There are two religions in my past in which ritual plays a major part: Roman Catholocism and Judaism. In each of them, I spent a certain amount of time a day devoted to rituals, that in hindsight, had no practical value other than bringing me joy and peace. Some of these rituals took place at a certain time, such as daily mass or the liturgy of the hours in Catholocism, or the waking blessing and washing of hands in Judaism. There were also rituals that happened throughout the day, usually in conjunction with other actions. When Catholic, I used to say the rosary to and from classes at college, or while falling asleep. When Jewish, I would offer blessings before certain actions throughout the day. There was also a time when I had no official relgion, but was very attracted to hinduism, that I repeated a mantra on prayer beads everywhere I went. And if I wasn’t engaged in a structured ritual, I was still always mindful of God as much as I could.

All these rituals did make me feel better in many ways. Repitition helped quiet and order my mind. And it was comforting to feel a part of a greater tradition and community of believers. And, I also believed the rituals actually benefitted or transformed me spiritually. And maybe even improved the world in some miraculous way.

Presently, I am an atheist. And since atheism is not a religion, I no longer have any ritualism in my life. Or so I thought.

A current pursuit of mine is that of trying to live frugally, efficiently, practically, and with as little negative impact on the environment. And in trying to do so, I realized, that I am most successful when I am engaged in what may be considered rituals. Or, at least, intentional mindfulness.

I am, by nature, have a very active and disorganized brain. (Just ask my wife) And to compensate, I have had a lifelong pursuit of trying to get more and more organized. And, in turn, and on good days, I can be very organized. So much that my boss recognized my abilities and made me a project manager at our firm. Kind of like James Earl Jones, who had (or has) a speech impediment, and worked so hard to overcome it that he eventually gained one of the most classic and impressive voices in entertainment.

One of the strongest methods for helping me stay organized is doing things slow and thinking about them. I used to dash in and out of my car, and quickly retrieved or returned certain things to and from my backpack. Or I would do things while walking, thinking multitasking is going to save me some time. And often, something would get forgotten. Now, when I get to the T-Station parking lot, I take my time, put my keys away in my backpack, retrieving my mp3 player, and put in the earplugs. Or, when I get to the store on the way home from work, I park and call my wife at home, then write down what I need to get while sitting in the car. I know this sounds minor, but it’s this taking things slowly and being mindful that has helped me a heck of a whole lot.

Mindfulness also helps in sustainability and nutrition as well. When I’m doing something, especially while in the kitchen or doing a chore, I’m always thinking, is there a way here that I can save resources or money? Can I re-use this boiling water or empty container? Is this really the healthiest way to prepare this food?

My former Rabbi taught me that when one prays, they should do so with kavanah, or, proper concentration. And mindfulness is also a big part of many of the eastern religions. So recently, I realized I was still striving for kavanah. But instead of focusing on and being mindful of a supreme deity, I was being mindful of my body, my community, the environment, and the earth. And like a religious ritual, it did bring me peace and joy. But it also actually accomplished something positive in the practical, material world.

So, can ritualism be a part of an atheist’s life. There is no question. And in my case, it does bring me peace. But more importantly, I know it’s making the world a better place.

The world has too long tried to solve its personal and societal problems through religion, politics, and philosophy. I say that instead of praying for someone or something, do something about it. Don’t look for the secret of or purpose of life. Life is what’s right in front of you. There is no hidden or predetermined purpose for your life. Our goal is just to survive, and help family and friends survive. If you want a purpose, make it yourself. But don’t call it a purpose. Call it a goal. And the goal is up to you. And if you aren’t harming anybody with or in the pursuit of that goal, you wont’ get any argument from me.

The world is so caught up in religious, commercial, political and nationalistic purposes and directives. And they’re all so convinced they’re come from a higher being. Or at least a universal truth. So much of our ills arise from the world of thoughts and fictions. What about the realities? The individual people’s problems. Yes, taken as a whole, these problems are monumental. But taken one at a time…?

Praying is a cop-out. But so is complaining and blaming a political party, philosophy, or figure. If you feel strongly about a political philosophy or figure, either do something about it. Or shut up. If you support the war, either sign-up, or send the troops goodies and letters. If you don’t…write your representatives or go out and march. I love something I saw on the net somewhere: “America’s not at war. The military is. America is at the mall.”

I watched the documentary Rainbow Man/John 3:16 the other day. He was the perfect example of someone being sucked into the world of thoughts and fictions. He was experiencing the world through preachers and tabloid show producers. And each have a monetary agenda. The first wants donations, while the second wants advertising revenues. They fed on him and left him a delusional zombie.

I find that any relgion is being misused when it is held on and latched onto as a crutch. As a soothing balm. As a flag one waves. Something to hide beneath, afraid to face the world, naked. It happens in every relgion. Even in the most religion-free religions. And for non-religious identities as well. The world is full of people afraid to be theirselves, afraid to face the world. They don�??t like what they saw when they left their mother�??s shadow, when they left their parents house. We create our own stories and worlds in which we feel comfortable. We join the kingdoms where we figure higher in the heiarchy.

Should religions/philosophies challenge us? Should they splash water in our faces and say deal with it? This is a social world. Unless it teaches us how to live with each other, it is doing a disservice to us. Though, it would be a shame if that�??s the best relgion can do for us. Keep us from killing each other. Does it have to be religion?

What about the common concern and decency that many smaller, more primitive, and often poorer groups seem to share? Yes, they could be starving. But they don�??t take it out on each other? However, in a way, they sometimes will exhibit animosity against neighboring tribes. For the sake of land, food, grudge, or just because �??they�??re not us.�??

But still, I see little being afraid of the world. They have too much real things to be afraid of, like starving. They knew the world was rough the second they joined their parents in the field or on the hunt. Also, it seems like they are held together naturally, rather than with a seige mentality, working just as hard to hold on to their identity and keep the faith, as they fight against the other. They don�??t turn off the rational side of their mind and keep telling themselves who they are.

So, are there alternatives to teaching people to be kind to each other? To try and exhibit, society-wide, the care that is usually found in smaller groups. Is the fear of punishment enought? Is it a dearth of social programs? Is there a criculumm or philosophy that can be taught to the masses?

It seems unlikely, becasue to some religions, any instruction that isn�??t infused with their religion, is a wolf in sheep�??s clothing. It�??s taking the issue out of the polarized atmosphere they created, and need, to hold onto their identity and their followers.

Shot from the Gateway platform. Been looking at this view, at the end of every working day, for years. Kinda liked the perpective, lights, and contrast. Always been attracted to tunnels, caves, and railways. Always had this romantic sense of them leading somewhere fantastic. But, this one just leads to the South Hills Village T-Station. Oh well.

I recently discovered the athiest blog Unorthodox Atheism.

In his description, the author says.

You wouldn’t think it would, but Atheism made me a happier and more fulfilled person than I ever was. Atheism has made me free to be who I am.

I can say that I have felt the same thing.

I’d been christian the first 25 years of my life, then other religions, and recently, atheist. And I can say as well that I’m happier as an athiest.

And there’s a simple reason for that.

When you believe that there is a divine being running the world, and things don’t go well for you, you either believe…

1. God is not helping you, because you are not good enough (sin too much) or you’re not doing something right (don’t have enough faith, not praying the right way, etc.)

2. God just doesn’t want to help you, because he either doesn’t care that much about you, or just doesn’t like you

I would spend many sleepless nights praying for God to help me, or beating myself up for not being good enough for him to help me.

Now, when things go wrong, I realize they are just natural, logical consequences of my actions, other’s actions, or just plain dumb luck.

However, I must say, that being an atheist has made me sad in one area. With no belief in an afterlife, I can no longer depend on or look forward to seeing my passed loved ones again. And I’m not too crazy about ceasing to exist entirely one day. I for one would love to live forever. I enjoying just existing, thinking, being.

When I was Christian, then later Deist and Jewish, my religion was the focus of my life. I thought about God every waking second. I read voraciously and relished the chance to discuss all things religious with anyone I could. I saw religion as the world’s best hope for peace, prosperity, and fulfillment of it’s greatest potential.

Now that I am atheist, I don’t seem too different inside. It’s just my creed that has changed. I still read and write and discuss. I think about existence, society, politics, and the human condition all the time. And I think that compassion and reason is mankind’s greatest hope.

Anybody former religionists feel the same?

The author of Unorthodox Atheism posted the following:

In an email I received late last week, an anonymous person who I assume to be a man (is it sexist to assume a woman wouldn’t make as many spelling and grammar mistakes?) told me that the main reason he still believes in god is that Atheists are loud, annoying pricks and I was one of the most annoying.

I’ve been noticing stuff like this lately. People tend to be criticizing atheists with no rational reason at all. And they use the adjective “atheist,” as well as adjectives like “evolutionists,” “abortionists,” “scientists,” “liberals,” “democrats,” and “homosexuals,” as derogatory labels with little or no reference to their meanings. And often they use these adjectives as if they all mean the same thing.

In short, my religious history is this: 25 years of devout Christianity, then-odd years of searching, wherein I was a non-practicing Christian while I got really engrossed in other world religions, such as Taoism, Buddhism, Unitarian Universalism, and Vedantic Hinduism. Then I discovered Reform Judaism, loved it, converted. And I was an active reform Jew for about 2 years.
And I didn�??t believe that Reform Judaism was really any superior than any other relgion. It was just one I was most comfortable with. Then I slowly drifted away from it, and became what most people would consider a Deist.

But I became more and more questioning about the suffering in the world. I came to a conclusion that the only just way a divine being could allow suffering, is if the people actually �??chose�?? to suffer. That is, people would live many lives, each deciding before each life, what kind they would want to live. And some actually chose to suffer, because it would make a more interesting life.

But sometime after that, I did more thinking as well. And I started to read a lot of atheist writings and watched atheist videos. I figured whatever the truth was, or whoever God is, reading atheist content would serve to strip away all the anthromorphic dross surrounding God, till nothing but God was left. I figured since God was so supreme, separate, and unknowable, the most accurate way to think about him was through atheistic terms. Does that make sense?

Plus, atheists always seemed to address the qualities of some religions thatI had always had a problem with. Especially fundamentalism, ethnocentrism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc.

My next step I guess was a form of agnostocism. I saw God as purposely trying to be irrelevant or hidden. So, whether or not God existed, we�??re best to live as if God didn�??t.

There were two reasons I was still hanging onto belief.

First, I couldn�??t believe that something as massive as the universe and complicated as the human body could have come about by chance alone.

Secondly, self-sacrificial acts of love seemed to be something contrary to the survivial of the fittest and something that had to be inspired by a separate, supreme being.

But then I did a lot of reading about evolution. And I learned how it could be possible for something like the human body to evolve. The same with the universe.

Then, as to love, I just believed that it was just something irrational, but beautiful, that humans, and perhaps some animals, just invented at some point. Kind of like abstract art or music.

This whole slip from Judaism to full atheism: 1-2 years.

But, Richard Dawkins has said that on a scale of 1 - 7, where 7 is 100% atheist (something like that) and that 1 is a true believer, he is a 6. Thus he leaves room for the possibility of the existence of god existnence (just as the tooth fairy may exist). That, I assume, is because there is no disproof of god�??s existence. If you can�??t prove it wrong, then it may exist.

So, I to am a 6. I doubt there is a God. But if he appeared to me tomorrow, I was somehow convinced he was not a hallucination, hoax, or just some powerful alien, I would probably turn into a 1 or 2.