Should Atheists celebrate Christian holidays?

[Gibberan]

Well, this has recently come to mind as the holidays come in: Should atheist celebrate Christian holidays such as Christmas? I am not trying to be biased against other religions, but, the way I see it, I don't think Hanukkah or other religious holidays have been commercialized like Christmas or Easter. I think the reason nearly everyone, atheists and Christians celebrate these holidays is due to their commercializing by modern culture: think about it, Christmas has Santa, Easter has the Easter Bunny, Thanksgiving has turkeys (Well, that one's justified, I guess). People celebrate these religious holidays whether they are Christian or secular, because their commercialization makes it hard to see the religious foundations of it, even for Christians. One solution would be to split said religious holidays into two separate holidays, one Christian and one Secular, but this doesn't seem feasible to me.
I don't mean to offend anyone by this, of course.

Your thoughts, NS?

[Conscentia]

Only if they want to.

[Benuty]

Saturnalia and Ishtar are pretty much polytheistic holidays. I cannot recall a time they ever were "Christian".

[Conscentia]

[...]Thanksgiving [...]

Thanksgiving isn't a Christian holiday.

[Tsuntion]

We should do whatever the hell we want, whether that involves celebrating or not celebrating holidays, as long as nobody is harmed.

Personally, I find some aspects of Commercial Christmas rather good and I intend to celebrate it. Other atheists might not find it fun, or might find it fun but object to celebrating a religious holiday, and that's fine too.

[Benuty]

[...]Thanksgiving [...]

Thanksgiving isn't a Christian holiday.

Yet it does have a religious background ( the pilgrim story is B.S and not the original story behind it).

[Gibberan]

[...]Thanksgiving [...]

Thanksgiving isn't a Christian holiday.

I know it isn't directly one, it could be interpreted as one though.

[Benuty]

We should do whatever the hell we want, whether that involves celebrating or not celebrating holidays, as long as nobody is harmed.

Personally, I find some aspects of Commercial Christmas rather good and I intend to celebrate it. Other atheists might not find it fun, or might find it fun but object to celebrating a religious holiday, and that's fine too.

Commercialism on Saturnalia is the whole point.

[Gibberan]

Thanksgiving isn't a Christian holiday.

Yet it does have a religious background ( the pilgrim story is B.S and not the original story behind it).

[Lies and Ignorance]

Christmas and Easter are a pretty essential part of both my familial culture and the culture of the greater society in which I live. I see no reason to toss it aside.

[Conscentia]

Saturnalia and Ishtar are pretty much polytheistic holidays. I cannot recall a time they ever were "Christian".

This "Christian holidays are pagan" stuff is largely nonsense. The Church does not celebrate Saturnalia, etc.

[Gibberan]

We should do whatever the hell we want, whether that involves celebrating or not celebrating holidays, as long as nobody is harmed.

Personally, I find some aspects of Commercial Christmas rather good and I intend to celebrate it. Other atheists might not find it fun, or might find it fun but object to celebrating a religious holiday, and that's fine too.

Commercialism on Saturnalia is the whole point.

No commercialism on Black Friday is...well, horrible

[Conscentia]

Thanksgiving isn't a Christian holiday.

I know it isn't directly one, it could be interpreted as one though.

It shouldn't be. American Christians need to stop making everything about Jesus.

[Benuty]

Saturnalia and Ishtar are pretty much polytheistic holidays. I cannot recall a time they ever were "Christian".

This "Christian holidays are pagan" stuff is largely nonsense. The Church does not celebrate Saturnalia, etc.

I very well disagree, they are a compilation of polytheist traditions from various eras.

[Lies and Ignorance]

This "Christian holidays are pagan" stuff is largely nonsense. The Church does not celebrate Saturnalia, etc.

I very well disagree, they are a compilation of polytheist traditions from various eras.

I suppose you're also a person who believes Jesus to be an amalgam of Horus and what not.

You see, no one cares.

E: and by no one cares I mean that it literally does not affect Christian tradition or doctrine in any way. Christians are unconcerned about Jesus being an amalgam. Why should I worry?

[The Nuclear Fist]

Christians celebrate old Pagan holidays, so why shouldn't Atheists celebrate Christian ones?

[New Panti]

I, as an atheist, only celebrate Christian religious holidays because my family celebrates them and I don't want to say to them "fuck you I don't believe in god".

Also, since when was Thanksgiving religious?

[Conscentia]

This "Christian holidays are pagan" stuff is largely nonsense. The Church does not celebrate Saturnalia, etc.

I very well disagree, they are a compilation of polytheist traditions from various eras.

The traditions you speak of have lost all polytheistic meaning.

[Litresha]

I"m an atheist and I'll always celebrate Christmas. I don't care if it's not my religion, it's my family's religion and besides, it's so commercialized nowadays that pretty much anyone can celebrate whether they're Christian or not. Maybe one day we'll get to the point where it starts being less of a religious thing and more of a thing for everybody.

I don't care what other atheists do. There's no point in asking whether we "should" or "shouldn't" because it's all up to their choice.

[Gibberan]

I, as an atheist, only celebrate Christian religious holidays because my family celebrates them and I don't want to say to them "fuck you I don't believe in god".

Also, since when was Thanksgiving religious?

I think I am going to explain this several times

Thanksgiving isn't a Christian holiday.

I know it isn't directly one, it could be interpreted as one though.

[The USOT]

As much as Christians may dislike it, Christmas isnt A holiday anymore. Its a secular holiday which (as you may tell from my flag I have had all year around) holds a special place in my heart even though I am not Christian.

Its a year in which we tell wonderful stories from cultures all around the world, unite various cultures and traditions in the form of Santa Claus, gather together to see the joy in peoples eyes as we give them wonderful presents and of course just celebrate how important we all are to eachother.

You can keep the celebration of the birth of an israeli child. I will always take that day to show how much I cherish the human beings in my life.

Yours sincerely, a guy who`s christmas spirit gets stronger every year.

[Conscentia]

Thanksgiving isn't a Christian holiday.

Yet it does have a religious background ( the pilgrim story is B.S and not the original story behind it).

It does not.

[Benuty]

I very well disagree, they are a compilation of polytheist traditions from various eras.

The traditions you speak of have lost all polytheistic meaning.

The Nordo-Germanic ones have not lost their meanings.

[New Panti]

I, as an atheist, only celebrate Christian religious holidays because my family celebrates them and I don't want to say to them "fuck you I don't believe in god".

Also, since when was Thanksgiving religious?

I think I am going to explain this several times

I know it isn't directly one, it could be interpreted as one though.

That's completely illogical that it could be though, it's based off the first Thanksgiving which signified a "peace" between Native Americans and Europeans, not the coming of Christ or anything religious like that.

[Olthar]

I celebrate Christmas because it's a time to get together with mu family. I don't care about anything else.