It is possible that it is a meditative state, one that is much more likely to occur when a lack (or specific kind) of stimuli is present, but as I do not know for sure (and at present do not have the tools necessary to find out) I think it would be presumptuous of me to say that I am certain whether or not a deity exists of any kind.
For sure, I wasn't trying to tie in the existence of a deity to meditative states reached in places of solemnity. I just wanted to explore a different tangent of thought (meditative states, and setting(s) perhaps,
needed for such). No commentary on diety/no diety.
Personally I prefer the idea of humans transcending themselves to greater heights of mental and emotional awareness to a concept of God.
I like this statement very much, and agree deeply with it.
The faithful carry a sense of purpose and contentment with how they see the world, one that's harder (albiet not impossible) to pin down without. But it isn't a hat I can bring myself to wear.
For me personally, it was the opposite.
I grew up within Eastern theology. I found it to be a lot more metaphysical/intuitive/less defined than the Abrahamic religions (which is more didactic/there are rules to follow). Certain forms of Judaism and Christianity blurs this dichotomy though (and, sufism [of Islam] in the past). The 'mysticism' aspect.
However, the more I learned about religion(s), in order to see if any really resonated, the more I found every one to have *something* that didn't quite justify. Irritated the Ti.
So, when I reshaped how I viewed the world (cutting ties to thoughts based in theology), I found a liberation that's hard to describe. A peace with myself, because contradictions lifted...and there was humility in accepting that there's 'gaps' in what I know (don't know), and the excitement to contemplate what those gaps could be. Given that all I had around me, to contemplate, was the mere existence of this natural universe and all things within it. More appreciation for the here and now. My place within it; the grander scheme. I am not special, and there's something special about that thought.
My sense of purpose in the world became more focused and I started to view my actions not by some pre-determined dictate but by the end-result it would achieve not only for me, but any domino effect(s) that is spurred by it, as far as I can conceive/anticipate.
Although, I can
somewhat (want) relate to the communal feeling being part of a community incites. E.g., community formed by common religion.
I guess I never felt that 'loss' as being a 'minority' in Canada, we have community centers (that do have religious ceremonies but were more about a bonded commonality/belonging to a group given our culture). Replace religion with culture. I was set.