Although a large segment of secularists eschew the need for rituals, claiming that they have left such rudiments of religion behind, this paper argues that rituals play a particularly important role in organized humanist and atheist circles. Our research finds that various kinds of secular rituals and other symbolic forms, such as commemorations, can play different functions—they may generate solidarity between atheists or play a legitimizing role for secularity in wider society. But the renewed interest in rituals and “secular spirituality” has also caused divisions among atheists.

Richard Cimino is adjunct professor of Sociology at Hofstra University and founding editor of Religion Watch, a newsletter that monitors trends in contemporary religion. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the New School for Social Research in 2008. With co-author Christopher Smith, he wrote the forthcoming book Atheist Awakening: The Evolution of Secularist Activism and Community in the U.S. (Oxford Univ. Press).