You Might Be an Atheist

Our culture would have you believe that atheism is a standpoint that has no room for things of spirituality. There are many spiritual people who have questioned their faith, but who would never consider themselves atheist. Could you be one of them?

There Is No God. This negation must be understood solely to affect a creative Deity. The hypothesis of a pervading Spirit co-eternal with the universe remains unshaken.

--Mary Shelly

There are many spiritual philosophies that believe that traditional Western religions, such as Christianity or Judaism, have the wrong idea. With Wikipedia as my reference, one who is atheist "either affirms the nonexistence of gods or rejects theism." Theism is the belief of a transcendent god--a diety that is beyond this realm 'looking down on us.' Atheism, at its purest, is simply 'not theistic.'

The commonly held view of an atheist is the scientific, skeptical, non-spiritual person who is inclined toward humanism or naturalistic ideas. And while this is certainly an aspect of atheism, it does not cover the spectrum.

The definition of atheism does not deny the mysterious. It merely asserts that the concept of a transcendent deity beyond us is not real. In this, Buddhism (especially Zen) can be considered atheist. Buddhism focuses on becoming aware of the inner stillness that is our true nature, and of which we are all a part.

Modern paganism is broad, and many practitioners consider themselves polytheists, believing there to be many transcendent deities. However, a good number consider themselves to be pantheists, which is an immanent belief that all of existence is deity--deity is not transcendent, but here as all things, including ourselves. These too could be considered atheists--'not theistic.'

What is the reason for pointing this out? I believe this shows how a word that often carries a harsh anti-spiritual stigma is not as vicious as some may think, or as others wish you to feel. Similar to the word skeptic, atheist is a word we can all reconsider. When you begin to shake up your firmly held thoughts about certain concepts, it's amazing how open your world becomes.