I’m an atheist. But I do a lot of things “for the environment”. Not all of them are rational, but I do them anyway, religiously, like fanatically separating my garbage.
Really, this crunchy granola environment-conscious way of living has every hallmark of organized religion. In this church of the Toyota Prius, as I call it, we read sermons on how the world is going to hell in a handbasket if we don’t change our lightbulbs and stop flying. We feel guilt about our ecological footstep. We feel morally superior for saving the whatever it is that needs saving this week. The “kosher” dietary restrictions are eating vegetarian and organic. We are engouraged from the pulpit to vote Green. Yada yada.
Really, it looks very much like a religion sometimes, and there are days that I feel I should take my atheism just one step further.
I bake Christmas cookies, have a tree with lights and give presents. I like that stuff. Does that count?
When I think of doing something ‘religiously’ it has connotations of blindly following dogma that can’t hold up under close scrutiny. I don’t think that I do that about anything. I recycle and compost without thinking about it but it makes a lot of sense when you live in the country. Most of the green things I do are more about saving money than saving the world.
OP, I think your environmental thing misses the point - ultimately your practices are likely a function of enlightened self-interest.
Whether most religious beliefs are driven ultimately by self interest (i.e., not wanting to burn in hell, or even to run into Dick Cheney there), is a matter for a GD thread.
I think this should be a standard. It’s a bit like when I (an atheist/agnostic) get invited to a religious ceremony such as a funeral or wedding, I will go along with all the rituals rather than pointedly refusing. Feel free to cross your fingers behind your back or whatever if you feel you need to, but it’s just decency IMHO.
To answer the OP, I have a Bible and a Quran. Despite being neither a Christian nor a Muslim, I treat them both as holy (in a way) because I believe they are, simply by virtue of so many millions of people putting so much emotion into them. So I don’t throw them in a pile with other books on top, etc. They are treated gently and respectfully. When I have taken a legal oath, I have not hesitated to use the Bible (despite having the option to simply “affirm” instead), pretty much for the same reason - I won’t renege on that oath, if not because I believe in the Bible then because so many do.
Friday is fish-for-supper night. Any other day of the week may be vegan, rare cow, vegetarian, or baconBACONbacon depending on my mood, but Friday is Fish-For-Supper.
I’m a devout athiest cattle rancher, and a surly one at that, but consuming the flesh of a land animal on Friday is icky-weird, and never tastes right on Friday anyway. :rolleyes:
I am struggling to comprehend your OP so I’ll respond only to the subject.
I usually try to avoid doing so, but I sometimes invoke the word ‘God’ in my daily script.
I look forward to christmas, and buy presents for all those relatives which are close to me or whom I have genuine love for. My nieces come first, then my parents (genetic and non-genetic) then my grandparents.
I do Christmas, say “Amen” when appropriate on the rare occassions I find myself in church, and treat all religious books and artifacts respectfully. But those actions are borne more out of tradition/habit than anything else. I also recycle and compost, but I chalk that up to not wanting my future offspring to live in a poluted landfill. Selfish motives, really.
I’ll go to church if asked by a friend, and I’m always respectful although I spend most of the service thinking about old girlfriends (Most of them used to ask me to church, too, even the firecrackers, and I really haven’t gone much since then except for Basic Training.).
I bow my head at grace, and I’ll say it if asked.
I still give to Catholic charities for the poor. Does that count?
If I’m in a giving mood–which is most of the time–I will listen to an evangelical’s testimonial without interrupting him. For one thing, we both get something out of it. He gets to say his thing, and I get a good reminder of why I became an atheist. I never debate religion face to face or in live chat anymore, not since the time I very rudely asked a born again why she believed. It turned out that she was religious, because she desparately wanted to meet her five year old daughter in heaven.
[slight hijack]I had that conversation almost ten years ago, and I’ve thought about dissing her like that literally every fucking day. I’ll debate religion in here, but nowhere else, certainly not in a Christian chatroom anymore. [/hijack]
I always say “Bless you” when someone sneezes and I like it to be said to me. I feel jinxed if I don’t get a bless you.
Yes that’s right I said jinxed.
And I love love love Christmas!
Sometimes I pray, just in case someone might be listening out there. Nothing deep, just one of my old holdovers from being Christian as a kid. Mostly, “Oh god please make this kid go to sleep early tonight!”
I’m respectful if I’m in church for a wedding or funeral, mostly so as not to upset my mother. I quietly mumble words to Dylan songs when they pray, I won’t kneel but I’ll sit so close to the edge of the seat that I look like I am. I draw the line at receiving communion because that seems completely disrespectful to me since it’s such a meaningful sacrament to them.
I sing in our local gay men’s chorus, which includes an annual “holiday” concert. I sometimes have to mentally cringe at some of the lyrics . . . though most of the songs are secular.
