Spirituality for Freethinkers

Abraham Lincoln's Inauguration Bible

Most theists I have encountered [See Note 1] believe spirituality to be a metaphysical force that is born of a close relationship between a penitent’s soul and a supernatural divine being or power.  Such theists believe atheists and agnostics and other nontheists cannot experience spirituality.  On the other hand, secular spirituality is born of connections to people, not deities.  This view of spirituality is consistent with both theism and atheism: belief in “God” or belief in a supernatural being or force is neither required nor antithetical.

Nontheists are divided into three groups on this subject: those who define spirituality the same way theists do and hence reject it; those who believe in a secular spirituality but reject the word “spirituality”; and those who believe in spirituality and use or even—as I do—embrace the word.

Secular spirituality reflects the metaphysical components of humanism [See Note 2] and helps theists and nontheists alike find inner peace, happiness, joy, and, in the case of humanists and Christians and Zoroastrians, the motivation to improve the world.  Everyone who experiences spirituality experiences it in their souls [See Note 3].  However, secular spirituality is experienced while one seeks personal fulfillment through connections with others, individually and in groups, and frequently with humanity as a whole, if not with the entire universe.  Secular spirituality is often experienced through altruistic fellowship.  Love, compassion, patience, forgiveness, responsibility, harmony, and a concern for others are hallmarks of this spiritual experience.

Nontheists who believe in and experience spirituality may—as a spiritual matter itself—see it as necessary for all human fulfillment, not just their own.  Humanists, for instance, typically believe all things are interconnected.  Some even believe all things are not only interconnected but are interdependent, and that thoughts and emotions, words, and actions that are in harmony with this belief produce spirituality.

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[1] The main sources for this document are my own experiences and conversations on the subject of religion , together with an essay by Jennifer Hancock published in the 9 April 2011 edition of the the Bradenton (FL) Herald.  Ms. Hancock is the former executive director of the Humanists of Florida Association.  Her essay can be found at the following web address: https://www.bradenton.com/living/religion/article34509432.html

[2] Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11^th ed.) defines humanism as follows: “a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values, … rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual’s dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason.”

[3] In my own experience, nontheists who use the word “soul” use it to refer to the core of one’s being, one’s essence.  The secular "soul," unlike the religious one, doesn't exist before earthly birth and dies when the brain dies.