Secular Celebrations in the news
BY PHILLIPS STEVENS JR. •
As more and more people are abandoning their religious upbringing, many still want to celebrate certain cherished cultural traditions. This is why the upcoming Secular Day of the Dead was created as a redesign of Hispanic traditions and rituals that celebrate our one and only life, legacies, and cultural heritage. To nontheists, our legacies are our afterlife.
“Ritual” indicates a formal repetitive behavior before or during some task considered important by the actor, and it usually includes actions not directly relevant to nor causal of the intended outcome. Its best-known manifestations are in religious contexts when the extraneous actions have symbolic meaning, and by far the greatest number of studies of ritual are analyses of the practice of religion. However, ritualistic behavior is evident in our daily lives.
Most people have morning routines. Following them precisely is important and helps one to feel complete and confident; omitting some part of the routine can lessen those feelings. Such routines are especially important for people embarking on busy work schedules with critical outcomes. The query, “Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?” is a reaction to a friend’s unusually disorganized or grumpy behavior, suggesting that some violation of one’s morning ritual is to blame.
March 2013 - The Humanist Hour - In this month’s podcast, Todd Stiefel’s co-host is Margaret Downey. Together they interview three representatives of the Clergy Project, acting Executive Director Catherine Dunphy, Jerry Dewitt and Teresa MacBain. Click to read.
August 3, 2012 - Figures reveal more Humanist weddings than Catholic weddings in Scotland.
Click here to read the article.
March 18, 2009 - Philadelphia Inquirer - Are they married? It depends... Click here to read article.
August 15, 2008 - PBS article on baby-naming ceremony. Click here to read the article.