I was reading this post on questioning religious rituals and ended up writing this whole new post:
I have always been an agnostic though unconsciously in the beginning and have always defied rituals and traditions even as a kid. I still do not follow and also not support following a majority of religious rituals simply because most of them are absurd and defy common sense.
But I realised the importance of rituals the day I stepped out of my house. I realised those moments of Arti during Diwali or pooja and decoration before any festival brought immense joy. They created a bonding within the members of the house, provided an occasion for celebration, provided avenues for team work, innovation, creativity and all those things the modern day HR personnel talk about for keeping their human resources happy. I missed all those moments away from house.
The camaraderie between seniors and juniors was difficult to miss after the freshers party. These rituals and traditions followed in the college really helped the newcomers feel more at home and get to know the each other better.
A solemnly conducted ritual prepares the ground, creates the atmosphere, suggests the mood for the occasion. Rituals give a concrete shape to the abstract spiritual ideals.It is only when the rituals are separated from the faith and assume an independent existence that they become mechanical and lifeless.
According to Wikipedia “The purposes of rituals are varied; they include compliance with religious obligations or ideals, satisfaction of spiritual or emotional needs of the practitioners, strengthening of social bonds, social and moral education, demonstration of respect or submission, stating one’s affiliation, obtaining social acceptance or approval for some event or, sometimes, just for the pleasure of the ritual itself.”
Even Robin Sharma stressed the importance of rituals in his book “The Greatness Guide”.
Even Swami Vivekananda said “The greatest men I have seen in my life, the most wonderfully developed in spirituality, have all come through the discipline of the rituals.”
A thousand rupee note is nothing but a paper but it is the value that we attach it to the paper that makes it different from the other scraps of paper. Worshiping the formless reality by unthought thought is the best kind of worship. But that may not be possible by everybody. So we conceive the presence of God in a stone. A stone without those feelings is still a stone.
I do not support following all rituals blindly but just wanted to say that all rituals are not completely useless.
.Lots of other people detest the 3-D glasses and haven’t had a very good experience.
Some waiters looked at me as if I was an alien who just landed on earth. They offered me a range of other drinks from Coke, Pepsi, Red Bull 
to Flavored milk. But all that I wanted was plain, simple tea. 
The reason why they don’t offer tea is simple “Nobody orders for tea at this time”. WT…. I am not against Pepsi or anything but have the people forgotten beverages like tea and coffee or is it that the hoteliers find it easier to offer frozen drinks as compared to the preparing and serving hot tea. All I know is I am launching the “Chai Bachao Andolan” now. I hope I am not creating storm in a tea-cup!!! 
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