330: What makes a good ritual? with Keith Page

Some of the things people abandon when they leave the church are rituals. But this week's Q&A features a voicemail by listener Maurice Bird, who asks: "The word ritual is used to describe things as innocent as reading the newspaper. On the other hand, it's used to describe sinister cult ceremonies. I'm curious, what are your thoughts generally on the role of rituals in secular communities, and what makes a good ritual, and how are good rituals designed and implemented into a community?" In a first for one of our Q&A episodes, Bart chooses to 'phone a friend', a now-secular 'celebrant' called Keith Page, and they chew over the idea of rituals. Takeaways: Rituals create order, and a sense of permanence, funerals, weddings, families, birthdays, Alcoholics Anonymous and other things are good examples, rituals of initiation like baptism actually make sense, the best rituals are connected to a value you share, solo rituals too, people need collective practice. — Join Bart and John LIVE on Thursday over at Patreon.com/HumanizeMe for our monthly Jam Session, where we break down some recent episodes, review recent episodes and guests, try to be as honest as possible about what worked and what didn't, and throw each other under the bus (in the most loving way possible, of course). Not a supporter yet? Join up and get extra content for it! We've almost met our goal of 100 patrons! Be the 100th? Join the conversation on our listener-run Facebook Group to talk with others about the podcast. Got a question for Bart to answer in a future show? Call the ‘Q Line’ at (424) 291-2092. Humanize Me is hosted by Bart Campolo and is produced by JuxMedia.com.