What would you say is the difference between supernatural, spiritual, and paranormal?

What do you think the difference is between those 3 terms? Ive heard them all being used in the context of religions, but I cant seem to figure out the different meaning of these words, since they all refer to otherworldly things, and are used in similar contexts to mean similar things.

 

no difference at all. religion is supernatural, paranormal, and superstitious. it's also a belief in magic, because no mechanism for "miracles", or creation, is seen or known.

there isn't the slightest difference between jesus and tarot cards, for example, there are simply different names and trappings. both are claimed to help mankind using magic.

 

SYNONYMS.

 

UFOs can be considered paranormal, but I don't think they're necessarily supernatural or spiritual. That points to a difference between the terms. Similarly, meditation can be considered spiritual without being considered supernatural. And so on.

 

Do synonyms usually mean exactly the same or a small difference in the meaning of words?

 

similar things. not exactly the same thing.

 

I deeply disagree with most of you. If supernatural and paranormal are roughly the same, a spirituality don't involve the belief in supernatural. You can construct a materialist belief. Epicurian, stoïcian and many other philosophers are the best example of that.

 

I think that supernatural is a thing that happens outside of nature. It's extraneous to humanity. A supernatural force could be a god for example.

Paranormal describes human abilities. The ability to speak with the dead, the ability to move abject with telepathic powers

Spiritual relates to the religion but also to understanding the inner mind or the soul. Personally, I am not religious and consider myself agnostic atheist but I still feel that I am spiritual because I am concerned with questions like "what is consciousness?' "How can I find peace within myself?" Etc.


This is just how I see it. Check a dictionary for something more accurate.

 

A synonym technically allows for some differences, but I would probably use another word if the difference (however small) is important.

 

These three words have much overlap and some distinctions, depending on the user's intent and ability to convey their own meaning for each of the words in the context in which they are used. Each is a bit overused, abused and employed in sloppy fashion, which typically dilutes any precise meaning they may otherwise have. In addition, they tend to be used by folks with certain world views which contain beliefs in magic, superstition, certain religious dogma and emotional, instead of rational, thinking. I tend not to use them because they have little explanatory weight and are usually quite confusing to speakers and listeners alike.

 

By differences do you mean nuance?

 

The difference? Two shots of Jack Daniels ... "the dog saws it first - just past the corn field ...".

 

Yeah basically. A difference that is there but doesn't matter is, I guess, a nuance.

 

They all overlap and tie in with each other..
For example, the Bible includes every type of spooky phenomena there is such as UFO's, ghosts, levitation, transmutation of matter, quantum physics, alien interaction with humans, giants etc, you name it-
"There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown" (Genesis 6:4)

 

Souls or spirits exist beyond and without any religion. The Creator doesn't want or require worship, Sunday sermons or rites and rituals. Nor does He require your belief.
Religion didn't create the soul, it was before any religion was founded. Some souls, for whatever reason, choose to remain earth bound and can show themselves as paranormal events. Our government studied remote viewing for 20 years and not just ours.

Project Star gate is the collective name for advanced psychic functioning or Remote viewing experiments and programs that were undertaken for over twenty years to create a trainable, repeatable, operational and if at all possible, accurate method of psychic spying or information gathering for the U.S. Military and intelligence agencies (CIA, NSA, DIA).

http://www.remoteviewed.com/remote_viewing_history_military_b.htm

You're correct if you mean that in science no mechanisim for creation is known.

 

So calling a young woman a young girl has a difference in meaning?

 

What is the nuance between the terms?

Would you say the terms have only nuanced difference in meaning?

 

Not sure what you're getting at, but yeah, if I read what you're saying correctly.

 

Old cold thread. Looks like you bumped it.

 

newborn - less than 1 month old
infant - less than 1 year old
girl - 1 year to 17 years
lady - 18 years to 50 yrs and single
woman - married
old woman - married and over 50
old lady - single and over 50
female - pretty much covers them all

 

Not sure why you morphed over to the Bible so fast.

Supernatural - of gods and goddesses

Spiritual - of souls

Paranormal - ESP, psychics, etc.

 

1 shot - no effect

2 shots - mild sense of contentment

3 shots - mild sense of euphoria

4 shots - definite euphoria with impairment

5 shots - delirium

6 shots - stumbling

7 shots - falling down drunk and throwing up.

 

I have never seen a UFO.

Not sure if they exist.

I have seen a few low altitude asteroids burning up. Could have been space junk.

 

I had to look up "nuance" in the dictionary-
"a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound: synonyms: fine distinction, subtle distinction/difference"
So I'd say the terms 'supernatural' and 'paranormal' are nuanced and virtually interchangeable, but 'spiritual' is not so nuanced because it adds a deeper level and implies that an offworld 'God' or 'Being' or 'Alien' is involved.

 

Well this is the Religion thread so I thought I'd toss the Bible into the discussion..
PS- has anybody here ever experienced any supernatural/paranormal incidents?
I had a classic 'False Arrival' once when I was up in my room, I heard the family come back from a shopping trip, but when I went down to greet them there was nobody there!
I later found out it's a fairly common phenomena.