Dr.Matthew Fox: The Stanford Lectures: An Immersion in Creation Spirituality What is the Creation Spirituality lineage and Why does it strike fear in the hearts of Inquisitors and Fundamentalists? What does it mean to be Spiritual and adult in the 21st century? What is the future of spirituality, religion and interfaith in our time? Lectures: 1) Creation Spirituality: The Alternative Spiritual Tradition of the West 2) Creation Spirituality and Indigenous Consciousness 3) Science and Creation Spirituality 4) Darkness, Silence, Mysticism and Chaos Theory 5) Creativity! 6) Pre-modern Mystics of our Post-modern Times 7) Time for a New Reformation? 8) Reinventing Education and Ritual 9) Deep Ecumenism and Interfaith Video Rating: 0 / 5
Inspired by a conversation with Theo Warner. En Español: www.youtube.com (Thanks to AmazedAtheist) Is there any value in spirituality? As an atheist you may expect me to say no; but if I’m being honest, I’d have to consider myself a spiritual person. Of course I’m not talking about some ghostly ethereal soul that lives inside my body. There’s no reason to think there’s anything like that. I’m talking about the essence of human. There aren’t many words in our language that capture what that is. at least for me. And so I use the word spirit, in the same way I use the phrase bless you. For rhetoric’s sake. I can only describe it as the action or ability to see beauty. to feel wonder. and to be in awe. Religion and all groups faith of course serve only to prostitute the awe, and the mystery we all feel as humans. they bottle our essence and try putting lid on the wonder we naturally feel. They fail of course. Religion points to the man behind the curtain in an attempt answer the mystery. when in reality, there is no man. the mystery is just that. a mystery. But even though I don’t believe in the supernatural, I try to be as honest as I can to myself, about my spirituality. On my trip out west just a couple months ago I remember a moment standing in a field that looked up at the grand tetons. the tetons in wyoming are these massive glacier capped mountains that just cut into the sky. I remember thinking to myself. Something much greater than me must have caused this. I know it …
40 Responses to What is Spirituality? (Lecture 1, Topic 1)
@PluralOfEverything Just because theists have pissed on the word does not mean we have to. Though I do like the word awe better, I do consider true Atheists to be spiritual.
people are amazed that i think the universe is enough for me, just looking inside a cell or a galazy and being completely enveloped in it and people think im weird but then think a god would make it better, i think it would take away from its infinite beautiful.
A very touching and beautiful video. I hope you go on to live a fulfilling life, for one with so much humility and appreciation of our universe is so very rare, and so very special, that you deserve nothing less in my opinion
Nice video, and I don’t mean to sound pessimistic, but it sort of leaves out all of the horrors, crap, suffering, and pain that the universe and evolution has imposed on us, and the other creatures that need to endure it. If spirituality for an atheist is to recognize all of the wonders, beauty, and awe in the universe, I am hardly spiritual as those things are just psychological traits to help us cope with (and many times ignore and not try to fix) the nastiness of it all.
So when you say spirituality, you mean emotions. Why don’t you just say that you sometimes feel good? I’ll tell you why. Because it’s not worth saying. We all feel good sometimes. There is no need to call it spirituality. It’s not spiritual. It’s biochemical.
@54tumelo56 well that’s where reality and your personal interests don’t meet. To me it doesn’t matter either way because im not into Christianity, even though i was raised a christian. Iv broken free from that mold to consider other options. I think a god that loves everyone “unconditionally” would easily understand why i just can’t succumb to one religion. All in all it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t think its worth arguing over, your entitled to your beliefs as i am entitled to mine.
@SofarOff The bad rep is simple: terrorism. I have asked Muslims what there beliefs were on Jesus and they say he was a good prophet and that is all. But he could not have been “just a good prophet.” He was either the Messiah, the son of the living God or he was a bold face liar because he claimed to be. A bold faced liar cannot be a “good prophet” in my opinion. No Muslim I’ve come across can explain this to me. As far as “the last prophet” goes, I believe there are still prophets today.
Awsome video. Thanks for sharing
as a christian i disagree but i wish all athiests could be like you cause i bet your a nice guy 🙂
@PluralOfEverything Just because theists have pissed on the word does not mean we have to. Though I do like the word awe better, I do consider true Atheists to be spiritual.
This maybe the most beautiful video I have ever seen.
thanks for this.
Good video, but I don’t agree with the use of the word, “spirituality,” for it has too many religious connotations.
people are amazed that i think the universe is enough for me, just looking inside a cell or a galazy and being completely enveloped in it and people think im weird but then think a god would make it better, i think it would take away from its infinite beautiful.
A very touching and beautiful video. I hope you go on to live a fulfilling life, for one with so much humility and appreciation of our universe is so very rare, and so very special, that you deserve nothing less in my opinion
Nice video, and I don’t mean to sound pessimistic, but it sort of leaves out all of the horrors, crap, suffering, and pain that the universe and evolution has imposed on us, and the other creatures that need to endure it. If spirituality for an atheist is to recognize all of the wonders, beauty, and awe in the universe, I am hardly spiritual as those things are just psychological traits to help us cope with (and many times ignore and not try to fix) the nastiness of it all.
So when you say spirituality, you mean emotions. Why don’t you just say that you sometimes feel good? I’ll tell you why. Because it’s not worth saying. We all feel good sometimes. There is no need to call it spirituality. It’s not spiritual. It’s biochemical.
Fookin awesome man. Well said!!
@54tumelo56 reality being science and your personal interests being the spirit world
@SofarOff What did I say to make you believe that “reality” and my personal interests don’t meet?
@54tumelo56 well that’s where reality and your personal interests don’t meet. To me it doesn’t matter either way because im not into Christianity, even though i was raised a christian. Iv broken free from that mold to consider other options. I think a god that loves everyone “unconditionally” would easily understand why i just can’t succumb to one religion. All in all it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t think its worth arguing over, your entitled to your beliefs as i am entitled to mine.
@SofarOff The bad rep is simple: terrorism. I have asked Muslims what there beliefs were on Jesus and they say he was a good prophet and that is all. But he could not have been “just a good prophet.” He was either the Messiah, the son of the living God or he was a bold face liar because he claimed to be. A bold faced liar cannot be a “good prophet” in my opinion. No Muslim I’ve come across can explain this to me. As far as “the last prophet” goes, I believe there are still prophets today.