Comment

Comment by Gecko, Seth...brother of Richie! on June 22, 2009 at 10:11pm

Hey it good to be here, I should of come over here sooner. Thanks Nate.

Comment by Lorien on June 22, 2009 at 10:10pm

oops, "gaia"

Comment by Lorien on June 22, 2009 at 10:04pm

I feel like I'm trolling in here now so I shut up and listen to your debate. I am a pure atheist and don't need to "sex" it up. It isn't my way or the highway, it just is. Science rules!

RAmen

Comment by Lorien on June 22, 2009 at 10:00pm

reminds me of "gia"

Comment by Nate on June 22, 2009 at 9:55pm

Spoken like a true pantheist atheist, Alenthony. Beautiful. Thanks.

Comment by S.A. Alenthony on June 22, 2009 at 9:48pm

Well, to be clear, when I say "spiritual" I do not mean "spiritism" - the belief in disembodied beings or whatnot. "Spirit" to me is more like an amalgamation of these definitions:

1. temper or disposition of mind or outlook especially when vigorous or animated
2. the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person
3. the activating or essential principle influencing a person

I'll also admit that I like certain "religious" words and want to hijack them for my own irreligious ways. :) I like "spiritual" and "divine" although I don't believe in anything remotely connected to the way a typical Christian would use them.

I'm reminded of some lyrics to Tool's Lateralus, which I find have a pantheistic resonance to them:

I embrace my
desire to
feel the rhythm,
to feel connected,
enough to step aside and
weep like a widow,
to feel inspired,
to fathom the power,
to witness the beauty,
to bathe in the fountain,
to swing on the spiral,
to swing on the spiral of our divinity
and still be a human

To me, "divinity" in this context is all that Is. It is absolutely, mind-staggeringly bizarre to me that the universe exists at all. To express my wonderment of it requires big powerful words like the ones often wielded by the religious. I want to take those terms and give them better uses. The religious don't deserve them.

Comment by shaman sun on June 22, 2009 at 9:46pm

Someone just mentioned on the forms that, "spirit" comes from the word "breath," in ancient times. I really appreciate that origin and it helps me understand, or even ground the term in a more meaningful light.

Comment by S.A. Alenthony on June 22, 2009 at 9:22pm

I agree with both Nate and Lorien - I consider myself a pantheist, but there are problems associated with the religious language it can entail. I know what I mean if I talk about my own "spirituality" for lack of a better term, but my listener or reader may reach a very different conclusion. So, unless I can explain it in detail, to someone that I think will get it, I avoid the term.

Comment by Lorien on June 22, 2009 at 9:13pm

BTW, On PBS right now is "the history of disbelief"

Comment by Nate on June 22, 2009 at 9:12pm

I'm with Sam Harris and Carl Sagan! :)

Nice talking to you, Lorien. You're alright for a militant hard core type.

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