Have you ever had an experience where you suddenly felt more religious or spiritual while under a lot of stress?

grrrrrrrr I'm gettting my own foxhole so I can do and feel however I want to!

don't mind me, I put myself under stress so I could fully answer the question.

No. I usually feel more aggressive and defensive while under a lot of stress.

This happened to me a couple months ago. While worrying about a sick friend, after some bad news and a late night phone call that I didn't answer because I was asleep (then later fearing it might have been someone calling to tell me the friend suddenly died). I, a raving atheist, actually starting praying in a sense (really, it was more like negotiating with God or begging God for my friend to be OK). I was extra worried and not fully awake at the time. That's my only excuse.

Sure. I am prone to wishful thinking.

Once when I was really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really high on drugs I thought I was having a religious experience. However, when I'm under a lot of stress it just reinforces the fact that gods don't exist. As for atheists in foxholes, I don't believe it's impossible that one would choose to exhaust all options (including the ludicrous ones) while anticipating assistance by asking for help from a popular imaginary friend... it's just highly unlikely.

No but humans, under this sort of stress, turn to a higher source for an understanding of the world. The reality is, they only learn more about themselves.

No. I have felt pressurised to try and believe, but I don't think that's the kind of stress you mean. I have never felt religious or spiritual at times when I have been afraid, panicked or distressed. If anything, those situations tend to make me more rational, because it's easier to cope by dealing with them in an objective way rather than getting emotional. The times in my life when I have been most afraid, I have felt very alone. I derive great comfort from people, and it's lacking that support which tends to allow me to reach extreme levels of fear or distress. However, my mind simply doesn't turn to some supernatural force when I am lacking human support.

Was it God that you were pleading with, or the universe? Either way, I don't think that praying under those sorts of situations undermines your atheist credentials. I haven't experienced anything like what you describe, but I think it represents a willingness to sacrifice anything to try and make things better, even to the extent of your own pride. I don't think it's stress as much as vulnerability - we all do things that are out of character when we feel at our most vulnerable.

I actually think this sort of thing helps proves that we made God up, since it correlates stress/worry/vulnerability with manifestation of belief. And I assume that's essentially where the whole idea of God came from long in the past as well. In my case, I was raised Catholic, so I can't separate that entirely from some of my thoughts (it wasn't the universe, it was God that came to mind). Though I don't believe there is a God, I do know a lot of the Christian dogma. I assume I must have asked God for stuff when I was a kid or something (I don't recall specifically), so under stress I slipped back into that.

Anyway, it was really just an interesting experience that didn't have any lasting effect on me (I shouldn't have implied I was ashamed about it).

My friend is a lot better now too. Thank you God! (just kidding)

No never have felt this way before and i am not religious

> This happened to me a couple months ago. While worrying about a sick
> friend, after some bad news and a late night phone call that I didn't
> answer because I was asleep (then later fearing it might have been
> someone calling to tell me the friend suddenly died). I, a raving
> atheist, actually starting praying in a sense (really, it was more
> like negotiating with God or begging God for my friend to be OK).
> I was extra worried and not fully awake at the time. That's my only
> excuse.

Wow Bill this is really strange indeed never heard this one

> My friend is a lot better now too. Thank you God! (just kidding)

LMAO!

No.

No.

I have been in situations where I felt more connected to everyone around me though. Post 9/11 is a good example.

There are only atheists in foxholes.

No such luck.

> Once when I was really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really high on drugs


Gosh, I didn't know it was possible to get THAT high on drugs!

Actually, it happened twice. The first time I was so high that I was face down on my bed and at one with the Universe. The second time (which is the one that came to mind when I answered this survey) I thought God was talking to me through my television set.

Jeezo. I've reached far into my happy place, but that's about it.

I used to do the best stuff ever.

Quite often.

I've also had the near opposite, being cut off from spiritual chanelling when I felt I most desperately need it.

Did you actually feel more religious or spiritual though?

Well, I suppose being willing to give it a try somewhat qualifies (as feeling more religious), but did you have any 'sensation' beyond hope that you might actually get some higher-power connection thing happening?

It's ego surrender, not desperation, which typically brings about spiritual aid.
Unfortunately (to my thinking at least) faith is a sort of bizarre catch-22 the way it works.

I hear you on your theories. Had I not direct experiences, I'd be inclined to believe your origin theory, and as pertains a great deal of 'religious' people, I'm inclined to think that that's still what drives most of them anyhow.

Stop, you'll make me jealous. I got all mature and responsible.

Yeah. Me too.

That seems like an eastern vs. western religious thing to me. I think I see what you mean. I didn't really intend this as anything particularly deep/real. I'm sure I don't really understand true religious/spiritual experience.

Sucks, doesn't it.

Sometimes. Not always. I've left that kind of stuff back in my 20s.

I didn't think you meant anything deep, but it was an opportunity to bring it up. No, it's not an East/West thing. In fact it's more of a West thing, where there is a difference between religious belief and spiritual experience. I gather that in the East (I could be way wrong on this) that people take spiritual experiences more seriously, though less of a big deal, and don't make a big deal of having religious beliefs in the absence of spiritual experience, as we do here. It seems to be more of a middle ground akin to nature there, without pressure to believe things you don't experience.

Religious/spiritual experience is a pretty vast territory, and I doubt few on the planet understand the majority of it. It's actually a lot like computer programming though, in that the more you know, the more you realize what seems to exist that you don't know. In my case I suspect there's stuff in that middle ground between religious and spiritual that I am unfamiliar with. Without some of that going on, I can't imagine purely 'religious' would hold much ground, as they don't particularly showcase the 'spiritual', yet I'd hope must have some anchor in experience for at least a few key proponents beyond history tales.

I don't find it surprising that some religious peole can change religions or become atheists at the drop of a hat.

One huge mysterious shortcoming of the whole religious spiritual supernatural paradigm is that there is no single uniform consistent scientific vocabulary for discussing experiences, not just between faiths, but even within single faiths. We all know the difference between jealousy and envy, few know the difference between greatly different things like satori and samadhi, or even mean the same things when they use such a word. The hindus actually have 100's of words to separate these things, but we need something in English with very specific meanings that can translate to any faith.

Here we have Christians who use the word 'prayer' to possibly mean a hundred slightly different things, like a movie director telling an actor to have emotion. It's like 1984 New-Speak. People can't possibly communicate, discern, and evaluate when everything is lumped into nebulous concepts. The vocabulary we have to work with here isn't nearly as concrete as the difference 'dream', 'daydream', and 'fantasize', which aren't too tighly consistently defined either.

Veering off topic here, I find it interesting that different languages lean more towards verbs (English), nouns (German), or adjectives (French). I think just within my own lifetime English has shifted from subjective, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, towards objective/nouns. My guess is that that will create a downward spiral from artists, philosphers, and engineers to a culture of technicians.

Religious is when you are willing to change your thoughts and beliefs, but are still operating from thoughts and beliefs, with our without evidence. Spiritual is when you feel you are connected &/or experiencing things differently. ..or at least that's the way I see it. Religious people may conceive of it differently. Understandably, given their typical predicament, they often don't seem to like to give 'spiritual' notions the time of day, and often even go so far as to declare anything supernatural as satanic. Not that I believe in a second coming, but I'm convinced that if there were one, the fundamentalists would have Christ lynched before he could make his first television appearance. His only hope would be to materialize as an adult on prime-time TV and immediately announce himself as Christ. Coming back incarnate as Arthur Chung and studying Buddhism as a kid with a knack for the supernatural wouldn't remotely cut it, no matter what mid-level miracles he could pull off.

I'm still in 20s.

Good luck with that.