How do you respond to: "Are you against religion?", "Are you against Christmas?"

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Humble Pie on December 24, 2012 at 1:13pm

Oh man, their bit on OCC is chilling!  I can't even imagine most churches agreeing to that knowingly.

http://www.secularism.org.uk/blog/2012/10/enticing-children-to-evan...

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Permalink Reply by Dennis Kelley on December 25, 2012 at 12:11am

i always respond that i am not a practicing pagan, so the trappings of Yule such as a decorated evergreen, holly, etc. are inappropriate, as are the Saturnalia practices of gift exchange and mistletoe, although i do find the observation of winter solstice to be interesting as axial tilt and earth's elliptical orbit are good teaching moments for my kids...

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Permalink Reply by GOD'aye on December 25, 2012 at 5:25am

Yes, Xmas, Yuletide are all based on superstition, superstition is based on magic, so I'm anti-superstition!

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Permalink Reply by GOD'aye on December 25, 2012 at 5:30am

Superstition is putting magic before knowledge, religions are all based on superstition, I always put knowledge before magic, so I'm anti-superstition and thus anti-religion.

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Permalink Reply by James Kz on December 25, 2012 at 7:13am

Axial tilt is the reason for the season.

If I were anti-Christmas or anti-religion, I would be throwing water across my sidewalks (which approach the church) to turn them into ice rinks, rather than shovel them.

But gift giving? I have no trouble with gift giving, nor sending holiday cards. I like giving gifts; my family has a tradition of giving "Thursday gifts" or "Wednesday gifts" or any other day in the calendar, just for the heck of it.

(In the matter of holiday cards, our town is so isolated that the tradition of sending cards is a good way to keep up with those we care about, and there are plenty enough secular cards.)

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Permalink Reply by Russell Pangborn on December 25, 2012 at 2:53pm

Xmas prejudice is toughest when it comes from family and friends. 

What started out as a group of people with email making jokes of my wife and I posing with Santa in a photo degenerated into this conversation.

Coach:

Do atheist celebrate christmas? I'm not Jewish, so I don't celebrate Hanukkah

Me:
Christmas actually predated Christianity by about 2,000 years. - (I provide proof)

Coach:

I must of touched a nerve

Wow, so much knowledge for someone who does not believe.
Call it something else, because Christmas, is Christ Mass and is a Christian holiday,
according to all dictionaries.

Me:

You didn't hit a nerve ?????.  I just like a good debate. Joyce and Kevin are devout Christians.

Here is something interesting:

Researchers from the independent Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life phoned more than 3,400 Americans and asked them 32 questions about the Bible, Christianity and other world religions,
famous religious figures and the constitutional principles governing religion in public life.
On average, people who took the survey answered half the questions incorrectly, and many flubbed even questions about their own faith.


Those who scored the highest were atheists and agnostics, as well as two religious minorities: Jews and Mormons.

The results were the same even after the researchers controlled for factors like >age and racial differences.

Coach:

Not interested in your rubbish. (He then went on to denigrate my liberal political choices and imply I did not have common sense.

End Result

The good thing was two people jumped in and spoke up for tolerance.  One was upset by Coach's comments and one thought maybe Coach was just trying to get a rise out of me.   

The comments did bother me a bit because it wasn't a civil conversation.

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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on December 25, 2012 at 10:31pm

Agreed Russell - I do have to put up wiht Xmas prejudice from family and friends - and that is tough.

Thanks for writing about what you went through with the prejudice from others.

I am glad you didn't let Coach get a rise out of you. Often, that is what their plan is.

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Permalink Reply by Dennis Michael Pennington on January 2, 2013 at 6:33am

Christmas (and the tree) have nothing to do with religion in my mind. How could it possibly be the birthday of Jesus? Where does it say to celibrate this "birthday" that gets inserted into Santa and toys for kids, etc? By the time I get through with people that ask me about "Christmas at my house" I tell them that they might as well add the Easter Bunny too. Then they tell me that I should at least have a tree to "celibrate the season." What season are they talking about? What do they really mean? The religious ones tell me that "the wise men brought gifts" and the others try to out-do each other in making their homes look like lighted runways for aircraft. I simply tell them all that I don't need that. I'm not a kid anymore.

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Permalink Reply by Idaho Spud on January 2, 2013 at 11:41am

Dennis, I like that answer: "I'm not a kid anymore."  Even though I'm still young at heart in many ways.

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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on January 26, 2013 at 10:33am

I also like what Dennis said about "I'm not a kid anymore".

I agree.

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Permalink Reply by Bets on January 6, 2013 at 7:57am

I actually had to explain to my brother this past xmas that my lack of visits were due to a difference of beliefs. He didn't pursue the matter--as I knew he wouldn't. I simply told him our beliefs didn't mesh with the remainder of the family. I have been asked how I could drop a moral belief system for an immoral one by my sister and quickly rattled off to her the reasons why I was more moral than her and why. She didn't like it, but...oh well! There was no 'arguing' to it. My family is under the impression that I disrespect our mother for turning away from religion. Period. If asked if I'm against religion, I say 'Yes!' Although, I could care less if someone practices the ritual of Christmas. If it makes them feel better, go for it. It makes me feel better to practice xmas--taxmas that is!

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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on January 26, 2013 at 10:35am

Bets I do think Xtians don't have more morals than us - but they think they do.

Penn Jillette has a wonderful quote - I will post it here.

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