How Does Not Having Faith Effect Your Life

MTPlaces@lemmy.world to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 67 points –

Occasionally find myself envying people with faith and wonder how my life is different than theirs.

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I miss the sense of belonging and place that comes from rituals. While I don’t want to raise my child in the church, I’m trying to find ways to include ritual and ceremony in our lives. For example, I don’t want to pray before meals, so when we have a family meal I light a ceramic oil lamp to represent our time together.

I know what you mean. I saved this blessing off years ago. I don’t remember where I got it, otherwise I’d attribute it to its author. It’s a great way to share that moment of reflection that prayer can provide without the actual religious aspect.

A Secular Grace For what we are about to receive let us be truly thankful …to those who planted the crops …to those who cultivated the fields …to those who gathered the harvest. For what we are about to receive let us be truly thankful to those who prepared it and those who served it. In this festivity let us remember too those who have no festivity those who cannot share this plenty those whose lives are more affected than our own by war, oppression and exploitation those who are hungry, sick and cold In sharing in this meal let us be truly thankful for the good things we have for the warm hospitality
and for this good company

I can't prove it but I bet there is some value of spending a moment before eating being grateful for food. Acknowledge the person who made it and paid for it and the people you are with enjoying it.

I have an atheist Jewish friend. Me and him were talking and he mentioned really missing Friday night dinners with his family. As we were talking he came to the conclusion that I wanted him to get to. There was zero reason why he couldn't still have Friday night dinners with his family. Just like there is zero reason why I can't have a Christmas tree. He and his wife and children can all dress nice, sing a song or two, and have a big meal once a week.

That's the great thing. There is no one keeping score. If you miss something about your religious background you can still have it. You aren't going to lose atheist points. Especially for harmless family community stuff.

This resonated with me. Community and ritual without the religion

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