I wasn't hooked up to anything like this, I was born in the final years of the USSR and most of the population who grew up before then thanks to the gosateizm (State Atheism) program even the theists knew little about religion they claimed to follow. Seriously, if you'd have told a Muslim Muhammad flew to Jerusalem on a donkey they'd have probably thought you were taking the piss. The only woo widely understood was the New Age and Psychic rubbish the party allowed to flow into the country during the early 80's to try and show how accepting and open minded it was and to counter the encroachments of the Orthodox Churches but because of the propaganda films most thought it was bullshit and something to laugh at. Moving to Western Europe later with religious stuff openly displayed or preached was a bit of a culture shock for the younger me.
I can't appreciate ritual at all, theistic or atheistic. I understand the theory of why activities such as a liturgy with all the finery and incense can have such a profound impact upon people, I just don't understand why people can't see past it and see it as smoke and mirrors designed to bring about a psychological shift. I see it in other non-believers I know though, they miss the pageantry, glamour and community.
Perhaps it's less tribal loyalty and more nostalgia. I don't doubt tribal loyalty does exist, I've see it with some Cultural Catholics and Orthodox ethnic groups in America like the Irish and Greeks but for most it seems to be more nostalgia than affinity.
I can't appreciate ritual at all, theistic or atheistic. I understand the theory of why activities such as a liturgy with all the finery and incense can have such a profound impact upon people, I just don't understand why people can't see past it and see it as smoke and mirrors designed to bring about a psychological shift. I see it in other non-believers I know though, they miss the pageantry, glamour and community.
Perhaps it's less tribal loyalty and more nostalgia. I don't doubt tribal loyalty does exist, I've see it with some Cultural Catholics and Orthodox ethnic groups in America like the Irish and Greeks but for most it seems to be more nostalgia than affinity.
