I saw this statement today.


If there were no organized religion, what direction would spirituality take? Would people believe in God or gods? Would anyone be labeled a nonbeliever?

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I don't know of atheism is natural or not. To me it isn't; but that is probably because I follow a spirituality.

I think that some of us would still believe in something because of our experiences, but there may be more people who were atheists if there was not organized religion. I think that without organized religion more of us would explore the depths of ourselves and discover our beliefs for ourselves, instead of having them taught to us.

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"Philosophy is a walk on a slippery rock
Religion is a smile on a dog."

I think that atheism is natural for individuals who like to look under the hood and kick the tires of spiritual experiences, and that it would feel rather unnatural for those who prefer to just drive the vehicle and see where it takes them.

If there were no organized religion... Well, I think that we'd have more visible diversity in spirituality, and that people would talk more openly about their experiences. Established religions tend to encourage its practitioners to fit everything inside the box of the practice. This is, in my opinion, tantamount to stealing the experience from the person who actually had it.

Atheism is certainly not natural. It is, I believe, a basic human need to assign a sacred identity to a place, an object, or an idea. The decision to reject this was born from it. The Sacred created the Profane. Both are acceptable and viable systems. Both can work separately, and in unison.

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"The Lord can make you tumble, the Lord can make you turn, the Lord can make you overflow...but the Lord can't make you burn." - Randy Newman

I think Atheism is reactionary, so I agree with the statement. In order to "not believe" in something, one has to define that "something." So there would be no Atheism if there were no religion to oppose.

I also agree with Octavius about the sacred and profane. I think it's in our nature to look for meaning and purpose and seek to understand the mystery of life. It's only been in the last few hundred years that some think science has most of those answers. Yet, we're still looking, aren't we? Down deep, it's all about loving and being loved, which can't be found in the lab.

In the beginning Man questioned the Heavens and the Earth...

Some people looked at the cosmos and said to themselves,"There is something divine about the cosmos." Others said,"I don't know if it's divine." or ,"It isn't divine." The ones that believed in the divine became Deists, the ones who didn't know became Agnostics, and the ones that didn't believe became Atheists.

The Deists speculated about what the divine was all about. They all came to different conclusions but many ideas became more popular than others because of the cultures the Deists lived in. Then came the State.

The State wasn't concerned with knowledge and truth. The State was concerned with power and control. The State sinned in it's heart and said," If I can control the religion then I will control the culture and If I control the culture then I will have absolute power!" So, the State decided to organize religion under it's control.

The State declared war against truth. It burned all the books, destroyed all the temples of learning, and knowledge was a thing of the past! It killed all that wouldn't submit and caused brother to fight against brother. It came up with words like heresy, doctrine, dogma, and divine revelation. People were burned, tortured, and the State declared itself God. That was the end of the Golden Age.

The dark ages began and the State became so evil that Man became confused and lost. Life was filled with suffering, despair, and war. After many moons Man started asking questions again.

Man started asking questions again about the cosmos and started to question other things as well. Man didn't just question the cosmos but started to question something he never did before. He started to question Authority.........

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"I fully comprehended the power of the human mind at the exact moment I came to the realization that I'm totally insane and have no idea what I'm talking about."

To be...is natural...to be something is not.

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May your awareness be perfection

If it occurs, it is natural. Is it original? Who knows. Personally, I think of atheism as a spiritual manifestation of the rational level of comprehension, which, like any manifestation from any level of consciousness, has its good points, and not so good points.

-TC

BUt, in fact, like most human thought, it is highly artificial.

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Grassaf, Eolas

I disagree with the statement that "atheism is unnatural."

Is it unnatural to not believe in Santa, or the Easter Bunny? Is it unnatural to not believe in a flying teacup orbiting pluto? Atheism is natural. One only has to think critically and logically about supernatural things in order to not believe. It is a choice one makes, not to believe. I don't believe in god, because no sufficient evidence has been provided to prove the existence of god. Keep in mind, the burden of proof lies on the person who asserts the claim, not the person refuting the claim.

Think of it this way. Suppose I told everyone that there is a Supreme Creator named "George," who lives on one of Saturn's moons, and if you don't believe in him, you'll be sent to the center of the sun to burn for all eternity. Most of you would probably disregard that statement as untrue, and would not believe. Is that unnatural? No. It's to be expected.