I was prepared to write a blog post on spirituality...and how a person can be a "spiritual atheist" without belief in an actual spirit (or a spirit as defined by religion, at least). Instead, I stumbled upon a video by A. Hughman that expresses it in words more eloquent than I could come up with. Not to mention the beautiful imagery...and top it off with music from one of my all-time favorite movies. This video says precisely what I wanted to!
Please take five minutes to watch this, and understand how we atheists can truly, honestly be every bit as "spiritual" as any person of faith.
This video is incredible! Thanks for sharing. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou may have mentioned this before, but I wonder if you have attended a Unitarian Universalist church. I am a member of a UU church, and my church is full of atheists and agnostics. Some of them I honestly don't get why they are there, but many are like me - agnostics or atheists who don't think not believing in a personal god has to preclude any spirituality at all in our lives.
Adele
If I had a desire to go to church, I'd definitely look into a UU church. And as my kids get older, if they express a desire to attend church, we have a great UU church in the area. I was once very involved in a church, and honestly the "religion" aspect wasn't the only thing I disliked about the church setting. I certainly don't rule out the prospect of going to church at some point down the road, though.
ReplyDeleteFor me (while I haven't discussed it much yet), I have an intense feeling of spirituality when I'm out in nature. Personal deities aside, I can definitely relate to some aspects of nature-based religions. At this point in my life at least, I feel more connected to "all that there is" (what I think people of faith call "God") when I'm in the mountains staring up at the stars or standing on a rocky shoreline gazing out at the distant waves than I ever could feel in a building full of people.
The important thing (as I see it) is for people to allow themselves to explore their own spirituality, and not get hung up on semantics (for example, I've heard some people--atheists--poke fun at the idea of a "spiritual atheist," and I think it's mainly a protest of the word "spirit"). Find what is most fulfilling for you personally (whether it's meditating in silence in the middle of a forest or surrounding yourself with like-minded people in a church), and go with it!
Thanks so much for your comment...it's great to hear from you!
Sober with electric resonance as I too crave romance and am content with holding awe and wonder at the beauty of all things in each other as well. Thank you for the effort of these words and posts. Peace AJ
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog and for posting this video! I'm enjoying it very much tonight.
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