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Should unbelievers use the word 'spiritual' if they aren't referring to anything supernatural?

If you're an unbeliever who doesn't believe anything is supernatural then what's the point of using the term 'spiritual' when you can simply call a moving experience what it is e.g. If you experience love why not call it a loving experience / experience of love not 'spiritual'? If you experience awe why not call it an awesome experience / an experience of awe not 'spiritual'? This way unbelievers will help ween society off the idea that there's any need to presume the supernatural is meaningful when it's really not.

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  • 10 votes
Paul 5 Oct 22
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0

I have never understood what "spiritual" meant. I have only ever been called it as a sort of close second to being religious. "You don't believe in god? Oh, dear, but are you a SPIRITUAL person?", as if that would almost be ok. When I've asked what they mean by spiritual, they struggle to explain. My answer now would be, "No, I don't believe in anything supernatural". Any other suggestions of a suitable answer?

0

I am unequivocally atheist, but I'll use a whisper of "spiritual" to describe myself.
I'm not arrogant enough to think that I understand everything, know everything, have a solution to every conundrum.

There are things in the universe far beyond what any human can grasp -- even Neil deGrasse Tyson 🙂 There are things in the universe bigger than humans. I don't know what they are, but I will not say that we are all there is.

4

"Spiritual" means different things to different people. Often, a person's vocabulary is insufficient or the vocabulary just doesn't exist to describe an idea or feeling accuratesly. Whenit comes to etherial matters vocabulary is pretty limited. If "fpiritual" is th eclosest they can come to describing what ehy feel and believe that is fine with me.

I've never heard of persons who are self described as "spiritual" starting a way or killing people in the name of their beliefs. If I am going to expend efforts on on opposing religious persons I would focus on the fanatics who will do harm to others.

"I've never heard of persons who are self described as "spiritual" starting a war or killing people in the name of their beliefs."

Really? Isn't any Crusade or Jihad or Holy War essentially that? - Following their god's word from their holy book? e.g.

"Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven." (Exodus 17:14)

I could offer many other examples - even from Jesus Christ himself:

'But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and kill them in front of me.'" (Luke 19:27)

4

I have been an atheist since I was a kid. However. I was for a long time confused and on the fence about the subject of spirituality because it was such a widespread, accepted concept. Then I read an article by American philosopher, John Searle, Professor Emeritus at UC Berkeley on the subject of duality. Duality is the concept that people have both a spiritual side and a physical side and that the spiritual controls the physical. His big problem with that idea is that you can assign or imagine any qualities you want to spirituality, but in the physical world, your physical body would have to have an interface to be controlled by any other entity just as a car would have to have an interface to steer or control it's speed and stopping. There is no such interface in the human body which disproved spirituality for him and me as well. I recommend reading John Searle on topics such duality, philosophy of mind, thought experiments. artificial intelligence, and consciousness.

3

It depends on the context the human spirit is not a theist thing, Rather a view of our humanness.

2

There is a movement to circumvent words with a religious inference. It is similar to a movement, still ongoing, to de-paternalize the vocabulary. There are other words and since words can matter, it is well worth the effort. Besides it can be a fun brain game.

Can you give us some examples?

@GoldenDoll Thanks for asking. Spiritual has religious connotations as does soul. Some time ago scientists determined there is no such thing as 'race'. Humans are all homogeneous in their make-up with a few cosmetic and cultural differences. The word should be tribe or ethnicity.
When I was a practicing Catholic there was a nun (whose group dressed as "normal people" who was outspoken in her disdain for patrimony. When she would read scripture or any addresses to the congregation she was a master at gender neutralizing.

I try to plant seeds and once one is there some may notice how words can and do shape ones view of things. There are lots of words with hidden or religious connotations and it can be fun to notice them and look for other terms.

2

That word can mean different things depending on how you put it into context. Being a atheist almost all of my adult life, I feel spirit/soul is who and what we are, what makes up unique or moves us in a sense that makes up happy or however you want to explain it. For example, I will say something like.. that artwork has a soulful feel to it or being out in the woods makes my spirit feel good. Thats how I have always used those words.. it is a way of describing how I feel or what moves my passion from within. I have never connected that word with religion. At times I feel spiritual when I connect with different things like music or art if it moves me in ways that may be emotional.

And there's the word to use instead of spiritual - emotional.

0

I did this poll then read others comment, which inspired me to look up the definition of spiritual. Those that say an atheist should not use the word to describe any thing but religion are right since we do not believe in gods or the existence of an eternal soul. I have got to find a new word wonder, humble insignificance, amazement and awe that a walk in a pristine old growth forest makes me feel; feelings that have nothing to do with gods, souls or beliefs.

'Spiritual' is one of those few words that people use any which way they like so what the dictionary says is not particularly relevant (although I agree it ought to be but pragmatically it isn't). If it didn't have supernatural connotations I'd have no problem with it but it does & even if we're not using the term that way it does end up giving it legitimacy so I'm against it BUT not against acknowledging everything we are emotionally so if we want to speak of love call it love not spirituality. The same goes for all other positive human emotions like awe, wonder, fascination & curiosity etc...

@Paul Yep, and I actually think using the word spiritual is lazy, when we have so many other more precise words to explain our emotions.

2

I've had someone explain to me spirituality is just striving to live up to your moral values. I wouldn't never call myself spiritual because it would just confuse people with the traditional definition.

1

I’m not sure why an explanation is needed, because it’s quite personal. But it did make me think, so I appreciate that. I consider myself to be spiritual, but I don’t believe in any supernatural dieties. But when I stand next to a river or listen to a thunderstorm and experience the power of nature, I feel very connected to the world in a way that is difficult to explain other than a spiritual experience. I don’t connect it with god. I feel it in my heart and soul. It’s peaceful.

You do not feel it any more than I do and I'm not "spiritual" in any sense. You are feeling joy, peace, appreciation, a oneness with nature, but it has to do with your brain and the chemicals in your body. That does make your experiences less amazing, but they are natural to your brain and have nothing to do with your "spirit" or "soul" which do not exists.

You're experiencing emotion I think

2

In other contents I think the word 'mindful' is better than spiritual when explaining the connection one can feel with nature.

RJAU Level 4 Oct 22, 2017
3

I voted "it depends." I am quite ambivalent about the word. I agree that it is abused, that it acts in many cases as an apology to believers, that it is in some ways a word without content that could be more accurately represented. That said, the denial of the experience of "the realm of the spirit" (awe, love, serenity, bliss, etc.) would come across as harshly materialist to pagan and Wiccan friends of mine. Once I know a person and s/he knows me, I rarely use the word because I don't like it, and I certainly don't believe in the supernatural - but if I'm talking to a pagan or Wiccan for the first time and trying to describe myself, then I will often say that I'm "a spiritually-open atheist" because otherwise they won't have any grasp of how I work. This is important because, despite our differences, I see pagans as our natural allies against Christian hegemony in this country - and because I simply have found some really wonderful people in their ranks. Of course, I can only connect well with those pagans who consider most of what they are doing to be metaphorical expressions of internal experiences.

1

I think most people say spiritual as a figure of speech; just something you say while growing up.

Yes a lot of people do but then again a lot of people don't & therefore the supernatural connotations gain some credibility when they are undeserved.

1

I don't even know what it means.

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