Yet more opportunities!
EDIT: I can see it now… Speakers hidden throughout the house with demon-voices pre-programmed, some lights that flicker on remote control… You could have a veritable field day!
I think the two dimensions mentioned thus far in this thread pretty much account for it. There’s the sense of community and belonging that rituals serve to formalise and to reinforce. The sense of community and belonging improves social cohesion, beginning at the level of the individual and working through larger and larger groupings of people who share similar ideas, habits and practices. Improved social cohesion means a greater sense of security for both individuals and groups. And everyone wants ever more in the way of feeling safe, protected and looked after. (Those of us brave enough not to need others’ affirmations and/or participation for our sense of self-worth and security are of course much less inclined to fall in line with such norms, seeing them for the hollow follies they are.)
Basically, it’s “If we all believe and do much the same things, we’re all okay.” It’s the ultimate self-justificatory ad populum.
'Luthon64
… after which you could anticlimactically blame the oysters. |-O
Rigil
Ok so I take it "Those who are brave " never celebrated there or one of there family’s birthday
How do you come to this peculiar conclusion?
'Luthon64
akshuelly I believe that if we delve deep enough into the history of marriage as a particular ritual, you will find that it has a reasonably logical foundation, i.e. small communities of the dim past could not risk interfering with bloodlines and thus publicised the fact that a marriage would be taking place between so and so: this was often manipulated to strengthen bloodlines, power and wealth. Hence the need for “witnesses” and the demand from the pulpit: “does anybody here object” and of course “What God has brought together, let no man (women??) rip asunder!!!” In Summary, the ritual was originally a community-based process to look after its own genetic pool…then the shamans and churches came in and stuffed it up…
I can tell you this much. The amount of bravery required to shun the birthday celebrations of a certain family member in particular will border on foolhardiness. 
Not to mention how it fostered inbreeding by the so-called “elite”. The rule of unintended consequences I guess.
FYI I was watching a thing a while back about how marrying cousins isn’t considered completely stupid by everyone. Do I agree? Dunno yet, lack of information and interest.
Whilst entirely besides the point, yes I actually do resist having to attend my own birthday party.
EDIT: This year Majin was kind enough to let me skip it.
“Rituals” where being discuses here with a certain amount of disdain. So the point I was trying to make is that a birthday celebration is a ritual, I think everybody has taken part of except maybe Jehovah witnesses.
So as to say none of us live complete outside society. if you really did you would not be on this forum.
Depends on how hot she/he is.
At a certain age people stop congratulating you, and start giving there condolences.
Right you are. Now be so kind as to point out where anyone made that claim, either directly or by implication.
Thanks.
'Luthon64
Point is I can (and do) attend these rituals, but it doesn’t mean I have to find those rituals rational.
Even a Robinson Crusoe will perform rituals: to lure the fish at full moon; to bless the spirit of the pig as he cooks it over the fire; to cleanse himself every morning… ;D
Well I got it mostly from the tone of this thread. And that last quoted text annoyed me a bit.
My point I’m trying to make rituals is as much part of the human experience as having sex.
And we all have rituals, religious or not. And none of them are more dumber or irrational that any other.
Then I submit that you need to read with greater care and attention to details, specifically the meaning of the words and phrases used. To go from “not [needing] others’ affirmations for our sense of self-worth and security” and “much less inclined to fall in line with such norms” all the way to “never celebrated there (sic) or one of there (sic) family’s birthday” is quite some leap of fantasy.
Such cavalier conclusion-hopping, based on nothing more than sloppy and invalid inferences, will make me grumpy in short order, mostly because it’s not in line with any kind of sceptical mind-set.
'Luthon64
Half agree. Yes, we all have rituals, but they certainly ain’t all sitting in the same spot on the great continuum of rationality. Your morning ritual of brushing your teeth is beneficial and rational. The ritual of lighting and blowing out birthday candles, maybe only slightly so. The ritual of imagining that you are drinking JHC’s blood and eating his flesh is dubious at best. This thread is really aimed at those rituals that specifically possibly strengthens irrationality.
(Of course, whether the actual participants and overseers of superstitious ritual will agree with it’s irrationality, is a different thurible of smoke. :/)
Rigil
I might be very wrong, because tone does not always come translate perfectly in writing.
But alas I’m then still in the dark as to what you meant by the “Those of us brave enough not to need others’ affirmations and/or participation for our sense of self-worth and security are of course much less inclined to fall in line with such norms, seeing them for the hollow follies they are” is it not the ‘us vs them’ narrative with 'us’being better.
Sorry that you are grumpy, and that I don’t match your sceptical mind-set.
Point taken. And yes I guess they do strengthen the irrationality.
Rituals is a tool, what they used is not there fault.
Could you come up with, or think of a ritual, that strengthens rationality?
Good question. I can think of many rituals where the reason behind the ritual is quite rational, but I’m stumped for the moment if I have to name a ritual aimed at reinforcing rationality itself! Maybe there aren’t too many of them, because by its nature, a ritual is a scripted, mechanical set of procedures which makes it unoriginal, un-creative and counter-cerebral, and I suspect all this is not very conducive to fostering rationality.
Rigil
No. It should be obvious from the context of the post in which it occurs that it was a parenthetical remark meant to clarify that some of us aren’t especially fussed about how others view us, and that consequently we are less likely to feel the need to participate in various common rituals (or conversely, that insecure individuals are more likely to engage in such communal activities). It is a fairly straightforward observation, and there is no value judgement expressed or implied in it. What may have got you all muddled is that I used “brave” to describe those of us who aren’t especially concerned about how others view us, but a little thought should suffice to see that it does indeed take a bit of courage to reject a good part of common ritualistic behaviour that others eagerly engage in — just as it takes courage to reject, e.g., religion.
One ritual that strengthens rationality would be doing a newspaper’s crossword or the bridge/chess puzzles daily. Or weekly checking of new scientific papers at one or more of the online journals. Or a student attending regular lectures. In fact, any routine activity that involves a little thinking rather than mere automatic repetition would qualify, including a church sermon that raises an interesting topic in an intelligent way. This underscores Rigil’s point about rituals existing on a continuum, starting at brain-dead and extending through to intriguing.
'Luthon64