our purpose is to learn lessons that will allow us to pass on to the next existence. Failure to learn a lesson results in repeating the grade. I think the lesson to be learned in this existence is how to tolerate differences, since differences seem to be the primary root of almost all of our conflicts.

Yes, that's another idea of spirituality that actually assumes some sort of supernatural, flesh-less spirit-world beyond our immediate grasp. The root word of spiritual, after all, is spirit. I think people use the term in varying degrees of specificity: the religious give their spirits and related concepts (eternal life, etc.) names and faces. A lot of modernists, on the other hand, would never admit to believing in spirits or in an afterlife, but they'll still tell you that they're "very spiritual." Ask them to define it and they'll grasp at straws: "Well, you know - I think we're all a part of nature and that God is in all of us etc. etc. Wanna light some candles and listen to Nights in White Satin?" It runs the gamut.

Personally, I think the various forms of "spirituality" derive from the same human impulses, but I'm a hopeless cynic so you can disregard me.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by Scientist:
A few weeks ago while in the shower, I had this wonderful feeling. I felt like there was a loving God watching me and protecting me. I felt very loved.

What kind of shampoo were you using?

[Scientist]

Originally posted by undotwa:
Very weird

Not really. Most people think similar things at some point in their lives.

[Scientist]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
What kind of shampoo were you using?

Pantene Pro-V Hydrating Curls

[barang]

Originally posted by sugar_coated:
Spirituality is chemical.

What do you mean by that?

[undotwa]

Originally posted by Scientist:
Not really. Most people think similar things at some point in their lives.

None that I know. Oh well, I'm not the epitome of normalness anyway. Who am I to judge?

[MacNStein]

Originally posted by zigzag:
I think "spirituality" is mostly just a fancy word for emotion. It's emotion with a self-conscious overlay - we feel good about something and attribute special meaning to it.

I'm glad that I don't live in your world, I'd find it terribly dull.

Are you spiritual?

Me? I think everyone here knows the answer to that.

[Deimos]

Am I sentient?

[zigzag]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
I'm glad that I don't live in your world, I'd find it terribly dull.

I fully expect that you would find my world terribly dull - I'm interested in different things than you are. I'm confident that I would find your world terribly dull as well, for the same reason. That's neither unusual nor surprising.

One of the many great conceits of the religious/mystical/spiritual/[insert superstition of choice here] is that their lives are more rewarding than everyone else's because they think ostensibly deep thoughts and confer with goblins. It's like the 14 year-old kid who insists that if you don't have the latest Iron Maiden album, you don't know what you're missing and could not possibly lead a rich and fulfilled life. Luckily, most such kids grow out of it; those who don't are a persistent annoyance.

[demograph68]

I am not spiritual either. No, I don't believe in ghosts or tarot cards or astrology or astral projection or past lives or angels or... etc.

[MacNStein]

Originally posted by zigzag:
I fully expect that you would find my world terribly dull - I'm interested in different things than you are. I'm confident that I would find your world terribly dull as well, for the same reason. That's neither unusual nor surprising.

One of the many great conceits of the religious/mystical/spiritual/[insert superstition of choice here] is that their lives are more rewarding than everyone else's because they think ostensibly deep thoughts and confer with goblins. It's like the 14 year-old kid who insists that if you don't have the latest Iron Maiden album, you don't know what you're missing and could not possibly lead a rich and fulfilled life. Luckily, most such kids grow out of it; those who don't are a persistent annoyance.

Woooo. Lotsa venom for a man who has it all. Tell me, what makes your life so unrewarding that you have to make such comments? Reinforcing your shaky views? Keep making judgements regarding things you don't understand, maybe it'll help.

[BRussell]

Originally posted by zigzag:
I think "spirituality" is mostly just a fancy word for emotion. It's emotion with a self-conscious overlay - we feel good about something and attribute special meaning to it.

I also think spirituality has a psychological basis (rather than a supernatural one), but I think it's a little different than an emotion.

I think spirituality is a byproduct of our big brains. Probably unlike any other species, we have a very sophisticated awareness of ourselves and the world. But it's not enough. We don't understand everything. And I think we understand that we don't know everything, but at the same time our brains naturally search for cause and meaning. This human state - enough smarts to know you don't know everything - IMO can lead to spirituality.

I also think these needs can be satisfied in different ways for different people - not necessarily religion. Some people might be into new agey things, or less obviously, I think things like music, and maybe even drugs can fulfill a similar purpose for some people. A friend is a string theory physics person and from what I can tell he lives in a constant WTF?!? state of mind-**** spirituality when he's on the job.

[zigzag]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
Woooo. Lotsa venom for a man who has it all. Tell me, what makes your life so unrewarding that you have to make such comments? Reinforcing your shaky views? Keep making judgements regarding things you don't understand, maybe it'll help.

Venom is always suitable for people who say things like "I'm glad that I don't live in your world, I'd find it terribly dull."

[MacNStein]

Originally posted by zigzag:
Venom is always suitable for people who say things like "I'm glad that I don't live in your world, I'd find it terribly dull."

And my comment's suitable for those who arrogantly believe that 86% of people are just being "emotional".

[zigzag]

Originally posted by BRussell:
I also think spirituality has a psychological basis (rather than a supernatural one), but I think it's a little different than an emotion.

I think spirituality is a byproduct of our big brains. Probably unlike any other species, we have a very sophisticated awareness of ourselves and the world. But it's not enough. We don't understand everything. And I think we understand that we don't know everything, but at the same time our brains naturally search for cause and meaning. This human state - enough smarts to know you don't know everything - IMO can lead to spirituality.

I also think these needs can be satisfied in different ways for different people - not necessarily religion. Some people might be into new agey things, or less obviously, I think things like music, and maybe even drugs can fulfill a similar purpose for some people. A friend is a string theory physics person and from what I can tell he lives in a constant WTF?!? state of mind-**** spirituality when he's on the job.

Yes, I agree completely - that's what I meant by "self-conscious overlay," and by the fact that people define their spirituality in very different - and sometimes very vague - ways. I don't know if emotion is the correct term, but it does seem to me to be associated with feelings of one sort or another for which we find an intellectual construct: it feels good to be part of a family, to commune with nature, to hear Beethoven, to be in church, or what-have-you, and to imagine that there's some supernatural force at work. It's comforting to imagine that there's an explanation for life's cruelties. It's comforting to imagine that we're protected by divine beings and have a shot at another life. I happen to think life is more interesting and beautiful when taken at face value. However, I like candles as much as the next guy.

[ebuddy]

Yes, I am.

[undotwa]

Originally posted by MacNStein:
And my comment's suitable for those who arrogantly believe that 86% of people are just being "emotional".

What language is your signature in and what does it mean?

[Sven G]

BTW, spirituality can also be of the "secular humanist" kind: for example, faith in an ideal, in the development of humanity, in solidarity, and so on.

We all need spirituality in these difficult times, IMHO: but it should also be moderated - or, rather, enhanced - by reason: sensible reason, of course...

[MacNStein]

Originally posted by undotwa:
What language is your signature in and what does it mean?

It's Enochian, the first part of the third call in the opening of the Adept's Vault. Roughly translated it means, "Behold, saith your God, I am a circle on whose hands stand Twelve Kingdoms".