@Allamanda I watched it and boy does he rave on quite a bit imho.
The elements he ascribes to religions are already an innate and inherent part of us as humans right there from almost conception, we don't need seek them out via a religious belief system, we can, if we so desire, merely call upon them at will.
When one looks deeply enough in to religions one does find that religions/religious prctises, etc, etc, are, more often than not, a breeding ground for the very elements of Snobbery, etc, that he speaks about.
A prime example, imho, is the British Royal Family, they CLAIM that they have been chosen and anointed by God, pure and unadulterated Snobbery in my opinion since there never has, nor never will be a God/Gods.

@Allamanda I tend to disagree with you on those points for the most part.
Yes, we Atheists do have an adverse reaction to religion/s but with good and solidly founded reasons as well, but is it not these very 'reactions' that have made us, for majority part, better humans than our so-called religious bretheren?
I for one find beauty, connection, etc, etc, in everything around me, I have a community and community support, I also give back to the 'community' much more than I recievefrom it knowing that what I do is a good, decent and proper thing to do.
However, to me it seems, somewhat, that by your comment/s you are attempting to 'Tar everyone with the same brush' which is an impossible and totally wrong thing to do imho.
Those who chose/elect to ignore/neglect the inherent/innate ethics and morals, etc, that they are born with are not only damaging themselves but are damaging society as a whole as well, are they not?
But, when it is all broken down to it, those choices are theirs and theirs alone, not the choice and consencus of the soiety as a whole.
If it were then it would be, simply and imho, yet another example of the Totalitarianism Ideology that runs like blood through the veins of most religious beliefs, i.e. "you are either with us or you are against us, there is NO middle ground."

@Allamanda For centuries after centuries the Atheists, etc, of this world have stood alone and faced the 'wrath' of religions simply, for the most part, because they chose NOT to believe what they were TOLD emphatically that should believe, so why mix in religion with Atheism, etc, in the first place, is that not merely mixing sugar in with arsenic to disguise the taste of the poison?

@Allamanda Yes,the sense of Humanity and human decency goes way back to almost the beginngs of evolution but they too have been usurped by religions, have they not?
Usurped, twisted, prostituted and bastardized over centuries by religions to become a saleable article that they can only 'purchased' by believing in what they are preaching.
Ergo, that IS why I say that religions could, should and would benefit from Atheists/Atheism and NOT the reverse.

@Allamanda Things that occur/happen 'in the short-term' never seem to last or take root in my experiences, but things that occur/happen slowly over long periods, such as trees, etc, always take root and remain for a very long time.
After all, "haste truly does make for waste."

@seenoevil9620 I like your optimism. In the history of this planrt we are just a flash in the pan and I truly doubt that we will survive that much longer.

@Allamanda When I've asked some otherwise intelligent believers why they follow tbat bullshit, some of then have said that they just want something to believe in, something which provides guidance and community, so I think we need to start there. I suspect that is what the pastafarians are trying to do, as well as the church of satan (which in aussie is a free thinkers organisation). Personally I'm fine but I have met many who were very uncomfortable without rules and guidelines.

@Allamanda I also think that ritual is extraordinarily useful because of our need for symbols. We use use ritual to emotionally manage all of life's major transitions so I think that is an important part of what religion provides to those who believe.

@Allamanda

People need to find what's right for them. I'm not opposed to that, but as far as "ritual" and "transcendence" go, these are not words I use beyond the material world.

I will also add, to be fair to your post, is that I couldn't access the video! I had to look it up and may have not seen the right one.

I may have commented unfairly in that case as I possible didn't have full information.

@Allamanda

Don't be so rude.

It is against Agnostic.com community guidelines to insult members.

@Allamanda

"This isn't about it in any way" is insulting as is, "Don't just cut and paste your little thing, please, I can recite it word perfect."

There is no reason to sneer and disparage me like that.

@Allamanda eye-opening

@Allamanda
Non-answer?

You wanted ritual congregations, I pointed you to an entire treasure trove and you call it a non-answer....uh, ok.

@Allamanda
Well a lot of the answers I am reading seemed to have understood your post exactly as I have. So maybe you're just not as intellectual as you like to believe and are simply looking for conversation to structure the smoke screen of perception in order to have that nice security blanket you can use to convince yourself you actually posses that which you do not..

@Allamanda Sorry. I missed the link on my first reading. I started watching the video just now, but it stopped at 11:37 from the end. I started it again, and it stopped at the same place.

@Allamanda I think you missed the point. The "tradition" she mentioned was created out of necessity ... and then passed on generation to generation WITHOUT the explanation as to WHY. The "tradition" would not have passed, if they knew WHY.

Most of the time that is what happens. Something done over and over again FOR A REASON, and then the reason is forgotten, and the action continues because of "tradition", whether it is reasonable or necessary.

Any routine you can create can become a tradition. Why don't you make a tradition of having lunch on Sundays in the park?

@Allamanda That is EXACTLY the point. Many religious rituals begin as something they do out of necessity, and then continue even though they don't know the reason for it generations later.

Look at all the sacrificial rituals in the bible. Those were created because "blemished" animals were probably diseased, and a lot of those sacrifices were food sources for the priests (since most sacrifices was done in the temple, to be 'close to god' ) . They didn't want to be fed bad meat, so they put caveats on the rituals in place to keep the supply untainted. They didn't burn the meat, they burned the entrails, or the stuff you normally don't eat anyway.

Honestly, I don't think many educated folks want to have 'rituals' - religious or otherwise. Rituals are for followers, not for leaders.

@Allamanda No, this talk has nothing to do with influence. It has to do with how we view the value of the individual in today's society.

@Allamanda knowing why humans create ritual is not in my wheelhouse. They certainly on the surface seem to be part of us. Are they though? How given over to ritual are the peoples of the world who are still living a hunter gatherer lifestyle? I don’t have an answer but I’m wondering if humans created the ritual aspect of their lives or if it’s a symptom of bureaucracy. I’m also wondering if it is useful for anything other than tool for those in power to stay in power by subtle brainwashing?

After reading more of your comments here I think I better understand what you’re looking at. A way (tool) to bend the zeitgeist more towards rational thought. A noble goal but it seems not so noble a means. Are you kinda wanting to use the ways of the “enemy” to whisper in the ears of the masses? I know I’m making it sound much more sinister than I think you mean it but I can’t help feeling that way. You’re like Boromir wanting to use the ring for good

@AtheistInNC you pretty much understand exactly my feelings about ritual and or traditions. I didn’t mention it yet but beyond the original meanings being lost, they can prolly be twisted to serve the needs of whoever is administering them. Plus on a personal level I absolutely despise repetition. Been there, done that? Then move the hell on to something else says I.

@Allamanda you’re prolly right. In my experiences I have not realized any beneficial aspect to rituals. I see other people engaging and judge the ritual to be negative or neutral. I went to learn about Confucianism and became totally disinterested when I found it to be largely about ritual and how that connects us to each other (and the woo). Maybe I should give it another look, he might have something to say about why it’s important to humans. Have you read much about the guy?

As for repetition, after reading your words I will say that repetition must be the true opiate of the masses.

All this being true I’ll have to stand by my original thought. All that is needed is a weekly meeting. The humans involved will create their own rituals that are organically human and those can be passed to the masses. I feel that such things coming from the deep psych of the human mind will ultimately be more effective than something that comes from an academic effort. I’d like to see it happen.

@Allamanda Powder

@Allamanda community organizations promoting critical thinking skills and logical discourse, empowerment of disadvantaged and disenfranchised, destigmatization of mental health and substance abuse conditions, and collective improvements to the community. It needs to start with people helping other people to help themselves.

@Allamanda

You have 0 fans and 0 followers. In contrast, I have 2,147 fans and 187 followers. What does that tell you? People like my comments and posts.

To save time, I have honed my answers to repeated questions to the fewest, most potent words.

@Allamanda I'm not going to pretend to know what or if society's missing something, I'm only speaking for myself who typically doesn't like most the things that others do.

My own rituals hold significance for me and presumably the others I do them with. It's enough for me, dunno about them though.

I haven't been happy with how things are going since Reagan won.

@VictoriaNotes

I stand corrected. But she was repeatedly rude and insulting to me.

@Allamanda Yes i did. Like most TED talks, the views expressed may not completely reflect my own, but i never throw the baby out with the bath water, as i pointed out. LOL

Not all ten. The first is definitely out. Others likely as well

@vertrauen what is the first one?

I've always felt that some of those big cathedrals would make excellent night clubs, great acoustics and an awesome dance floor once you cleared out the pews, an huge bar with seating where the altar was.

@Surfpirate A lot of old churches in the UK are being sold off as the years go by. Some to convert into private homes, some as shops etc. but the church usually puts legal restrictions on them so that they can not be used as night clubs, betting shops and bars etc.. Which is odd, because the traditional centre of night life and the sex trade in the UK, was always Soho in London, and guess who owned the ground rents on Soho.

Yes but ritual does not have to mean transcendence. If for example, I bring some evergreens into the house to decorate it on the winter solstice, it does not connect to anything false, it just reminds me of the vitality of life surviving the winter until spring. Which is a completely real thing.

@Fernapple I'm glad that works for you.

Sounds to me more like the pleasant continuation of a learned tradition (you were brought up with or knew someone who also practiced this "ritual?" )

Google definition of ritual is "a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order." for example: dim the lights, light the candle to symbolize life in the winter, bow to the planter each week as you slowly wave your hands then repeat the solemn pledge to sustain life as you apply water to the plant.

In the fall I also bring in a few plants (already in planters).
In my case, I do this so I will not have to replant them in the spring. I just grab them off the back yard patio, walk them through the garage and place them near the glass door or large windows by the lower fireplace in the breezeway. When they look dry, I water them.

I also keep a x-mas tree in a closet downstairs. In the winter I'll usually grab it into one of the spare bedrooms, walk it through a long narrow hallway - through the back of my theater - up the stairs - by the kitchen - through the foyer into the living room and place it on the 10' wide raised stone base by of the fireplace by the formal dining room. If I feel like it. I'll plug the tree in at night (usually only when I have guests over to catch a movie in my theater) as it creates a nice glow in a comfortable room to discuss the movie.

Halloween, I'll grab a plastic jack-O-lantern and place it on a glass table in front of the bow windows. The next day it goes back into the furnace room for storage.

I would not classify these actions as ritual.

@NoMagicCookie Oh I would classify those as ritual.