Spooks and Spirits

Atheists that believe in ghosts? Really? There is such a thing? Well, apparently so. There are still atheists who believe in ghosts and spirits and Quija boards and other occult nonsense. I don't get it. If you rejected gods and goddesses because there was no proof how can you then accept spiritualism and the occult?

Ah, but I answered my own question, didn't I? Those "atheists" didn't reject religion because there was no proof. They rejected it because they didn't like those specific religions. They didn't like the Christian or Muslim or Jewish god, the Abrahamic religions. They didn't like Buddhism or Hinduism or Scientology or any of the other religions they've come across, but they would presumably be open to some other type of deity. Perhaps one that loves puppies and kittens and serves chocolates and ice cream on Sundays? The current major religions just didn't fit their personal aesthetic. They are of the "Atheist but still spiritual" ilk. Listen, I'm open to any and all possibilities. I'm open to the possibility of extraterrestrial visitation. Prove it and I'll believe it. Until then, no fucking way. I thought that, at the least, was something we could all agree on.

So let's look at it. In order to believe in ghosts and spirits you have to believe in an afterlife of some sort. You have to accept the idea of a mind/body duality. In other words, you have to ignore all the verifiable, quantifiable facts of the known world. You have to ignore all the advances in Neuroscience in the past century which can positively link consciousness, memory, and even personality to the brain which is perishable. You have to believe in the anecdotal evidence presented by those who have actually "seen" ghosts or experienced ghostly phenomenon despite the fact that any first year law or psychology student knows that eyewitness testimony is the least reliable. Yes, even what you think you've seen with your own eyes is questionable. In other words, in order to continue to believe in ghosts and spirits you have to make the same leap of faith as the religious. Many of them have also seen, heard, or felt Jesus, Mohammed, Krisna, Vishnu, and Buddha. I'm sure people saw Zeus and Apollo once as well. Hell, people have even seen fairies in their garden and we have no problem calling them delusional. How is that any different than seeing a ghost? It isn't. There is no difference. So why are you an atheist again?

If you are an atheist because you have a grudge against the church or against god then please do not call yourself an atheist. We've got enough bad publicity. We don't need you muddying the waters further. If you only reject Christianity or only reject Western Religion then please do not call yourself an atheist. If your disbelief is focused solely on The Bible then please do not call yourself an atheist. Even if the bible was not full of immorality and contradictions it would still be a collection of bullshit for the same reason all the rest of the religions are, because there's no proof for any of it. So, call yourself open-minded, a freethinker, agnostic, a fucking stardancer if that's what floats your boat. Call yourself anything you like, but you are not an atheist.

Let me be clear here. I am not trying to define atheism. There already is a definition for it.

a·the·ism [ey-thee-iz-uhm] –noun 1.the doctrine or belief that there is no god. 2. disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings. Origin: 1580–90; < Gk áthe ( os ) godless + -ism —Related forms: an·ti·a·the·ism, adjective, noun pro·a·the·ism, noun.

I am merely telling you what it is not and it is not a disbelief in god or goddesses but a belief in ghosts and spirits. There are millions of us to define what atheism is and our beliefs and disbeliefs vary, but the one unifying principle would be the acceptance of logic and science. At this point in time, neither science nor religion supports the belief in ghosts and spirits. When we hold on to these nonsensical beliefs we are guilty of the same silliness theists are guilty of and we deserve the same ridicule we give them.