Atheism and Oneness

[Lavazza]

Hey all,

Great conversation. I think the most important key to understanding the atheist perspective is to bear in mind that free will is paramount and thanks to an infinity of possibilities, will result in any sort of belief system you can imagine. But in addition to this I think the atheist perspective is not such a surprising one considering that the Logos did such a fantastic job veiling the subconscious or intuitive mind from the conscious or intellectual mind. From a rational point of view, there is no compelling, flawless all out proof of the afterlife, Unity or indeed most paranormal things. Coming to the conclusion that we are our bodies and nothing more is not a crazy conclusion I think, just what you get when you look at things from a "left brained" or rational view-point only. This isn't to say that viewpoint can explain everything of course, because it can't. (Why do things exist rather than not exist, etc.)

Here's an awesome video I recommend all watch before reading any further: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFs9WO2B8uI



Notice that he called the left brain the "Burlusconi of the Brain". It is a self re-enforcing system. You cut off or mentally discredit all intuitive thought patterns and focus only on what can be divided in to parts, categorized, labeled or measured. Words and language are also left brained tools, so you effectively seal the door against "right brainedness". This is why as seekers meditation can be so powerful, because we're consciously saying "NO" to the language and going in to a zone that is language free and exploring with our emotions, intuitions and etc.

Also check out what happens to people when their left brain is completely deactivated thanks to a stroke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyyjU8fzEYU



What is the overall impact of Atheism here today, or what is an atheists' life plan? I agree with previous posts that quite likely these entities are seeking balance from another incarnation where their thought patterns were more controlled. ALSO, as annoying as I think Richard Dawkins is at times, I think atheism is what many cultures and people need in the current era. We (the collective consciousness of the planet) are recovering from centuries upon centuries of dogmatic, witch hunting and separationist thought patterns thanks to conservative religion. That people are branching away from that and seeking for themselves what it means to live a moral good life without pre-written guideposts is extremely empowering. (Incidentally, has anyone heard about 'The Good Book', written by philosopher and atheist A.C. Grayling? http://www.amazon.com/dp/0802717373/ref=...0802717373)

How would an atheist or the atheist community respond to the idea of Oneness? Well, some are friendly to the concept of meditative practice or buddhist thought in general such as Sam Harris (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Harris_%28author%29), however for the most part I think speaking about metaphysics to most atheists will be a lost cause. Remember, the atheist creed (to the best of my limited understanding) is that if you can't scientifically show something is true, then it is not true. Also- the scientific proof has to be validated by the scientific community, you can't just show them something from "controversial science" no matter how good the study or research is. (That's not rational of course, but remember we're dealing with fallible human beings and fallible human psychology!) So forget about talking to them about Dean Radin's PSI research or anything about controversial material. To back up a bit, they would reject anything form the Ra material simply by virtue of the subheading of the book "By Ra, An Humble Messenger".

I think I agree that the best opening in a conversation will be about large scale cosmology (What caused the big bang? Are we apart of a multi-verse and if so where did that come from? Why do things exist when they could just as easily not exist?) or Quantum Mechanics (Superposition has shown things can exist in two places simultaneously, what's up with that? How can two entangled particles interact instantly across the entire span of the universe with no apparent connection? How cool is it that at the basis of every sub-atomic particle is simply information as expressed by pure energy? Matter is just an interpretation of that... makes no damn sense and is so awesome!)

A last note- of paramount import when talking to an atheist as we are seekers on a path to positive polarity is to remain humble, understanding and non-confrontational at all times. Trust me- engaging in a debate is simply not worth it and will only result in both parties feeling more solidified in their initial position, not to mention callousing any sort of friendship you could have had with that individual, even if to a subtle degree. This happens often when neither party can conclusively prove their position to the other... (Speaking from first hand experience- lesson learned!) That's not to say you shouldn't enter a conversation about metaphysics, but I would highly recommend not becoming attached to an outcome and being light hearted about it. Not debating in other words. I wouldn't mention this except it's all too easy to feel compelled to debate since on the surface of things, it may sound like your entire belief system is being trampled upon and poo-pooed. That probably *is* what's happening, but the responsibility is on us to show the color of our characters by remaining humble.