Secular Religion

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Permalink Reply by annet on February 12, 2012 at 11:01am

I'm an ex-catholic and at times have defined myself as culturally catholic. Someday maybe that will be all that is left of catholicism. My family is Louisiana Creole and they have always been ferociously catholic often to their own detriment. 

Permalink Reply by Skeptical Blogger on February 15, 2012 at 9:03am

I would say that I identify as being "culturally American", but that this often means there are some Christian components.  

My family celebrates Christmas with a tree and stockings and Santa.  We celebrate Easter with an egg hunt and candy, etc.  I also find myself whistling old hymns from the protestant churches I attended until I left home.  I know all the old Bible stories, which is almost a requirement for cultural literacy here: Who parted the Red Sea?  Moses (who looks like Charlton Heston).  Who had a coat of many colors?  Joseph (it was a technicolor dream coat, right?).  Why are there plastic families in people's yards from Thanksgiving until New Years? The baby Jesus. Why do toy stores sell toy boats with all kinds of animals on them? Noah build himself an ark.  My first exposure to Anthony Hopkins was in a movie called Peter and Paul in which he played the Apostle Paul, so while everyone else thinks of Hannibal Lector, I think of Sunday School when I see him.  Those are stories I grew up with, so on some level I have to identify with them - even if I don't think they're real anymore.

I guess that for me my cultural identity involves 1) what elicits nostalgia, 2) what groups I can converse with while not becoming lost in their references, and 3) the source of the holidays I love.  All that said, I would never say that I'm "culturally Christian", but significant parts of my culture were built on Southern, protestant Christianity.

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