Arise, ye naturalistic (nontheistic) philosophers

[Bo G]

A discussion thread primarily intended as a minority refuge for those with naturalistic (that is, nontheistic) philosophies. (We're roughly 10% of the population).

I started a new thread because most nontheists I know prefer to be defined by what we do believe in, rather than what we don't. And most have a naturalistic philosophy of one sort or another. (Naturalistic, as opposed to supernaturalistic).

(Do you believe in unicorns? No? How well do you feel defined by the term a-unicornist?)

Not all nontheists have naturalistic philosophies. Some have no philosophy at all, and I do worry a bit about them. A philosophy seems needed to guide one as a moral human being. But then, I also worry about theists whose religion does not seem to guide them as moral beings either. Morality appears to be a human drive that extends beyond nontheism vs. theism.

I tend to use the term nontheist over atheist, as it has a more neutral connotation, simply "without belief." It helps bypass the common mistake that atheism somehow means "against belief."

My own philosophy is called humanism. I'm also a sort of ""secular Christian." That is, I grew up in a Christian family and continue to participate in certain cultural and musical traditions to honor my family heritage, much as many "cultural Jews" do. But there are many other flavors of nontheistic beliefs... some consider themselves "religious" such as some kinds of Buddhism, Ethical Culture, religious humanists, etc.

Nontheists, feel free to make random observations on whatever so moves you. You might want to share your thoughts about the holiday season. I've got Christmas in my blood, been there too long! Love singing carols, and feel no reason to quit.

What's on your mind, oh ye of little faith?

 

[Bo G]

Winter Celebrations!

Winter Celebrations!​

December 21 is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. it marks the beginning of the lengthening of days again, the return of more lifegiving sunshine. Since long before recorded history, people around the world have recognized this time as one of rebirth, in holiidays, festivals, gatherings, or rituals.

For me it's a special week, culminating in Christmas, as my family has a multi-generational Christian tradition, with many aspects we still honor. It's a time both for connecting to nature and seeing the spectacular beauty of Earth in winter... and it's a time for family, friends, community, sharing, generosity. New Year's Day is a time to reflect, to plan...


More excerpts from ReligiousTolerance.org:

PAGAN: Many symbols and practices associated with Christmas are of Pagan origin: holly, ivy, mistletoe, yule log, the giving of gifts, decorated evergreen tree, magical reindeer, etc. Polydor Virgil, an early British Christian, said "Dancing, masques, mummeries, stageplays, and other such Christmas disorders now in use with Christians, were derived from these Roman Saturnalian and Bacchanalian festivals; which should cause all pious Christians eternally to abominate them." In Massachusetts, Puritans unsuccessfully tried to ban Christmas entirely during the 17th century, because of its heathenism. The English Parliament abolished Christmas in 1647. Some contemporary Christian faith groups do not celebrate Christmas. Included among these was the Worldwide Church of God (before its recent conversion to Evangelical Christianity) and the Jehovah's Witnesses.

DRUIDISM: Druids and Druidesses formed the professional class in ancient Celtic society. They performed the functions of modern day priests, teachers, ambassadors, astronomers, genealogists, philosophers, musicians, theologians, scientists, poets and judges. Druids led all public rituals, which were normally held within fenced groves of sacred trees. The solstice is the time of the death of the old sun and the birth of the dark-half of the year.

INCA RELIGION: The ancient Incas celebrated a festival if Inti Raymi at the time of the Winter Solstice. Since the Inca Empire was mainly south of the equator, the festival was held in June. It celebrates "the Festival of the Sun where the god of the Sun, Wiracocha, is honored." 16 Ceremonies were banned by the Roman Catholic conquistadores in 1572 century as part of their forced conversions of the Inca people to Christianity. A local group of Quecia Indians in Cusco, Peru revived the festival in 1944. It is now a major festival which begins in Cusco and proceeds to an ancient amphitheater a few miles away.

IRAN: Shabe-Yalda (a.k.a. Shab-e Yaldaa) is celebrated in Iran by followers of many religions. It originated in Zoroastrianism, the state religion which preceded Islam. The name refers to the birthday or rebirth of the sun. People gather at home around a korsee -- a low square table -- all night. They tell stories and read poetry. They eat watermelons, pomegranates and a special dried fruit/nut mix. Bonfires are lit outside.

JUDAISM: Jews celebrate an 8 day festival of Hanukkah, (a.k.a. Feast of Lights, Festival of lights, Feast of Dedication, Chanukah, Chanukkah, Hanukah). It recalls the war fought by the Maccabees in the cause of religious freedom. Antiochus, the king of Syria, conquered Judea in the 2nd century BCE. He terminated worship in the Temple and stole the sacred lamp, the menorah, from before the altar... at the time of the solstice, [rededicating] the Temple to a Pagan deity...Jews restored the temple and lit the menorah...Modern-day Jews celebrate Hanukkah by lighting one candle for each of the eight days of the festival.

NATIVE AMERICANS: The Pueblo tribe observe both the summer and winter solstices. Although the specific details of the rituals differ from pueblo to pueblo, "the rites are built around the sun, the coming new year and the rebirth of vegetation in the spring. The Hopi tribe "is dedicated to giving aid and direction to the sun which is ready to 'return' and give strength to budding life." Their ceremony is called "Soyal." It lasts for 20 days and includes "prayerstick making, purification, rituals and a concluding rabbit hunt, feast and blessing..." There are countless stone structures created by Natives in the past to detect the solstices and equinoxes.

NEOPAGANISM: Wiccans recognize eight seasonal days of celebration. Four are minor sabbats and occur at the two solstices and the two equinoxes. The other are major sabbats which happen approximately halfway between an equinox and solstice. The winter solstice sabbat is often called Yule. It is a time for introspection, and planning for the future.

NEOLITHIC EUROPE: Many remains of ancient stone structures can be found in Europe dating back many millennia... At Newgrange, in Brugh-na-Boyne, County Meath, in eastern Ireland... dated at about 3,200 BCE; it is one of the oldest structures in the world... Above the entrance way is a stone "roof box" that allows the light from the sun to penetrate to the back of the cairn at sunrise on and near the winter solstice. At Maeshowe, (Orkneys, Scotland) is a chambered cairn built on a leveled area with a surrounding bank and ditch. It has been carbon dated at 2750 BCE. Inside the cairn is a stone structure with a long entry tunnel. The structure is aligned so that sunlight can shine along the entry passage into the interior of the megalith, and illuminate the back of the structure. This happens at sunrise at and near the winter solstice. Starting in the late 1990's, live video and still images have been broadcast to the world via the Internet.
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[arXter]

I like that you said morality is beyond theism/nontheism because I believe that the human spirit (defined as the fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character) transcends these labels. And so I believe that spirituality is a real thing and will one day be explained by science.

I too adhere to dogma-free humanist principles with regards to freethought, naturalism, empiricism, etc.

However, I will continue to call myself an atheist as opposed to "nontheist" because I am actually against irrational belief and find it to be dangerous. I also don't consider myself a "secular Muslim" because of my lack of respect for such religions.

 

[Bo G]

I like that you said morality is beyond theism/nontheism because I believe that the human spirit (defined as the fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character) transcends these labels. And so I believe that spirituality is a real thing

Definitely agree with your points.

Spirituality is indeed a real thing. There is no better word for the profound sense of connectedness I feel to other people and to the natural environment, or in the presence of the marvels and mysteries and beauty that surround us. This moves me, inspires me, gives me a reason to live and to live an ethical life... I definitely consider myself spiritual. Deeply so.

Some humanists prefer other language for this, and worry about the confusion this could cause... but there simply is none better.

 

[movingcoolcat]

Definitely agree with your points.

Spirituality is indeed a real thing. There is no better word for the profound sense of connectedness I feel to other people and to the natural environment, or in the presence of the marvels and mysteries and beauty that surround us. This moves me, inspires me, gives me a reason to live and to live an ethical life... I definitely consider myself spiritual. Deeply so.

Some humanists prefer other language for this, and worry about the confusion this could cause... but there simply is none better.

I recognice my own views in this- and I am always happy to see that people can express so elequently what I fail to with my relatively poor english

 

[Gwyneira]

And so I believe that spirituality is a real thing and will one day be explained by science.

Yes, definitely. I don't believe in anything "supernatural", because everything that is, is in fact natural whether or not we can explain it YET.

I call myself agnostic. I don't know everything and I don't claim to. I don't believe in religion and anyone telling me what I'm supposed to believe in. I think religion is a cultural phenomenon and in essence nothing more than an intricate fairytale created by people to explain all the things they couldn't. And different religions are just different names and faces being put to the same natural elements: you call it God, I call it mother nature. Little by little, science is starting to find explanations for those things, but we're not quite there yet.
Nevertheless, I do acknowledge that belief is something that everyone needs in their life. Without belief in anything existence would have no meaning. And sometimes, belief is a coping mechanism. I can definitely relate to the comfort of believing in an afterlife when a loved one dies. So I don't judge anyone who chooses to believe in religion. It's certainly an easy choice, because everything is already made up for you. Personally, I believe in myself and in the fact that I don't and can't know everything, but that I strive to know as much as possible in the short time that I have here. Also, that nothing is certain and to keep an open mind.

 

[arXter]

Bumping for the love of humanism.