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Atheists, is there anything religious that sticks with you to this day?

I am Ganesh, an Indian atheist and I don't eat beef. It's not like that I have a religious reason to do that, but after all those years seeing cows as peaceful animals and playing and growing up with them in a village, I doubt if I ever will be able to eat beef. I wasn't raised very religious, I didn't go to temple everyday and read Gita every evening unlike most muslims who are somewhat serious about their religion, my family has this watered down religion (which has it's advantages).

But yeah, not eating beef is a moral issue I deal with. I mean, I don't care that I don't eat beef, but the fact that I eat pork and chicken but not beef seems to me to be weird. So, is there any religious practice that you guys follow to this day?

edit: I like religious music, religious temples (Churches, Gurudwara's, Temples & Mosques in Iran), religious paintings and art sometimes. I know for a fact that the only art you could produce is those days was indeed religious and the greatest artists needed to make something religious to be funded, that we will never know what those artists would have produced in the absence of religion, but yeah, religious art is good nonetheless.

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  • I went to old school, pre second Vatican council Latin masses. On our knees on other days in dusty, stone walled rooms, heads down, everyone quietly counting rosary beads. Had to wear veil over head to enter church because women's bare heads weren't fit for the eyes of god. Large cathedrals, Latin chanting bouncing echoes off walls. Hunky jesus nailed to cross behind gaudy altar, his loincloth sculpted so teasingly low.

    No longer believe in god, but damn, the theatrical pomp was next class, probably influenced work I do as an artist, and why I like bdsm so much.

    • I'm not saying that every BDSM partner I've been with has been a former Catholic, but I will say that every former Catholic I've been with has been into BDSM....

    • Yeah, there's a reason horror films and fantasy universes often base their stuff on Catholic trappings.

      Like, when was the last time some horror flick brought in, I dunno, Baptists or Mormons or Lutherans to deal with the exorcism of a demon?

      No, you bring in the Roman Catholic Priest, or MAYBE the Eastern Orthodox Priest, he's MUCH cooler and has rituals and robes and everything.

      The theater and singing in the Catholic tradition is generally top-notch, and it's one thing I miss about being Catholic. They know how to tap into artistic showmanship in a way other religions seem to have purposefully shed.

      ...I sometimes wonder how much of the metal community is ex-Catholic. It has the same theatrical flare.

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