Agnostic.com

15 2

Paranormal

Is it possible to be atheist/agnostic and believe in the paranormal (spirits, ghosts, psychic phenomena as opposed to extra-terrestrial)?

  • 13 votes
  • 9 votes
  • 5 votes
  • 8 votes
  • 7 votes
11Novelist 5 Nov 16
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

15 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

0

Paranormal implies a spiritual existence in a scientifically-provable physical universe - I don't believe there is any room in the algorithms of science for coherent intelligence outside of the physical (matter, anti-matter, dark matter, what's the matter with you) realm.

1

Being a very skeptical person and questioning anything out of the ordinary, I have been witness and experienced some things throughout my life that has really no explanation for. I honestly do not feel some of this has anything to do with religion on any level. Its in a complete different category all together. This is my statement & I find it to be true on many levels: Energy travels in different ways and on different levels, some we can explain through science, others there is no explanation.

1

I have experienced the paranormal.It doesn't mean I except the usual explanations nor does it mean I buy into a religious belief .'There are more things in heaven & earth Horatio than ever dreamed in your philosophy.

0

Atheism is a rejection of just one claim: that a god exists. Yes, an atheist could accept any number of other supernatural claims as true. I don't know of many who do, though, because the same thought processes that lead to a rejection of a god claim tend to apply across the board.

1

I am an atheist but do believe in the possibility of spirits. I run a paranormal investigative team and we use a scientific approach to find real world answers for why people think their home or business may be haunted. Energy is a part of the human body. As Einstein said. ( not an exact quote). All the energy of the universe is constant and that it can neither be created nor destroyed. So what happens to that energy when we die? If it cannot be destroyed, it must be transformed into another form of energy. So under that premise is why I believe there is the possibility. I can usually find a real reason why things are happening with people, but there have been a few things that I cannot explained away that I've seen and experienced, that leave me wondering why or what. And I continually look for reasonable answers for those things I cannot explain away.

1

From the responses I'm seeing so far the primary divide on points of view seems to be that one camp considers rational proof a prerequisite of belief and the other camp remains open to belief but maintains a level of skepticism before considering the question answered.

0

I think this should probably be broken down into two parts. One, do you think any paranormal phenomena are real? Two, if so, do you think there could be a scientific explanation for it? Also, I think using the word "believe" has a bias towards meaning something is real without any credible evidence.

I'm not sure if any credible evidence exists. If it did, as an agnostic, I could see the basis as being either scientific, supernatural, or even both.

My question was not whether you believed (although that was a component in the answers used to help clarify standpoints) but whether the belief is, by definition, incompatible with atheism/ agnosticism.

I make this clarification as a way of asking if we are so skeptical as a group that we refuse to accept the possibility of anything we cannot yet explain.

I understood what you were getting at. It seems a lot of folks here will take exception even to the idea that any such phenomena are real in the first place, because anything without scientific evidence to back it up can't be real. But I hope the majority don't think that way, as it's close-minded. At some point, all phenomena had no scientific evidence and explanation.

What I find frustrating is that when I talk about my experiences some people dismiss them without listening or come up with explanations that are ludicrous .

@bingst, I hear you. I don't think that way but I think I'm a minority here, but it seems recently there's been more open-mindedness

3

Atheists and agnostics can believe in paranormal phenomena, but whether it's reasonable to believe in such is a different matter entirely. As far as I can tell, the same criteria should be employed as we use in questioning the existence of a deity. It just seems reasonable that we should remain consistent in our thinking on faith-based claims of any sort.

To me, it's not a faith-based claim... it really happened to me (insert mystical experience here... many of us have had them). So from a scientific standpoint, it's not evidence unless proven in a lab, double blind studies done, the results peer-reviewed. But keep in mind that what STARTS these investigations is adequate anecdotal evidence to raise an eyebrow..... and enough funding.

I'm not saying that people don't experience unusual and unexplained things, but it's a significant jump from "I saw something shimmering" to "I saw a ghost" or "I saw an unusual light in the sky" to "I saw an alien spaceship." I don't see these claims as any more revelatory than the personal experience someone has in church that makes them certain they spoke to Jesus. I'm not saying it's unworthy of exploration, but to actively believe without the evidence to back the claim is where I consider it to be faith.

While I understand your point, there are numerous studies of paranormal phenomena that reveal changes in everything from the presence or absence of light to energy to temperature that have been charted by instrumentation. While that may not be enough to be considered proof of the paranormal isn't it enough to present the hypothesis? In the scientific method a hypothesis is a belief that has yet to be proven, is it not?

@Hominid Yes, anecdotal evidence often starts a line of scientific inquiry.

Data: broken twigs found in my back yard this morning
Hypothesis: Bigfoot was stomping around last night
Worth investigating the hypothesis? Sure, why not? No harm. Justified in believing the hypothesis is valid before any evidence supports that claim? No, I don't think that's a scientific mindset.

0

I see I'm the only vote in my category Yes & have experienced. I don't think option five is exclusive of any of the others. Here is my paranormal list:

  1. My wife dreams numbers and they come in at a rate greater than chance but not enough to retire.
  2. Parking Spot Fairy. Really, no joke.
  3. Magic weather dog.
  4. The tragic and bizarre case of Dr. Elisabeth Targ -- this played out in public.

Any of the first three could be attributed to the law of large numbers, but probably not all three together. In principle, any of these effects could be tested and confirmed or falsified; if confirmed, the scientific method could start looking for a causal chain.

1

I don't see how anyone who is an atheist because they require credible evidence for claims made could believe in anything paranormal. I suppose, however, some who identify as atheist could believe in some of this other stuff, or at least consider the possibility-though this boggles my mind. But, at least I know that we all have had experiences that have made us wonder. I am inclined, however, to think that there is a scientific, rational, explanation for these experiences. Now, as for someone who identifies as agnostic, and does so because they are simply undecided about the existence of supernatural things, I can see how they might consider the possibility of such things.

0

Just another fear tactic to entertain and make money...

0

No but you can experience the phenomena so it is real to you, your mind tells you.

1

I didn't vote because you can't lump all atheists/agnostics together and ask what they believe in common other than their lack of a belief in a god(s).

For instance, there are atheists/agnostics who may believe there are Sasquatches out there or the Loch Ness Monster, or that we've been visited by aliens, etc.

Once we get past the god(s) question, all bets are off. 😉

0

I voted no -- purely psychological phenomena, but that's only because it was the closest to my position. It is possible for an atheist to believe in these things, of course. Just because one dropped belief in deity does not mean he/she gave up their belief in leprechauns, gnomes, trolls, fairies, etc.

Atheists are just as capable of believing things that create cognitive dissonance as is anyone else. I would recommend that if you know of an atheist who holds paranormal beliefs, that you discuss it with them to show them the obvious problems with it. Fortunately, most atheists I know do not, but I have met a couple. It took very little discussion for them to realize how it was inconsistent with a rational outlook.

0

When you stop believing in invisible people, then it is all gods, spirits or other invisibles....

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:3975
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.