mordorbund Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 I have a question for our resident atheists. I saw the following ad on a bus (Seattle atheists are running an ad campaign).You can see this happy family of four enjoying their Christmas traditions. Now I'm curious, how common is it for atheists to still celebrate cultural Christian holidays? I'm guessing you would still do Christmas and Easter, but without the religious stories. No mangers, no mass, etc, while still having the eggs and the stockings and such. I also imagine there's a group that intentionally does nothing for these days, treating as a vacation from work and little else.What are the holidays like for you and your friends?* I'm also wondering why that boy doesn't believe in God. God still loves red-heads, just less than everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Are they saying that 25% of the world is atheist? I somehow doubt that claim. I was thinking more in the 2% range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ivo_G Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Well tbh I think that secular Christmas is pretty much the default/the norm everywhere in the world...and for people to remember that we are actually celebrating the birth of Christ - I'd say that's the exception I can't remember a single Christmas movie that is not about Santa Claus but Jesus... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 (edited) Wikipedia gives a world figure of 2.3% so fairly close Anatess. It does look like if that add was targeted in some European locations it could be true though, actually in some of them it'd be underestimating according to Wikipedia, but for the USI have a hard time buying a figure of 25%. Now this is Wikipedia so I'm more than open to other sources, but on the face of it I'm calling shenanigans.Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism#Demographics Edited June 21, 2012 by Dravin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 I have a question for our resident atheists. I saw the following ad on a bus (Seattle atheists are running an ad campaign).You can see this happy family of four enjoying their Christmas traditions. Now I'm curious, how common is it for atheists to still celebrate cultural Christian holidays? I'm guessing you would still do Christmas and Easter, but without the religious stories. No mangers, no mass, etc, while still having the eggs and the stockings and such. I also imagine there's a group that intentionally does nothing for these days, treating as a vacation from work and little else.What are the holidays like for you and your friends?* I'm also wondering why that boy doesn't believe in God. God still loves red-heads, just less than everyone else.No, I bet it's Dad who's the atheist, because his head is covering up the stocking -- an ancient symbol of Christianity, just like the garter band and the shovel.Atheists clearly think that adult white men are the only rational creatures around. People are gonna get awfully offended by that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Vort, how do you know these things? If you're being serious, I just learned something :] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Vort, how do you know these things?If you're being serious, I just learned something :]Unfortunately, . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Vort, I think it's the mother actually. See her laughing at her family's gullibility? Atheists only target white women because they're the only ones that will buy what they're selling. Okay, to Godless and all the atheists out here... I'm only kidding! Mea culpa. :D:D:D:D:D:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeuroTypical Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Now I'm curious, how common is it for atheists to still celebrate cultural Christian holidays? I'm guessing you would still do Christmas and Easter, but without the religious stories.I'll go one you step further - my family and I make a big deal about the non-Christian roots/elements of a lot of normal Christmas tradition. Don't get me wrong, we have several touching and meaningful Christmas traditions centered on the actual birth of Christ and the resulting good news. Each kid has their own little nativity scene which they set up and talk about. We read from the Bible on Christmas eve. But we refuse to force-assimilate some poor pagan's winter rite into the Christian collective just because our culture won and theirs lost.We keep Christ in Christmas - but we keep Him very much out of the Germanic Paganism of yule logs and mistletoe, the Livonian guildhall tradition of decorating trees, and the Roman Saturnalian winter festival tradition of partying and gift-giving. We acknowledge that Santa Claus has Catholic roots going back to Nikolaos the Wonderworker, but good St. Nick is very, very far away from the red-nosed jolly fellow modernized and popularized in a brilliantly sucessful consumer marketing effort intended to sell Coca-Cola.Of course, we respect the time-honored reason behind candy canes: Keeping children quiet in church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 I'll go one you step further - my family and I make a big deal about the non-Christian roots/elements of a lot of normal Christmas tradition. Don't get me wrong, we have several touching and meaningful Christmas traditions centered on the actual birth of Christ and the resulting good news. Each kid has their own little nativity scene which they set up and talk about. We read from the Bible on Christmas eve. But we refuse to force-assimilate some poor pagan's winter rite into the Christian collective just because our culture won and theirs lost.We keep Christ in Christmas - but we keep Him very much out of the Germanic Paganism of yule logs and mistletoe, the Livonian guildhall tradition of decorating trees, and the Roman Saturnalian winter festival tradition of partying and gift-giving. We acknowledge that Santa Claus has Catholic roots going back to Nikolaos the Wonderworker, but good St. Nick is very, very far away from the red-nosed jolly fellow modernized and popularized in a brilliantly sucessful consumer marketing effort intended to sell Coca-Cola.Of course, we respect the time-honored reason behind candy canes: Keeping children quiet in church.WHAT? You don't have a Christmas Tree? OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeuroTypical Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Of course we have all that stuff. We just don't try to pawn it off on our kids as something to do with our Lord and Savior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prisonchaplain Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 I got the whole picture from their website. This is a Washington State based organization. Some call us the "anti-Bible belt." Here's their explaination:One in four people in Washington state are without religion (and 1 in 4 Seattleites are atheists). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Curmudgeon Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 I'm not an atheist (but I sometimes play one for my LDS naturist friends), but it seems to me that Christmas -- except for the name -- is clearly a pagan holiday slightly detached from the winter solstice. Jesus wasn't born anywhere near December and it's only very recently that anyone thought so. I recently saw (but didn't read) some article about how atheists can turn the solstices and equinoxes into proper holidays for themselves. That's nice. Gets the atheists, the pagans, and the Christians all on the same page and putting up those "Christmas" lights. Easter is another kettle of fish. It's sourced in the spring equinox but that led to Passover and that led to the whole Christian Easter business (you might want to look into the origin of the work "Easter"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 Jesus wasn't born anywhere near December and it's only very recently that anyone thought so.This is incorrect. Christ's birth has been associated with the December celebration for well over a thousand years. Moreover, there is abundant evidence to suggest that Jesus was born in 6 BC in mid or late December, perhaps right around or at our present Christmas celebration date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Curmudgeon Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 Christ's birth has been associated with the December celebration for well over a thousand years.Exactly. You may want to consult modern scripture on the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 Exactly. You may want to consult modern scripture on the point.There is no modern scripture on the point, Cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 There is no modern scripture on the point, Cap.I do believe you'd address this topic before....*goes searching*Ah, found it: http://www.lds.net/forums/lds-gospel-discussion/45905-jesus-born-april-6-not.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 I do believe you'd address this topic before....*goes searching*Ah, found it: http://www.lds.net/forums/lds-gospel-discussion/45905-jesus-born-april-6-not.htmlAre you saying that I'm repetitive? That I'm redundant? That I say the same thing over and over? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NadiaStar Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 Of course, we respect the time-honored reason behind candy canes: Keeping children quiet in church.Another person who realizes why they were created! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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