How to Defeat Religion in 10 Easy Steps by Ryan T. Cragun

How to Defeat Religion in 10 Easy Steps by Ryan T. Cragun

Author:Ryan T. Cragun
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing
Published: 2015-07-14T16:00:00+00:00


The religious, of course, are on to this. Some don’t celebrate Halloween because they know of its pagan origins. They regularly fret about the “war on Christmas,” which is a bit ironic given its pagan origins. If religious fundamentalists took just a few minutes to learn about their beliefs, they’d realize that they are the ones who should be boycotting Christmas, not secular individuals. Likewise, many religious people want to emphasize the “true meaning of Easter”: the crucifixion of one-third of their god and his miraculous resurrection. Of course, this “true meaning” typically doesn’t prevent them from decorating pagan-goddess-inspired eggs and encouraging their kids to run around for candy. A similar emphasis among the religiously devout can be seen with Passover and Ramadan as well. In short, corporate America is well on its way to realizing this step, and the religious are, futilely, trying to fight against this.

Atheist activists can help by simply celebrating these holidays in a secular fashion. What might secular versions of these holidays look like? I don’t know that any changes are required for Halloween, as it is largely secular. However, I do think returning to the pagan roots to find some meaning for the holiday is not a bad idea. Samhain, the Gaelic precursor to Halloween that was combined with the Roman Catholic Church’s All Saints’ Day, was a day to celebrate the fall harvest and to remember the deceased. Of course, in the United States (and many other countries), there is a separate holiday, already largely secular in practice though not in origin, that is associated with giving thanks, Thanksgiving (early precursors to this holiday were very much about showing proper thanks to God; today it’s more about college football and gluttony, which corporations love). Scientific research has shown that showing gratitude is beneficial for mental health. Thus, Halloween need not focus on giving thanks for the harvest, since that is the focus of Thanksgiving. But why not use Halloween as an opportunity to pause and reflect on your ancestors? This doesn’t mean that you have to engage in some practice akin to worshipping them or setting a place for them at dinner, like the Celts did. Personally, I find it humbling to consider that my great-grandfather, Mormon Cragun, spent his entire life working on a farm. In fact, he died on his farm when his tractor rolled over him, pinning him under the tire for hours until his family realized he was missing and sent someone to the orchard to find him. For many humans on the planet today, our lives are much nicer and far more comfortable than were those of our ancestors. Pausing to reflect on that may help ground us to the bounty and beauty that surround us.

Thanksgiving is a bit too gluttonous for me, but I do value the chance to consider what I have and what I am thankful for. I don’t know that much should change about how Thanksgiving is practiced aside from encouraging more healthy eating habits and cutting out prayers.



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