Should Atheists celebrate Christian holidays?

[Vazdania]

Should Christians ripoff earlier holidays? To answer the question, why not? Christmas is not about Christ to me, but about family, gift giving, and thankfulness.

Well I mean they did so.

Well then why call it CHRISTmas...why not Snowy Winter Family Day or some shit?

[Divair]

No, it isn't. You'd be hard pressed to find a large group of people who celebrate it for religious purposes. It has become a consumerist celebration, not a religious one. It's awfully easy to ignore the religious aspects of it. The vast majority of people celebrate it to get gifts and spend time with family, not to celebrate Jesus and a bunch of stolen pagan traditions.

Sorry, but not really.. Large group of people? Is every church that I know of in Ohio big enough to fit that description? Many religious holidays have always had fesivals, events, gifts to children, etc. In Germany, Christmas isn't anywhere near as commercialized as it is in the States, and yet it's still celebrated (they still have gifts for the kiddies). Commercialization =/= secular holiday. And with that, I have work to complete.

MERRY JESUS DAY

When commercialization leads to ignoring the religious traditions, yes, it becomes a secular celebration. Maybe some random countryside villages in the States still cling on to the dying concept of celebrating holidays exclusively for religious purposes, but any urban environment, and any environment in Europe at all, has "secularized" the holiday. It's quite easy to ignore the tacked-on Christian parts of Christmas. Most people just set-up a tree, drink alcohol, sit around with family instead of working, and buy stuff because it's cheap.

[Anonymous Islands]

I suppose it differs from where you come from, but jul (or Christmas) is such an ingrained part of culture that it'd be odd not to celebrate. Cultures build upon cultures, they loan, steal and copy from others and create new from these mixes. Then they just stick around until they become traditions that continue for tradition's sake and however it started becomes long forgotten.

[Norstal]

Sorry, but not really.. Large group of people? Is every church that I know of in Ohio big enough to fit that description? Many religious holidays have always had fesivals, events, gifts to children, etc. In Germany, Christmas isn't anywhere near as commercialized as it is in the States, and yet it's still celebrated (they still have gifts for the kiddies). Commercialization =/= secular holiday. And with that, I have work to complete.

MERRY JESUS DAY

When commercialization leads to ignoring the religious traditions, yes, it becomes a secular celebration. Maybe some random countryside villages in the States still cling on to the dying concepts of celebrating holidays exclusively for religious purposes, but any urban environment, and any environment in Europe at all, has "secularized" the holiday. It's quite easy to ignore the tacked-on Christian parts of Christmas. Most people just set-up a tree, drink alcohol, sit around with family instead of working, and buy stuff because it's cheap.

In Japan, Christmas has essentially becoming a third Valentine's day (they had a second one right after the original one). I mean, what are these people gonna do about a far-off country and culture secularizing Christmas? I wonder.

[Divair]

When commercialization leads to ignoring the religious traditions, yes, it becomes a secular celebration. Maybe some random countryside villages in the States still cling on to the dying concepts of celebrating holidays exclusively for religious purposes, but any urban environment, and any environment in Europe at all, has "secularized" the holiday. It's quite easy to ignore the tacked-on Christian parts of Christmas. Most people just set-up a tree, drink alcohol, sit around with family instead of working, and buy stuff because it's cheap.

In Japan, Christmas has essentially becoming a third Valentine's day (they had a second one right after the original one). I mean, what are these people gonna do about a far-off country and culture secularizing Christmas? I wonder.

BUT JAYSUS ;_;

If I weren't such a depressed sod, I'd celebrate Christmas just to piss off Christians who cannot deal with secularization of their holidays.

[Conscentia]

I find it hilarious that they do so. It's such bullshit.

Well, Christians practice pagan holidays

[Uieurnthlaal]

Racist. You're forgetting about Jewish atheists, Hindu atheists, and Muslim atheists.

[Techno-Titania]

Most Christian holidays are polytheistic in origin, like most churches were originally temples.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Well most have become largely secular in nature and have a lot of consumerist elements to them now (Christmas, Easter etc) so if Atheists celebrate those elements along with their friends and families then why not? I do and i am not going to stop giving gifts to people or get together with my family and friends to have a good time just because i dont celebrate the religious side of it.

[United British Union]

Of course not,
Christians do not celebrate Hannaka.

[Vazdania]

Well, Christians practice pagan holidays

well you know its true.

[Alpacaria]

My parents were atheist. We had a tree (and decorated it) and presents and sang non-religious christmas songs. (There's a lot of them.) The children would recite poems, we would eat a LOT and my parents would send the kids out of the room when "Santa" came to put the presents beneath the tree.

Christmas is absolutely not religious to me, and I'll continue celebrating it with my family that way.

[Katganistan]

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?

*shrugs* Should anyone make anyone else feel excluded from something they enjoy, would be the better question. Seriously, what is the big deal? I don't care who puts up a tree (pagan, btw), sings songs, drinks eggnog or decorates their house -- and who DOESN'T like giving and receiving thoughtful gifts?

We'd all be a fuckton happier if we worried about our own behavior rather than trying to tell others how they should behave.

[TherealWheretheheckistan]

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

The pilgrims were looking for religious freedom from England, yes, but the holiday isn't really that Christian, to be honest. They just gave thanks to the Natives, no religious things about it.

[Vazdania]

My parents were atheist. We had a tree (and decorated it) and presents and sang non-religious christmas songs. (There's a lot of them.) The children would recite poems, we would eat a LOT and my parents would send the kids out of the room when "Santa" came to put the presents beneath the tree.

Christmas is absolutely not religious to me, and I'll continue celebrating it with my family that way.

Decorating a tree is pagan in origin. Yes your christmas is religious.

[Dyakovo]

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?

*shrugs* Should anyone make anyone else feel excluded from something they enjoy, would be the better question. Seriously, what is the big deal? I don't care who puts up a tree (pagan, btw), sings songs, drinks eggnog or decorates their house -- and who DOESN'T like giving and receiving thoughtful gifts?

We'd all be a fuckton happier if we worried about our own behavior rather than trying to tell others how they should behave.

Amusing to see a mod say that...
Yes, yes, I know you were speaking about irl, I just couldn't resist.

[Katganistan]

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?

Only to those who watch football after dinner.

[Magna Libero]

Like Dr Phil said once: just celebrate it and let your children have fun.

[Anonymous Islands]

My parents were atheist. We had a tree (and decorated it) and presents and sang non-religious christmas songs. (There's a lot of them.) The children would recite poems, we would eat a LOT and my parents would send the kids out of the room when "Santa" came to put the presents beneath the tree.

Christmas is absolutely not religious to me, and I'll continue celebrating it with my family that way.

Decorating a tree is pagan in origin. Yes your christmas is religious.

Just because something has a religious origin doesn't meant that has any religious meaning to the person practicing it. Hell, if we're supposed to remove every tradition that has some sort of religious background there wouldn't be much left!

[Conscentia]

well you know its true.

Well, you know it isn't.

[Norstal]

Decorating a tree is pagan in origin. Yes your christmas is religious.

Just because something has a religious origin doesn't meant that has any religious meaning to the person practicing it. Hell, if we're supposed to remove every tradition that has some sort of religious background there wouldn't be much left!

NO FUNERALS FOR ATHEISTS CAUSE IT'S A RELIGIOUS RITE!

[Ko-Syn]

December 25 isn't even the date on which Jesus was born anyway. Christmas in America, as well, is more of a buy gifts for those you love day, as someone above stated by someone else. I'm religious, yes (what I am, I have no idea. I don't subscribe to an organized religion), but I also realise that Christmas isn't ONLY for religious people. Celebrate it if you want to spend time with your family, be close, love them, and see the look on their face when they open the gift you got for them. If you chose not to, you're only missing out on family, love, gifts, smiles... ext. I wouldn't recommend not celebrating Christmas because you don't believe in God. It barely has anything to do with it anymore. Now, if you're in GERMANY, however, it's VERY different, and very religious.

[The Crosspoint Realm]

Atheists should not celebrate Christmas. They don't believe in Jesus, so they don't need to celebrate his birth. It really pisses me off when some stupid movie shows Christmas about giving and loving. Now society is turning Christmas into a literally, magical holiday. This is of the devil and is COMPLETELY COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. LOOK IT'S IN THE NAME!!! Christmas HOW BVIOUS CAN YOU GET!!!???!!!

[Vazdania]

Just because something has a religious origin doesn't meant that has any religious meaning to the person practicing it. Hell, if we're supposed to remove every tradition that has some sort of religious background there wouldn't be much left!

NO FUNERALS FOR ATHEISTS CAUSE IT'S A RELIGIOUS RITE!

Well it is.

[Katganistan]

It does not.

Then why did a Virginian plantation in 1618 celebrate it a feast of thanksgiving with religious intent?
*I am not speaking of modern thanksgiving.

Because back then no one could say "Oh yay we survived!" without dragging God into it?
Seriously. Thanksgiving is NOT a religious holiday unless you worship at the table of overindulgence and the consumerism of Black Friday starting at 8pm.

People don't go to church on Thanksgiving as a rule.

NEXT!