Can Atheists have mystical Experiences?

Traditionally, philosophers and spiritual leaders have believed that you must be religious to have a mystical and profound experience. You at least need to believe a God or deity exists to experience something profound, right?

From 2011-2016, the percentage of non-religious people in Australia grew by 50%. Census data shows that Australians are becoming increasingly non-religious or atheistic, so how do they find meaning in their lives? Ari Moore, a PhD student in philosophy sought to find out if people without a religious belief or an atheist could have mystical experiences.

Ari’s research drew upon the work of Harvard Psychologist, William James. James studied the non-religious experiences of people and found a common trigger for a profound and mystical experience, in nature. Time spent in nature, contemplating nature and enjoying the outdoors in general was associated with non-religious people having profound experiences.

William James thought 4 things needed to happen to be able to describe someone’s experience as “mystical”:

• Ineffability - or unable to describe the experience to someone else
• Noetical - or insightful or illuminating intellectual experience
• Transiency - they cannot be maintained for a long time
• Passivity - meaning that we did not do anything specific to make them happen

Now this is a slightly old-fashioned way of describing mystical experiences. If you have ever had one, you might find you agree with them. The indescribable and ecstatic experience also leaves you with incredible clarity about what is true, it doesn’t last long and happens when we aren’t necessarily seeking it There’s a growing body of scholarly works exploring non-religious people’s profound experiences when in nature, this shouldn’t surprise Christians who know their Bibles.

In Christian thought, nature has often been referred to as God’s “second book”. And even though it predates the writings of scripture, it tells us so much about him and ourselves. Romans 1 – “talks about the creation of the world where God’s invisible qualities⎯his eternal power and divine nature⎯have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made”.

So when you’re chatting with a non-religious friend, you could ask them what they feel like when they get out in nature, or what makes their lives meaningful and profound.

To listen to the whole conversation between Ari Moore and Deeper Questions host Aaron Johnstone, listen on our website or search for Deeper Questions wherever you get your podcasts.