As an ex-christian, have you got any rituals for a fresh start?

[Anushka]

Hmm?

[LogicalFallacy]

What do you mean by rituals? 

[sdelsolray]

I wouldn't describe them as rituals, perhaps habits, regular events or enjoyable efforts, but I spend time with non-religious endeavors.  This is based on the concept/theory that replacing bad, harmful or destructive behavior, actions or thoughts with good, beneficial or useful behavior, actions or thoughts is the more important thing to do, at least for me.

[mymistake]

When I became an ex-Christian I started thanking the person who prepared the meal instead of saying grace.

 

 

Edit:

Oh also when I am stressed out and I want to pray for something I broke the habit of prayer by contacting Captain Kirk of Star Fleet.  I just called out to Captain Kirk as if he could hear me and said everything else the way I would in a prayer.  After a short time that killed my habit of saying prayers.

[midniterider]

5 hours ago, Anushka said:

Hmm?

 

Chaos Magick. Sometimes I commune with my own self-created imaginary beings. I dont worship them though. Or obsess over them.

 

Sometimes I think I'm weird ... but when that happens I drop by a sports bar and watch grown men yell at football players on a big screen tv that can't hear them. After that I feel much more normaler.

 

 

[Anushka]

12 hours ago, LogicalFallacy said:

What do you mean by rituals? 

 

Christians fast, confess their sins, take the communion as rituals for a fresh start... When I was a Christian, these were my rituals for a fresh start,oh and praying endlessly! :-D

But, now I don't know what to replace them with!

A bubble bath would have been nice, as a ritual..... But, my parents turned the bath into a bloody shower!!

[mymistake]

20 minutes ago, Anushka said:

 

Christians fast, confess their sins, take the communion as rituals for a fresh start... When I was a Christian, these were my rituals for a fresh start,oh and praying endlessly! :-D

But, now I don't know what to replace them with!

A bubble bath would have been nice, as a ritual..... But, my parents turned the bath into a bloody shower!!

 

 

You want a ritual for a fresh start?  How about sitting down with paper and a pen and doing some introspective thinking?  At the top of the paper you can write a short term goal.  Then you can make two lists - the things you can do to reach your goal and the things you are doing that make it harder to reach your goal.

 

It's a useful ritual.   It's what a free-thinker would do.  It makes you take an active role in your life.  

 

[Axelle]

I think just plain old introspection. I did talk to my boyfriend about momentary urges to pray- like, for something to happen. He told me ''pray to yourself''. 

''Please, Axelle, let's make this happen''. 

[MOHO]

Not so much a ritual as closing.

 

Just a brief talk with myself (not out loud but I've heard that really helps) telling myself I was done with all religion and all attempts to indoctrinate me into any sort of groupthink - to include political bullshit. 

 

This talk included a promise to make progress on pushing back on the fundies. My intention here is not to deconvert anyone but to quite them down a little. 

"I am not responding to your fundyspeak because I am an atheist!"

"Problem? Well you can go *&^%$ your *&^% all to *&^%...and your horsey too!"