Editing Ceremony (section)

==Purpose of secular ceremony==
According to [[Dally Messenger III]] secular ceremonies are "roadmap" influences which lead to an acceptable, ethical and dignified life. 
Ceremonies contribute to the unseen ingredients of psychological stability, a sense of identity, reassurances of life's purposes, and the personal sense of self-worth. Murphy considered that personal genuine ceremonies were central to a civilised, stable and happy society. Here he echoed the conviction of the mythologist [[Joseph Campbell]] who had maintained the strongly asserted generality that the level of civilised behaviour in a society is directly linked to the practice of ceremonies and [[Rite of passage|rites of passage]].<ref>Messenger III, Dally, We Had a Dream, in the Australian Humanist, no 121, Autumn 2016, published by the Australian Humanist Society, Canberra ACT</ref>

In addition, Messenger makes the following statements:

* A complex of good ceremonies raise the level of human happiness in society.
* Ceremonies assist humans to adjust to change.
* Ceremonies are signposts of the culture and indicate that such a culture has life-affirming substance.
* Ceremonies are an important means of expressing, reinforcing and transmitting values.
* Ceremonies are constructed from the visual and performing arts. In a chosen setting they are an important vehicle for telling stories, reciting poetry and prose, using symbolism, and performing music.
* Ceremonies, done well, leave lifelong lasting memories and therefore permanent good effects.
* The better a ceremony is done, the better its psychological, cultural, and social outcomes.<ref name=messenger/>