The World's Largest Coalition of Nontheists and Nontheist Communities!

So, you wan't a war on Christmas...

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN SU NOMBRE EN VANO)

In the United States there is a widespread idea that there is an ongoing "war on Christmas" waged by atheists and in general, people who prefer a secular government in which every person has the same rights. As usual, this idea is proposed by the whiny religious right (mainly conservative Christians).

Sometimes they will whine about atheists billboards, like this:

"This is the time of year that the secularists, these atheists, choose to assault our Christianity and our religion," says Jeff Field with the Catholic League. "We decided that we're not going to sit by and let that happen." No turning the other cheek this time.

I don't think anyone believes the myths of Romus and Remulus, or Zeus and Hercules becase, well, those are myths. Yet, many get angry at rational people pointing out that this is also a myth. Just because many people like to believe it's real doesn't change that.

Oh, and atheists have been challenging religious nonsense for years. Where do you think a society that respects human rights comes from?

Some other times, Christians will whine at the secularization of Christmas, represented in "Season's Greetings" instead of "Merry Christmas", or in the driving away of nativity scenes in public places. They would even make a movie about it:

While Al Bundy thrives in a great progressive show, Jefferson Darcy has descended to this low. Sad, so sad

Conservative Christians like to brag an boast about the constitution, but then tend to forget the establishment clause, which declares that the government can't favor one religion over another, or religion over lack of religion and viceversa. In other words, it can't use our money to put up displays about one religion.

Personally, I have no problem with Christmas and wishing someone else a merry one. Even Richard Dawkins hasn't one. But I'll still might say "Happy Holidays" just for the fun of it.

Of course this won't sit well with many of those want just and only their celebration around, which is why they despise the "Happy Holidays" (which includes everything that is celebrated this season) and prefer "Merry Christmas", which is only one of those celebrations.

Finally, if you want a real "War on Christmas" you might prefer atheists to do something like this:

Hindu fundamentalist attacks on India's Christians mount as Christmas approaches

On December 18, Hindu fundamentalists beat two dozen carolers, including young women, and took them to the police station in a Mumbai suburb, charging that by singing Christmas carols they had insulted Hindus.

Two days earlier, Father Thomas Chirattavayalil, who heads a mission parish at a remote village in the central Madhya Pradesh, was attacked at midnight by masked men who left him seriously injured. On December 12, statues of the Virgin Mary, St. John, and St. Mary Magdalene, were found decapitated and disfigured at a church in the Andra Pradesh state.

Well, that's a war con Christmas. The American atheists haven't done anything except exercise their right to free speech and demanded that the constitution be respected in regard of civil liberties. Why? Because that's the logical thing to do if we want a world in which equality is valued.

Tags: Atheist, Atheists, Billboard, Catholics, Christians, Christmas, Protestants

0 members like this

Comment

You need to be a member of Atheist Nexus to add comments!

Join Atheist Nexus

Comment by Diego on December 24, 2010 at 2:55pm: I see the war on Christmas as a fat guy with whom you have to share a big desk at work. The guy has seniority and he was first there. So he has all his stuff around the place. Many of those are irrelevant stuff, like the ones Michael Scott (The Office) has. Besides, this guys doesn't do his job very well, and while the company has grown and adopted updated policies, that guy doesn't want to change.

So, when you go and ask him to move, he gets angry. He says it's his way to do things, that it has always been. You point out that the company has changed, and that his toys are unnecessary and bothersome. And he replies that you are being hostile.

That fat guy's name is Christianity, the company is the US and... well you can figure out the rest.

Comment by Thomas True on December 24, 2010 at 12:50pm: I have to ask myself as to what is up with those Baldwin Brothers? It seems they are all over the place socially and religiously. However, I can see how this would just make the fundamentalist just as happy as can be. A Baldwin and Jefferson Darcy in a Christian movie? Someone be sure not to tell them that it is called acting.

I saw another "Christian" movie a few years back called "Time Changers" with Gavin MacLoud (CAPT Stubing), and Hal Linden (Barney Miller) I thought it would be a good movie with them in it but it was just another evangelical attempt at producing a mass appeal film. I real waste of my money.

The so called "war on Christmas" is simply this, "If you do not let us do anything we think is good, your against us."

That is the summation of their point of view.