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What does it mean to identify as "spiritual," to an atheist/agnostic? The two ideas seem antithetical to me.

okiestache 6 Aug 23
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When all else fails we can always resort to the dictionary 🙂 .

SPIRIT:

  1. an attitude or principle that inspires, animates, or pervades thought, feeling, or action: the spirit of reform.
  2. spirits, feelings or mood with regard to exaltation or depression: low spirits; good spirits.
  3. excellent disposition or attitude in terms of vigor, courage, firmness of intent, etc.; mettle: That's the spirit!
  4. temper or disposition: meek in spirit.
  5. an individual as characterized by a given attitude, disposition, character, action, etc.: A few brave spirits remained to face the danger.
  6. the dominant tendency or character of anything: the spirit of the age.
  7. vigorous sense of membership in a group: college spirit.
  8. the general meaning or intent of a statement, document, etc. (opposed to letter) : the spirit of the law.
skado Level 9 Aug 23, 2018

@okiestache
Yes, in any case, it's definitely about the non-material side of human experience; the subjective rather than the objective.

I think we each must decide how we intend to envision "spirit" or "spirituality". No one gets to dictate for others; we must choose for ourselves. And we can choose in a way that maintains a focus on what we have in common, or we can choose in a way that divides people into warring camps.

Instead of focusing on our differences, when I go looking for what I might have in common with people who believe differently from me, I am always surprised by how much I find. The roots of the word "spirit" and its derivatives reach deep into our common past and bind us all together in a universal human quest for liberation from suffering.

In the final analysis, whether an individual envisions, say, the spirit of giving, personified as a Santa or a Jesus on the one hand, or they see it through a scientific lens as genetically embedded evolutionary altruism may not be as important as whether they can embrace our common needs to maintain emotional buoyancy and community cohesion.

All humans are complex, psychological creatures. Pre-science cultures referred to the psychological as "spiritual". They, as do many people today, may have imagined those spirits inaccurately, but the psychological phenomena they were referring to inhabit us all, no matter how we name them.

My claim is that the apparently non-religious expression "team spirit" and the religious sounding "spirituality" are in fact referring to one and the same human psychology. We're all psychological, whether we understand it in religious or secular terminology.

Every human culture throughout our two or three hundred thousand year existence and in all locations on the globe did not independently invent an invisible world for which there is absolutely no evidence. They all had ample solid evidence of psychological suffering, and described it as best they could.

Everyone is spiritual. Those who adopt psychological management practices are religious. Or call it whatever you like. Our troublesome psychology and our common need to tame it will continue marching forward under whatever banner we impose upon it.

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im very spiritual whiskey or gin though no vodka

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I don't know, it always seems like a really flaky term to me.

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Always feel it means the god place with that person who won't admit to believing in god!!

Could I be wrong.err(not exactly correct). SURE

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I can’t understand it, I don’t feel spiritual. However, if someone else says they are then who am I to say they’re not. It wouldn’t make any sense to me.

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Someone gave me an interesting definition of "spiritual." "That which matters and is invisible." He went on to say that the most important things are invisible...like love.

@okiestache The supernatural encircles love. I've been there.

@okiestache No need to prove anything. Proof is not part of the equation.

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It puzzles me too. Their definition of "spiritual" must not be the same as mine if they list being atheist or agnostic as well.

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Thanks for asking this...it always puzzles me, too. "SPIRIT" really implies "RELIGIOUS" to me.

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My sister identifies as "spiritual" but nto religious. For her it means simply to seek out the best in people and to try to be the best person she can and to contribute positively to society.

@okiestache When you ar etalkign of one's own "sporit" it doesnt' alwasy mean spirit or soul, or include a belief in the supernatural or paranormal.

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