December 24, 2008
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Atheist and Christmas
Richard Dawkins is one of the best known atheist.
He has said that he celebrates Christmas. Here is the link: Link
Is it consistent to be an atheist and celebrate Christmas?
Richard Dawkins is one of the best known atheist.
He has said that he celebrates Christmas. Here is the link: Link
Is it consistent to be an atheist and celebrate Christmas?
Comments (154)
yes . christmas is not an exclusive christian tradition anymore . it’s about spending time with those you love and shit like that . and really , it’s about over-consumption and materialism . it’s an excuse to eat a lot , give and receive gifts , make ginger bread houses and see family . i hear dawkins’ has made a replica of vatican city out of gingerbread and sweedish berries , go figure .
Jews celebrate Christmas, too. Just because foreigners living in the US aren’t American doesn’t mean that they can’t celebrate our plethora of random bank holidays. What I’m saying is that just because a holiday doesn’t relate to you doesn’t mean you can’t go through the motions of it.
A lot of people don’t even really acknowledge the true reason for the holidays, so why not let them have their tree, presents and ham?
Yeah, they just don’t celebrate the religious part of it.
Christmas is very… commercial…. nowadays.
Everyone likes getting gifts.
Also many Atheists celebrate the winter solstace(sp?).
@rediscoverbeauty - lol, You don’t have to be relgious to be in awe of Vatican City! The art in there is enough reason to visit.
he can’t practice what he preaches
“Christmas” as it is celebrated by most Americans is a secular holiday. Its central focus is on family, love, giving, and caring for your fellow humans–which is something that, while certainly moral, is not particularly religious. Only in certain carols and certain Christmas specials are vestiges of the Christ Mass’s original focus still present.
Which, you know, isn’t necessarily a horrible thing. I think, though, as a Christian, I will raise my children to see it as two seperate holidays: perhaps we’ll have a “Happy Birthday Jesus” party on Christmas Eve and then do all the family/presents/winter traditions on Christmas Day. Growing up my family did something similar with Easter: Saturday was Easter, when we hunted for colored eggs and got candy, and then Sunday was “Resurrection Sunday” when we celebrated the return of Jesus.
So yeah, nothing inconsistent in what Mr. Dawkins is celebrating.
Throughout history and all over the world wintertime celebrations have went on in many different cultures, some religious, others purely nature based, others a mixture of both. I find it a bit weird that an athiest likes traditional religious Christmas corols, but whatever, it’s his life. He’s free to celebrate wintertime anyway he so chooses.
Not much of anything is consistant in this world beside you getting comments !
Technically, no.
Personally, if he’s going to be such an ass about faith, God, Jesus, etc., I want to know why the hell would he want to celebrate Christmas. Wouldn’t that seem a tad inconsistent to HIM?
@sarahb_86 - very true . i hear it’s beautiful .
I don’t think you have to be a Christian to celebrate Christmas. It doesn’t have to be about Jesus *ducks for the stones*. It can just be about spending time with your family and showing your love with presents, or not. Either way, just spending time with loved ones.
I don’t call myself a Christian and I celebrate it. *ducks again*
The Lord loves everyone, and if he celebrates Christ’s birth, there may be hope for his salvation yet…….
@RedheadAblaze - Mmmm, ham.
christmas for them is about spending time with family and materialism.
im not religious and i celebrate christmas.
There are a lot of people who aren’t religious or who don’t believe in god who celebrate Christmas and I don’t see anything wrong with it. Even from the beginning when people started celebrating Christmas, it wasn’t all about Jesus. By the way, astronomers found that Jesus may have been born in summer. Just thought I’d throw that out there.
I’m atheist and I celebrate it.
That’s because Christmas has crossed the boundary of being a Christian holiday, it’s almost like a part of American culture now and about the spirit of giving and being with loved ones.
at least, that’s what christmas is to me.
@rediscoverbeauty - christmas is not an exclusive christian tradition anymore
to know the roots of it, one would say that it was never really a christian tradition.
Well, technically the Christmas massly celebrated ISN’T in anyway related to Christianity. The christmas that is greatly celebrated is Santa Claus. And the idea of Christmas Spirit. That is the Christmas I celebrate. I am not an atheist, but I am agnostic.
In fact at one point the Puritans and the Pilgrims didn’t celebrate it on account of its pagan roots.
It is kind of inconsistent, but at the same time Christmas isn’t about Christ anymore. So, if he wants to celebrate Christmas, go for it.
That’s like saying it would be inconsistent for pastors and theologians to give candy on the pagan holiday of Halloween.
Considering it used to be a pagan holiday celebrating the “birthday of the sun” because it was when people noticed the days getting longer again, I would not say that it is inconsistent.
@RedheadAblaze - I don’t know any Jews, but the Messianic Jews I know do not celebrate Christmas. They celebrate Hannakuh/Chanakah but not Christmas.
Christmas is the day atheists commemerate Santa’s victory over Jesus in their epic battle. In all seriousness though, christmas, as it is practiced (giving gifts, spending time with family, eating) has nothing terrribly religous about it. Also, I find it a little remiss when people just refer to Richard Dawkins as an atheist. It is true that he gets a lot of attention for being an atheist but he is also an incredible author, as well as a brillant scientist.
i think he just celevrates the commercial and family oriented part of it.
@Zayin_michael - true . it’s a super combo tradition … elements of paganism and saturnalia , plus others i’m sure …
who are you??
@Strangebrain - And God gave Richard Dawkins a whiny voice. That should count for something too. =P
what I wonder is this, if paganism is an affront to God, and God doesn’t change, and Christmas was pagan… then why do those who follow God participate in a pagan tradition?
I mean, if we built a giant golden calf to symbolize that Jesus is our sin offering, don’t you think that would really really piss God off?
Doesn’t God say not to worship him in these ways.
@huginn - lol.
Hi : )
Well seeing as christmas was originally a Pagan festival, is it right for Christians to celebrate it?
Have a great day!
xxx
Christmas is just a pagan solstice celebration that the Catholic church tried to make about Jesus. So anyone who’s happy that the sun’s coming back is free to celebrate.
I’m atheist and don’t celebrate christmas. to each his/her own..we can make our own traditions to fit our beliefs and families is my theory.
Merry Christmas Dan!!
@LovesHerMakeUp -
@Riftsong -
I’m glad that I am not the only one who understands what this is.
Maybe he celebrates the family-oriented part of it. Christmas is so over-commercialized with Santa, reason to eat like a glutton, and Frosty the Snowman, not everyone thinks about the birth of Christ anymore. So … why not?
Hooray for Secular Christmas… haha. As has been said in the comments already… Christmas is such a hodgepodge of beliefs anyway.
@ChrisRusso - I agree with what you’ve said about Christmas being about being around those that you love and being joyful and thankful for the past year. I’m agnostic and I still enjoy Christmas, but for the secular side of it.
The way your family celebrates Christmas and Easter, separating the two types of celebrations while still doing both is very cool. People tend to forget the meaning behind the holiday if they only celebrate the secular way (though that’s they way we atheists and agnostics do it
)
Well you throw in all this secular crap into a religious holiday and you are going to get a ton of people celebrating it.
@rediscoverbeauty - Wow, perhaps it shouldn’t be called Christmas then. Atheists should create their own festivals that have meaning to them. I mean, the “Christ” in Christmas is something not to be overlooked… They can still do it in the same period of time, but man, don’t you think it will be unfair for them if they don’t have any festival on their own???
Totally. We should all boycott Christmas this year.
@earthymama - Yes, that’s what I am saying. Atheists make their own stuffs, who cares about the origin of Christmas… Just make another festival of your own so that everyone’s happy…
@huginn - LOL~
I think that if you believe in Jesus and that he did some amazing things you can celebrate it; because it celebrates Christ’s birth. So Muslims, who, I have heard, recognize Jesus as a prophet, can celebrate it.
But I do believe that it is mainly a Christian holiday. If a person is an atheist, then they just do it because it’s fun, right? That’s very much missing the point, and I don’t know that it’s really RIGHT, but I won’t stop them.
I have a Hindu friend, and a friend who’s agnostic, and a friend whom I believe is Muslim, and they all celebrate Christmas, although mostly, I think, for the fun of it and for being with others. I am Christian, and I celebrate it for that, for family, for friends, and for the fun of it as well. So I guess…. anyone CAN celebrate it, and they may celebrate it for fairly good reasons, but they aren’t necessarily the RIGHT reasons… if that makes sense.
No, it’s not consistent.
I suppose that they way it is celebrated and built up by the media and such, Christmas is no longer something exclusive for Christians.
I don’t really see how this is justification for it being consistent though. It’s still a Christian holiday, and they’re not religious.
@Zayin_michael - Even if it did start out as a Pagan holiday, or Saturnalia, or however you’d like to say it…. well, now it has become a Christian holiday. Though the original point may not have been to celebrate Christ, it eventually twisted and turned to become what it is today: a celebration of Christ, or Christ-mass. So… the reason most, or at least quite a lot of, people celebrate it IS to honor Jesus’ birth, even if it does not coincide with his time of birth (I’ve read that it was in Spring, due to the census, or fall, due to the tendency of shepherds’ sheep to be in the fields at certain times… but I digress.). I guess it’s much like giving a kindergartener his or her birthday pencil in May when his or her birthday is in July, because the teacher won’t see him/her during his/her actual birthday. December was already a time when festivities were held, and there was a celebrative cause, so it worked out well, I suppose.
Anyway, I guess my point is that the origins don’t matter very much, since no one, or very few people, actually chooses to celebrate those origins today. We use it for a different reason, so that’s what it is.
Sorry for rambling. -.-
@Sirius_Fan_Girl - ….. so what about the part when God says not to worship him those ways.
@Zayin_michael - Which ways? Like, in large celebrations, do you mean?
@Sirius_Fan_Girl - like I mean in the customs that are pagan, not to worship him those ways
@Zayin_michael - Hmmmm… well then I suppose it somewhat depends on how the holiday is celebrated. Since it has become a different sort of holiday since its pagan beginnings, many of the traditions associated would be different. Therefore I guess they wouldn’t all be pagan customs, although probably you mean the practice of giving one another gifts, putting up lights, etc.? In that case, I’m not sure. Because most of that probably isn’t done to honor God, although in the mind of some, putting up lights and giving gifts would represent one’s joy at the birth of a savior….
In the end I think it would all boil down to the reasons a person celebrates the holiday, and their attitude while doing it. God wants us all to be loving, and to work hard and be generous cheerfully and without grudge, and I think if a person is celebrating Christmas with this in mind then it’s a good thing. But if it is celebrated for the sake of gifts, and commercialism, then that doesn’t reflect Christianity well.
Most of this is just me typing my thoughts, so uh…. that’s where any inconsistencies fall. Heh. Sorry.
Why not? I’m agnostic and celebrate it. It has become something that has disattached itself from Christianity.
Sure. I’m an atheist, and I celebrate the feeling of family that Christmas brings. I do the gift tradition.
I guess you’d say I’m more of a Santa-Claus Christmas.
I wrote a blog on the topic a few weeks ago. I’m athiest and I celebrate Christmas. It’s more of a family, friends, and gifts thing to most people nowadays. I just don’t go to church Christmas Day, which fewer and fewer people are doing anyway.
@Sirius_Fan_Girl - it’s more the tree,wreaths,mistletoe,the day that was picked,ornaments, and the like.
Giving, love, and quality time are good things that should be done… but I would not use things that I have known to piss off God as a guise for them.
As for celebrating the birth of the Savior, there is a biblical feast of Sukkot that is a commemoration of God dwelling amongst his people. This is more accurately the time when the Messiah was born, and He is the perfect example of God dwelling among his people. Always celebrate his birth, but this would be a better time to commemorate the anniversary of it. There isn’t an example of him celebrating christmas, but there is examples of him keeping this feast. ( and also one scripture that suggests that Jesus kept Hanukkah)
No, I don’t think it is consistent. I understand that many of the traditions that go along with Christmas have pagan roots and the holiday seems to be more about consumerism than celebrating the actual holiday. If he wants to spend time with family and purchase gifts for them and whatnot, that’s his own thing, but that’s not really the BASIS of Christmas.
For those of us that believe, the real reason for the holiday is to celebrate Christ’s birth. Everything else is just superfluous.
It depends on what your reason for celebrating Christmas is for.
Sure. But he better NOT celebrate Easter.
I’m not a Christian, and I celebrate Christmas. To me, it’s more about my family and being with them. We don’t do anything on Christmas that represents the birth of Christ. Sometimes we go to midnight mass at the Lutheran Church where I was baptized as a baby, but whenever I go I choose not to participate in communion. I don’t see anything wrong with celebrating Christmas and being an atheist.
it is only consistent if you are either 1) pagan or 2) chirstian. but really not even #2 applies, technically, because it IS a pagan holiday.
*Waits for replies from revelife*
what a double standard that exists today! we force “merry christmas” out of the season as to not offend non-Christians, yet numerous non and anti-Christians celebrate christmas!
we are molded to be too PC these days; it is sickening!
Sure, unless your idea of “celebration” is praying and performing religious rituals. If it’s just gift-giving, merriment, and family time, well, that has nothing to do with religion.
@ChrisRusso - I always appreciate your perspective.
No, but everything I was going to say has already been said so I’m leaving it at that. No need to slay the slain, it’s already been tackled.
No. Christmas is a beautiful part of our culture.
I HATE the controversy over saying Happy Holidays. I think it’s a gracious and inclusive thing to say. I never had a customer stay offended, since if they replied, “Happy Hannukah” or “Merry Christmas” I repeated it back to them.
@huginn - Halloween actually started off as a day to remember the ancestors by the Irish Catholics. History Channel educated me on that one.
I am and I do
it’s really all about fun.
Plus Christmas really is a pagan holiday.
Is it consistent for a christian to celebrate Halloween?
PRESENTS FTW!!!
My boyfriend is an athiest and he hates Christmas. I think that it more because of how materialistic it is though. On the other hand, I’m Catholic…so you know….we’re working on it.
Yes. They can do what they want and make it up as they go…
He should call it Winter Solstice. Same basic idea, same decorations. Just no Jesus involved.
I know a few people that do that.
It seems that The Grateful Dead have summed it up well …
“I might be going to hell in a bucket, but at least I’m enjoying the ride.”
Sure. It’s called tradition.
I have friends who “celebrating Christmas” means going to the movies and ordering chinese, I will probably be guilty of this tomorrow. I’m deist and celebrate Christmas (in the traditional way minus midnight mass which I did when I was Catholic at a younger age.) I think it’s silly for people to be judgmental of other who decide to celebrate Christmas if they’re not Christian or Christians who decide not to celebrate Christmas in the “way it was intended.” It’s a commercial holiday as well as a spiritual day, and that really is okay.
no, but i do that too. christmas isn’t about christ and god for me. it’s about spending time with people i love, enjoying the snow, and giving presents. [and yes, i am atheist.]
I can enjoy the spirit of the season and give presents just the same as anyone else, even if I don’t believe in Jesus/God/etc. Whether or not it’s consistent… well, who cares?
This is why I’m starting my own holiday.
Well, it depends on how one takes Christmas. Although Christians view Christmas as a time to celebrate Jesus’ birth, the secular world views Christmas as a time for family, love, etc.
I’m an atheist. I celebrate Christmas. For me, it’s about being with family and loved ones. Not religion.
If he went to mass that would be inconsistent. If he overeats and buys lots of useless shit, that’s just American.
yes
Yes, Christmas is not all about Christ.
December 25 was originally one of the main days of the Roman festival of Saturnalia.
@CoffeeRevolutionary - That’s hilarious!
Yes.
Yeah, pretty much everyone I know celebrates Christmas, or participates in some Christmas-related tradition, no matter what they believe. It’s been thoroughly secularized.
Christmas’s roots are actually Pagan, not Christian. Trees, wreaths, etc. are all pagan symbols of fertility. The celebration was in honor of the Goddess Mithras. Easter is actually a similar sort of celebration, having Pagan roots also.
Christians just selected those days and put their own ridiculous twist to them to transform them into “Christian” holidays. More of the Christians’ dirty work right there.
To answer your question: it’s consistent. I do gift exchanges as well, and I’m atheist. I just don’t look at the Christian viewpoint because I think Christianity is bogus.
I think it is more inconsistent to be a Christian and practice modern Christmas than it is to be an Atheist. Modern Christmas is more about material consumerism than anything else and I don’t think Jesus would have been too happy about that.
Maybe if it actually WAS about togetherness and good will and all the things that Hallmark claims it is still about then it would be different. As it is, however…
Christmas isn’t about CHRIST these days to the majority of people. They’ve forgotten the real reason for the season: Jesus’s birth. Christmas nowadays is about consumerism. If he wants to exchange gifts and spend time with his family on Christ’s birth, that’s his choice, but he’s not truly celebrating CHRISTmas.
Christmas isn’t necessarily about God.
It’s more about spending time with your family.
What would it be like for his family, who might not be atheists, for him to be like, “I can’t celebrate Christmas, I’m atheist.”
The Christmas most people celebrate now is so commercialized… it’s really not devoted to Christianity anymore.. So yes. That works.
It’s like no-win situation for atheists, isn’t it? If they decide to join in and have fun with their families, then they’re “inconsistent” and condemned for it. If they stay home, it’s like “A-HA! ATHEISTS ARE ANGRY AND BITTER! GRRRRR!!!” There’s just no way to win, it seems.
@Strangebrain - Amen.
@sammjane - No, the Earth’s axial tilt is the reason for the season. Here’s a quote from abilene_piper’s comment above. He said it pretty well, and I’m lazy to type all of that (or more):
Christmas’s roots are actually Pagan, not Christian. Trees, wreaths, etc. are all pagan symbols of fertility. The celebration was in honor of the Goddess Mithras. Easter is actually a similar sort of celebration, having Pagan roots also.
Christians just selected those days and put their own ridiculous twist to them to transform them into “Christian” holidays. More of the Christians’ dirty work right there.
Nowhere in the bible does it say that Jesus was born in winter, let alone a specific date. Actually, it all points to being anything BUT wintertime when Jesus was born. So much for Jesus being the reason for the season. It’s not. Not even close.
well.. you dont have to be christain to celebrate jesus’ birthday, but you do have to believe that he is part of the trinity to be christian. So you can say happy birthday jesus, and not be christian… but I am one, so I kind of see that idea a little silly unless you really just want gifts and to spend time with the family…or peer pressure? haha idk, i wouldnt understand it, but i guess its possible?
For those that just celebrate Santa, The Elves, and Rudolph, then, yeah, it is. It is too bad that he is, and will be, missing out on so much more.
Gosh! There isn’t “one” opinion consistant with your question. Duh! I wonder why?
@abilene_piper_lg - lol, i dont think all christians are to blame, and i know as a christan, a xmas tree has nothing to do with the holiday. Neither do gifts under the tree. the gift giving was idealistic after the wizemen and initially st.nick put gifts on doorsteps of orphans and poor families in generousity… so the stocking idea is kinda along those lines…but that has nothing to do with christianity. It was something that people did to commemorate the goodness of Nick’s act. I have no idea how the raindeer jig came along, but that is something I will not be telling my non existant kids. You are right, If i remember right wreaths and the trees have been sorted as a pagan thing, but marten luther associated the tree with the “noth star” supposedly one year and decided to decorate the tree with his family because it reminded him of the story on christmas night. It really was coincidence, and yes, has nothing to do with the night itself, but is definately a fun way to commemorate the holiday. I hope Im not offending you at all, if i did haha; I just want to you to know that not all christians are warped and evil…and know where our origins come from or at least my beliefs haha. =)
@wolvenchic - Oh none taken. And no, I don’t think all Christians are dirty. I just get irritated when Bible-thumpers try to cram it down my throat. I’m a peaceful atheist and am content to let people believe in whatever way they see fit.
@abilene_piper_lg - =) Im glad to hear it, and hope you have a happy new year.
too each his own we shouldn’t judge anyone…love is what we must show to everyone regardless if they believe or not…love never fails. =D
Christmas has become all about money and greed now anyway, for most people.
Why do Christians even celebrate Christmas? The Bible tells them to do no such thing, I think its quite bold for Christians to attach the Lord’s name to a celebration he never told him to attach his name to. It takes guts to defy your God like that.
i thought that atheists dont celebrate any holidays? or maybe im wrong, idk.
As an Atheist, Christmas is something that I have struggled with in recently years. I think that no, he is not being consistent. Of course the irony in it all is that the original idea of Christmas was not a Christian holiday, but rather a Pagan holiday. All that being said, I used to be very big into Christmas, even after I became an Atheist. Each year though I celebrate it less and less. I still do buy gifts for my nieces and nephew and do participate in a grab bag with friends. I still go to Christmas parties but don’t overly celebrate the holiday. What does that mean exactly? I don’t normally wish people a Merry Christmas or send Christmas cards. I don’t put up Christmas decorations or wear Christmas clothes. I was however raised Catholic and did all of those things for years and years and I do enjoy spending time with friends and family and Christmas is as good an excuse as any to do that.
He can celebrate it without the actual meaning. I think Christmas has lost its meaning anymore.
no.
I celebrate Christmas as a day for family and friends to get together and show each other that they care, not for any religious reasons. So yes, I think athiests can celebrate Christmas without it being contradictory.
<3
Christmas is, technically, a federal holiday now.
Well, now days there are really two Christmases. One featuring Christ, the other Santa. So yeah they can celebrate Christmas.
Christmas hasn’t been a “Christian” holiday for some time now. People in general seem to think of it in very narrow terms, but the majority of Athiests/Agnostics think of it just as a time to give to others. When I used to celebrate Christmas years ago I never once heard mention of Religion of any sort (except perhaps drunk relatives bitching and moaning about it). So in conclusion yes, some Athiests choose to celebrate the “Winter Solstice/Christmas/etc., I don’t but I am just not a holiday person in general. Everyone is entitled to do whatever they like when it comes to this.
Julian
To be frank: There’s nothing Christian about Christmas except the illusion that it has anything to do with Jesus and that he, as Christ or historical figure, would approve of it in the least. However, having discussed this recently, it is completely inconsistent to celebrate “Christmas” in full. As a practice, it is oozing with god-dom (pagan, Christian, etc.), so much so that an atheist could only reasonably do it out of mindless adherence to tradition/consumerism, social pressure, or malicious irony. (I would guess the former.) Not to suggest that he can’t, simply that there is no LOGICAL cause for his “celebration.” All of the sentimental explanations for why he celebrates are antithetical to his own cerebral-centric agendas. But Happy Holidays to him–and anyone who shares his opinion–nonetheless. Who says holidays are supposed to be “reasonable” or “logical”? The whole purpose is sentimental, and atheists are no less sentimental than anyone else, right?
These holidays are what you make of them. It doesn’t have to be about religion; it’s a day of giving, a day to show your appreciation for your loved ones in a materialistic capitalist way. In my family it’s about being with the family, and not about Jesus or any of that other religious hoopla. I guess you could say it’s tradition and popular culture more than anything else.
@elli_monkey - i agree, anymore it has to do with just gifts
No. It is hypocritical.
Even if you do not believe in Christ, how can one turn around and believe in Santa or the spirit of Christmas. Just isn’t logical.
Christmas is based on Jesus birth so it is a Christian holiday…that’s why the word Christ is in Christmas…sure it’s known that Christ may not have been born in Dec…but the whole concept behind the holiday is religious it’s just that society has turned it into a secular holiday and made it about Santa Claus, gifts, etc…now anyone can say they celebrate Christmas and not be a Christian and no one thinks anything of it….I mean if it means people get together with their families and give to each other then that is the meaning they hold for it but that’s just my beliefs because I try not to focus on gifts, etc. but Jesus birth and my family.
@LifeNeedsProtection - hahaha yeah it’s kind of easier to believe in Jesus than it is in Santa Claus…Santa doesn’t have an historic account of his life.
@LucyWrites - hahahah at being an a hole about it lol.
::shrugs shoulders::
I’m an atheist and to me Christmas is just a day I get lots of presents, outside of my birthday.
It’s no big deal to me.
@rediscoverbeauty - I agree with the materialistic one..even with people losing their homes and jobs in a recession people still went out to the mall and shopped all day. Every year, little by little I stop getting a lot of gifts. I just spend the time with my family…eventually I’m just going to end up buying gifts to give to those who really need them…I have a gift bag full of gifts from last Christmas and now I have another bag full from tonight.
Why not? The timing of Christmas is based on a pagan holiday anyhow. To me, Christmas is about Christ, of course, but there are other focus points, too, like spending time with family, gift giving, etc.
yes, but to him it’s about santa claus and the season of giving…. not necessarily the birth of christ
my dad is Buddhist and celebrates christmas…
This is totally consistant with the American/British mainstream pop culture idea of Christmas. So yeah, sure. And the tree is always pretty whether you celebrate Christian Christmas or not. Who would want to abstain?
Although Christmas has Christian overtones it’s also part of Western tradition so no, I don’t think it’s inconsistent.
The holiday season isn’t necessarily about Jesus anymore for a lot of people. The Christian aspect has been quite removed in recent times, and if I remember correctly, the Christmas holiday wasn’t necessarily started as a Christian holiday. Could be wrong. Depends on who you are, what you believe and what feels right. For some it’s mangers and virgins, for others it’s Santa Claus and snowmen.
Yes, that’s ok. I even know a lot of atheists who go to church at Christmas.
i don’t know about christmas… but the more general “the holidays” would make sense. everyone celebrates during “the holidays”
You can be Atheist but you can still have the idea of Christmas. It is about giving, it is about loving and caring. Just because one is Atheist doesn’t mean they cannot do those things.
As many have stated Christmas no longer is only for the Christians and no longer really about the Birth of Christ–so it doesn’t matter.
There’s my two cents, isn’t it just amazing?
@stalkdebbie - ”he can’t practice what he preaches“
perhaps that aphorism doesn’t apply to him!
Consistent? No.
Fun, yes.
I’m agnostic and opening presents today. I figure that Jesus may not have been the son of god, but he was a great humanitarian and I’m happy to celebrate his day.
A bit odd that he likes singing Christmas carols. At least he and I share a similar taste in music.
Christmas has become really more of a cultural holiday than a religious one; look at Japan. That whole country celebrates it, and less than 1% of them are Christian.
Is it consistent to be Buddhist/Muslim/Sikh/Wiccan and still celebrate Christmas?
If they make Christmas a National holiday and we get time and a half for it, I think it’s unfair to say only Christians and Catholics can celebrate it. Christmas has been blown out of proportion to the point where it doesn’t belong to only one type of religion.
I need credits because of all those Christmas Minis I’ve been handing out. o_O So I have to echo everyone else and say: Nah, he can do Christmas. Or X-Mas, anyway.
TWO CREDITS, TWO MORE SWEET, SWEET CREDITS!!!
Atheists want presents, too
I spend 2 days preparing Xmas dinner every year because it is important to my mother, who is Christian. I do it for family and friends, or because a party for any reason is a lot of fun. I don’t feel I have to “believe” to celebrate.
I view it as a celebration of children, and light.
Many atheists I know celebrate the secular side of Christmas. Since its a pagan holiday to begin with, why shouldn’t they? Christians celebrating it is the real hypocrisy.
I see no inconsistency there. Christmas is not about God.
I am not christian and I celebrate christmas.
Though Christmas is the day of Jesus’s birth, I think everyone (in America at least) grew up learning about Santa Claus and Rudolph. I don’t think it matters if an atheist (or anyone else) celebrates Christmas.
Atheism and Christmas are only inconsistent for those reactionary Christians that think the holiday should be entirely about the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, and screw everything else. They tend to be the same Christians who won’t let their offspring costume up and go trick-or-treating on October 31st because All Hallow’s Eve is/was a pagan holiday and has nothing to do with Jesus.
Remember, Christmas was a Pagan holiday too, before Christianity incorporated it and most of its traditions in order to accomodate prospective followers. If the Christians can do it to the Pagans, then the Atheists can do it to the Christians, and make it about lights, or gifts, or maybe not being a total prick.
Something that over two-thirds of all the Christians I have met have never heard of. I was under the impression that Pride was a deadly sin. If I’d known you could pick and choose the parts of the religion that you wanted, I would have gone to church more. And if that isn’t the case, then maybe certain religious people should stop doing it.
I listen to tons of Christmas music, religious or not. The way I see it, they’re just great stories, like if I were to listen to the Decemberists. I don’t have to believe to listen. And Christmas is Winter Solstice in disguise… a completely pagan celebration of nature’s rebirth. Why do you think we bring TREES into our homes?
I realize that Christmas was originally a pagan tradition, and that the Catholic church sort of “molded” it to their idea of what Christianty should be. However, that being said, i think it was from there intended to be a celebration of Christ’s birth. In more recent years with the advent of commercialism and just wanting to make a buck, it has become more just an excuse to blow money on things we really don’t need (usually), eat til we’re sick, and however else we want to “celebrate”.
Even now, as a Christian, i have to keep myself in check and remind myself what this day is supposed to be about. It saddens me to know that like everything else, God/Christ has been either watered down or taken out of our lives.
Whats inconsistent is Christians celebrating Christmas seeing as its based on a pagan tradition… I doubt Jesus gave a damn about a tree…
Since he is so atheist, why is he celebrating CHRISTmas? He should just call it saturnalia or solstice and be consistent. Bet he doesn’t go to work today though!
I do.
Sorry to be a douche, but this bugs me. Your post should read, “Richard Dawkins is one of the best known atheists.” Atheists as in PLURAL. Just because it sorta kinda maybe sounds like it’s already plural doesn’t mean it is. Replace what you said with any other singular noun. “Richard Dawkins is one of the best known man around.” Wrong. It would be men.
And no, Christmas does not need to equal Christian. I’m an atheist, and I celebrate Christmas.
Christmas isn’t so traditional anymore, For Christians it’s still Jesus’ birthday, but for atheists and other people it’s really a winter festival kinda thing to celebrate family, give and receive presents and eat alot, together.
I am an Atheist but was christened(sp?) My mum was brought up catholic and my dad christian. My dad didn’t really believe it at all and is an atheist. My mum rebelled when she was 18 refusing to go to mass because “there [was] no way Mary was a virgin” So 2 Atheists tried to bring up 2 Christians…not going to work
I’m always out with friends etc. My brother as well and him playing video games and my dad at work. At Christmas we are a family =]
What a sell out.
Yes. There is a secular Christmas and a Christian Christmas.
No, it isn’t. The purpose of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Mankind’s Savior and His witness on Earth. If you deny the very existence of God (and as bitterly and fervently as Dawkins has), then you likewise deny the Divine status of His son, and thereby, the validity of His message. Christmas then becomes just another excuse to take time off of work. Unless it has meaning to the soul, it is truly meaningless.
“But when He had turned about and looked on His disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.”- Mark 8: 33
Well, astronomers know that if the shepherds in the fields at night did see the star of Bethlehem, it had to have been sometime in mid-summer, and not in December. Historically, the Christian/Catholic Church decided to celebrate Christmas near the time of the winter solstice, in order to transition newly converted pagans into celebrating Jesus. Since the pagans were already celebrating the winter solstice, tying Jesus into it was a good way to transition them from the old ways. There is no evidence at all that Jesus would have been born in late December, and much more evidence that he would have been born in summertime.
It really doesn’t matter though. As others have said, Christmas, as it is celebrated today, is a conglomeration of many culture’s practices. American Christmas is very different from Christmas long ago, and in fact, Christmas was not even very widely celebrated in this country until the mid-nineteenth century.
If you are a very religious Christian, you will find ways to incorporate your beliefs about Jesus into your everyday life anyway. In the mean time, since Christmas gets shoved down the gullets of every American, regardless of his or her faith, why not embrace the secular, commercial day for yourself? If you like sugar cookies and time with family, you are celebrating Christmas the way most Americans do. Sure, you can be Atheist and celebrate Christmas. Why not?
You can celebrate Christmas without being Christian. You could just take it as a day to exchange presents and spread good cheer and that sort of thing. I’m Wiccan and I celebrate Christmas.
How many atheists does it take to change a light bulb? One, but they are still in the dark.