Because it's come up recently...

[sammhain]

If the fact that I'm an atheist is going to drive you into a dramatic state of indignation because you for whatever dubious reason conceive of a personal god, do us both a favor and stop reading my journal before it happens.

Comments

[amp23]

No challenge here, but I'm curious to know how you see the beings you address and describe through your ritual work, as most practicioners I've known have ascribed such things to facets of a personal god.

[ankh_f_n_khonsu]

Not necessarily - someone could work with demons and angels and all manner of entities and still not buy into the "personal god" club.

[amp23]

this is true.

[sammhain]

True, additionally many magicians..perhaps even most working in the west would not bat an eye if it was suggested that a person externalize something they were wrestling with in order to banish it...and I can see applying those mechanics just as easily to entities that are somewhat more established allowing a person to work with them without believing they are divine or even "real" in the way we might think of ourselves as being real.

[ankh_f_n_khonsu]

I've found atheistic occultists to have mild entertainment value, and often see it as a developmental issue. As with all things, my experience is my own, and your mileage may vary.

[sammhain]

The bulk of atheistic magicians I've known have been overly reliant of pseudo-scientific psychological or quantum models...while I don't see anything wrong with that per say it is amusing when they disavow theistic models as being superstitious, because really in that sense their theories are no less superstitious from my perspective

[jillbamfette]

aha, I was wondering if an incident had prompted this post. I had something similarish happen. Also on facebook, oddly. A guy I knew from highschool saw some of the music I was listening to because I had some app that recorded what I was playing, some of which is kinda anti-religious. I had known him for years, but religion just never came up, though I did enter 'atheist' under the religion thingy in the Facebook info, not like i kept it a secret. But, he pitched a fit and unfriended me over music I was listening to because it said some unkind things about his magical sky-daddy.

[hollow_01]

I can stand the pink hair, the anarchy, the drinking, the smoking, the occult mumbo-jumbo, and the loud punk rock music, but you don't believe in a god!?!

Oh, dear lord. To the pope-mobile! This boy needs a deity, stat!

[sammhain]

xD

[plutopsyche]

Next can we talk about how it's impossible to have morals without imaginary parental figures threatening to destroy you if you misstep?

That's it.

[plutopsyche]

I'm totally unfriending you. I'm supposed to be the only intelligent atheistic magickian. You're totally ruining my unique street cred.

Geeze, at least you're not angling in on my maple syrup. Yet.

Re: That's it.

[sammhain]

I'm sure you'd regard me as a heathen of some sort as I steadfastly believe Vermont has the best maple syrup.

At the very least.

[plutopsyche]

Severely misguided. Have you been to Quebec? It's world famous!

[jillbamfette]

HEATHEN! *shuns*

(Kidding. Atheist too.)