Lent for atheists

[rug]

By Vlad Chituc

Thursday, February 23, 2012
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I walked into Commons early yesterday morning and saw blue-gray smears dotting the foreheads of a handful of my classmates. I’m embarrassed to admit that I was strangely surprised. Of course, I knew that it was Ash Wednesday. I knew that the beads and colored drinks from last night’s Feb Club party were to celebrate Mardi Gras — the last great celebration before the temperance of the Lenten season. But it still felt odd to see my classmates wear their religion so prominently on their foreheads. It was hard not to feel self-conscious on their behalf.

But I can’t say that I didn’t feel a little bit jealous, either. I’ve been an atheist since I was old enough to drive, and I don’t find the stories in the Bible any more believable now than I did when I was 16. But atheists still miss out on a comfort provided by religion — not necessarily in the beliefs per se, but in the ritual of it all.

I love Christmas far more than I have any right to, and I’d guess that I love it for the exact same reasons most Christians love it: there’s something really special about spending time with family, giving thoughtfully to those in need and those we care about and listening to nostalgic music while drinking hot cocoa by the fire with your cats (or dogs, or grandparents). I don’t see why Christianity is necessary to enjoy any of that, and I refuse to let the faithful have all the fun.

So it bothers me when other atheists are too quick to do away with the beauty religion cultivates, as if it were necessary to toss the beauty out right along with the cosmology. I think we make a mistake when we fail to distinguish the form from the content of religion. Doing away with both is like smashing a glass because we don’t like the drink inside it.

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2012/feb/23/chituc-lent-atheists/

[izquierdista]

1. Picking and choosing

Is picking and choosing religious rituals and practices a bit irreverent and patronizing?

Well, not at all, Vlad. Ask Prick Santorum about the death penalty, giving to the poor, and the Sermon on the Mount, and you'll see a whole lot of picking and choosing.....with more than a little patronizing.

[rhett o rick]

2. I find this a very strange post for an Atheist to write.

What you enjoy about Christmas has nothing to do with religion. Do you feel Christians enjoy it more than you?

You say atheists "do away with the beauty religion cultivates". That's a very strange thing for an atheist to say. IMO the "beauty religion cultivates" can be cultivated w/o the dogma. Join a club. Or join the Unitarian Church. IMO they dont push dogma.

"Doing away with both is like smashing a glass because we don’t like the drink inside it." Then dont "smash the glass" put something else in it. Might I suggest you volunteer at your local foodbank. It's very heart warming w/o the dogma.

[Silent3]

3. The glass analogy isn't a great analogy, but I'll try to work with it anyway

The "glass" here is the ritual, and the "content" is the religious doctrine that provides the supposed purpose and motivation for the ritual.

If you make working at a food bank the content, what corresponds to the glass? Working at a food bank is a good deed, but it's not a ritual. Good deeds can of course be fulfilling on their own, and for many people that fulfillment could be enough, but the author is longing for the ritual part of this.

Atheists could put ashes on their foreheads and work at the food banks during lent, or make up their own ritual of wearing blue bowlers and working at food banks between the first and second full moons after the summer solstice, but it would probably feel forced. Why the ashes or the bowlers? Why not more time doing that good deed, or why not another time of the year?

[rhett o rick]

4. His post is confusing at best. Many "religious" people only go thru the ritual

part of the religion. For example, the Catholic church has a lot of rituals and you can ignore the dogma as many Catholics do (i.e., birth control). There are religious groups that have the ritual and are easy on the dogma like the Unitarians. There are a lot of non-religious organizations that have rituals like the Elks etc. If it is ritual he wants then again I am confused because I find that surprising for an atheist. I was hoping it was the community feeling that he really wanted.