Christmas

pH

midlandsmissus wrote: »

For a start i'm not trolling. If you read the whole thread up until your first post you will find it was good mannered. Don't dish it out if you can't take it back. Never mind the whole "Christ wasnt born on this day' which we can save for a later argument . The point here is 'Are you an atheist or a pagan or what?' How can you be an atheist and decide to celebrate a Christian/Pagan festival? Surely this is going against atheist views?

As I said, the majority of what I personally 'celebrate' has a secular origin, the rest has a tenuous Pagan one. If a pagan wants to have a go at atheists then when one posts here I'll answer, until then being lectured on hypocrisy by a Christian about celebrating "Christmas" is too much.

Funny how Pagans seem to be more inclusive out their festival, tolerant even, more ... what's the word I'm looking for?

Galvasean wrote:

That and I call it Christmas, but more for convenience's sake than anything.

In much the same way that Christians are happy with the convenience of calling various times of year January, July and August for example, without worshipping or believing in Janus or the Divinity of Julius and Augustus Caesar.

Galvasean

pH wrote: »

In much the same way that Christians are happy with the convenience of calling various times of year January, July and August for example, without worshipping or believing in Janus or the Divinity of Julius and Augustus Caesar.

Hypocrites :rolleyes::pac:

velocirafter

Galvasean wrote: »

Actually might do one of just Transformers this year... Bumblebee can be the baby Jesus, Arcee and Hot Rod are Mary and Joseph, Optimus, Alpha Trion and Ultra Magnus can be the three wise men, Jetfire can be the angel, the dinobots can be the animals that warmed the baby Jesus Bumblebee with their breath.... Oh man, this started out as a joke but I'm SO gonna do it now! :pac:)

you've got to post that picture!!!

Galvasean

velocirafter wrote: »

you've got to post that picture!!!

Will do, probably in the humour thread.

AtomicHorror

Galvasean wrote: »

Actually might do one of just Transformers this year... Bumblebee can be the baby Jesus, Arcee and Hot Rod are Mary and Joseph, Optimus, Alpha Trion and Ultra Magnus can be the three wise men, Jetfire can be the angel, the dinobots can be the animals that warmed the baby Jesus Bumblebee with their breath.... Oh man, this started out as a joke but I'm SO gonna do it now! :pac:)

Honestly, everyone knows Springer and Arcee were an item. Hot Rod should probably be one of the three wise men, what with having been a Prime and all. Moany git though. And where are your shepherds?

I've gone too far haven't I?

CDfm

Atheists should be made do the washing up so they can have their own festival " Washing Up Day".

It could be really inspitational and we Christians could say nice things about them like " You know X the atheist -well he came around to my house and did the washing up".

condra

Actually, isn't there some sort of Christmas volunteer thing where you can go work in the RDS for a day cooking soup for the needy?

If I gave a toss, I'd so do that.

Asiaprod

Don't really celebrate Christmas, but do respect the social spirit of the event. For us its "Hatsumodai," a midnight visit to the temple with thousands of others to welcome the first sunrise on January 1st and make prayers or wishes for a prosperous year and peace for all. The first sunrise of the year is the biggest event in the Japanese calender. In my case Hatsumodai is held in a temple up top of a small mountain close to where I live. On the way back down the mountain we eat the first cold Soba of the year (a kind of noodle) and drink hot O sake ( I love that bit best). The rest is just a commercial event over here.

--amadeus--

I think a word that's been missing here is dogma. Atheists are not dogmatic, we are not restricted by a set of doctrine as to what we can and cannot do. Because of this we can each choose our own set of cultural pass-times. Some atheists might go to midnight mass for the tradition - and as a cultural spectacle it's quite a nice one with all the candles, the incense, the singing and teh general feel good vibe. I won't judge them or call them hypocrites any more than I would consider it hypocritical to visit Manchu Pichu without offering a human sacrifice.

Christmas is fun and for me personally it has nothing to do with religion, it's just a family get together and gift swap. I'll give christianity no more thought at this time of year than I give paganism at the summer solstice.

Dades

Just because I don't believe in Santa doesn't mean I can't celebrate his birthday.

Goduznt Xzst

midlandsmissus wrote: »

But how is it absurd, when athiests on here make sure Christians adhere to every single aspect of Christianity or say we are being flippant christians, and yet it is okay for atheists to do what ever they want, and even celebrate religious festivals?

...because we don't hold ourselves to some spurious set of principles that if we don't adhere to will lead to our losing an immortal life. We can live free, take all the best parts and celebrations of all the worlds religions and ignore all the dogma. It's great. Life as an Atheist is good, I get to have all the fun during the pagan/religious festivals without all the nonsensical other stuff. I can't understand why you gave it up.

Trying to pigeon hole Atheists into some set of principles is a fools errand imo, we have no book nor doctrine that we must follow. You also can't assume that an Atheist that celebrates Christmas is a hypocrite, as an Atheist we accept that God does not exist, this has nothing to do with having fun and participating in Christmas.

asdasd

if any atheists are not celebrating Christmas this year I need some help with the turkey. PM me. I couldnt be assed waking up that early.

robindch

--amadeus-- wrote: »

Christmas is fun and for me personally it has nothing to do with religion, it's just a family get together and gift swap. I'll give christianity no more thought at this time of year than I give paganism at the summer solstice.

+1

CDfm

Galvasean wrote: »

Will do, probably in the humour thread.

What a badass post.

Its reads like a bunch of little girls who havent been invited to a birthday party saying they dont care - we are having our own party.

The pretend crib sounds particularily sad.:pac:

Christmas is about goodwill and hope - no matter what your beliefs its a good thing..

AH puts it well.

AtomicHorror wrote: »

That same family/friends thing is part of the deal with atheists and Christmas. The country is celebrating a day which has a broader meaning than just a religious one. Are we to sit in the corner like a bunch of party poopers?

Dades

CDfm wrote: »

Its reads like a bunch of little girls who havent been invited to a birthday party saying they dont care - we are having our own party.

More like a bunch of little girls that have been asked to leave the party because they weren't invited, who respond that they were there first and damned if they're leaving a free bar.

CerebralCortex

CDfm wrote: »

Christmas is about goodwill and hope - no matter what your beliefs its a good thing...

I thought it had to do with presents.

OK-Cancel-Apply

Relaxing in front of a cosy fire watching crap TV, presents, tree, good food, drink, family over, time off work... Christmas is great!

Only two things spoil it:

1) The way commercialism weighs so heavily on the whole thing. "Santa's comin' to town!! Buy me buy me buy me! Jingle bells!!! Woohoo!"

2) Killjoys trying to remind us about 'Jesus', and what it's 'REALLY' all about. **** that! Christmas is about time off to reflect on the year just gone.

AtomicHorror

CerebralCortex wrote: »

I thought it had to do with presents.

Shh. The recession has come. Time to start playing up the immaterial bits.

Happy New Sock Day. That's right. Sock singular.

Dave!

Actually my kris kindle is supposed to be getting me a few pairs of socks You just can't get good quality, plain black socks anymore.

CerebralCortex

Dave! wrote: »

Actually my kris kindle is supposed to be getting me a few pairs of socks You just can't get good quality, plain black socks anymore.

To quote Bill Paxton "Fùckin A man".

robindch

Dave! wrote: »

You just can't get good quality, plain black socks anymore.

I'm fairly sure you can get great black socks in Gamarelli's in Rome. See this post from October:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=57538600&postcount=20

Highly recommended, but I'm not sure if they do male order. Just the thing for the atheist in your life, of course.

AtomicHorror

robindch wrote: »

I'm fairly sure you can get great black socks in Gamarelli's in Rome. See this post from October:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=57538600&postcount=20

Highly recommended, but I'm not sure if they do male order. Just the thing for the atheist in your life, of course.

They burns our skin, precious.

There's a classic in the Independent today.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/time-to-rebuild-what-secularists-tried-to-wreck-1559858.html
Time to rebuild what secularists tried to wreck.

Some of you will know -- but chances are most of you will not -- that the Christian season of Advent begins this week.

As a result, we don't just have undercapitalised banks, we have an undercapitalised society, a society eroded by the subprime, secularist confidence tricksters -- people who believe you can build a successful society without religion, without strong nuclear families and without trust and community.

He also tries to blame the death of Baby P in the UK on secularism.
For those who don't know Baby P was abused and neglected by his mother, her boyfriend and lodger. The mother seems to have serious mental problems and addictions dating back to her own childhood.

He wants the Minister for Communications to take control of the airwaves and to ban Tommy Tiernan altogether.

condra

WTF?

The Indo is basically waging war on secularism these days.

Whole new thread really.

midlandsmissus

Goduznt Xzst wrote: »

...because we don't hold ourselves to some spurious set of principles that if we don't adhere to will lead to our losing an immortal life. We can live free, take all the best parts and celebrations of all the worlds religions and ignore all the dogma. It's great. Life as an Atheist is good, I get to have all the fun during the pagan/religious festivals without all the nonsensical other stuff. I can't understand why you gave it up.

Trying to pigeon hole Atheists into some set of principles is a fools errand imo, we have no book nor doctrine that we must follow. You also can't assume that an Atheist that celebrates Christmas is a hypocrite, as an Atheist we accept that God does not exist, this has nothing to do with having fun and participating in Christmas.

That's such a load of self serving c*ap!

Basically you denounce God and Jesus all the rest of the year, but when there is a bit of Christianity that is easy and benefits you, you will join in gladly.
Being an atheist is an all year thing, you cant just pick and choose when it is easiest for you.

condra

*palm-forehead*

midlandsmissus

ironingbored wrote: »

The way in which you are missing the point (or rather pretending to) is quite tedious at this stage. No atheist "celebrates" Xmas.

For me Xmas is a seasonal holiday during which I enjoy spending time with family and friends and exchanging gifts. There is no celebrating the Lord of the Vampires and Cannibals. There is no hidden agenda.

The way you shortened Christmas to Xmas was really effective. It just seems to me that people pick up atheism when it is convenient to them. They dont go all the way and actually to something 'hard' to prove their point.

It is the easy route to say it is a pagan festival.
It is the hard route to say you're an atheist and actually give up Christmas, which would make more sense as an atheist.

Me tedious, not at all, it'd be boring on here if you didnt have a christian to argue with!

midlandsmissus

womoma wrote: »

*palm-forehead*

Also palms your forehad. If thats what your calling a slap these days!!!

Is that your only retort? Come on wheres a good spirited argument when I want one! I'll have to go back to the christian board and play nice....

stevencarrwork

midlandsmissus wrote: »

That's such a load of self serving c*ap!

Basically you denounce God and Jesus all the rest of the year, but when there is a bit of Christianity that is easy and benefits you, you will join in gladly.
Being an atheist is an all year thing, you cant just pick and choose when it is easiest for you.

Guess what? Your imaginary friend can't stop atheists giving presents to their family at Christmas.

And by the way, I have now decided never to give money to Christian charities like Christian Aid.

They do a lot of good work, and I gave regularly to them as I knew the money would do good, but people like you have convinced me that it is simply wrong for me to do so.

I didn't even mind when Christian charities took money from non-believers and then wrote letters to the papers boasting about how much charity work they could do with the money.

But there has to be a line somewhere, and you have made me draw one.

Not one penny more to Christian charities until Christians stop being like you.

Dave!

midlandsmissus wrote: »

That's such a load of self serving c*ap!

Basically you denounce God and Jesus all the rest of the year, but when there is a bit of Christianity that is easy and benefits you, you will join in gladly.
Being an atheist is an all year thing, you cant just pick and choose when it is easiest for you.

Have you got a problem with a Muslim joining in on the Christmas celebrations? Hindu? etc.

Or are you gonna blurt out some gibberish about all theists being children of god, so they're all welcome?

Can atheists not enjoy religious art then either?