How do atheists account for Unusual events

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How do atheists account for unusual events, that cannot necessarily be demonstrated, or repeated?

I experienced the event of apports. These are objects which have arrived via teleportation. I once gave all my change to a homeless couple, normally I don’t do that. As a result, I was left without any money to take a bus home. I started my several miles walking home, and after about 15 minutes of walking, I felt something wonderful pass through me, it felt like wind, but a bit different.

To my surprise, I felt something heavy in my pocket. I stopped and looked in my coin purse. It was completely full again with the coins I gave to the couple!

I find this a curious event, as that is suppose to be impossible. I often don’t believe it myself, as my speni also denies that it happened.“You must have bought something and got change and forgot about it”. No, absolutely not, I did not stop between the time I gave money and this event.

Another curious event was an old scar I had on my arm did something unusual. I had this scar on my arm from being burned by steam while I worked at a cafeteria. It was circular, and a bit darker than my regular non scarred skin. I had improved my diet, to feel better. After a few weeks, To my surprise this scar became bright red, and felt like I had just freshly gotten burned. (I will note that I had not been exposed to any heat at this time, some twenty years later) And this time when it healed, the scar was completely gone, as if I had never been burned.

I think I the healing of the scar could be explained by biology, perhaps I had reached some biological energetic threshold to finally complete the healing of being burned. However, I don’t know how to explain the apport of coins. I didn’t make either event happen, at least not consciously. That would be something to be able to demonstrate, especially teleporation.

However, there are those in spiritual circles that caution against demonstration of any fantastic abilities. I am not sure I would demonstrate if I could.

Sathya Sai Baba in life, pretty routinely demonstrated apports. Materializing objects, but usually only small objects, which made people suspect slight of hand. He also materialized ‘vibhuti’ the ash left over from rituals. I find it curious that in videos of him, one does NOT see ash in the inside of his sleve. It seems like one would see that, if that was the source. But who knows, the video could have been edited only to show clean sleeves.

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Right off the bat you’ve demonstrated that you do not know the definition of atheist.

If you had asked, instead, “How do you account for blah blah blah,” it would be an acceptably worded question.

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AFAIK, it would not be anyone else needing to provide an explanation for the events you’ve described.

The burden of proof would rest with the one making the claim; they would need to provide some fairly extraordinary evidence that’s testable, quantifiable, and independently verifiable before being taken seriously.

In these cases, “because paranormal events” wouldn’t quite suffice, IMHO.

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I’m sorry noncelsi, but I have to ask: Are you for real?

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Yes, those events really occurred. I will be the first to admit that its not testable, and cannot be demonstrated. I had no control over the events.

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Unfortunately, these are not repeatable, and as far as I know cannot be demonstrated. Although there was a person who claims to be able to call a ufo at will. I personally have not asked for a demonstration. He lives in another country, and I don’t know him at all. I am curious to see a ufo, but when I really think about it, I am not sure I want to see a ufo on demand.

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How do YOU account for…(insert event/claim). I am not sure what you mean. But, ok, atheists debunk, don’t make untestable claims I suppose.

However, I watched a video which basically presented 'atheist metaphysics". Maybe that isn’t the correct term, but its findings by people who study physics. The video uses a lot of religious language, but does present ideas of people like Max Plank.
The ‘jesus talk’ is very distracting. But this person is claiming physical things are made of light. I won’t blame you if you don’t find it interesting, or curious. I don’t even know how to test if matter is really light. I am not sure I believe it, even if its supported by findings in physics.

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I’ll explain. The only thing people who identify as atheists consistently have in common is they lack belief in god/s. That’s all. To ask “how atheists account for…” implies that all people who identify as atheists have more than that in common. It’s a form of bigotry.

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Meh, that video contains assertions upon assertions as well as false analogies. As is common with this kind of tripe. Grab claim A, make some word associations until you arrive at another phenomenon, B, and then establish that therefore, claim A == phenomenon B. I wasted four minutes on the tripe. Four minutes I will not get back.

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I don’t blame you at all for that reaction, the ‘jesus stuff’ is pretty distracting. Its difficult to see past my own experience with the stuff. And also the talk about ‘light’ usually in religion its metaphorical. In this context it might be more like 'lite".

The physics stuff, I have heard before that matter is mostly empty space. Although what is stated here is its all empty space. This is not my experience in life. I have to eat, drink, sleep etc… all seem to indicate that I am made of matter, not light.

I get distracted by the new age terms, and items in the background, and also by how he looks. ad hominems I suppose can occur on a more subtle visual level, I suppose even just watching and listening to him, I tend to dismiss. Would be good to find a video presenting the same or similiar information without the new age dressing, and hopefully presentation of something actually testable.

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I tried to edit the initial post to ‘you’, but its not taking. My apologies

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Well, there you go, I explain this miraculous event by not believing you, or more charitably by thinking you are somehow mistaken. Which is more likely, that money appeared in your pocket out of thin air or that you’re lying or were mistaken and hadn’t given away all your money after all? I’m an easy touch and routinely give money to panhandlers because silly me can’t tell the difference between someone in a desperate situation or someone looking for drug/alcohol money. I never ever had the money miraculously reappear.

So do low rent birthday party magicians. It’s a trick mastered by many, nothing supernatural needed.

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It still happened. I don’t know how to explain it.

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Anyone who posts a video featuring the words “reality is a lie” is not worthy of being taken seriously.

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I can’t speak for other atheists, but I don’t. The part that is important in the above statement “demonstrated”. If it can’t be demonstrated, it might not have happened. No need to explain something that might not have happened.

Let’s take your coin purse story, for example. There are a number of reasons why that might not have happened. Why provide an explanation?

And just to complete the picture: For reasons I don’t understand, it seems to be a human trait that everything needs an explanation - that is, “I don’t know” isn’t an acceptable answer for many.

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In a sense its very true. What portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is visible to the human eye? I cannot see x-rays for example. There are frequencies of sound I cannot hear, either to high in frequency, or too low. Yet, those sounds, and the portion of ‘light’ exists. So, it depends on what is meant by ‘reality’ I suppose. What is sensed? what can be detected with special equipment?

Also people have different ‘realities’ based on their perspective. A child will have a different reality than an adult, a male a different one from that of a female. Someone from a different culture, speaking a different language will have a different 'reality".

An atheist will have a different ‘reality’ than a Muslim, or a Hindu. Someone who has an education will have a different reality than one who has never read a book, nor has gone to school.

Is there really a ‘reality’ without a person to perceive that ‘reality’? Even in physics there is the ‘observer’s paradox’, the very act of observation can change the ‘reality’ or the outcome…

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Ah, no.

I think the lack of seriousness in the “reality is a lie” claim is that it shows a lack of awareness regarding how reality is determined, and that it is always tentative but not dishonest.

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Why is this directed at atheists?

Yeah, I don’t believe you.

I find it a dubious unevidenced anecdotal claim. I have reading the other unevidenced anecdotes, I simply ask, why do you infer beliefs from not having an alternative explanation for something? This is fallacious.

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The only thing unique about an atheist (as over against any random empiricist or just anyone really) is that an atheist would not attribute the unexplained to the gods.

I have had a couple of things happen to me that I can’t explain, so I don’t try to. I know that human mentation and perception is very sloppy and that memory is nowhere near as reliable as we think. I know that there are a lot of things I lack the ability to properly evaluate. I have learned to be comfortable with not knowing or understanding everything [shrug]. I don’t need an explanation for everything. I can sit with uncertainty just fine.

As I get older and more distractible I’ve had a couple of times where I let the dog out into the back yard and then when I go to let him in, he’s not there. Then I come back into the house after calling him loudly like a damned fool and there’s the dog looking at me quizzically.

Which is the more likely explanation: that I absent-mindedly let the dog in and forgot or didn’t notice … or that the dog was magically teleported into the house?

I think questions like this arise when a person is worried that they’re wrong in denying the supernatural or paranormal, that maybe they’re missing out on something important.

As for myself, I gave up on the supernatural a long time ago, from long, bitter experience. I got over myself and my need to be special and have special experiences.

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No, this event was not like loosing or misplacing car keys. Not at all.

I don’t know that I claimed this was proof of any sort of any deity. It was strange/interesting/wonderful, but i suppose the divine not need be evoked.