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Hi, my name’s Mark and I’m and Atheist who celebrates Christmas. (Hi, Mark!) There is a lot of talking going on about how an Atheist should treat the holidays, it has been brought up on our group forum and in the headlines even "Christmas Season Sees US Atheists' Billboard Claiming Nativity A Myth"
The group claims the $20,000 billboard is “to raise awareness for the movement” and “designed to discourage existing vulnerable atheists, of going against their reason, to celebrate Christmas” They seriously spent the equivalent of one thousand Snuggies, in hopes of Atheists not celebrating Christmas? Good Luck. It’s going to take a lot more than a billboard to bring down the giant that is Christmas.
I know, I know. You don’t need to remind me that they are after the idea of celebrating Christ’s birth, but only a few real die hard Christians really revolve their holiday around the nativity scene anymore. Unless you‘re Ricky Bobby and baby Jesus is your favorite Jesus. People are more interested in giving and receiving this years hottest fad gifts. Case in point, I worked with a guy who would argue with me till he was blue in the face about my not believing in a God, when Christmas came around he mysteriously got a “cold” so he didn’t have to be in the live nativity scene his church hosted. He seemed just fine at work that day and I'm sure he was healthy on Christmas day, when it came time to open gifts and eat.
A few Excerpts of the discussion thread on our group forum.
“I have no problems celebrating Christmas at all. The whole holiday is just a complete fabrication anyhow and I always liked Christmas so I'm not stopping celebrating it just because Christians assign imaginary significance to it.“My point is that people for the most part just don’t care about Christ’s birth Atheist or Christian. Christmas is really about gifts, childhood memories, food & family. Usually in that order. I for one never once celebrated a Christmas in a church service. December came around and I knew time to shape up cause Santa was going to bring me free stuff. I never have and never will associate Christmas with religion. I was thirteen when I finally asked what the baby was doing at the petting zoo under grandma’s Christmas tree. I celebrate Christmas this year in hopes of eating my families favorite foods, spending what time I have left with my family happy together, and pray that Justin Bieber’s book is waiting for me under the Christmas tree.
“Christmas at this point has become so commercialized and almost secularized that it's not even about Jesus being born (which isn't historically accurate anyway). So I don't worry about it. These things are more like cultural norms than they are Christian events for the vast majority of the population.”
“We have holidays in our house because we're a family. Until there are more secular holidays to take their places, we'll celebrate the ones that are there in our own secular way. With our work and school schedules, we don't often get the chance to spend an entire day together.”
“I celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas and I see no hypocrisy in doing so. I consider it a shared cultural experience. We all know the stories associated with those holidays and like it or not, they are significant within the culture. Enjoying the traditions that were spurred by those stories doesn't mean we have to accept those stories as true (the original T-day is mythological too). I can enjoy Christmas - complete with manger scenes and traditional music (much better than those shitty pop Christmas songs) without believing the Christmas story in the same way I can enjoy great Cathedral architecture without buying into what's preached there. Indeed, I'm happy to participate in the shared cultural experience.”
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Thank you Mark. I couldn't have said it better myself.
I agree. I have no qualms about enjoying the holiday season to the fullest. I celebrate Christmas with my (religious) family because it's a bonding time of fun and follies. We always enjoy each other, and we get to exchange gifts too, which is a fun incentive. Christians may have stolen the solstice for themselves, but a holiday is what you make of it. Christmas is secular to me, and I don't mind enjoying it one bit.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can agree that these are all great things about the holidays I feel that they fail to identify that thing which brings us together, that thing we celebrate. It is fitting that the holiday falls at the end of the year. We work for nearly 12 months to support our families and then we all come together in good cheer to celebrate. But, as Atheist's what are we celebrating? For me, and I would venture to guess for many, this is a celebration of our personal successes for the year. It is a time when we take that which we have worked so hard for and share it with those who are closest to us. We buy gifts and prepare lavish meals for those we care about. If you're like me you get more excited about a loved one opening the gift you got them than you do about getting gifts of your own.
ReplyDeleteSo, for me, Christmas is a celebration of success. Some would call me selfish, and I'd agree with them.
Sounds reasonable enough to me. Some atheists want to rebrand the event as Winter Solstice, but what the heck, that's a pagan holiday, so there's no big difference to me.
ReplyDeleteIt's still cold and dark and a good time to pass around gifts and eat and be with family.
http://www.adventconspiracy.org/blog/letter_from_an_atheist/
ReplyDeleteI'm an Atheist that loves Christmas. I have 3 kids and a husband that are Christians. Our celebrations tend to be more traditional than religious but they celebrate it as the birth of Christ. I even like Christmas music with religious meanings (The Prayer for example). I was raised Christian and don't think people who are Christian are delusional or less intelligent. We don't attend church but my kids have gone to a Christian afterschool daycare. I didn't lead the Thanksgiving prayer (the prayer was suggested by one of the kids) but I didn't discourage it either. I even like the story of the birth of Jesus. I'd make a great Christian, if I could just believe in a God...;).
ReplyDeleteI appreciate what the Atheist mother wrote. She respects and even loves Christians - that is the difference between her and other Atheists.
ReplyDeleteThank you Atheist Mother. You are an inspiration.
Christmas is an adopted pagan holiday. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast.
ReplyDeleteIn Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Christ. The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. It is in ancient Rome that the tradition of the Mummers was born. The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors. From this, the Christmas tradition of caroling was born.
I hear the arguments that Christmas is not necessarily considered to be a celebration of Christianity, however my office building recently put up their annual Christmas tree in the lobby along with a large Menorah. Can anyone argue that a Menorah is not a symbol of Judaism? If so, can I assume that the tree is understood to be a reflection of Christianity after all and the Menorah was placed there to display equal recognition of both faiths?
ReplyDeleteYes, it's GREAT to be Godless! Great to not have reverence for the intelligence at the center of life. I LOVE IT.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't an atheist simply have another religion or "belief"? Just curious.
ReplyDelete"Doesn't an atheist simply have another religion or belief?"
ReplyDeleteI'm the atheist mother...;). For me, no. I don't believe in anything other than the fact that some things just can not be explained by science yet (maybe never will be) and I feel that religion tries to make sense of thing unknowing and unexplained. I believe there is no God, heaven/hell, karma, satan, etc. Some people use prayer for comfort/guidance, I use more of self-talk and reflection. Many of my values are the same as Christian values (other than worship), but out of humanity rather than judgement of a God. I've been married for almost 14 years and never have I cheated on my husband, because I made a promise to him and myself....not because of a promise to a God or Jesus. I don't feel any better off without believing in a God, and I also don't feel any worse off. I actually enjoy answering questions like this, so thank you for asking.
PS-Thank you to the person who said such kind words about me.
In my interpretation, being an atheist, you don't believe in anything except yourself perhaps. You simply know right from wrong and live life accordingly.
ReplyDeleteMillions of atheist every year will celebrate ones again The Nativity of Jesus Christ(Christmas). According to history, it is the celebration & sacrifiction of animals & humans to gods. So, it is a pagan celebration. But the funny thing is, that atheist celebrate the same days, & months The nativity & Christmas. They even buy bibles, Christians movies, & exchange gifts, like pagans ?. Their offer & sacrificed, their minds, body, efforts, etc. To give what they need to please others. Science is their god & weakness, specially in Christmas times. In reality they do celebrate like pagans too, without recognized it. I think has to do with Natural evil. Amen.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the first day of evolution ?. & where were we ?. There were no days or time to start with. Amen
ReplyDeleteAny reason to get drunk and eat good food is good enough for me! I've never understood the either/or demand from the religious. I've never understood the need to discourage folks from being kind and appreciative of the good things in their life...like family! And collards! And PIE!!
ReplyDeleteAnd gifts and stuff, too.
I really don't care why people celebrate, I'm just happy that they do.