| Once we arrive at the conclusion that
| |
| | supernatural.
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| mere matter and natural laws are not
| |
| | To disprove events such as near-death and
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| sufficient to explain the existence of
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| | out-of-body experiences, some skeptical
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| the universe and life, but a super
| |
| | investigators duplicate elements of these
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| intelligence is, then what? For some,
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| | experiences with drugs such as DMT and
|
| this begins a life of exploration.
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| | LSD and with centrifugal g-force
|
| Others turn the matter over to organized
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| | experiments. The assumption is that if
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| religions that claim to be a conduit to
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| | unusual phenomena can be induced by a
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| the creator. For yet others, who assume
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| | physical act, in other words shown to be
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| supernatural is synonymous with
| |
| | natural, that that diminishes their merit
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| superstition, it means stopping before
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| | by proving they are not supernatural.
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| they begin.
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| | The logic of that escapes me. The fact
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| The word supernatural is laden with
| |
| | that physical natural factors can induce
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| emotion and confusion. It connotes a
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| | extraordinary phenomena does not prove
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| surrealism, subjectivity and phantasm
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| | that such events cannot occur outside of
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| that makes it easy to set aside, reject
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| | the laboratory in the private lives of
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| or use to justify an agenda. In
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| | individuals. It proves that apparently
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| religions it circumscribes a sacred
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| | "supernatural" events are natural.
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| domain where profane and mundane science
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| | Exactly my point: there is no dividing
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| cannot tread and where religious leaders
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| | line between the two.
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| can claim special knowledge and exert
| |
| | Weird extraordinary things are not that
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| power. Materialists use the word to
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| | at all, in a more expansive understanding
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| smugly describe the place where people go
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| | of reality. The point needs to be
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| when they have abandoned science and
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| | whether things are true, if they are
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| reason.
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| | facts and actually happen, not whether we
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| Here's the point I would like to make
| |
| | can classify them as supernatural or not.
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| that will clear the air for all sides and
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| | So let's strike the word "supernatural"
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| create common ground for progress: there
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| | from vocabulary (put in quotes
|
| is no supernatural; there is only
| |
| | henceforth) and from our logic. That way
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| natural.
| |
| | we will not be surprised by discovery or
|
| This is why I can say such a thing. To
| |
| | disappointed that our special little
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| know what supernatural is, natural must
| |
| | "supernatural" thing turned out to be
|
| be defined. The prefix, "super," means
| |
| | natural.
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| beyond, or exceeding. So we must know
| |
| | Understanding that all is natural opens
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| where "natural" ends before we can know
| |
| | the mind, removes fear and makes
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| what is beyond it. The problem is, no
| |
| | everything fair game for study and
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| one would (a better word is should) be so
| |
| | exploration. On the other hand, the more
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| silly or bold as to define the limits of
| |
| | "supernatural" we accede to, the more we
|
| natural. That's because philosophic and
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| | are helpless victims and supplicants.
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| religious ideas that separate natural
| |
| | Religion - constructed around the
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| from supernatural have fallen one after
| |
| | "supernatural" - can be an excuse to
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| another to the revelations of scientific
| |
| | escape responsibility for our own actions
|
| exploration. Lightning turned out not to
| |
| | and put things in God's "supernatural"
|
| be arrows in the quivers of supernatural
| |
| | court: "It was God's will," "God made me
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| gods, disease was not supernatural devil
| |
| | do it," "God is punishing me," "God is
|
| possession and the universe was not a
| |
| | blessing me." How convenient for those
|
| supernatural firmament circling the
| |
| | not wanting to take responsibility for
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| Earth.
| |
| | their own actions. Life is better lived
|
| In earlier times, the state was religion
| |
| | as if an atheist (no irreverence or
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| and the church defined science. Ancient
| |
| | disrespect intended): Don't blame God and
|
| Egypt and Rome typified this. There was
| |
| | don't expect God to step in.
|
| no real separation of secular from
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| | Those who claim special knowledge of the
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| religious. All was hunky dory. Then
| |
| | "supernatural" can gather power to
|
| along came the scientific revolution,
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| | themselves to lord it over those who buy
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| beginning in the 17th century, and
| |
| | into their claim of privilege. We mere
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| science decided to depart from the fold.
| |
| | natural creatures can only bow to that
|
| A truce was made and a deal struck
| |
| | which is beyond nature and to the agents
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| whereby the church could have the
| |
| | who claim their guesses about it are
|
| supernatural, and science would take the
| |
| | sureties. But how can any mere natural
|
| natural. The fear of being shot down yet
| |
| | creature speak with certainty about that
|
| again by science has created a mood of
| |
| | which is "supernatural," and therefore
|
| capitulation by religions. They have
| |
| | unreal?
|
| surrendered even where they need not
| |
| | Not only do some within religion take
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| have, such as with the issue of
| |
| | advantage of the "supernatural," so too
|
| evolution.
| |
| | do materialists. The latter assume, with
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| In any case, this unwritten agreement
| |
| | no little bravado, that because the
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| about a division of authority worked out
| |
| | "supernatural" has had to constantly
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| pretty well until quantum physics showed
| |
| | retreat in the face of advancing science,
|
| that there was no real divide between the
| |
| | that eventually everything will be
|
| physical and non physical (the
| |
| | measured and tallied with their machines.
|
| supernatural). Now we are once again at
| |
| | They see "supernatural" as an excuse for
|
| the point where all knowledge properly
| |
| | intellectual laziness. To them the
|
| belongs under one header:
| |
| | "supernatural" is either unreal,
|
| reality-truth-nature.
| |
| | fraudulent, or a part of nature waiting
|
| This is an interesting state of affairs,
| |
| | to be harnessed by scientific instruments
|
| not particularly comfortable for either
| |
| | and nomenclature.
|
| side. Religion sees its supernatural
| |
| | The failure of the "supernatural" in the
|
| being whittled away by advancing science;
| |
| | past to stand up to scientific scrutiny
|
| science sees its materialism vaporizing
| |
| | gives materialists an excuse to reject
|
| into a quantum world that has flavors of
| |
| | all nonmaterial phenomena and assume that
|
| religion.
| |
| | materialism is an accurate explanation of
|
| Exploration is the enemy of the
| |
| | all of reality...which it most certainly
|
| supernatural. The more we learn, the more
| |
| | is not. In other words, since science
|
| natural there is and the less
| |
| | defeated the supernatural doctrine that
|
| supernatural. That does not bode well
| |
| | the Earth was the center of the universe,
|
| for the word. When a concept keeps
| |
| | it is reasoned that science will defeat
|
| caving in to the pressure of advancing
| |
| | any religious, spiritual or metaphysical
|
| knowledge, it may be a good time to
| |
| | idea. To them no investigation is
|
| retire it. If we do, a reason for much
| |
| | needed. Something being "supernatural"
|
| of the conflict between science and
| |
| | is enough reason to reject it out of
|
| religion will disappear.
| |
| | hand. "Supernatural" becomes an easily
|
| Since truth is our objective, discarding
| |
| | defeated straw man.
|
| a word should not be a problem. That
| |
| | By assuming that things beyond measuring
|
| which is revealed from nature, natural
| |
| | are just religious fantasy or psychic
|
| things, is just truth. There is neither
| |
| | voodoo, materialists close off discovery
|
| super-truth nor super-nature. Truth is
| |
| | and condemn themselves to a narrowed and
|
| truth. We may not have fully discovered
| |
| | constricted viewpoint that reveals only a
|
| all the truth nature contains - and we
| |
| | smidgen of reality. On the other hand,
|
| certainly haven't - but that does not
| |
| | by attempting to strictly define the
|
| make the yet unknown super-truth or
| |
| | "supernatural" and then having that
|
| supernatural.
| |
| | definition constantly gnawed away by
|
| All things of truth are natural, even
| |
| | advancing science, the religionist is
|
| that which we cannot see, hear, feel,
| |
| | faced with constant intellectual
|
| smell, touch or even conceptualize.
| |
| | dilemmas. However, if "supernatural" is
|
| Radio waves are natural, X-rays are, as
| |
| | stricken from vocabulary, everything then
|
| are microbes, molecules, atoms and
| |
| | becomes natural. The materialist cannot
|
| quanta, even though they are invisible,
| |
| | so easily dismiss nonmaterial events no
|
| unknown to our naked senses and
| |
| | matter how weird they may be; the
|
| fundamentally inconceivable. There are
| |
| | religionist can welcome any discovery
|
| infinite unknowns beyond our perception
| |
| | science has to offer.
|
| and even our technology. Is it all
| |
| | Omitting "supernatural" opens the whole
|
| supernatural or is it just nature yet
| |
| | panorama of reality for exploration and
|
| undiscovered or poorly understood?
| |
| | discovery. The more we learn about
|
| That's rhetorical. Is it not the height
| |
| | nature, the greater its girth. What lies
|
| of egocentricity and an outrageous
| |
| | out there yet to be discovered, however,
|
| curiosity of humans that we would define
| |
| | is natural even if we never discover it,
|
| the world as divided into natural and
| |
| | are incapable of doing so - or it has no
|
| supernatural based upon what we humans
| |
| | corpus and is infinite, omniscient,
|
| have or have not discovered or
| |
| | omnipresent and omnipotent.
|
| understand?
| |
| | In the end, the term "supernatural," (and
|
| Extraordinary, miraculous and paranormal
| |
| | remember it is only a word) seems to only
|
| events are actually only glimpses of
| |
| | create utility for those who make
|
| reality beyond normal human bounds, not
| |
| | pretentious claims to know all about it,
|
| aberrations beyond nature. They are just
| |
| | and to provide an excuse for
|
| preternatural, meaning outside the normal
| |
| | materialist's rejection of anything that
|
| course of nature, unusual, not
| |
| | falls under its rubric. Demystifying
|
| supernatural. If a person can walk
| |
| | reality by releasing it from the
|
| through a wall, materialize objects out
| |
| | artificial bonds of "supernatural" is the
|
| of thin air, see through matter, rise
| |
| | necessary beginning to rational,
|
| from the dead or predict the future, that
| |
| | scientific and spiritual (three words
|
| means they have a special ability to tap
| |
| | that should mean the same thing)
|
| into a part of natural reality that most
| |
| | discovery.
|
| people cannot, not that they are
| |
| |
|
