atheists

[ClinkatyClank]

Do they do Christmas ?

[sandyRoe]

Does it not stick in the craw of the goodly unGodly to participate in ritual and ceremony that help keep millions less enlightened than themselves in thrall to false gods?

[ludwig]

Nope, that's their problem. I like Christmas pud and presents.

[237SJ]

Why would you `do` Christmas if you are an atheist? I`ve never managed to work that one out. An atheist celebrating Christmas is completely hypocritical to me.

[naomi24]

^^That's what last year's bunch said.

[woofgang]

I am sure that god doesn't mind and is happy to see people having a good time.

[ludwig]

If anything sandy, It seems to be sticking in the craw of the godly ungoodly that atheists can and do enjoy the christmas festivities.

[naomi24]

^^ Amen to that. :o)

[sandyRoe]

On the contrary, in the presence of so much faith they might pick up some by osmosis.

[naomi24]

^^The eternal optimist.

[LazyGun]

There was a winter break before the christians appropriated and renamed it, and there will be winter breaks long after christianity has become redundant.

Christmas is not only a religious festival and hasn't been that for a very long time.Its become a winter holiday, a cultural and secular break as much as anything else.

So - happy christmas everyone! :) I will celebrate all the trimmings, the presents, the good times, and leave going to church to the rest of you ;)

[birdie1971]

Sandy - “... Does it not stick in the craw of the goodly unGodly to participate in ritual and ceremony...”

What ritual and ceremony would this be? Would it be having time off work? The consumption of large poultry-based meals? The grossly excessive and conspicuous squandering of material wealth? The visiting and the giving of gifts to family and friends? Placing a pine/fir tree in your house for a couple of weeks... etc.?

None of the above activities have anything whatsoever to do with Jesus or christianity and yet that is what I suspect you and others mean when they ask non-christians if they 'do' Christmas. What many people fail to grasp is that Christmas (as we understand it today) is about as far removed from the ideals of both Jesus and christianity as it is possible to get.

Personally, I love it. Time off work, visiting family and friends, etc. Superb in my opinion. However, it's got nothing to do with christianity and even less to do with Jesus.

[boxtops]

I have Muslim friends who do Christmas - the meal and the presents - but like atheists, not the religious part.
Christmas is just the name of the festival for non-believers - I know plenty of non-religious people who think nothing of using the expression "Christian name" meaning first name, without any thought about what it really means.

[mibn2cweus]

It is Christians, not atheists, that insist on calling the holiday they expropriated from the pagan celebration of the winter solstice, "Christmas", all while attempting to paint the victim as the villain.

http://en.wikipedia.o...Christmas_controversy

All the same, the pejorative term, 'atheist' has no bearing whatsoever on how any given non-theist chooses to acquiesce to or endure an otherwise joyous time of year corrupted by tyrannical Christian influences.

[beso]

Christians that celebrate the ancient pagan festival of Easter without even changing its name are surely the most hypocritical.

[beso]

The central Christmas activities such as the feast, putting up a decorated tree and giving presents are all old pagan customs that long predate Christianity.

Probably the most incongruous Christian act of all is partaking in the "Christmas Ham". God's Word in the Bible is that the pig is unclean and should not be touched let alone eaten. Jesus would have never touched ham and would be horrified that ham was eaten in His name.

At Easter the Christians participate in egg hunts which is a fertility icon from the pagan festival. Christians should be making chocolate Jesus or crucifixes if they want to avoid the pagan aspects of the festival.

If the Christians have a problem with others celebrating their customs at these times then they should not have chosen to put their own festivals on the same occasions.

[beso]

237SJ //Why would you `do` Christmas if you are an atheist? I`ve never managed to work that one out. An atheist celebrating Christmas is completely hypocritical to me. //

It will never make sense to you because you don't take any notice of the facts already layed out in this thread.

But then the religious don't hold too much credence on facts.

[jake-the-peg]

That's the great joy of Christmas - it's completely jumped religious boundries and mutated into a mid winter festival anyone can enjoy.

I remember Maureen Lipman doing a sketch about all the Jewish women in December in the local butchers saying "You know I just fancy turkey for some reason this week"

It's all about having a knees up and bringing a bit of light to the darkest point of the year - guess that's why it's so popular - Don't know whether that means it's not such a bid deal in Oz

Maybe someone can answer that

[chakka35]

237SJ - You are entitled to call an atheist like me hypocritical for singing Christmas carols only if you also think it hypocritical of me to sing songs about Eleanor Rigby, Barbara Allen, The Fastest Milkman in the West, Stella by Starlight, Figaro and others who I'm sure didn't exist.

[Canary42]

Why should I stop celebrating the Yuletide Festival which existed years before the "Christians" re-named it ?

Nothing hypocritical about that.

[andy-hughes]

I do - and I go to Midnight Mass (I go to Mass every Sunday as well).

Christmas is a family occasion, and i would feel very guilty forcing my non-belief on members of my family who are Catholics. My absence of faith is not an issue at all for any of us - we simply agree to differ.