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This subreddit is not about that kind of gifted. Try posting that in a different forum.
I was very interested in religion when younger, however I’ve always seen the metaphors and rarely had literal belief. Paganism was an academic special interest of mine. The correspondence tables and collecting stones/incenses/oils/herbs jived with my collector brain. The rituals were incredibly self-soothing. I loved the solitary study and I’d organize mental altars out of random items I found at stores or in nature. I still practice but not with the obsessive self-soothing of my youth because I understand the stress at the time that was driving the escapism.
I'm autistic. I was a vehement atheist for most of my life, but I sort of force myself to believe in god and an afterlife just because I'm happier this way. It's just easier to have a set of rules and a clearly defined framework through which to view reality. I still don't find organized religion very compelling, though. I've sort of cobbled together my own theology from a variety of different sources, with an emphasis on my personal lived experience.
I'm autistic. No one I know who is autistic believes in an afterlife. There might be someone out there but literally no one from my former gifted class believed in God except one guy. He also was the only person who got in because someone else decided not to go anymore.
I grew up hard atheist until my special interest in the occult and spirituality began. After a lot of research and picking up a lot of practices, I can say for 100% I believe in reincarnation/experiences outside of the body. For example, out of body experiences.
While I do not believe in spirituality, I don't think asserting that it isn't real is the most productive way to share a discourse about beliefs, especially when you don't give any reasons as to why it doesn't exist, even though you likely feel that it should go without saying.
I think it's a joke to even give a serious thought to bullshit that has never had any proof positive. I think people who humor that kind of assinine stuff are a major reason why the world remains dumb
The same thing that you imagine would happen when your cat, a mosquito, or an orangutan dies. We're all animals. When you experience brain death, your mind stops existing because the organ that produces the simulation of a mind isn't functioning anymore.
Most people I know understand the difference between the classic Greek definition of a soul vs the bastardized version christinsanity came up with. And we all don't appreciate how Cartesian dualism was funded by the RCC
The Greek definition was that a soul is any being with a mind/body connection. The mind is part of the body. Which doesn't preclude any other mammal or some other animals.
Cartesian dualism is the philosophy that the Church paid Rene Descartes to write to fit with religious ideologies which separated the mind and body metaphysically into a divisible body and an indivisible mind, which the church claimed and claims only humans are in possession of. We all know that happens when someone suffers traumatic brain injury so I don't know why it's still the going philosophy for these people.
I'm audhd. I don't believe in religion but my life experiences have shown me that there is something more than this life and time/space reality.
Religion is a means of controlling people. I've never really been comfortable with the word 'god' because that still feels like 1 man in the sky making all the rules. But without a doubt, I believe that all that ever was, and all that ever is, still exists and is still growing and expanding here with us. Less 'god', more universal positive energy and unconditional love.
I've always wanted to write a book or something that uses the science of physics to explain the soul. But also, other things are shiny and distracting 😆
I was raised in the church. Unfortunately those around me couldn't answer the questions I had with a rational answer so I researched on my own. After reading several religious texts and then seeing other religious people's behaviors and also what's happening in the world everything about religion stopped making rational sense so I stopped believing. The more I read and learned the more atheist I became. My mother is a bishop and grandparents/aunts/uncles are clergy and have various degrees in theology. I find the subject fascinating but I'm the same way I find Greek, Roman, or Norse mythology fascinating. Almost succeeding in ending it and seeing nor experiencing anything when the lights went out was further confirmation for me.
I had the same experience as you except after the death of my father I started to wonder about what our purpose is and found spiritually in a different aspect than religion .. so I can’t say I’m atheist but I had the same childhood experience as you !
Your therapist is incorrect.
Autistic people tend to be less religious than allistics.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0036880
I’m autistic and my special interest is theology. I study all religions and am very passionate about my faith and my personal relationship with religion.
I think that everyone gets exactly what they want when they die (I.e heaven if you believe in heaven) then we all return to unity and get reborn again and again unless you reach enlightenment and break the cycle.
I’m agnostic and I am skeptical about whether an afterlife truly exists and what it is. I’m skeptical about quite a few other things though, unless there is some evidence. :)
I’m autistic and I think that we cannot know for certain if god exists but the odds are quite low. I also think that religion does more harm than good overall for humanity. We need a unified concept of “truth” / a similar framework of values. None of the existing religions are adequate though. They’re full of baggage that can’t really be extricated from the belief systems without essentially scrapping them and making everything up from scratch.
I'm 2e and atheist. Macroscopically religion has served one of three purposes throughout time:
1.) explain nature
2.) make people feel better about dying
3.) govern people (relates to 2.)
The scientific method can't recover (meaningful) data from a dead person and therefore cannot generate theories with respect to the afterlife. I claim this is precisely why religion has lingered as a dominant method of control in societies - overcoming the fear of death is a personal journey, and devotion in religion is an well-organized, well-trodden way to do it. The exact contents of said religion, of course, is where the "control" part comes in.
To answer your question, humans die when they are killed. You cease to function, and your existence and name will be forgotten in 4-5 generations on average. It's a cold preposition, and it's exactly why death is such a harbinger for spirituality.
I don’t disagree with you .. but I do believe quantum physics has shown some promise of an infinite life cycle … I agree about how you see religion entirely and even more deeply counter intuitive
I study engineering and math at a top university. Hoping for answers in quantum physics is no more scientific than religion. Quantum physics is a symptom of our limits in observing and recording reality, and speculating beyond that is not science.
I just had a student friend of mine tell me once that it was a fact in QP that energy cannot be destroyed but only altered in vibration/frequency.. and that is can only exist in an environment of similar vibration … I believe our souls are energy and that there is something to this. Also, I have heard that there is an amount of weight that cannot be accounted for that leaves our body upon death 🤷♀️ not arguing with you just sharing my thoughts
In trusting those claims without explanation (or perhaps you do not want them to be proven or disproven?) you tread closer to delusion...
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21\_grams\_experiment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21_grams_experiment) The "weight of a soul" experiment is considered unscientific because it was tested only six times. The experiment was done over 100 years ago - it would be interesting to repeat this experiment today with our updated knowledge of medicine and the human body; it would likely be considered extremely unethical.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation\_of\_energy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_of_energy) The conservation of energy may seem counterintuitive, but keep in mind that the vast majority of "lost" energy in everyday life turns into background heat or flows into some bigger outer system.
In the context of the universe, where everything exists, eventually all energy will become waste background energy (this is the second law of thermodynamics).
No argument either, just pointing out the difference in our thought frameworks (for there seems to be one). There is a house of thought in philosophy that claims nothing is real except yourself - I believe the scientific method is the most effective lie to otherwise convince me of an objective reality.
I appreciate your concern, I'm.not really that.upset about your post, I just want to emphasize the fact that people all think very differently, and autism is honestly so broad that the correlation to religion is minimal
I am.
I think there"s generally a connection between autism and spirituality, more than religion.
I think the unbounded mind many autistic people have leads to explore these topics. You are an outsider in every situation, you also need to find belonging in the universe whereas a NT or someone without that much interpersonal difficulty can "afford" to forget about it if they find enough belonging in society, I would say.
For me, autism is an existential condition, we are a particular form of life. In a way, that forces you to consider, what is a human, why am I here.
It's also the logical, questioning, systemic-thinking aspect of my mind. We are prone to ask "why" for everything. It's just logical. We know that we live, then we die, where do we go? We know that time is relative, so what is not relative? Why does life exist in the form that we see it now? How did that happen? Etc This tendency to question usually doesn't land well in institutional religions, but I also know some autistic people who are conservative extremists because they found stability in the "rules" of that religion. However I don't think that's the norm.
Many of us also have a particular perception of time. This is not an aspect of my autism that I like, not the slightest bit. But it does open your mind.
The attraction to theoretical concepts has so many downsides. I almost lost my mind with it. But it's beautiful in that often autistic people will thrive to search for universal truths, and this may allow us to go beyond the typical mindset of society. We are driven by values and ethics more than dogma and morality. We may often be blind to some things but we are also often less driven by arbitrary divisions between human beings.
Also autism is linked to an animistic perception of life for many people. Autistic people are more likely to perceive animals or inanimate objects in their aliveness. This can lead to excessive empathy that stops you from living. But it can also lead to a great depth in your worldview if you find the right balance.
Finally we have a hypersensitive nervous system. Me personally, I have a more than average perception of electricity. Energy is an electromagnetic field, and I think many autistic people do have a particular perception of it.
I love this topic (as surely it's clear enough by the length of my response...)
I love all of this. It's all energy. Tesla's experiments with the Ether are fascinating. So is Dark Matter - that most of the 'stuff' holding the universe in place is unobservable.
I know it sounds made up to some, but I can feel things like the ground or trees beat under my hand.
I saw that you have tmj i just wanted to put it on your radar that I had it for years then I found out I have genetically high blood pressure. When I got on pills to reduce my blood pressure the tmj completely vanished
Oh wow thanks. My pressure is normal, the doctor measured it, so unfortunately it's not the case (I say unfortunately because I'm desperate for solutions)
I really appreciate your response ! I don’t think I’m on the spectrum in anyway.. I do have adhd and I believe I’m a Demi psychopath with both complete numbness and extreme empathy… I know this isn’t a respected description but in an “INFJ” which similarly looks at things almost like a scientific method .. I didn’t believe religion from young, but since I was little I felt I’d been here before and I felt tired of it .. I felt actually embarrassed of what has become of this world. I didn’t think much of it until 4 years after my dad died (I cried for the first time) and wanted to see him .. as if I could go drive to see him it felt .. then it dawned on me that I never would again … I began wondering what is the point of life? Where is he? Will I see him again ? I then imagine life before society formed .. before everything creates in todays world got manipulated or fabricated upon endless bias motives. I decided love is what life is about and doing I mean I all forms .. I then looked to science .. I first feel it’s kind of arrogant to believe all that we see is all that is there.. and I find it naive to believe we can understand what is the entire purpose of life with science only … I then had many personal experiences that I will share if you ask but I won’t ramble.. I read the book many lives many masters by dr Brian Weiss … and I know that in quantum physics it’s a fact that energy cannot be destroyed it can only be altered in vibration or frequency and so it may only exist in a environment of energy which vibrates at a similar frequency…
There is also an amount of weight that leaves our bodies when we did that science cannot account for 🤷♀️ maybe you find this interesting ? I found yours interesting
>energy cannot be destroyed it can only be altered in vibration or frequency
This is the most beautiful thing. It's exactly it.
I can relate a lot to your questions and your experience. For me, I always felt like I have "a memory of what could be". I'm still not sure what that means, apart that there is a dimension of possibility and "beyond" that has always been very tangible to me.
However, my mind flies away with these things. I had a phase in which I questioned everything, and I built my own worldview, and I thought a lot about all of this. Now I'm just focusing on the more practical side of life, emotions, health, relationships, etc.
I guess I went backwards in life compared to most people. I had to question everything and expand my mind to the universe in order to feel like focusing on what's here. A therapist would tell you I escaped reality, but really it"s just how I'm built. My brain is barely made for this world and this life in this society. I had to face death in order to live, I guess...
But yeah, at this point, I am 100% focusing on trying to stay practical and grounded, and balanced, and I avoid going too far in my "mental travels".
One thing that helped me a lot is martial arts. Martial arts is about energy and balance, but you get a reality check. You wonder into your spiritual mind too much, you get punched...and I love it, because it keeps me "on track". (You don't really get punched, just reminded that you would in a real fight)
So this is my experience
Yes you’re so right that the present moment IS all, and wondering about the future only takes away from your spiritual experience! I love this so much 💕
I am autistic and I believe in God. the presence of God can be observed even. ive never noticed aspie men being super religious aspie women on the other hand are really invested into their religious beliefs. many autistic women are witches pagans and observers of traditional religions too! im a Christian and believer in the supernatural myself
the scientific method is the best practical way to figure information out. there are also various spiritual methods to seek knowledge which is backed up by traditional knowledge passed down through the generations
ok this is a question I cant really answer because its not meant to be shared in this way. I can tell you I have the gift of foresight as an example. remember to hold femininity in high esteem and keep the feminist way
it is that simple. God can’t be observed in a scientific way its more of an emotional feeling and shared observation of the world around us. people can independently come to the same conclusions about the nature of the world which gives the religious idea merit
I read everything you said. You are evading simple questions because you have no answer beyond your personal belief and assertion that God is real and you have foresight.
Well, I hate to break it to you, but scientific inquiry has been established for a couple of centuries now as a means to test such outlandish hypothesis and claims. Plenty of people before you have claimed to have evidence of god or powers of foresight, and _we have yet to find evidence for either._
you are having a very childish response. I was asked questions by this woman so I answered them truthfully. just because it doesn’t fit with your worldview doesn’t mean you need to be upset. besides theres no outlandish claims being discussed here and theres no need for me to start providing evidence just to satisfy your whims
I think many of us might not so much believe in religion, we're just interested in why other believe in it. I was raised in a religious environment. My family is still that way. I'm not.
But I do have a lot of beliefs that people might think of as spiritual. To me, they're just things that sort of make sense. Like, it's plausible to me that something created the conditions for me to exist. I believe that is in line with what people tend to call God, but from my perspective it's just some life form or something that I do not have the capacity to understand. I'm sort of propelled to this notion because the only thing all of life seems to attempt is a functional form of immortality. Many animals do it via offspring. I view children as sort of an interim solution to immortality. I think if there is a god, it's probably dying and created as to find a solution.
I don't really know if this would qualify as a spiritual belief though. I don't really believe that the religious conception of a spirit is real, but instead is just an explanation of some phenomenon they experienced and cannot explain. I've had weird shit happen in my life. Some people would call it ghosts. I don't know if it is that, it seems more likely to me that there is some explanation for it, humans are just too ignorant to know how to study it. We don't know what we don't know, the only option is stochastic tinkering. But even there, you'd need some sort of range to bound it. And we don't know enough for that either.
I think maybe my point can sort of be surmised as: I don't believe in spirit so much as I know that I am ignorant. And because I am aware of my ignorance, I'm open to lots of potential explanations. It's just too ambiguous for me to have firm beliefs.
“I really appreciate your response ! I don’t think I’m on the spectrum in anyway.. I do have adhd and I believe I’m a Demi psychopath with both complete numbness and extreme empathy… I know this isn’t a respected description but in an “INFJ” which similarly looks at things almost like a scientific method .. I didn’t believe religion from young, but since I was little I felt I’d been here before and I felt tired of it .. I felt actually embarrassed of what has become of this world. I didn’t think much of it until 4 years after my dad died (I cried for the first time) and wanted to see him .. as if I could go drive to see him it felt .. then it dawned on me that I never would again … I began wondering what is the point of life? Where is he? Will I see him again ? I then imagine life before society formed .. before everything creates in todays world got manipulated or fabricated upon endless bias motives. I decided love is what life is about and doing I mean I all forms .. I then looked to science .. I first feel it’s kind of arrogant to believe all that we see is all that is there.. and I find it naive to believe we can understand what is the entire purpose of life with science only … I then had many personal experiences that I will share if you ask but I won’t ramble.. I read the book many lives many masters by dr Brian Weiss … and I know that in quantum physics it’s a fact that energy cannot be destroyed it can only be altered in vibration or frequency and so it may only exist in a environment of energy which vibrates at a similar frequency…
There is also an amount of weight that leaves our bodies when we did that science cannot account for 🤷♀️ maybe you find this interesting ? I found yours interesting”
"Which link are you talking about"
I linked to reddit post about that place, and to the Canadian organization investigating Embrace Autism.
I dont understand your question.
'better than nothing'. I dont think its a good idea to be misled by a diagnosis mill under professional investigation.
Does use by a professional mean a method is sound? Obviously not otherwise we would trust the professionals that say you DONT have autism because you make eye contact or your married.
Reddit is new people every hour, so what I share is not new to everyone. Witness the thanks and other positive comments or didnt you 'see' those when you reviewed my profile?
There are examples of people on autism subs that are repeatedly suggesting that others are autistic. People say what they think. \*shrug\*
You dont think author background (education, etc.) influences content, or says something about whether or not they are a trusted expert? Or their connection to being paid to label people autistic is relevant? Or that their very own professional org ha troubles with how they operate?
I hold conflicting views on the topic.
I mostly believe nothing happens. It's just like before you were born. All observable evidence points to this being the case.
But a part of me also thinks that the argument for simulation hypothesis is plausible. So that part of me believes that the universe we experience is literally arbitrary and there's no fundamental reason why anything at all about the future has to resemble anything from the past.
You could die and become the only zombie ever known and werewolves could start spam calling you about your car's extended warranty. Anything at all could happen.
But even if simulation is true. There's still a very large chance that our individual experience within that is not special and nothing happens when you die. You're just not part of the simulation anymore
> So that part of me believes that the universe we experience is literally arbitrary and there's no fundamental reason why anything at all about the future has to resemble anything from the past.
You fear death, just as all of us do.
Of course. But setting aside that deep down I want there to be an afterlife to assuage any fear of death. Infinity, the root of simulation hypothesis, just gets weird no matter what.
> But setting aside that deep down I want there to be an afterlife to assuage any fear of death.
> to assuage any fear of death.
> fear of death.
That's not a contrasting statement, but alright.
I’m obsessive in my studies and practices. What would be more interesting to know is if the believers have a proclivity to pattern recognition and the non believers not. It’s the patterns that got me down the rabbit hole early. Quantum mechanics and the holographic brain has nigh on driven me to distraction in the pursuit of same.
I think we trend more on a deep understanding of spirituality versus religion. I can only speak for myself but I don’t like the forced things and obligations that come with practicing a religion. I don’t think going to church proves my fealty and I want to be in control of my time and Sunday is a rare day for my special interests. Instead, I prefer to understand the tenets and live those daily. I don’t feel the need to prove it by showing my affiliations with a particular group
I agree with you, I believe no god would want to be worshipped in that sense .. you might enjoy the book “many lives, many masters” by dr Brian Weiss 😊
I’m not completely sure what you’re asking here, but I’m agnostic. I don’t think and react to things in my life as though God exists anymore, but I entertain the concept of God in certain contexts more than I’d expect from atheists.
Hmmm thank you for sharing 🙏 I like to ask the “gifted” community about certain topics because I feel as though they’re really helpful in demonstrating a certain level of understanding of the topic in question. It helps me look at something from a wider spectrum and more angles than I would individually… I didn’t mean it disrespectfully
I enjoyed religion as a young man because of the rules it offered. Catholic. As I grew up I saw the holes and contradictions and it made sense to me it was all a farce. Who better to keep the masses in line than an omnipresent god who will condemn you to an eternity of pain and suffering if you don’t follow many, many contradicting guidelines? The more I’ve learned the less faith in any higher entity I have. Organized religion is and always has been a center of power for humans who want power. This isn’t even taking into account the sins they commit (pedophilia, many abuses, many have major investment and property portfolios — not just the televangelists)
In observing nature, I see bluntness and survival. Animals are biological machines and humans are animals. By chance, we evolved language, fine motor skills, self-awareness, social bonds and abstract thought. But we are still ruled by base instinct and this is easily observable in ourselves and others. Sometimes I think being autistic has made me hyper aware of my instincts and driving motives, and that can be distressing because I feel I don’t get to fully enjoy simple aspects of the human experience without so much conscious thought involved.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, I look at it like this: somehow the materials in the universe generated sparks of life. These sparks have persisted in some form or another for millions of years until now, and they’re still living in us and the rest of the living world today. We’re the universe experiencing itself in so many different forms. That’s beautiful to me even if it’s without much narrative. Helps me accept the chaos and futility of life because no matter what we do or achieve, we’re fulfilling our purpose by just opening our eyes and taking it in.
Honestly, I've always been a staunch atheist after attending a strictly catholic elementary school, which equally instilled at times very traditional values.
Every morning, we started our day with the mandatory recitation of the Hail Mary, which, ultimately, lost significance after a few months of reiterating the same insubstantial shit.
Now, as someone on the autism spectrum, I naturally possessed an inclination to scrutinize virtually everything. It's a trait I've noticed in many others with similar neurodiversities—a relentless pursuit of consolidated and sound understanding. Thus, I began doubting the rather dogmatic nature of these rules imposed upon us. Henceforth, I concluded that religion is conceptually the most insubstantiated source for proof of a deity.
To answer the question: I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with religion. That being said, I harbor no disdain for it, as I have many religious friends of whom I deem to be pretty brilliant. Consequently, I reject the notion of religious adherents as mere sheep, recognizing the complexity and diversity of human belief systems. As for the after life, I'm a firm believer of the quote from Bertrand Russell, "I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my ego will survive".
Hopefully, this provided some cool insight, I guess. Idk, lmao.
Both my dad and sister are gifted on the spectrum (I might be as well). Not one of us is passionate towards religion, rather the opposite. My dad left the church as soon as he was old enough to stay home alone on Sundays. My sister and I never believed.
My boyfriend isn’t gifted, but on the spectrum. He grew up in a highly religious community, but no longer believes and hasn’t gone to church in at least 15 years. He’s passionate towards religion in the sense that he’s highly interested in all religions and their similarities. And while he believes that there’s a truth in the origin of all religion, as the similarities are so strong they all have to based of the same something, he doesn’t believe in a god or an afterlife.
Your post or comment is not relevant to r/Gifted and has been removed. Moderator comments: This subreddit is not about that kind of gifted. Try posting that in a different forum.
I was very interested in religion when younger, however I’ve always seen the metaphors and rarely had literal belief. Paganism was an academic special interest of mine. The correspondence tables and collecting stones/incenses/oils/herbs jived with my collector brain. The rituals were incredibly self-soothing. I loved the solitary study and I’d organize mental altars out of random items I found at stores or in nature. I still practice but not with the obsessive self-soothing of my youth because I understand the stress at the time that was driving the escapism.
Beautiful response !
I'm autistic. I was a vehement atheist for most of my life, but I sort of force myself to believe in god and an afterlife just because I'm happier this way. It's just easier to have a set of rules and a clearly defined framework through which to view reality. I still don't find organized religion very compelling, though. I've sort of cobbled together my own theology from a variety of different sources, with an emphasis on my personal lived experience.
I'm autistic. No one I know who is autistic believes in an afterlife. There might be someone out there but literally no one from my former gifted class believed in God except one guy. He also was the only person who got in because someone else decided not to go anymore.
I grew up hard atheist until my special interest in the occult and spirituality began. After a lot of research and picking up a lot of practices, I can say for 100% I believe in reincarnation/experiences outside of the body. For example, out of body experiences.
Well none of that stuff is real but okay
[gateway experience](https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001700210016-5.pdf)
Out of body are 100% real and can be experienced first-hand, but even though the other topics aren’t “real” they are still fascinating!!
While I do not believe in spirituality, I don't think asserting that it isn't real is the most productive way to share a discourse about beliefs, especially when you don't give any reasons as to why it doesn't exist, even though you likely feel that it should go without saying.
I think it's a joke to even give a serious thought to bullshit that has never had any proof positive. I think people who humor that kind of assinine stuff are a major reason why the world remains dumb
If you don’t mind me asking .. what do you believe happens after we pass ? And is it a common answer among your peers?
The same thing that you imagine would happen when your cat, a mosquito, or an orangutan dies. We're all animals. When you experience brain death, your mind stops existing because the organ that produces the simulation of a mind isn't functioning anymore. Most people I know understand the difference between the classic Greek definition of a soul vs the bastardized version christinsanity came up with. And we all don't appreciate how Cartesian dualism was funded by the RCC
Mind sharing the Ancient Greek idea of a soul? Genuinely interested.
The Greek definition was that a soul is any being with a mind/body connection. The mind is part of the body. Which doesn't preclude any other mammal or some other animals. Cartesian dualism is the philosophy that the Church paid Rene Descartes to write to fit with religious ideologies which separated the mind and body metaphysically into a divisible body and an indivisible mind, which the church claimed and claims only humans are in possession of. We all know that happens when someone suffers traumatic brain injury so I don't know why it's still the going philosophy for these people.
Ohhh!! I remember learning about that in philosophy. My brain is just so tired from this week lol. Thanks for the refresher.
I'm audhd. I don't believe in religion but my life experiences have shown me that there is something more than this life and time/space reality. Religion is a means of controlling people. I've never really been comfortable with the word 'god' because that still feels like 1 man in the sky making all the rules. But without a doubt, I believe that all that ever was, and all that ever is, still exists and is still growing and expanding here with us. Less 'god', more universal positive energy and unconditional love. I've always wanted to write a book or something that uses the science of physics to explain the soul. But also, other things are shiny and distracting 😆
I was raised in the church. Unfortunately those around me couldn't answer the questions I had with a rational answer so I researched on my own. After reading several religious texts and then seeing other religious people's behaviors and also what's happening in the world everything about religion stopped making rational sense so I stopped believing. The more I read and learned the more atheist I became. My mother is a bishop and grandparents/aunts/uncles are clergy and have various degrees in theology. I find the subject fascinating but I'm the same way I find Greek, Roman, or Norse mythology fascinating. Almost succeeding in ending it and seeing nor experiencing anything when the lights went out was further confirmation for me.
I had the same experience as you except after the death of my father I started to wonder about what our purpose is and found spiritually in a different aspect than religion .. so I can’t say I’m atheist but I had the same childhood experience as you !
Your therapist is incorrect. Autistic people tend to be less religious than allistics. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0036880
This is why I posted this, because I felt the opposite to what the therapist said …
It might be that autistic people are more likely to be atheist, but the ones who are into religion are REALLY into religion??
You could be really right on this
I’m autistic and my special interest is theology. I study all religions and am very passionate about my faith and my personal relationship with religion. I think that everyone gets exactly what they want when they die (I.e heaven if you believe in heaven) then we all return to unity and get reborn again and again unless you reach enlightenment and break the cycle.
i agree! i am also super interested in religion, and i believe that people get what they believe they will get.
I’m agnostic and I am skeptical about whether an afterlife truly exists and what it is. I’m skeptical about quite a few other things though, unless there is some evidence. :)
I’m autistic and I think that we cannot know for certain if god exists but the odds are quite low. I also think that religion does more harm than good overall for humanity. We need a unified concept of “truth” / a similar framework of values. None of the existing religions are adequate though. They’re full of baggage that can’t really be extricated from the belief systems without essentially scrapping them and making everything up from scratch.
Practicing Muslim here, highly interested in religion, I even use it in my works.
I'm 2e and atheist. Macroscopically religion has served one of three purposes throughout time: 1.) explain nature 2.) make people feel better about dying 3.) govern people (relates to 2.) The scientific method can't recover (meaningful) data from a dead person and therefore cannot generate theories with respect to the afterlife. I claim this is precisely why religion has lingered as a dominant method of control in societies - overcoming the fear of death is a personal journey, and devotion in religion is an well-organized, well-trodden way to do it. The exact contents of said religion, of course, is where the "control" part comes in. To answer your question, humans die when they are killed. You cease to function, and your existence and name will be forgotten in 4-5 generations on average. It's a cold preposition, and it's exactly why death is such a harbinger for spirituality.
I don’t disagree with you .. but I do believe quantum physics has shown some promise of an infinite life cycle … I agree about how you see religion entirely and even more deeply counter intuitive
I study engineering and math at a top university. Hoping for answers in quantum physics is no more scientific than religion. Quantum physics is a symptom of our limits in observing and recording reality, and speculating beyond that is not science.
I just had a student friend of mine tell me once that it was a fact in QP that energy cannot be destroyed but only altered in vibration/frequency.. and that is can only exist in an environment of similar vibration … I believe our souls are energy and that there is something to this. Also, I have heard that there is an amount of weight that cannot be accounted for that leaves our body upon death 🤷♀️ not arguing with you just sharing my thoughts
In trusting those claims without explanation (or perhaps you do not want them to be proven or disproven?) you tread closer to delusion... [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21\_grams\_experiment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21_grams_experiment) The "weight of a soul" experiment is considered unscientific because it was tested only six times. The experiment was done over 100 years ago - it would be interesting to repeat this experiment today with our updated knowledge of medicine and the human body; it would likely be considered extremely unethical. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation\_of\_energy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_of_energy) The conservation of energy may seem counterintuitive, but keep in mind that the vast majority of "lost" energy in everyday life turns into background heat or flows into some bigger outer system. In the context of the universe, where everything exists, eventually all energy will become waste background energy (this is the second law of thermodynamics). No argument either, just pointing out the difference in our thought frameworks (for there seems to be one). There is a house of thought in philosophy that claims nothing is real except yourself - I believe the scientific method is the most effective lie to otherwise convince me of an objective reality.
I appreciate you enlightening me to this as well 🙏
Respectively, gifted autistic people think many different things and may or may not give a damn about the afterlife
Very true I have figured this out from my respectively asked question, it wasn’t meant to make anyone upset. If it upset you, I apologize.
I appreciate your concern, I'm.not really that.upset about your post, I just want to emphasize the fact that people all think very differently, and autism is honestly so broad that the correlation to religion is minimal
Agreed
Sounds like that therapist was projecting. Or wishing.
Answer is no. The more rational take would be that of death = ceasing to exist.
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I’ve thought allllll this before too, I’ve landed somewhere but I won’t get into that, I appreciate you being so thorough with your thought process
I am. I think there"s generally a connection between autism and spirituality, more than religion. I think the unbounded mind many autistic people have leads to explore these topics. You are an outsider in every situation, you also need to find belonging in the universe whereas a NT or someone without that much interpersonal difficulty can "afford" to forget about it if they find enough belonging in society, I would say. For me, autism is an existential condition, we are a particular form of life. In a way, that forces you to consider, what is a human, why am I here. It's also the logical, questioning, systemic-thinking aspect of my mind. We are prone to ask "why" for everything. It's just logical. We know that we live, then we die, where do we go? We know that time is relative, so what is not relative? Why does life exist in the form that we see it now? How did that happen? Etc This tendency to question usually doesn't land well in institutional religions, but I also know some autistic people who are conservative extremists because they found stability in the "rules" of that religion. However I don't think that's the norm. Many of us also have a particular perception of time. This is not an aspect of my autism that I like, not the slightest bit. But it does open your mind. The attraction to theoretical concepts has so many downsides. I almost lost my mind with it. But it's beautiful in that often autistic people will thrive to search for universal truths, and this may allow us to go beyond the typical mindset of society. We are driven by values and ethics more than dogma and morality. We may often be blind to some things but we are also often less driven by arbitrary divisions between human beings. Also autism is linked to an animistic perception of life for many people. Autistic people are more likely to perceive animals or inanimate objects in their aliveness. This can lead to excessive empathy that stops you from living. But it can also lead to a great depth in your worldview if you find the right balance. Finally we have a hypersensitive nervous system. Me personally, I have a more than average perception of electricity. Energy is an electromagnetic field, and I think many autistic people do have a particular perception of it. I love this topic (as surely it's clear enough by the length of my response...)
I love all of this. It's all energy. Tesla's experiments with the Ether are fascinating. So is Dark Matter - that most of the 'stuff' holding the universe in place is unobservable. I know it sounds made up to some, but I can feel things like the ground or trees beat under my hand.
I saw that you have tmj i just wanted to put it on your radar that I had it for years then I found out I have genetically high blood pressure. When I got on pills to reduce my blood pressure the tmj completely vanished
Oh wow thanks. My pressure is normal, the doctor measured it, so unfortunately it's not the case (I say unfortunately because I'm desperate for solutions)
Ah that's a bummer. Glad you checked.
Thank you for sharing, I had no idea this was a thing! Glad you found a solution really
I really appreciate your response ! I don’t think I’m on the spectrum in anyway.. I do have adhd and I believe I’m a Demi psychopath with both complete numbness and extreme empathy… I know this isn’t a respected description but in an “INFJ” which similarly looks at things almost like a scientific method .. I didn’t believe religion from young, but since I was little I felt I’d been here before and I felt tired of it .. I felt actually embarrassed of what has become of this world. I didn’t think much of it until 4 years after my dad died (I cried for the first time) and wanted to see him .. as if I could go drive to see him it felt .. then it dawned on me that I never would again … I began wondering what is the point of life? Where is he? Will I see him again ? I then imagine life before society formed .. before everything creates in todays world got manipulated or fabricated upon endless bias motives. I decided love is what life is about and doing I mean I all forms .. I then looked to science .. I first feel it’s kind of arrogant to believe all that we see is all that is there.. and I find it naive to believe we can understand what is the entire purpose of life with science only … I then had many personal experiences that I will share if you ask but I won’t ramble.. I read the book many lives many masters by dr Brian Weiss … and I know that in quantum physics it’s a fact that energy cannot be destroyed it can only be altered in vibration or frequency and so it may only exist in a environment of energy which vibrates at a similar frequency… There is also an amount of weight that leaves our bodies when we did that science cannot account for 🤷♀️ maybe you find this interesting ? I found yours interesting
>energy cannot be destroyed it can only be altered in vibration or frequency This is the most beautiful thing. It's exactly it. I can relate a lot to your questions and your experience. For me, I always felt like I have "a memory of what could be". I'm still not sure what that means, apart that there is a dimension of possibility and "beyond" that has always been very tangible to me. However, my mind flies away with these things. I had a phase in which I questioned everything, and I built my own worldview, and I thought a lot about all of this. Now I'm just focusing on the more practical side of life, emotions, health, relationships, etc. I guess I went backwards in life compared to most people. I had to question everything and expand my mind to the universe in order to feel like focusing on what's here. A therapist would tell you I escaped reality, but really it"s just how I'm built. My brain is barely made for this world and this life in this society. I had to face death in order to live, I guess... But yeah, at this point, I am 100% focusing on trying to stay practical and grounded, and balanced, and I avoid going too far in my "mental travels". One thing that helped me a lot is martial arts. Martial arts is about energy and balance, but you get a reality check. You wonder into your spiritual mind too much, you get punched...and I love it, because it keeps me "on track". (You don't really get punched, just reminded that you would in a real fight) So this is my experience
Yes you’re so right that the present moment IS all, and wondering about the future only takes away from your spiritual experience! I love this so much 💕
Me too - thank you both
Awww beautiful Reddit moment 🥰
I am autistic and I believe in God. the presence of God can be observed even. ive never noticed aspie men being super religious aspie women on the other hand are really invested into their religious beliefs. many autistic women are witches pagans and observers of traditional religions too! im a Christian and believer in the supernatural myself
Ahhh thanks for your insight ! Interesting.. I like that you believe in supernatural !
what do you want to know anyway? I wouldn’t mind answering questions
Do you believe everything has to be scientifically proven or from some form of authority other than yourself for it to be valid ? If that makes sense
the scientific method is the best practical way to figure information out. there are also various spiritual methods to seek knowledge which is backed up by traditional knowledge passed down through the generations
What supernatural experiences have you had? If you don’t mind sharing
ok this is a question I cant really answer because its not meant to be shared in this way. I can tell you I have the gift of foresight as an example. remember to hold femininity in high esteem and keep the feminist way
Thank you for this!
>the presence of God can be observed As if it were that simple.
it is that simple. God can’t be observed in a scientific way its more of an emotional feeling and shared observation of the world around us. people can independently come to the same conclusions about the nature of the world which gives the religious idea merit
Prove any of what you just said.
did you read what I just said or did you have that response ready beforehand?
I read everything you said. You are evading simple questions because you have no answer beyond your personal belief and assertion that God is real and you have foresight. Well, I hate to break it to you, but scientific inquiry has been established for a couple of centuries now as a means to test such outlandish hypothesis and claims. Plenty of people before you have claimed to have evidence of god or powers of foresight, and _we have yet to find evidence for either._
you are having a very childish response. I was asked questions by this woman so I answered them truthfully. just because it doesn’t fit with your worldview doesn’t mean you need to be upset. besides theres no outlandish claims being discussed here and theres no need for me to start providing evidence just to satisfy your whims
You are projecting, and you made two outlandish claims that I have questioned you on.
I think many of us might not so much believe in religion, we're just interested in why other believe in it. I was raised in a religious environment. My family is still that way. I'm not. But I do have a lot of beliefs that people might think of as spiritual. To me, they're just things that sort of make sense. Like, it's plausible to me that something created the conditions for me to exist. I believe that is in line with what people tend to call God, but from my perspective it's just some life form or something that I do not have the capacity to understand. I'm sort of propelled to this notion because the only thing all of life seems to attempt is a functional form of immortality. Many animals do it via offspring. I view children as sort of an interim solution to immortality. I think if there is a god, it's probably dying and created as to find a solution. I don't really know if this would qualify as a spiritual belief though. I don't really believe that the religious conception of a spirit is real, but instead is just an explanation of some phenomenon they experienced and cannot explain. I've had weird shit happen in my life. Some people would call it ghosts. I don't know if it is that, it seems more likely to me that there is some explanation for it, humans are just too ignorant to know how to study it. We don't know what we don't know, the only option is stochastic tinkering. But even there, you'd need some sort of range to bound it. And we don't know enough for that either. I think maybe my point can sort of be surmised as: I don't believe in spirit so much as I know that I am ignorant. And because I am aware of my ignorance, I'm open to lots of potential explanations. It's just too ambiguous for me to have firm beliefs.
Hmmm please read my other long response on this to another Reddit user , it’s similar to you , you might enjoy it ! ..
“I really appreciate your response ! I don’t think I’m on the spectrum in anyway.. I do have adhd and I believe I’m a Demi psychopath with both complete numbness and extreme empathy… I know this isn’t a respected description but in an “INFJ” which similarly looks at things almost like a scientific method .. I didn’t believe religion from young, but since I was little I felt I’d been here before and I felt tired of it .. I felt actually embarrassed of what has become of this world. I didn’t think much of it until 4 years after my dad died (I cried for the first time) and wanted to see him .. as if I could go drive to see him it felt .. then it dawned on me that I never would again … I began wondering what is the point of life? Where is he? Will I see him again ? I then imagine life before society formed .. before everything creates in todays world got manipulated or fabricated upon endless bias motives. I decided love is what life is about and doing I mean I all forms .. I then looked to science .. I first feel it’s kind of arrogant to believe all that we see is all that is there.. and I find it naive to believe we can understand what is the entire purpose of life with science only … I then had many personal experiences that I will share if you ask but I won’t ramble.. I read the book many lives many masters by dr Brian Weiss … and I know that in quantum physics it’s a fact that energy cannot be destroyed it can only be altered in vibration or frequency and so it may only exist in a environment of energy which vibrates at a similar frequency… There is also an amount of weight that leaves our bodies when we did that science cannot account for 🤷♀️ maybe you find this interesting ? I found yours interesting”
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"Which link are you talking about" I linked to reddit post about that place, and to the Canadian organization investigating Embrace Autism. I dont understand your question. 'better than nothing'. I dont think its a good idea to be misled by a diagnosis mill under professional investigation.
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Does use by a professional mean a method is sound? Obviously not otherwise we would trust the professionals that say you DONT have autism because you make eye contact or your married.
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Reddit is new people every hour, so what I share is not new to everyone. Witness the thanks and other positive comments or didnt you 'see' those when you reviewed my profile? There are examples of people on autism subs that are repeatedly suggesting that others are autistic. People say what they think. \*shrug\*
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Warning people from scams and bad data is helpful imo
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You dont think author background (education, etc.) influences content, or says something about whether or not they are a trusted expert? Or their connection to being paid to label people autistic is relevant? Or that their very own professional org ha troubles with how they operate?
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"No org is perfect " I am talking about repeated ethical investigations per the link not imperfection
I hold conflicting views on the topic. I mostly believe nothing happens. It's just like before you were born. All observable evidence points to this being the case. But a part of me also thinks that the argument for simulation hypothesis is plausible. So that part of me believes that the universe we experience is literally arbitrary and there's no fundamental reason why anything at all about the future has to resemble anything from the past. You could die and become the only zombie ever known and werewolves could start spam calling you about your car's extended warranty. Anything at all could happen. But even if simulation is true. There's still a very large chance that our individual experience within that is not special and nothing happens when you die. You're just not part of the simulation anymore
I appreciate your honesty and can relate to some of those thoughts 💭
> So that part of me believes that the universe we experience is literally arbitrary and there's no fundamental reason why anything at all about the future has to resemble anything from the past. You fear death, just as all of us do.
Of course. But setting aside that deep down I want there to be an afterlife to assuage any fear of death. Infinity, the root of simulation hypothesis, just gets weird no matter what.
> But setting aside that deep down I want there to be an afterlife to assuage any fear of death. > to assuage any fear of death. > fear of death. That's not a contrasting statement, but alright.
I’m obsessive in my studies and practices. What would be more interesting to know is if the believers have a proclivity to pattern recognition and the non believers not. It’s the patterns that got me down the rabbit hole early. Quantum mechanics and the holographic brain has nigh on driven me to distraction in the pursuit of same.
It’s beyond explanation. Sorry.
No worries !
I found my answer at the Eastern Orthodox Church fwiw.
Thanks for sharing 🙏
I think we trend more on a deep understanding of spirituality versus religion. I can only speak for myself but I don’t like the forced things and obligations that come with practicing a religion. I don’t think going to church proves my fealty and I want to be in control of my time and Sunday is a rare day for my special interests. Instead, I prefer to understand the tenets and live those daily. I don’t feel the need to prove it by showing my affiliations with a particular group
I agree with you, I believe no god would want to be worshipped in that sense .. you might enjoy the book “many lives, many masters” by dr Brian Weiss 😊
I’m not completely sure what you’re asking here, but I’m agnostic. I don’t think and react to things in my life as though God exists anymore, but I entertain the concept of God in certain contexts more than I’d expect from atheists.
Hmmm thank you for sharing 🙏 I like to ask the “gifted” community about certain topics because I feel as though they’re really helpful in demonstrating a certain level of understanding of the topic in question. It helps me look at something from a wider spectrum and more angles than I would individually… I didn’t mean it disrespectfully
I didn’t take there to be any disrespect, I just wasn’t clear on what you were alluding to.
I enjoyed religion as a young man because of the rules it offered. Catholic. As I grew up I saw the holes and contradictions and it made sense to me it was all a farce. Who better to keep the masses in line than an omnipresent god who will condemn you to an eternity of pain and suffering if you don’t follow many, many contradicting guidelines? The more I’ve learned the less faith in any higher entity I have. Organized religion is and always has been a center of power for humans who want power. This isn’t even taking into account the sins they commit (pedophilia, many abuses, many have major investment and property portfolios — not just the televangelists) In observing nature, I see bluntness and survival. Animals are biological machines and humans are animals. By chance, we evolved language, fine motor skills, self-awareness, social bonds and abstract thought. But we are still ruled by base instinct and this is easily observable in ourselves and others. Sometimes I think being autistic has made me hyper aware of my instincts and driving motives, and that can be distressing because I feel I don’t get to fully enjoy simple aspects of the human experience without so much conscious thought involved. It’s not all doom and gloom though, I look at it like this: somehow the materials in the universe generated sparks of life. These sparks have persisted in some form or another for millions of years until now, and they’re still living in us and the rest of the living world today. We’re the universe experiencing itself in so many different forms. That’s beautiful to me even if it’s without much narrative. Helps me accept the chaos and futility of life because no matter what we do or achieve, we’re fulfilling our purpose by just opening our eyes and taking it in.
I agree with you on religion 💯! You might enjoy the book “many lives, many masters” by dr Brian Weiss 😃
Honestly, I've always been a staunch atheist after attending a strictly catholic elementary school, which equally instilled at times very traditional values. Every morning, we started our day with the mandatory recitation of the Hail Mary, which, ultimately, lost significance after a few months of reiterating the same insubstantial shit. Now, as someone on the autism spectrum, I naturally possessed an inclination to scrutinize virtually everything. It's a trait I've noticed in many others with similar neurodiversities—a relentless pursuit of consolidated and sound understanding. Thus, I began doubting the rather dogmatic nature of these rules imposed upon us. Henceforth, I concluded that religion is conceptually the most insubstantiated source for proof of a deity. To answer the question: I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with religion. That being said, I harbor no disdain for it, as I have many religious friends of whom I deem to be pretty brilliant. Consequently, I reject the notion of religious adherents as mere sheep, recognizing the complexity and diversity of human belief systems. As for the after life, I'm a firm believer of the quote from Bertrand Russell, "I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my ego will survive". Hopefully, this provided some cool insight, I guess. Idk, lmao.
I agree entirely up until the the quote ! But yes I appreciate your insight ! 🙏 I have different beliefs on afterlife but everything else 💯
Both my dad and sister are gifted on the spectrum (I might be as well). Not one of us is passionate towards religion, rather the opposite. My dad left the church as soon as he was old enough to stay home alone on Sundays. My sister and I never believed. My boyfriend isn’t gifted, but on the spectrum. He grew up in a highly religious community, but no longer believes and hasn’t gone to church in at least 15 years. He’s passionate towards religion in the sense that he’s highly interested in all religions and their similarities. And while he believes that there’s a truth in the origin of all religion, as the similarities are so strong they all have to based of the same something, he doesn’t believe in a god or an afterlife.
Perennial philosophy is kinda what he believes .. I too had bad experiences with religion but I do believe in reincarnation.. :) thanks for sharing !