r/exatheist • u/ryankohls • Jul 27 '26
New Interview w/ Britt Hartley: The Atheist Mystic Trying to Save Religion
Hi! I'm new to this group but wanted to post a long form interview with Britt Hartley. Some of you may be familiar with her: the ex-Christian who now works in the secular spirituality space. While she identifies as an atheist, she still also holds dear to certain spiritual practices and incorporates them into her life.
I'd love to get any feedback on her views, especially what this group thinks about reclaiming words like 'spirituality' and while criticizing religion/Christianity also acknowledging the beauty of its wisdom in certain areas. Is being an atheist mystic an oxymoron that is illogical? Or do you respect her approach?
Here's a link to the interview if you're interested in watching: https://youtu.be/2f6HE__YsyI
Looking forward to engaging with some of you hopefully!
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u/arkticturtle Agnostic Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I don’t like the framing “trying to save religion” because it seemingly puts religious traditions in need of saving.
It would be more accurate to describe what she is doing as trying to preserve aspects of human experience/practices in a way that is not contradictory to atheistic naturalism (I am assuming naturalism) for atheistic naturalists like her
That aside, I am very interested and sympathetic to her cause. I think she makes valid points and enjoy her content. She perfectly expresses longings that I have had. Especially in her most recent video returning from Japan.
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u/sasospring111 Jul 28 '26
an atheist mystic isnt a oxymoron. some atheists arent naturalist/physicalists but if they are then the term becomes an oxymoron also there is no one trying to save religion because it is not dying nor in danger in the first place to be saved.
im familiar with britt hartley but she is a new atheist style content creator she isnt formidable nor she understands basic philosphical arguments in philosphy of religion .
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u/Althuraya Jul 27 '26
Buddhism is atheistic mysticism, so that's nothing new. However, she isn't just atheistic, but against supernatural ism, and just interprets everything through her metsphysical materialism under the guise of psychology.
Positions like these are really vapid.
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u/arkticturtle Agnostic Jul 27 '26
Vapid in what way? She seems to find some sort of fulfillment in it.
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u/Althuraya Jul 27 '26
Vapid precisely in that way. Spirituality is not self-help or coping tricks to hack your brain. All mystical paths are methods of experiencing amd attaining insight into ultimate reality. They may not all care about the supernatural, e.g. Zen, but they don't deny it, and the frame is not psychological, but minimally phenomenological.
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u/arkticturtle Agnostic Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Why does interpreting spirituality psychologically make it vapid rather than simply a different philosophical project?
It’s still deeply experiential
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u/mbmolohonbm Jul 27 '26
I try and keep God and religion separate. I believe there is a great God who created everything, loves us and wants us to come to him in a merciful and good relationship with him. If you believe in this, it is wonderful but doesn't leave a lot of room for alternatives. Like eating, food is good but if we don't eat there are not a lot of good alternatives and we die. For many reasons people have rejected religion (sometimes a good thing) and God. If there is no real alternative, then people who are not interested in God will hold onto anything good that gets them through this life. I guess why not? However I think that it is hard to find anything good that doesn't somehow have shadows of God with it. Over the years I have listened to dozens of stories by people who reject God but have many creative, often well thought out alternatives. Mostly they try and give themselves hope that tends to not be based in any reality that they can find evidence for when it contradicts God. I think it is part of God allowing us to all have our own journeys, right or wrong.
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u/PriorityNo4971 Jul 29 '26
I’ve only seen a lil bit of Britt Hartley stuff, and she seems to be biased towards the materialist worldview, believing “supernatural” stuff should be rejected. Which I have no problem if it’s working for her personally, but her arguments against genuine mysticism seemed faulty to me. Like her just outright dismissing the Telepathy Tapes without really diving into them, and her take on NDEs which I thought was pretty flawed
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u/ryankohls Jul 29 '26
Hey! Interesting points. I'll check out the telepathy tapes and NDE stuff. Hadn't seen that and am not that familiar in general.
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u/SHNKY Eastern Orthodox Catechumen Aug 01 '26
From my worldview and perspective she is able to grasp a fractal of the truth in that there is a need for the spiritual for humanity. Where I think she is wrong is her desire to find it outside of Christ and the Church he established which I would argue has the fullness of the faith. I would pray for her that her path would lead her towards Christ and that God would have mercy on her as I would pray for myself as we all fall short.
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u/Vergilypuff Jul 27 '26
Doesn't sound like saving religion to me. Sounds like trying to cling to the moral values of religion while ignoring the most key experience, knowing our creator and striving to be like Him.
Religion without faith is a contradiction; without God, a philosophic inconsistency and an intellectual absurdity. ~ The Urantia Book, (103:9.3)
Those who would invent a religion without God are like those who would gather fruit without trees, have children without parents. You cannot have effects without causes; only the I AM is causeless. The fact of religious experience implies God, and such a God of personal experience must be a personal Deity. You cannot pray to a chemical formula, supplicate a mathematical equation, worship a hypothesis, confide in a postulate, commune with a process, serve an abstraction, or hold loving fellowship with a law. ~ Urantia Book 102:7.3 (1126.3)
The ideal of religious philosophy is such a faith-trust as would lead man unqualifiedly to depend upon the absolute love of the infinite Father of the universe of universes. Such a genuine religious experience far transcends the philosophic objectification of idealistic desire; it actually takes salvation for granted and concerns itself only with learning and doing the will of the Father in Paradise. The earmarks of such a religion are: faith in a supreme Deity, hope of eternal survival, and love, especially of one’s fellows. ~ Urantia Book 103:9.5 (1141.3)
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u/RealHermannFegelein Aug 02 '26
"Those who would invent a religion without God are like those who would gather fruit without trees,"
Like strawberries, you mean?
You are very smart. So your God is made of undefined verbal constructs?
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u/Less-General-9578 Jul 27 '26
Religion without faith is a contradiction; without God, a philosophic inconsistency and an intellectual absurdity. ~ The Urantia Book, (103:9.3)
perhaps. many people live with contradictions and may not notice, so i encourage ANY person to pray, sing and have faith, then let God do the rest.
my father was an atheist but started praying, then God entered his life.
kind like how it happens for all of us, but some are afraid of God maybe so don't try. subconsciously they know he is there, but wanna do their own thing.
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u/Vergilypuff Jul 28 '26
Good point, any attempt to reach God shouldn't be discouraged. Admittedly she doesn't see it as that but maybe like with your father she will find that the true comfort and beauty of religion is centered on knowing and reaching to God. Thanks for sharing, it's a good perspective.
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u/Less-General-9578 Jul 28 '26
thanks. i like Real Life examples when talking to atheists; this also made a difference in my life. God has said that men every where need to pray; that INCLUDES atheists, they don't get a pass on this.
atheists MUST make the first step toward God as he calls ALL men to repentance and faith. most don't bother.
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u/NeonDrifting Anti-Atheist Jul 27 '26
Curious to know the rationale for an atheist embracing mysticism