I know this, Occam. So what I was trying to say was that if communities of people who share this statement had rituals, these communities would be more popular. I actually know atheists who enjoy going to church because of the rituals. No joke.
And since a ritual is a prescribed order for a specific ceremony, what ritual for atheists or secular humanists would you recommend? Among other more important reasons that I became an atheist was to escape this mindless regimentation. Stand up, sit down, sing, pray; I did enjoy the picnics but you still had the obligatory prayer ritual. We could have been eating then. I did individually thank the preparers though. It may be that those atheists who came from a religious background miss the traditions that mark the seasons. My wife’s an Episcopalian who rarely attends but enjoys especially the Xmas rituals, candle lighting, hanging of the greens etc. I’ll admit it is impressive. The church was built in 1876 and has vaulted ceilings of chestnut wood. Love the decor, not the rituals.
So what I was trying to say was that if communities of people who share this statement had rituals, these communities would be more popular. I actually know atheists who enjoy going to church because of the rituals. No joke.
Yeah, but they go to church because they are cultural Christians, not because they are atheists. I am one, too, especially during Christmas when I still celebrate the birth of Christ. But again, this has nothing to do with my atheism. I have no idea what kind of a ritual an atheist could engage in “in the name of atheism.” Should I wake up on Sundays, get on my knees and whisper over and over “I don’t believe in God”?
You should get together with like minded atheists and rhythmically beat drums, while chanting the names of the top 100 historical atheists. Then follow up with beer and barbeque for all attendees.
So what I was trying to say was that if communities of people who share this statement had rituals, these communities would be more popular. I actually know atheists who enjoy going to church because of the rituals. No joke.
Yeah, but they go to church because they are cultural Christians, not because they are atheists. I am one, too, especially during Christmas when I still celebrate the birth of Christ. But again, this has nothing to do with my atheism. I have no idea what kind of a ritual an atheist could engage in “in the name of atheism.” Should I wake up on Sundays, get on my knees and whisper over and over “I don’t believe in God”?
You should get together with like minded atheists and rhythmically beat drums, while chanting the names of the top 100 historical atheists. Then follow up with beer and barbeque for all attendees.
I don’t like either meat nor “non-pitched-percussion-music” (i.e., noise). Plus, I am fine with Christianity.
Re: Atheists who attend church reminds me: Shortly after I started working for my company we had a regional meeting that included lab and sales personnel. I ran into an older salesman who often won saleman of the year. A group of us sat in the lounge after dinner, and I enjoyed listening to the stories of the older personnel. The salesman admitted that he was an atheist, but that he regularly attended different churches when he was away from his home base. He explained that there were always church ladies who would invite the lonely out-of-towner to dinner, and he’d end up spending the night. A guess that was one of his rituals.
So what I was trying to say was that if communities of people who share this statement had rituals, these communities would be more popular. I actually know atheists who enjoy going to church because of the rituals. No joke.
Yeah, but they go to church because they are cultural Christians, not because they are atheists. I am one, too, especially during Christmas when I still celebrate the birth of Christ. But again, this has nothing to do with my atheism. I have no idea what kind of a ritual an atheist could engage in “in the name of atheism.” Should I wake up on Sundays, get on my knees and whisper over and over “I don’t believe in God”?
You should get together with like minded atheists and rhythmically beat drums, while chanting the names of the top 100 historical atheists. Then follow up with beer and barbeque for all attendees.
I don’t like either meat nor “non-pitched-percussion-music” (i.e., noise). Plus, I am fine with Christianity.
Come to think of it, finding “like minded atheists” might be an issue, too. I’m not sure that are very many other Culturally Christian atheists, who are former (unwilling) Communists, and who are also non-humanistic vegetarians.
Come to think of it, finding “like minded atheists” might be an issue, too. I’m not sure that are very many other Culturally Christian atheists, who are former (unwilling) Communists, and who are also non-humanistic vegetarians.
Maybe I should post this in my bio section.
I am also above-average in height, I speak three languages, play the flute, piano and guitar, have a lisp, suffer from insomnia, I am an aristocrat, I smoke, can’t dance, never got into a car accident, almost got a pilot license, love coffee, wine, beer and rum, hate whiskey and tequila, used to race in downhill skiing, love puppet theatre and typography, like to read, I collect and restore furniture, love to go for hikes, used to sing in a choir, worked as an industrial designer and stage designer, never seen Star Wars, don’t like the white part of egg, love the Alps and Punta Cana, read all of von Däniken’s books, and I don’t have an appendix.
I am also above-average in height, I speak three languages, play the flute, piano and guitar, have a lisp, suffer from insomnia, I am an aristocrat, I smoke, can’t dance, never got into a car accident, almost got a pilot license, love coffee, wine, beer and rum, hate whiskey and tequila, used to race in downhill skiing, love puppet theatre and typography, like to read, I collect and restore furniture, love to go for hikes, used to sing in a choir, worked as an industrial designer and stage designer, never seen Star Wars, don’t like the white part of egg, love the Alps and Punta Cana, read all of von Däniken’s books, and I don’t have an appendix.
Maybe I should post this in my bio section.
