Do Atheists Celebrate Christmas? (page 6)

leavingwt

Here's some Gallup data related to our discussion. . .

The United States remains a dominantly Christian nation. Almost 8 out of 10 Americans identify with a Christian religion. And the vast majority of those who identify with any religion identify with one that is Christian.

Yet, the percentage of Americans who in theory could celebrate Christmas this week as a specific component of their religious faith is down significantly from where it was 50 or 60 years ago. The most important reason for this shift is straightforward: there has been an increasing percentage of Americans who say they have no specific religious identity.

The fact that fewer Americans say they have a religious identity does not necessarily mean there has been a decrease in overall religiosity in America. It is possible that some proportion of those who don't identify with a specific religion are still personally or spiritually religious.

Although a little more than one out of five Americans do not identify with a Christian faith, the Christmas season has ramifications for a broader segment of society. A Gallup survey conducted last year showed that 93% of all American adults said they celebrated Christmas.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/124793/This-Christmas-78-Americans-Identify-Christian.aspx

MisfitMeL

My small circle of friends usually celebrate the Winter Solstice with a little get together and dinner, drinks and sitting by the fire place chatting into the wee hours of the morning. It's like our little pagan christmas with friends since the real holiday is spent with family.

Despite most of us being atheists or non-religious, we also all indulge in some form of christmas celebration in the secular manner. This is mainly due to tradition since our families expect all members to make some effort to see the rest of them once in a year. So most of us will travel many miles to visit aging parents and other relatives. And for many people, Christmas is one of the few times in the year where everyone is able to get time off work, so I don't see why atheists as a whole should go down the grinch route and stay away or refuse to participate. Some do, but they have their own reasons and it's a free world.

Putting up sparkly lights, exchanging presents and cards, cooking up a fabby meal, watching rubbish on tv etc are also extremely fun things to do when you usually have to spend a day or two with the entire family. It's a way to 'bond' and catch up on what's been happening during the year, recount old stories and so on. Many Christmas traditions are of pagan origins anyway, so it's a bit silly for Christians to moan at other people for not giving any attention to Jesus. I'm sure the pagans were quite pissed off when the Christians stole all of their ideas!!

Christians have every right to celebrate the auspicious occasion from their religious viewpoint, but other people also have the right to enjoy a national/international holiday in any manner that they wish. It's a holiday season anyway - you've got things like Thanksgiving, solstice, christmas and new years all one after the other and I think it's perfectly ok for everyone to get into a sort of 'festive spirit' regardless of their religious outlook.

hamilcarr

Christmas has a totally different meaning for non-theists than it has for JWs or other christian theists. It may be difficult to step outside of the traditional perspective, though the non-christian view predates the christian.

Damocles

My wife is an adamant atheist but celebrates christmas in a big big way. Xmas goo gaws everywhere around the house. She just doesn't associate jesus or god with any of it. Pretty strange to me.

I don't have much of an opinion about god one way or the other and I hate christmas. Have hated it since I was about 10 or so while still a catholic. My wife thinks I became and stayed a dub as long as I did because they don't do holidays. She might be right. I am tempted every year to 'see the light' around the middle of Nov and then 'return to the vomit' in January.

So I struggle with it. I don't like being any part of the holidays but my wife and all my family (still catholic) are big in the celebration and I hate being the wet blanket.

Damocles

Hey why did that little alien thingy pop up on my post? I didn't put it there, although it is kind of cute.

WTWizard

Atheists that believe that Jesus was trying to set mankind free of the God mentality can celebrate that. And God haters can celebrate that Jesus actually tried to set us free from God's tyranny (and died trying). Everyone (except the witlesses) can enjoy the time off, the lights, the presents, and the sounds of Christmas regardless of whether they love, hate, or deny God.

Robdar

The thing that is sticking in my craw this week is that when I say happy holidays (not knowing who is Jewish, Pagan, Atheist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Secular, etc. but wishing them the best anyway), the Christians' nostrils flare as if they smelt something bad, dismiss my greeting, and then turn around and wish me a merry Christmas as if they have first dibs on the holiday which they have just ruined for me with their surly attitude. Why not just say thank you and then wish me a merry Christmas? I do it for them even though I am not a Christian.

Some (not all) Christians should learn some manners. And they should be gracious that I give enough of a crap to wish them any good tidings at all.

changeling

I'm an atheist. Spent the first 46 years of my life as a JW.

Today, I celebrate having family around me (husband's fam. is in town,as well as my non-JW son). We had a small but meaningful gift exchange just for the fun of it. Nice family dinners and discussions. Board games and laughter. I call it my family giving day. If any one has a problem with my doing this on a day some call "Christmas", you can shove it where the sun don't shine.

Oh, and this was, originally, a "pagan" holiday called the Saturnalia, if you want to be a real purist.

What matters is not what we celabrate but that we have joy in our hearts and loved ones to share it with, regardless of the occassion.

Don't rain on my parade and I won't rain on yours.

Happy Holidays everyone! :)

believingxjw

I don't fault anyone who does not believe in God yet celebrates a festival they enjoy. That's been going on for thousands of years. I suppose what I find to be a breach is the insistence by some that Christians live a life consistent with their beliefs, and yet atheists who do not believe want to join in a festival of the very God they denigrate the rest of year.

If I don't believe in the Muslim religion and go so far as to demean it what would it mean if I celebrate Ramadan?

John Doe

and yet atheists who do not believe want to join in a festival of the very God they denigrate the rest of year.

Yet again you repeat your incorrect statement.

Do Atheists Celebrate Christmas?

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