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Atheists and Christmas

UserGoogol said:
That said, there are certain Christmas specials which will stir up my inner militant atheist. Notably, anything which makes the analogy between Jesus and Santa way too obvious.
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You mean, how neither exists?
 
Personally, I love Christmass and I'm an atheist. I just wish I didn't have to go to all the different relatives to celebrate. I go to a total of 5 different Christmass gatherings every year to see all the relatives. That's not counting the small Christmass gift exchange that me and my wife have. What's interesting to me is that most of the atheists here seem to enjoy the holiday more than most theists. How many times have you heard theists complain of the commercialization of Christmass? Maybe if they lost their faith they'd like the holiday season better.
 
Jorghnassen said:
I see nothing wrong with eating turkey right after midnight mass. Though I am against those "way before midnight" Christmas masses. That's like, heresy or something. OK, so I stopped believing before reaching the age of 17, but there's just something about enjoying holidays and/or traditions, being home again...
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Speaking of which, we're about to give thanks to a non-existant god for the bounty of this New World. It ain't stoppin' the turkey, and it won't stop the trees and gifts...
 
Beady said:
?????

What analogy? Or did you mean to use another word?
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Well maybe, but I was reffering to Christmas specials which glorify faith in Santa Claus. It's minor, but my inner militant atheist can be stirred by annoyingly unimportant issues.
 
I never minded celebrating the day after I became an atheist because, deep down, I'm a greedy bastard. We're spending it with the in-laws this year and I'm now terrified about what a Pentacostal x-mas mass type thing will be like.
 
aargh57 said:
Personally, I love Christmass and I'm an atheist. I just wish I didn't have to go to all the different relatives to celebrate. I go to a total of 5 different Christmass gatherings every year to see all the relatives.
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Would you rather they all gathered at your place? Think about it.

Very carefully.
 
UserGoogol said:
Well maybe, but I was reffering to Christmas specials which glorify faith in Santa Claus.
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Well, I'll tell ya... In a few more days I will deliberately, albeit temporarilly, totally suspend all disbelief in such things. Come Christmas Eve, that jolly, fat b*****d is going to think I'm the most believing a*****e south of the Canadian border. And y'know, I bet I have more fun over the next six weeks than you do.

:D
 
I think you meant non-secular holidays, but anyway.

Christmas in the US was restarted in the mid-1800's as a family holiday, not a religious one, and it's true origins go back thousands of years prior to the rise of the christian religion. My family has never been religious and we have never treated this as a religious holiday, but a day for spending with family and friends, and spoiling kids rotten.

Easter is also another holiday that predates the christian belief system, and in fact still remains named after a pagan goddess Oestra although it has had many different names in different cultures. Easter was more a rite of spring than anything else, and we treat this also as a day for spending with family and friends and giving our children more candy than they should eat. Oh also, it is the only time of year that I will actually eat ham.

Holidays, no matter who claims them as their own, are just days and the meaning one puts into it is what matters.
 
Given that Christmas, Easter, and St. Valentine's day are all just Xian bastardizations of pagan holidays--and so heavily commercialized that they're hardly even sacred anymore--I basically just sit back and enjoy the show. Watching the God-slaves run about, gaily performing rituals that they once executed pagans for taking part in, dedicating their unwitting blasphemy to the very child who made it so... sweet nobody, I love the holidays. :biggrin:
 
Yaotl said:
I never minded celebrating the day after I became an atheist because, deep down, I'm a greedy bastard. We're spending it with the in-laws this year and I'm now terrified about what a Pentacostal x-mas mass type thing will be like.
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Don't worry about it. I went to a Pentecostal service every other week for about 8 years growing up. You'll have a blast. If you're not used to doing a lot of hand clapping you might want to bring some moisturizer or something to cut down on the chafing though.
 
In a way, I'm a little bummed out...so far my family hasn't called & asked me to stop by this year. Usually they've called by now. Hmmmm...something I said?
 
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