quote:

ORIGINAL: FieryOpal
If you don't mind my asking, would you consider yourself an atheist, an atheist open to Buddhism, an agnostic, an agnostic open to Buddhism, something else, or else not wishing to be labelled? I personally believe that one can be a spiritual person without being religious.

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ORIGINAL: GotSteel

quote:

ORIGINAL: FieryOpal

If you don't mind my asking, would you consider yourself an atheist, an atheist open to Buddhism, an agnostic, an agnostic open to Buddhism, something else, or else not wishing to be labelled? I personally believe that one can be a spiritual person without being religious.

I consider atheism to be a broad category the same way theism and I consider theism and atheism to constitute a dichotomy. One is either a theist or they aren't. So yes I am an atheist. I also consider gnostic and agnostic to constitute a dichotomy where all of us theist and atheist alike who don't claim to know fall under the category of agnostic. So yes I am agnostic. I so don't consider myself Buddhist or anything akin to that. My experience in Kyoto was positive because it was all about meditation and living a monastic lifestyle as opposed to being indoctrinated with various superstitious beliefs.

As for spiritual I find that word to often be so vague as to be useless, what do you mean by spiritual?

quote:

ORIGINAL: thishereboi
You are correct, that was a very snarky comment. My bad.

But LafeyetteLady summed it up very well. But just in case you missed it....

quote:

ORIGINAL: LafayetteLady
What this thread apparently does prove from a psychological standpoint is that atheists on this site have a never ending issue with religion and that since so many claim to have been brought up in religious households, they have yet to take responsibility for their adults issues and so must continue to blame religion.

And I'll even highlight some of the better stuff.

quote:

ORIGINAL: FieryOpal
Btw, when I was in the lovely temple city of Kyoto, I was impressed by the serenity there. This was a long time ago, but I hope it hasn't changed much since then.
We took the bullet train from thereabouts into Tokyo. Totally different vibe in contrast, and although I had been to Tokyo several times in the past, I was especially struck by the change in energy.

Spiritual can mean believing that there is something meaningful and mentally connectible between the ego boundaries of the self to an unseen dimensional reality than the temporal, physical world in which we live, the metaphysical.

To others it could mean feeling a palpable connection with the beauty of Nature, which I've always heard expressed as having a greater appreciation and respect for the intricate workings of Nature and its grandeur. (Similar to Native American spirituality or to the spiritual beliefs of indigenous peoples)
Basically, I believe it represents a shift in ordinary consciousness to a more expansive, even otherworldly one.

Another explanation I've heard is that the spiritual realm lies beyond the time-space continuum and can only be experienced subjectively.
Trying to explain one's own personal experiences to another who is devoid of this understanding is akin to describing what an elephant is to a blind man.

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ORIGINAL: GotSteel

Well according to that I'm extremely spiritual, completely non spiritual, highly pro-spiritual and extremely anti-spiritual.

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ORIGINAL: FieryOpal

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ORIGINAL: GotSteel

Well according to that I'm extremely spiritual, completely non spiritual, highly pro-spiritual and extremely anti-spiritual.

Blue blazes, man, you sure are a bundle of complex contradictions!

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ORIGINAL: Kirata
You shoot the messenger when he's making shit up.

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Spiritual can mean believing that there is something meaningful and mentally connectible between the ego boundaries of the self to an unseen dimensional reality than the temporal, physical world in which we live, the metaphysical.

quote:

To others it could mean feeling a palpable connection with the beauty of Nature, which I've always heard expressed as having a greater appreciation and respect for the intricate workings of Nature and its grandeur.

quote:

Another explanation I've heard is that the spiritual realm lies beyond the time-space continuum and can only be experienced subjectively.

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ORIGINAL: GotSteel

quote:

ORIGINAL: FieryOpal
If you don't mind my asking, would you consider yourself an atheist, an atheist open to Buddhism, an agnostic, an agnostic open to Buddhism, something else, or else not wishing to be labelled? I personally believe that one can be a spiritual person without being religious.

I consider atheism to be a broad category the same way theism and I consider theism and atheism to constitute a dichotomy. One is either a theist or they aren't. So yes I am an atheist. I also consider gnostic and agnostic to constitute a dichotomy where all of us theist and atheist alike who don't claim to know fall under the category of agnostic. So yes I am agnostic. I so don't consider myself Buddhist or anything akin to that. My experience in Kyoto was positive because it was all about meditation and living a monastic lifestyle as opposed to being indoctrinated with various superstitious beliefs.

As for spiritual I find that word to often be so vague as to be useless, what do you mean by spiritual?

quote:

I never claimed to be an authority on spirituality and what I wrote to GotSteel was off the top of my head. Nor on religiosity, for that matter.

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ORIGINAL: vincentML

quote:

I never claimed to be an authority on spirituality and what I wrote to GotSteel was off the top of my head. Nor on religiosity, for that matter.

Apologies. My bad.

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ORIGINAL: vincentML

quote:

Spiritual can mean believing that there is something meaningful and mentally connectible between the ego boundaries of the self to an unseen dimensional reality than the temporal, physical world in which we live, the metaphysical.

Believing in the unknowable then?

quote:

ORIGINAL: vincentML

quote:

To others it could mean feeling a palpable connection with the beauty of Nature, which I've always heard expressed as having a greater appreciation and respect for the intricate workings of Nature and its grandeur.

Discounting or ignoring all the suffering imposed on mankind by the forces of nature then?

quote:

ORIGINAL: FieryOpal
No sweat. Besides, I may have read more into it when GS asked ,"what do you mean by spiritual?" as to literally my take or interpretation and not some generic definition.
(Not that I was being too lazy to look it up! )

quote:

ORIGINAL: LafayetteLady
So really, how many here of the anti-religious group want to say that their childhood belief in Santa Claus still causes them confusion about the difference between fact and fiction ass adults?

quote:

ORIGINAL: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/plato-pop/201212/say-goodbye-the-santa-claus-lie
I suggested the Santa Lie should be avoided for three reasons. (1) It’s an unjustified lie, (2) it risks damaging your parental trustworthiness and (3) it encourages credulity and ill-motivated behavior. One of the arguments people made in response—amidst an unbelievable amount of hate mail I recieved, which you can see here—was essentially the argument that Moyerbut presents. The Santa lie promotes imagination, and imagination is good for kids....

...Of course, Moyerbut is right about the benefits of imagination. What she (and the others who makes similar arguments) fail to recognize, however, is that the thing she is defending—The Santa Lie—does not actually promote imagination or imaginative play. Imagination involves pretending, and to pretend that something exists, one has to believe that thing doesn’t exist. Does the Christian “imagine” that Jesus rose from the dead? Does the Muslim “imagine” that Muhammad’s rode his horse Barack (Al Boraq) at lightening speed from Mecca to Jerusalem and then assended into heaven? Of course not; they believe these things are true. Tricking a child into literally believing that Santa exists doesn’t encourage imagination, it actually stifles it. If you really want to encourage imagination in your children, tell them that Santa doesn’t exist, but that you are going to pretend like he does anyway on Christmas morning.

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ORIGINAL: FieryOpal
God only knows what the Chinese government did and still does to anyone caught practicing BDSM. (Lobotomy? Castration? Both?)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Owner59
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/20/us-china-sex-toys-idUSBRE8AJ03N20121120

It`s odd and sounds weird but it`s true.Apparently porn is illegal and unfortunately, ....all things sexual were suppressed during the cultural revolution because open sexuality and sexual freedom were associated with the decadence of the west and democracy.

There is no sex ed and folks are pretty much left to figure things out on their own.

Strangely,sex toy shops have become the place where folks go to learn how to get more pleasure and happiness out of sex.The government is supporting them as mental health ,trying to help make happier people.

http://www.marketplace.org/topics/world/street-eternal-happiness/adult-accessories-street-eternal-happiness

"We have no choice," says Chen. "I remember one of my first customers was a very pretty girl who came in with a Louis Vuitton bag on her shoulder. She looked rich and happy, but once we began to talk, she started to cry. She said her husband was wealthy and handsome, but in the bedroom, he had no idea what foreplay was or how to do much of anything."
Chen says she gives advice to customers like this all the time. And this is just one of many things that sets apart sex shops in China from those in the U.S., says Richard Burger, author of "Behind the Red Door: Sex in China." The first rule of thumb in a Chinese sex shop is no pornography -- it’s illegal in China.
"Sex stores aren’t presented in China as places for titillation. They’re presented as places for solutions," says Burger.
Solutions brought to you, in part, by the government, which approves these shops and treats them as health care providers. "The Chinese government sees these shops as a way to make its citizens happy, healthy, and content," says Burger. "They believe that when people are having a healthy sex life they have a more functional family that adds to social stability and that in turn adds to greater tolerance for the government.”

quote:

ORIGINAL: GotSteel

quote:

ORIGINAL: FieryOpal
God only knows what the Chinese government did and still does to anyone caught practicing BDSM. (Lobotomy? Castration? Both?)

Sorry if I don't get to all of everyone's points, there are a lot. But I wanted to be sure to respond to this one that was kind of languishing. The Chinese government has drastically changed their position on sex, if you've noticed that cheap fetish apparel has gotten smaller in the last few years almost like it was sized for petite chinese ladies....that's because it probably was:

quote:

ORIGINAL: Owner59
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/20/us-china-sex-toys-idUSBRE8AJ03N20121120

It`s odd and sounds weird but it`s true.Apparently porn is illegal and unfortunately, ....all things sexual were suppressed during the cultural revolution because open sexuality and sexual freedom were associated with the decadence of the west and democracy.

There is no sex ed and folks are pretty much left to figure things out on their own.

Strangely,sex toy shops have become the place where folks go to learn how to get more pleasure and happiness out of sex.The government is supporting them as mental health ,trying to help make happier people.

http://www.marketplace.org/topics/world/street-eternal-happiness/adult-accessories-street-eternal-happiness

"We have no choice," says Chen. "I remember one of my first customers was a very pretty girl who came in with a Louis Vuitton bag on her shoulder. She looked rich and happy, but once we began to talk, she started to cry. She said her husband was wealthy and handsome, but in the bedroom, he had no idea what foreplay was or how to do much of anything."
Chen says she gives advice to customers like this all the time. And this is just one of many things that sets apart sex shops in China from those in the U.S., says Richard Burger, author of "Behind the Red Door: Sex in China." The first rule of thumb in a Chinese sex shop is no pornography -- it’s illegal in China.
"Sex stores aren’t presented in China as places for titillation. They’re presented as places for solutions," says Burger.
Solutions brought to you, in part, by the government, which approves these shops and treats them as health care providers. "The Chinese government sees these shops as a way to make its citizens happy, healthy, and content," says Burger. "They believe that when people are having a healthy sex life they have a more functional family that adds to social stability and that in turn adds to greater tolerance for the government.”

quote:

ORIGINAL: GotSteel


The thing what gets tiring for me is seeing people assigning the worst most dumbass possible motivation to the atheist.

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ORIGINAL: thishereboi

quote:

ORIGINAL: GotSteel


The thing what gets tiring for me is seeing people assigning the worst most dumbass possible motivation to the atheist.

And yet you seem to have no problems with people who do the same thing to christians. Interesting.

But you never answered my question. You have told us in the past that you were raised catholic. Do you think your religious upbringing has anything to do with your inability to distinguish fact from fiction?