Spirituality?

[Chimera]

I am having a dilemma on which I would appreciate some feedback.

I have not had much religious or spiritual guidance/instruction in my life. During the past 2 years I have become acquainted with the JREF and skepticism, and the model appeals to my logical nature. I've read books about atheism and this also has made sense to me. I have never had a religious or spiritual experience, I have never felt the presence of "God" in my life. The thought of praying to a bearded man in the sky is ludicrous and unthinkable to me.

Yet, I feel like I need something. I have recently gone through some events in my life that have been tough for me to handle. The advice I am getting from friends and family has been things like "pray", "find a power greater than yourself", "give your struggles to God".

I do feel like I need some support, but the thought of praying to someone who I don't really believe exists is silly. Maybe there is a spiritual model I can adopt that wouldn't be so reprehensible to me, but I haven't found it yet.

Can anyone relate to this? I think of most of the people who come around these boards as critical thinkers and I can appreciate advice from that mindset better than I can from those of a purely religious mindset. Does this make sense?

I realize this is quite a personal issue. If someone wants to email me instead I would be open to that as well.

Thanks for any feedback.

-Jen
keelyandlou@yahoo.com

 

[Adrian]

J-No,

This topic can be a very difficult one for many individuals. One find that they enjoy and in some cases require, the emotional and community support of a spiritual movement, but they have difficulties accepting the leaps of faith that such doctrines usually require. Unfortunatly, I don't believe that there is an easy answer for this and the answer will vary depending on the individual.

Personally, I have never found any support from a religious to be truly beneficial. I have seen how it can help others cope in difficult situations, but have always found hiding my problems in illusions to be counter-productive. My personal solution is to get involved with helping others through volunteer work, not for a religious or spiritual reason, but simply because I enjoy doing it and the way it helps one deal with difficult times.

I hope you locate what you are looking for,

Adrian

 

[Dubium]

I understand what you're saying J-No and I know how you feel. Maybe you can find what you're looking for in charity work/helping others/some esoteric interest/science/just having fun. For me some of those things have helped to fill in the gap in my life left by religion.

 

[farmermike]

We can sometimes attribute our ability to cope with inner strength,god,friends and family.Grieving has a lot to do with time.I don't want to come across as callous,but how could we not cope?would we give up and stay in bed all day?kill ourselves?Although this does sometimes happen,most of us seem to eventually overcome.

 

[Bodhi Dharma Zen]

J-No

One can be profoundly spiritual and yet an skeptic regarding any supernatural being, ghosts, PSI and any kind of religion that seeks to reunite humans with a god.

There are several thought systems that might suit your needs, Budhism, Zen and Taoism are among them. In fact, the spirituality of those traditions go well beyond the common "fear of god" that is proposed in most occidental religions. Please take a look at them.

 

[Ryokan]

Do not believe just because it is a tradition maintained by oral repetition.
Do not believe just because it is an unbroken succession of practise.
Do not believe merely because it is hearsay.
Do not believe just because it is in the scriptures.
Do not believe just because it fits with one's point of view.
Do not believe just because it is correct on the ground of metaphysical theories.
Do not believe just because it appeals to one's consideration.
Do not believe just because it agrees with one's opinions and theories.
Do not believe just because the speaker appears believable.
Do not believe just because the speaker is our teacher.

The Buddha, Kalama Sutra.

One can be profoundly spiritual without being religious, or believing in anything supernatural. I'm a Buddhist, a sceptic and an atheist.

 

[LordoftheLeftHand]

I've noticed that some people have almost a need for religion or woo-isms. I wonder if reinforcing a belief in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny predisposes children to believe in the supernatural. Do all cultures encourage belief in the supernatural in their children? Anyone ever seen any studies along these lines?

LLH

 

[farmermike]

I've noticed that some people have almost a need for religion or woo-isms. I wonder if reinforcing a belief in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny predisposes children to believe in the supernatural. Do all cultures encourage belief in the supernatural in their children? Anyone ever seen any studies along these lines?

LLH

Of course children do come to realize that santa and such are not real.You'd almost think that such an insult to their intelligence would make them evaluate other beliefs.santa is a definate no no with many xians,a silly story to some and a lie from satan to others.

 

[Dancing David]

If you don't have a natural feel for the 'spiritual', then finding your own path can be very difficult. There are many different paths to take, and many of them allow for being sceptical and atheist.

The teachings of the buddha, many ethical systems exist as well (there is something in this book called the Four Commitments(?), the Toltec way), there are many secular approached to life issue to be found in the often woo field of pop psychology (please note Mecrutio I said pop). Even some forms of shamanism.

 

[Bodhi Dharma Zen]

The teachings of the buddha, many ethical systems exist as well (there is something in this book called the Four Commitments(?), the Toltec way), there are many secular approached to life issue to be found in the often woo field of pop psychology (please note Mecrutio I said pop). Even some forms of shamanism.

The books of Carlos Castaneda would fit here. I still find them very interesting.

 

[username]

Yet, I feel like I need something. I have recently gone through some events in my life that have been tough for me to handle. The advice I am getting from friends and family has been things like "pray", "find a power greater than yourself", "give your struggles to God".

I do feel like I need some support, but the thought of praying to someone who I don't really believe exists is silly. Maybe there is a spiritual model I can adopt that wouldn't be so reprehensible to me, but I haven't found it yet.

It might help you to distill the essense of why these faith systems work for some people and obtain the benefits of the belief system without actually subscribing to it.

As an example prayer to many is man talking with god. In reality it is man thinking or speaking to himself. It can be therapeutic to discuss what is weighing heavily on the mind even if it is only talking to oneself.

Giving one's struggles to god is similar to serentity prayer about changing what you can, accepting what you can't and having the wisdom to know the difference. Letting go and letting god is the same thing as accepting what you cannot change and taking action concerning the things you can.

In other words, all of these religious slogans have secular equivalents.

If you feel like you would do best if you 'belonged' to some group you might wish to lookup the various support groups in your area. Even if a group doesn't seem like a match you can call them and ask for info on a group that is a better match. Folks involved in this kind of thing will generally try to be very helpful in getting you what you need.