What is ‘atheist’ spirituality?
For some, the idea of atheist spirituality doesn’t make sense. But a lack of belief in a god does not necessarily rule out an acknowledgment of human spirituality. Atheism does not necessarily mean that someone only believes that our experiences exist on a physical level. Atheism is the absence of belief in a god or gods. However, you can still have a spiritual awareness or belief in something beyond yourself. There is nothing about atheism which stops a person from having such spiritual experiences, quests or an on going search for meaning in life.
Much of what people describe as ‘spirituality’ seems to have more to do with emotions. Atheist spirituality could describe one’s attempt to show their emotions and their emotional reactions to things rather than a set of beliefs and ideas.
In the quote below, Albert Einstein, a physicist, shows his own emotional response to the physical world:
'The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day.'
From the memoirs of William Miller, an editor, quoted in Life magazine, May 2, 1955