supernatural qualities in atheism

Even in the version of science which is deliberately atheistic, we encounter realities that comport qualities that are essentially mystical.
When observing the universe, one legitimately asks as to its extent.
How big is it?
Immediate speculations present.
It is limitlessly big.
In other words it goes on forever.
That is to say it is infinite.
The encounter with the concept of forever or infinity begs a particularly leading question.
How can something go on forever?
I am suggesting that forever boggles the human mind in that when we consider infnity normal reasoning and rationale will not go there.
A serious reflection on forever leads inevitably to a conception of mystery.
Infinite mystery in fact and as a fact.
Alright.
Let's try a second speculation.
The universe is expanding and is not limitless.
This also begs some particularly leading questions.
If the universe is not limitless what lies beyond its furthest boundary?
Again I suggest we meet the concept of infinity once we step up to the notion that the universe or existence (I use the two as synonyms) has a boundary.
What can exist beyond existence and what can cause the existence of something beyond existence?
If we set out on this speculation we arrive at another mind boggling, zen like, teachable moment.
We are in the presence of infinity.
Again the mind's capacity to hold the notion is simply not there.
It boggles.
Right then.
Let's drop the extent of the universe in geometric space.
Let's ask how old it is or what is its extent in time?
At one stage the most prevalent atheistic answer to this speculation ran: The universe is limitlessly old and has always existed without prior cause.
This was the idea favoured by Einstein.
Limitlessly old means we meet the concept of infinity again.
It is this concept that I am claiming is inherently supernatural.
It is not unknown because we don't know it yet.
It is unknown because it is unknowable.
Remind you of anything else concept wise?
Anyway, no matter what we do with infinity, it recurs and each time it recurs, it consistently boggles the mind.
In recent years the broader culture of scientific enquiry (ie not the specifically atheistic branch) has concluded that the universe was created in a single instant at a single point.
This notion is described as the big bang.
If we allow it to be an atheistic notion for a moment, we are left asking: What came before the big bang?
What lies outside the boundary of the big bang?
What caused the big bang?
We once more encounter an Unknown factor which appears unlimited by our conceptual constraints and undefinable within them.
Once more the mind boggles.
You can see that I am using the term boggle to connote a type of humbling realisation where nothing can be realised.
I am not advocating the quietism of Zen philosophy.
I am advocating the admission that within every conception of reality postulated by atheists there is the necessity of an unknowable mystery one way or the other.
Working forward in time with regard to the universe, we may ask: will the universe go on forever?
We are meeting forever again.
Can atheism survive this encounter?
If the universe ends in entropy, a nothingness identified as the utter exhaustion of all energy, as some theorists maintain, what comes after the entropy?
Anyone feel a faint boggle yet?
Even in the realms of what I call philosophical mathematics, the concept of infinity is necessary.
Yet even in mathematics the concept of infinity makes no sense.
We meet it.
We use it, or so we think.
At no point have we stated it in a way that a human mind can call knowable.
At every point within human conceptions of reality if we advance far enough  in rationale, we meet infinity.
An ultimate eternal mystery.
The concept of an ultimate eternal mystery is inherent to all practical atheisms, that is to say it is inherent to atheistic conceptions of reality whose proponents attempt to justify themselves rationally.
Eternal essentially supernatural mystery is integral to every would be atheistic conception of reality.
Cf: God.