Supernatural

Classic depiction of the supernatural god, that happens to look just like a brain. Maybe the artist wasn't so supernatural after all?

metaculture rejects the existence of any and all Supernatural beings and forces that have the ability to violate the laws of physics. Supernatural beings that cannot alter physical reality have no impact on your life choices, so belief in them is ultimately benign.

"One man's 'magic' is another man's engineering. 'Supernatural' is a null word." -Robert A. Heinlein

The Pantheistic interpretation maintains the majesty of god without violating the laws of physics or making it effectively powerless.

The Supernatural as Allegory

All supernatural depictions in scripture should be interpreted as allegories for real people, motivations, and forces within the universe, told by our ancestors with the accumulated wisdom of hundreds of generations of mind-havers.

The Pantheistic, self-creating universe-god is used in place of an external, supernatural god that cannot be observed, has no detectable impact on the laws of physics, and begs the question "who created god?"

The personal god, or anthropomorphic depictions of gods generally, reflect idealized personifications of human nature. In polytheistic pantheons, each god represents a single aspect of human nature or society, just like each character of Inside Out represents a single emotion. In monotheism, god becomes a complete meta-human and takes on the full spectrum of human personality. This is an incredibly useful psychological tool for understanding ourselves and holding up a moral and ethical ideal that we can model ourselves on.

As with the placebo effect, it still works even if you know it's not real, and take it with full awareness of that fact. Wrestling is still entertaining even if you know what kayfabe is. Unweaving the rainbow, disenchanting the magical, changes the source of wonder but not the quality.

Was It Allegory Before Science?

Before the invention of science, the separation of the natural and the supernatural was much less pronounced. There was one common cultural language to talk about the universe and it involved spirits, angels, demons, gods, and all of the other archetypes of mythology. It's basically Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra--people communicate using common stories and cultural reference points, and scripture is the dictionary.

When science comes along, all of a sudden we now know why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. We know why the tide goes in and the tide goes out (with some exceptions). We know the origins of the universe. The stories are no longer the explanation; there is another explanation that makes a lot more sense. So what becomes of the stories?

Rejecting the Supernatural While Embracing Tradition

Unlike atheists that tend to reject all notions of god along with the supernatural, metaculture embraces the traditions, rituals, symbolism, and connection to history that religion provides, while interpreting god and scripture in a way that is also fully compatible with science.

Why do Humans Worship Supernatural Agents?

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Supernaturally