Quote:
Originally Posted by Wormius
I guess I was just answering that question - if you were to make a Venn diagram of Atheism and spirituality there won't be any overlap.
Religion aside, there is no difference between believing in God or believing in some phenomen that you haven't witnessed but would like to think happens (e.g. a person's consciousness floats around without a physical body). So I don't know how somebody could describe themselves as an atheist while having spiritual beliefs.
I won't put words into people's mouths, but if they believe that some part of them continues on, that would suggest some kind of supernatural being pulling the strings on that. Since all conventional forms of energy or matter could be explained, then something unexplainable and unknowable needs to be the driving force for keeping these souls and consciousnesses afloat wherever they are.
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Erm well, I think I recall that spirituality is basically the answer to (or the process on how to answer) the basic human questions. Who am I? How did I get here? And, What is my purpose for being here? Many people answer these through religion or some sort of belief structure, but they don't have to be. Also, like agnostics people can just say, I don't know, I'm still looking. Which we all are in our own ways. Even the most devout often says, 'Why am I here?' As well people can have spiritual experiences while still knowing what is occurring behind the experience. IE feeling a sense of joy and belonging after witnessing a rainbow or something.
As you mentioned, I don't want to put words in other peoples mouths either, and I would tend to agree with the part of your post that I bolded. But with spirituality being such a broad term I could see it argued other ways.