Is spirituailty innate?

[Solomon Zorn]

I have to wonder if born again Christians have had these types of experiences...

When I was a teen/young-adult Christian, I used to actively seek transcendental experiences. Now that I've had a shitload of them, I've been diagnosed as schizophrenic. Ironic, I think.

[aitm]

I think its all a little simpler than that. As children we (most of us) have our parents to care and comfort us. Once we get older and independent the very same stuff scares us almost as much but now we have no one to comfort us…so we make up one. Not so obviously as that would render the benefits useless if you realize you were being so childish. But we create our "comforter" under this guise of "spirituality", we give a divine near providence to "things", we create our parents in absenteeism via a spirit to watch over us. The idea that we are born with "spirituality" is nothing more than wanting a hug from your mom and dad once in awhile.

[SGOS]

When I was a teen/young-adult Christian, I used to actively seek transcendental experiences. Now that I've had a shitload of them, I've been diagnosed as schizophrenic. Ironic, I think.

Well, that's a bummer.

[Mike Cl]

When I was a teen/young-adult Christian, I used to actively seek transcendental experiences. Now that I've had a shitload of them, I've been diagnosed as schizophrenic. Ironic, I think.

One of the interesting things that Carrier brought out in his book On The Historicity of Jesus, that in the days of Jesus' time, schizophrenic and those who heard voices were venerated as the mouth piece of God.  So, my friend, you are our pipeline to god! :)))

[Givemeareason]

Yeah. This is something the religious spiritualists think only they can feel because of their belief in God or a god. Many honestly think you can't find a sense of peace or awe without some 'divine scripture' to tell it.
And yet I often find awe when looking up at the night sky at the stars, thinking just how vast the universe is, wondering how far it really is, if anything exists beyond what we know of the cosmos. I get a sense of euphoria when feeling the sea wind blowing over me when walking along a cliff, or seeing a work or art or architecture.

You quiet simply do not need a God to have the sense of awe and wonder, there are things beyond our reach, and we can find that sense of curiosity and want to understand without some made up voodoo trying to fill the gaps for us. Now if some want to call that spirituality, that's fine, but it's the same sense of awe and wonder our ancient ancestors felt when discovering fire.

I would venture to think that the religious cannot come close to the awe that we feel.  Evangelicals for example largely have no idea what we can see.

[Solomon Zorn]

Well, that's a bummer.

If I get off my meds, I can have some really "spiritual" experiences. Part of it involves hiding from a predator, that can read my thoughts. It can be both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. But it's not bad when I'm on the drugs. The memory of it, though, keeps me pondering some "spiritual" stuff. Not a bummer though. I never get depressed.

[Solomon Zorn]

One of the interesting things that Carrier brought out in his book On The Historicity of Jesus, that in the days of Jesus' time, schizophrenic and those who heard voices were venerated as the mouth piece of God.  So, my friend, you are our pipeline to god! :)))

If I had a message, it would be this: there is some kind of communication going on between humans, that is beyond the normal range of our senses. But how it works, or how it matters, I haven't a clue. So I'm a poor excuse for a prophet.

[SGOS]

If I get off my meds, I can have some really "spiritual" experiences. Part of it involves hiding from a predator, that can read my thoughts. It can be both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. But it's not bad when I'm on the drugs. The memory of it, though, keeps me pondering some "spiritual" stuff. Not a bummer though. I never get depressed.

I had a friend that was diagnosed schizophrenic in his 20s.  Before that he seemed completely normal.  For whatever reason, he wouldn't take his meds, even though he was ordered to by the court.  He ended up in jail, for not taking his meds (and probably something else).  I kind of lost touch with him, although I did see him now and then in his 20s after he was released from prison.  He seemed fine again.  I assume he was back on his meds.  I heard he could be dangerous, something I never got a hint of before.  It sounds like you're much better off than he was.

[Solomon Zorn]

I had a friend that was diagnosed schizophrenic in his 20s...I heard he could be dangerous, something I never got a hint of before. .

Schizophrenics are far more often a danger to themselves than others.

It sounds like you're much better off than he was.

Chalk it up to self interest. I finally found a chemical that works pretty well without bizarre side effects. It's Abilify, believe it or not. They don't advertise the anti-psychotic use on TV. I recommend it to all prophets who see angels, or anyone who hears the other side, and even those poor persecuted souls who have chips implanted. 

But I've suddenly become conscious that I may be sidetracking the thread. My apologies for that. I kind of went on a tangent. To bring it full circle, let me say I have had some transcendent experiences which, I guess, you could characterize as "spiritual," but I prefer the mundane. Nothing beats a relatively level affect. I don't get really up or down. I am even tempered, and generally content without getting overrun with sentiment. A sad story can still make me cry, and a creative one can make me feel inspired, but what really makes me feel awe is this: http://www.htwins.net/scale2/

[Solomon Zorn]

Music. It's capable of transcendence, or "spirituality." I find, most often it's music, including singing, that moves me to awe. Combine an inspired melody with lyrics of some profundity, and it can engage the higher thought processes, while at the same time elevating the emotions.

Consider music's influence on believers, singing in their worship services. It's a unifying experience, that can easily feel spiritual.

An affinity for music might be considered innate.

That's my 7am thoughts about it.

[SGOS]

It was obvious to me that music at church added to the mystical experience, at least for others.  I remember sitting there analyzing how the various rituals, songs, prayers, architecture, and other experiences added to a feeling of spirituality.  Although analyzing tended to negate the experience for me (which was never that intense in my case), but it was something to occupy my mind during the guaranteed intensely boring service.  So my mind would wander here and wander there, and I would keep pulling myself back and try to listen during the sermon, but each time I did, my mind would wander again, with me never even realizing it until I caught myself deep in reverie.  Then I would ask myself, "How did I get here, especially when I was trying so hard to concentrate on not letting this very thing happen?"  And this is how I would spend an hour each week, because my parents made me go.  And then one day they announced to me they wouldn't make me go to church anymore, unless I wanted to.  They must have talked it over, perhaps they even involved the minister.  I was surprised.

[SkyChief]

When I was a teen/young-adult Christian, I used to actively seek transcendental experiences. Now that I've had a shitload of them, I've been diagnosed as schizophrenic. Ironic, I think.

  OMG this is the funniest thing Ive read in a week!!   

Jeez,, I hope you're not serious.     Its still funny, tho. 

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Wind chimes..soooo speeritual! 

[Solomon Zorn]

  OMG this is the funniest thing Ive read in a week!!   

Jeez,, I hope you're not serious.     Its still funny, tho. 

It is funny! Irony is probably your most basic humor.

Yeah, it's true though. Schizophrenia is the only explanation that most people will accept. I'm not entirely convinced. Nowadays it's almost mundane to me. It's pretty much just the very quiet voices now, whereas they used to be loud enough tho keep me awake at night. Sleep is the key. It's easy to get delusional about such "hallucinations" when I haven't eaten or slept for two weeks. I still don't know exactly what the fuck they are, but with medication, I get by well enough to think and write more lucidly, than any Christian we've had on here so-far!

[TomFoolery]

I think curiosity is innate. When we're little, we can believe in God as easily as we believe in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy or the Easter bunny. After a while, normally developing children will realize that the idea of a fat man in a sleigh, money for teeth, and a candy-hiding rabbit seem very far fetched and don't jive with reality as we understand it.

The God question though is harder, since it speaks to the core of what reality is, why it is, where it came from, and where it's going.