In a responding to the new atheism, some secularist groups and leaders have been advocating a more positive atheism that seeks to create non-theist alternatives to traditional religion. These alternatives include rites-of-passage usually associated with religious services, such as funerals, These rituals can also include secularist public events ridiculing and protesting religion in order to foster a positive atheist group identity. We examine specific secular rituals organized by secular humanist groups, arguing that such rituals serve both a function of creating solidarity among participants as well as legitimizing secularism to the wider society. We specifically look at the celebration of Darwin Day and how it plays a legitimizing function among secularist groups. At the same time, the use of rituals has divided American secularists.
CITATION STYLE
Cimino, R., & Smith, C. (2015). Secularist Rituals in the US: Solidarity and Legitimization. In Boundaries of Religious Freedom: Regulating Religion in Diverse Societies (Vol. 2, pp. 87–100). Springer Science and Business Media B.V. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09602-5_6
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