Atheists Feel Awe, Too

[rug]

August 28, 201410:35 AM ET
by Barbara J. King

In Elizabeth Gilbert's brilliant novel The Signature of All Things, Alma Whittaker, the central character who was born in Philadelphia in 1800, is destined for a highly unconventional life as a woman in science.

Consumed by a love of botany, specifically of mosses, Whittaker grapples with questions that preoccupied many real-world minds of the 19th century, including Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace as they developed their theories of evolution. How can we understand the astounding variety of life in the natural world? If animals and plants are not after all created and fixed once and for all by God, by what mechanism did so many species arise?

These questions came to life for Alma when she discovered mosses. As a young unmarried woman confined to her father's estate in Philadelphia, her formidable sense of curiosity was dulled by familiarity. On those acres, she knew inside and out every tree, plant, insect and bird, and yearned for something new to explore. By accident, she found it one day — mosses, gloriously alive on a boulder:

"Alma put the magnifying lens to her eye and looked again. Now the miniature forest below her gaze sprang into majestic detail. She felt her breath catch. This was a stupefying kingdom. This was the Amazon jungle as seen from the back of harpy eagle. She rode her eye above the surprising landscape, following its paths in every direction. Here were rich, abundant valleys filled with tiny trees of braided mermaid hair and miniscule, tangled vines. Here were barely visible tributaries running through that jungle, and here was a miniature ocean in a depression in the center of the boulder, where all the water pooled."

Nearby, on that same boulder, Alma soon saw:

" ... another continent of moss altogether. On this new continent, everything was different. This corner of the boulder must receive more sunlight than the other, she surmised. Or slightly less rain? In any case, this was a new climate entirely."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2014/08/28/343952506/atheists-feel-awe-too

This book has been getting outstanding reviews since it came out. Most are intrigued by its character study of a nineteenth century woman who remained single throughout her life and spent it studying mosses. I haven't seen a review before this focusing on belief and nonbelief.

[SecularMotion]

1. I love a good aww

http://www.reddit.com/r/aww/

[rug]

2. Lol, that's the silliest thing I've seen all week.

And I go out of my way to look for silly things.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. Who the fuck thought we *didn't* feel awe?

I mean, WTF

[cbayer]

4. It's merely an attempt to take the religious connotation out of the concept of awe.

It's a good thing.

[AtheistCrusader]

5. This begs additional questions.

Who thought awe was the domain of religion? Or wonder? Or other related emotions?

Are we perceived to be so far outside the human condition that we are incapable of common emotions?

[cbayer]

6. Some people do think that. This article is about challenging that notion.

Jeez, it's easy to push your buttons sometimes.

This is not about atheists, it's about awe. You have taken it completely out of context and used it as a reason to get outraged.

Simmer down. You are clearly capable of all kinds of emotions.

Unless, of course, you are a Vulcan, which you certainly are not.

[AtheistCrusader]

8. Who? Like where?

Where are these people who didn't know atheists are capable of emotions?
It's right there in the title assertion, that Atheists(TM) do indeed feel awe.

Who the hell didn't know that?

[cbayer]

10. OMG, AC. This isn't about atheists.

It is about how the word is defined. There are some that imbue it with a religious connotation. This article makes the point that it is not.

You are getting yourself really worked up about nothing, but your new thread on this topic may be exactly what you need to feed the outrage.

[AtheistCrusader]

11. Does not compute.

The article title is specifically within that context.

awe
/ɔː/
noun
1. overwhelming wonder, admiration, respect, or dread
2. (archaic) power to inspire fear or reverence

verb

3. (transitive) to inspire with reverence or dread


Where are all these archaic people hiding at?

[cbayer]

13. The article is supportive, it is affirmative.

The title is mocking those that would think otherwise.

Don't let yourself get set off by a title. Take time to read it.

Really, you are better than that.

[AtheistCrusader]

16. The article shifts the question to meaning. Not awe.

""You see, I have never felt the need to invent a world beyond this world, for this world has always seemed large and beautiful enough for me. I have wondered why it is not large and beautiful enough for others — why they must dream up new and marvelous spheres, or long to live elsewhere, beyond this dominion ... but that is not my business. We are all different, I suppose.""

This is a consistent meme expressed by atheists for as long as I have been aware of the term, myself. (and thus found out I was one.)

How is this controversial?

[cbayer]

25. It is not controversial. That's exactly the point.

It is only you that is making it so.

Of course atheists experience awe and every other emotion under the sun.

[cbayer]

29. Hey, great job with that no-meta in AA crusade.

Thanks for providing yet another opportunity for people to personally attack individuals who post in this group.

Salud!

[AtheistCrusader]

35. The hunger parody?

Oh buy, that's an 'attack' all right.

Meh.

[AtheistCrusader]

41. If you look very carefully

You'll find I mocked content, not Rug.

[cbayer]

43. It was the opportunity that you provided that I was commenting on.

It's easy to say "meh" when you are not the target.

[AtheistCrusader]

44. The opportunity that I provided...

Fascinating.

[whatthehey]

19. So an OP stating "Christians Understand Science, Too"

referrring to some cutesy glurge about an altarboy who studied worms would be supportive and affirmative of Christians? Nobody would take it as a backhanded swipe at the asumption that they do not?

[rug]

20. No. But "Christians Believe Fairy Tales" would.

[NeoGreen]

21. Wait..are you suggesting that the statement "Christians Believe Fairy Tales" would be...

...supportive and affirmative of Christians?

Have I interpreted your response incorrectly?

Is that the idea you meant to convey?

[cbayer]

28. That is not what he meant at all, obviously.

It seems very clear that that would be a statement that one might take offense at, as opposed to one similar to the title of this OP.

[cbayer]

26. That would be a great headline.

There is a certain group that likes to make the claim that christians as a whole reject or don't understand science. Clearly that is false. An article that talked about Christians who embraced science would be a wonderful counter to that contention.


Anyone who too it as you and AC are apparently taking it would be mistaken and only reacting to the headline in my opinion.

C'mon. There are really important issues pertaining to prejudice against atheists. This certainly can't be one of them.

[Curmudgeoness]

24. Atheists Feel Awe, Too

That is the subject line on this OP. That is one good reason that anyone would think that this is about atheists, and their feelings, and awe.

But I suppose that is out of context.

[cbayer]

27. It is a statement of fact that is being put out there as a challenge to

anyone who would say they didn't.

In my reading, it is a shot back at those who would make the claim that atheists are incapable of certain feelings or lacking something.

It is about atheists, their feelings and awe, but it is a positive take on it.

I think those getting offended are not reading past the headline and, frankly, just looking for something to be offended about.

Nice to see you.

[PassingFair]

33. Who made you School Marm?

"Simmer down"?

[cbayer]

34. I don't know. Who made you the principal?

Do you think that AC needs your help here? I don't.

[rug]

7. Tell me you haven't heard that.

[AtheistCrusader]

9. Oh. I guess Oprah Winfrey said it.

Huh.

Well, she's an idiot then.

[rug]

12. Sorry, compared to all the whining anecdotes I've heard about people saying God Bless You

after a sneeze, to arguments in checkout lines when the cashier says, Have A Blessed Day, to being afraid to announce one's opinions, this is a very common statement and one, to my ear, of the more offensive ones.

I won't bring it up again if I don't have to hear about being oppressed by words on a coin.

[AtheistCrusader]

14. I haven't heard it much myself.

Searching for 'do atheists experience awe', pretty much comes up with the Oprah/Diana Nyad kerfuffle.

[rug]

15. Where I've heard it most is in quasi-"thoughtful" contexts when people attempt

to explain the paucity of atheism compared to religion. It's a crock that doesn't have the decency to die quietly.

Talk about condescension.

[AtheistCrusader]

17. Huh. I thought it was dead.

Maybe it's still an issue?
I don't know.

Like I said, I don't hear/see it much.
After this thread, if I do see it, some poor bastard is going to get an instant earful in response and have no idea what set me off.

[rug]

18. There's a lot more real misperceptions out there than the baby-eating meme.

[intaglio]

30. I have had the concept that you need to be religious to feel awe quoted at me on DU

by a couple of fundamentalists now no longer with us (it may have been on DU2). I've also seen the idea that religious style ecstasy is the province only of the faithful put forward. When I pointed out that awe and ecstasy are a fairly common currency of human experience I was informed that it was not real awe and ecstasy ...

[eqfan592]

37. rug, always and forever the champion of Religious Privilege.

And don't you dare attempt to question it, lest he accuse you of "whining."

Only with religious privilege is that attitude acceptable among the progressive community.

[rug]

38. Thanks for the title but I prefer Foe of Bullshit.

You sound offended.

[pinto]

42. What religious attitudes are acceptable among the progressive community?

Setting aside the Christian religious right with their blatant church/state agendas or religious extremists of any faith.

Do you see any religious points of view that support progressive communities?

[LiberalAndProud]

22. I imagine that there are many things that believers attribute to spiritual beliefs

that really are quite apart from believing in spirits at all.

Interesting read, Rug.

[Starboard Tack]

31. Well, I live in a constant state of awe.

And I love Elizabeth Gilbert. One of my favorite authors.

[rug]

32. Lol, I live in a constant state of wtf!

[Starboard Tack]

39. That's close to "Aw you've gotta be shitting me!"

I woke up yesterday to a wtf moment. There seven dogs walking through our yard (sorry, I mean olive grove), meandering between the olive trees. They were a motley crew, ranging from a german shepherd to an imitation miniature chihuahua and everything in between. All tiptoeing through the tulips in line. Seven dogs and the leader of the pack, alpha dog, was the Italian bonsai chihuahua.
If you look carefully, you can count the first 6 her https://vimeo.com/104810396
the 7th is hiding behind the tree, but he finally comes out here https://vimeo.com/104810554

[rug]

40. They seem so determined.

Reminds me of some days in here. I half expected a smiley to bring up the rear.

[pinto]

36. Sounds like a good read. I think every one feels awe.

I've been awed at little chapels, churches, great cathedrals. Art, religious and secular. The classic train stations of the golden rail era. Numerous National Parks. NYC coming in by ferry. The Southwest deserts. The vastness of the country seen at ground level on cross country trips. The life teeming beneath the grass in one square foot of lawn.

It's a hard to describe sense for me, but "I was in awe" works well enough.

(lol) Edited "food" to read "good".

[AtheistCrusader]

45. Carlin was a notable atheist... He used the phrase a lot.

You can get it from the first 30 seconds of this.