As the Holiday Season continues on its merry way, the seasonal phenomenon known as Christmas atheists get more and more attention. For instance, I’m writing this piece about Christmas atheists; and with just a quick search you can find all sorts of information about those who don’t believe in God but still celebrate the birth of his Son; interesting phenomenon to say the least, and likely to stir up a grand debate here on the site.
Let’s start with me since I have seen fit to instigate this fight, I believe in God. Not only do I believe in God I believe in his Son Jesus Christ. I believe that he was born, died, and rose again. I believe that Christmas is the celebration of his birth and has been bastardized by our secular society. Now that we have that out of the way, I also believe that it’s perfectly fine for so called Christmas atheists to celebrate the Holiday as they see fit.
That’s what we’re all about here, right? Personal freedom, liberty and responsibility, that goes for celebrating Christmas as well; some choose to celebrate in the traditional fashion with the tree and presents and family gatherings, the whole bit. Some choose to ignore it all together, it’s their right to do so.
You’ll hear the usual arguments that Christmas traditions such as the Christmas tree are pagan traditions stolen by Christians, or how Christians and other religions circumvented the Winter Solstice Holiday with what we now celebrate which is Christmas. Let’s for the sake of argument say those accusations are true. Does it really matter? I like to think of Christians as folks who “adopted” traditions such as trees for the Christmas Holiday. It makes it more festive don’t you think?
Let me ask a Christmas atheist this question. How does it affect your life if I, being a Christian, choose to celebrate Christmas by first acknowledging that it’s the birthday of Jesus Christ; and second by putting up a Christmas tree and exchanging presents with my family? Guess what? It doesn’t. And on the other hand it doesn’t affect me in the least if you, being an atheist choose to acknowledge Christmas as the wonderful day when the days started getting longer or the sun shines brighter or whatever. I don’t care. Have at it.
The possibilities are endless for how many directions this conversation could flow. But let’s leave it at this; you like Christmas, I like Christmas. Can’t Christmas atheists and Christians wish each other “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” without rupturing a blood vessel?
December 9th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
When I read this it is not too difficult to see that either God or Christianity is a fraud. Another year of putting the baby Jesus into the hands of pedophiles
December 9th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Merry Christmas! Of course you can celebrate the holiday however you wish. We atheists primarily get worked up about the government promoting Christianity over other religions or non-religion, not about Christians celebrating Christmas themselves.
December 9th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
“Can’t Christmas atheists and Christians wish each other “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” without rupturing a blood vessel?”
Of course they can! The only people rupturing a blood vessel about it are Christians who are now supposedly “offended” by the term Happy Holidays.
December 9th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Merry Christmas to you all!
December 9th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Businesses should have the ability to determine if their employees say Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas. Personally I prefer Merry Christmas, but I still feel the employers should be the ones to decide what greeting their employees give potential customers. If the customers are sufficiently put out by use of one or the other, then the business will lose revenue and have to retool its greetings. Simple as that.
December 9th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
What a terrible news anchor! First off, he assumes his incorrect statistics of 98% of Americans celebrating Christmas is valid. Where did he get that data? If it’s valid he should be citing his source. Does this mean all the Atheists, Muslims, and Jews also celebrate Christmas? This is idiocy. The actual reason for the season is to celebrate Solstice. The Christians began celebrating Christmas during the Solstice celebrations during the days of the Roman Empire and hijacked the month of December as their month to celebrate a fictional deity that never really even existed. Anyway, based on this moron’s faulty stats we are supposed to believe that people celebrating Kwanza along with all Jews, Muslims, and Atheists that don’t celebrate Christmas only make up 2% of the US population. RUBBISH!
December 9th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Shannon,
I believe in gods or godesses, devils or angels, or any other supernatural beings. I believe in Nature as the highest force in the Universe. I believe that Christians adopted the Winter Solstice celebrations so they would not stand out and be noticed or persecuted. I believe that Christmas for non-theists is the celebration of family, friends and love, but has been bastardized by our Christian society. Now that we have that out of the way, I also believe that it’s perfectly fine for so-called believers to celebrate the holiday as they wish – in private venues, not government or public venues. The celebration of Christian mythology belongs in the privacy of churches and members homes, not town squares or government buildings and properties.
Yes, to answer your question: believers in Blind Faith and believers in Reason can both celebrate their respective interpretations of the holidays in peace and harmony. So long as neither community has the arrogance to assume that all people share their beliefs.
Happy Holidays – Happy Winter Solstice & Happy New Year 2010!
December 9th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Correction: “I do not beleive in gods or godesses, devils or angels, or any other supernatural beings.”
Sorry – my mistake.
: )
December 9th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
I challenge you to find an atheist who objects to you celebrating the birth of Jesus. As far as I’m aware, there aren’t any. The only thing we get upset about is if our government plays favorites with a particular religion, such as putting up a nativity scene, because the Constitution forbids that.
If you want to put it on your lawn, or on your church’s lawn, that’s fine by us.
And employers get to determine what greeting their employees use. I prefer “Merry Christmas,” because the Christmas holiday has become very secular. The name is a placeholder for our mid-winter celebrations.
December 10th, 2009 at 12:43 am
The holiday now known as “Christmas” is based on a multi-thousand year old winter solstice festival. Want to know why your Christmas holiday is so secularized? It’s because it was a secular holiday for over a thousand years before the Christians took it over. What does hanging lights on your house and bringing a tree into your living room have to do with Christ? Absolutely nothing as these are ancient Pagan traditions that have been carried over. Christianity took over the Festival when the Catholic church was in Scandinavia trying to convert the Pagans into Christians, they took the Winter Solstice festival and simply replaced any Pagan religious aspect with Christ. I’m an Atheist, I celebrate it, and I know that in the history of this holiday, it’s only been considered religious for a very short amount of the time it’s been celebrated.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:54 am
This whole war on Christmas is rather inane. Militant Christian groups picket stores for their choice of holiday greetings, talk court houses into displaying religious symbols, and if anyone dares to say anything they claim persecution. Rather odd behavior from a religious whose founder told them to pray at home with the door closed (Matthew 6:5-8).
December 10th, 2009 at 8:23 am
I must say that this is a horribly written article. You have built some straw-man argument that atheists have a problem with individuals practicing Christmas as a Christian holiday. I don’t know a single atheist that has any problem with how you want to celebrate the holidays as long as it’s not shown privilege in government. Without that whole premise, this entire article is pointless. Literature 101… you have to establish that there is an argument before you refute it.
December 10th, 2009 at 10:19 am
“How does it affect your life if I, being a Christian, choose to celebrate Christmas by first acknowledging that it’s the birthday of Jesus Christ; and second by putting up a Christmas tree and exchanging presents with my family?”
I am an atheist. I don’t believe in God, or his son. Christians chose to celebrate the son’s birthday on a day that was already a holiday in order to piggy back off of an existing celebration.
Now, having said all of that, I love Christmas! I already have my tree up, and I have been listening to Christmas music, and wrapping presents for family and friends. I am looking so forward to celebrating with them.
For me, the reason for the season is family and friends.
Oh and one more thing; I have been telling people to enjoy THEIR holidays, because since I don’t know what holidays they might observe, I figure that if I wish them well on WHATEVER they celebrate, then there is no room for anyone to be offended.
Enjoy your holidays everyone!
December 10th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
I haven’t believed in any sort of God for a long while now, but I still enjoy Christmas time very much. I’m not celebrating the birth of Jesus, I’m celebrating a tradition of relaxing, spending time with family, good food, good drink, good herb, the whole deal.
I like your take here Shannon, you’re absolutely right. Let’s all celebrate the holiday season as we personally choose, and stop worrying about what other people want to do.
December 10th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I challenge you to find an atheist who objects to you celebrating the birth of Jesus. As far as I’m aware, there aren’t any. The only thing we get upset about is if our government plays favorites with a particular religion, such as putting up a nativity scene, because the Constitution forbids that.
Thank you Curt! Atheists and agnostics are not offended by the mere presence of religion, we’re offended by illegal attempts to force religion on our secular system of government.
December 10th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
I too celebrate because of the family and friends aspect. I’m not sure which atheists you’re talking about, none that I know of have a problem with the religious aspects of the holiday, a lot of them just celebrate it. It has been a festive time of year since WAY before Jesus came in the picture – but we all already knew that. Christians just came in the picture and said “Hey, we want in all these festivities too! Lets call it Jesus’ birthday and rename it to Christmas.”
December 11th, 2009 at 4:12 am
Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas – no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people’s feelings; the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ‘ Holiday ‘.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe’s the word Christmas – was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears
You won’t hear the word Christmas; it won’t touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate ‘Winter Break’ under your ‘Dream Tree’
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully;
Choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,
Not Happy Holiday!
December 11th, 2009 at 7:03 am
@Flyingmonkey: Let’s keep the bad forwarded emails away from the comments thread, mmmkay?
December 11th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
scene: new york city, man is going to jump off the building. up rushes good irish cop. the cop yells up to the man “don’t jump! think of your father”
the man replies “i haven’t got a father; i’m going to jump.”
the copy goes through a list of relatives, mother, brothers, sister, etc. each time man says “haven’t got one; going to jump.”
desperate the cop yells up “don’t jump! think of the blessed virgin”
the man replies “who is that?”
the cop yells “hurry up and jump, ya friggin atheist! you’re blocking traffic!”
December 12th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Ha! Ha! Ha! @ Lisab!
December 13th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Christmas as a holiday is already 90% secular. Feasting with friends and family, presents, trees, lights, Santa and his reindeer are not religous. The “reason for the season” has always been a celebration of winter and the start of the lengthening of days (the bible doesn’t say when Christ was born). Atheists can enjoy the season just as much as Christians. The only difference is that when it comes to seasonal traditions, we put Santa and baby Jesus in the same category …