Thread: What do Atheists do on Christmas?

You're kidding, right?

ANYONE can celebrate Christmas. I happen to know quite a few non religious people both here and in real life that do. Christmas isn't just a religious holiday anymore. It's a holiday for everyone.

You think Christmas is only a religious holiday now? What planet have you been living on? What part does Santa play in religion? I must have missed the chapter in the Bible where he and his reindeer made an appearance.

What do we do on Christmas? We like many other people get together with our families, have a nice dinner, and celebrate a time of festivity, like many other religious people do.

Christmas isn't a religious holiday. It's a shameless display of consumerism and a chance to lie to your kids.

Christmas was founded by christianity, to celebrate the birth of jesus and the peace and such.
Santa originated from St.Nicholas who used to drop money bags down peoples chimmeneys.
Do atheists celebrate easter aswell? And use the excuse it's a holiday for everyone.

Christmas was founded by christianity, to celebrate the birth of jesus and the peace and such.

No, it wasen't. Christmas is a pagen holiday, Christianity just stole it.

Do atheists celebrate easter aswell? And use the excuse it's a holiday for everyone.

Yes.

Again its a holiday, to give expensive presents to people.

I think that the entire concept of Christmas is so far from any original religious practice that it should be the other way around. Christians shouldn't celebrate it?

I don’t see how this commercialized, tree-decorating holiday has a whole lot to do with religious practice with most traditional families.

Giving to the needy, celebrating a family gathering, gifts, and the festive atmosphere could be embraced by any way of life.

Christmas was founded by christianity, to celebrate the birth of jesus and the peace and such.

Nope, it was the hijacking of the Winter Solstice by Christianity. Jesus wasn't born at that time you know.

Do atheists celebrate easter aswell? And use the excuse it's a holiday for everyone.

Unlike what your location states, you clearly do not live in England.

I mean, no one can be this ignorant?

Originally Posted by Dreamhope11

If your atheist you shouldn't celebrate christmas, am i right? So is it just another day for you guys?

well christmas used to be celebrated in the old days (really back in the day) as celebrating the birth of jesus, yet it has been turned into something way different.
edit: and yes there are still people who actually celebrate for the real reasons.
not that i don't mind the gifts and all but that is basically what it has become, people expecting presents or such things. so anyone really can celebrate. and santa isn't real. sorry kids. st.nick yes, santa no.

Originally Posted by Dreamhope11

Christmas was founded by christianity, to celebrate the birth of jesus and the peace and such.
Santa originated from St.Nicholas who used to drop money bags down peoples chimmeneys.
Do atheists celebrate easter aswell? And use the excuse it's a holiday for everyone.

and i realy see no point in why peope wouldn't celebrate easter. maybe not the religious side of easter, but i mean the bunny... serioulsly, a bunny isn't very religious... unless you watch southpark.
people can hide eggs and such cause come on, it's eggs. hehe. but you know what i'll ask you a question. how does hiding eggs that bunnies "laid" apply to the ressurection of christ? i don't get the conection. so no connection, no need to be religious to celebrate the egg hunting and such.

Originally Posted by aorozco

well christmas used to be celebrated in the old days (really back in the day) as celebrating the birth of jesus, yet it has been turned into something way different.
edit: and yes there are still people who actually celebrate for the real reasons.
not that i don't mind the gifts and all but that is basically what it has become, people expecting presents or such things. so anyone really can celebrate. and santa isn't real. sorry kids. st.nick yes, santa no.



and i realy see no point in why peope wouldn't celebrate easter. maybe not the religious side of easter, but i mean the bunny... serioulsly, a bunny isn't very religious... unless you watch southpark.
people can hide eggs and such cause come on, it's eggs. hehe. but you know what i'll ask you a question. how does hiding eggs that bunnies "laid" apply to the ressurection of christ? i don't get the conection. so no connection, no need to be religious to celebrate the egg hunting and such.

Easter and Christmas were celebrated long before the Christian myths were created. That's where traditions like Easter eggs come from.

If anything, Christians shouldn't be allowed to celebrate these holidays.

Originally Posted by Scatterbrain

Easter and Christmas were celebrated long before the Christian myths were created. That's where traditions like Easter eggs come from.

If anything, Christians shouldn't be allowed to celebrate these holidays.

yes there was christmas (it wasn't called christmas however) it is the combining of false with the true. the romans were celebrating saturnalia way before jesus was born. that is the celebration of the rebirth of the sun, which happened to be december 25. so it wasn't really our christmas. we applied it to the birth of jesus, bu t it doesn't mean that we are werong and no people should not be stopped from celebrating a holiday.

Originally Posted by wendylove

No, it wasen't. Christmas is a pagen holiday, Christianity just stole it.


Yes.

Again its a holiday, to give expensive presents to people.

Yes exactly, a lot of symbols of christmas come from paganism. Also it is the "birth of the sun" or should I say the "son" the real metaphor in that is that it shows christianity came from astrology. I won't post all about it here but I've seen huge videos about the subject and it has fair amounts of evidence throughout the bible, of course you could say god painted the skies with the story of jesus. But it is a fact that religions came from worshipping the sun, which is now the son, and we worship on "sun"day.

But practicing it is no different then when the christians stole the holiday from the pagans, and many other religions who had the birth of their sun of god on that same exact day. (Horus, krishna) Not only that but other things they shared with jesus.

Actually I'm not so sure about Krishna's birthday, it is actually supposedly not known.

hehe i love making threads which annoy people... Anyway, so your telling me that i can celebrate any religous holidays i want? Can i celebrate Ramadam even though im not muslim?

Originally Posted by Dreamhope11

hehe i love making threads which annoy people... Anyway, so your telling me that i can celebrate any religous holidays i want? Can i celebrate Ramadam even though im not muslim?

Yaa I Think you new the answer to this long before you posted it.

Celebrate whatever you wish. It is ultimately you and what faith you have that you would have to answer to. Being true to your own beliefs.
Particularly the one you mentioned Christmas does not represent Christians or any other religion very well.

Originally Posted by Photolysis

You think Christmas is only a religious holiday now? What planet have you been living on? What part does Santa play in religion? I must have missed the chapter in the Bible where he and his reindeer made an appearance.

What do we do on Christmas? We like many other people get together with our families, have a nice dinner, and celebrate a time of festivity, like many other religious people do.

That's because Santa is pagan my friend....

Numerous parallels have been drawn between Santa Claus and the figure of Odin, a major god amongst the Germanic peoples prior to their Christianization. Since many of these elements are unrelated to Christianity, there are theories regarding the pagan origins of various customs of the holiday stemming from areas where the Germanic peoples were Christianized and retained elements of their indigenous traditions, surviving in various forms into modern depictions of Santa Claus.[12]

Odin was sometimes recorded, at the native Germanic holiday of Yule, as leading a great hunting party through the sky.[13] Two books from Iceland, the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, describe Odin as riding an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir that could leap great distances, giving rise to comparisons to Santa Claus's reindeer.[14] Further, Odin was referred to by many names in Skaldic poetry, some of which describe his appearance or functions; these include Síðgrani,[15] Síðskeggr,[16] Langbarðr,[17] (all meaning "long beard") and Jólnir[18] ("Yule figure").

According to Phyllis Siefker, children would place their boots, filled with carrots, straw, or sugar, near the chimney for Odin's flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Odin would then reward those children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or candy.[19] This practice survived in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands after the adoption of Christianity and became associated with Saint Nicholas as a result of the process of Christianization and can be still seen in the modern practice of the hanging of stockings at the chimney in some homes.

This practice in turn came to the United States through the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam prior to the British seizure in the 17th century, and evolved into the hanging of socks or stockings at the fireplace. In many regions of Austria and former Austro-Hungarian Italy (Friuli, city of Trieste) children are given sweets and gifts on Saint Nicholas's Day (San Niccolò in Italian), in accordance with the Catholic calendar, December 6.

Numerous other influences from the pre-Christian Germanic winter celebrations have continued into modern Christmas celebrations such as the Christmas ham, Yule Goat, Yule logs and the Christmas tree.

Originally Posted by Dreamhope11

hehe i love making threads which annoy people... Anyway, so your telling me that i can celebrate any religous holidays i want? Can i celebrate Ramadam even though im not muslim?

Well you can steal it and call it Christamadan then say it's a christian holiday. It's the christian way.

The main symbol of Christmas is a colourfully decorated spruce tree. I can't think of any ritual more pagan than that.

Originally Posted by drewmandan

The main symbol of Christmas is a colourfully decorated spruce tree. I can't think of any ritual more pagan than that.

What about covering a christmas pudding in alcahol and setting it on fire, then putting out the fire and then eating it?

Originally Posted by Dreamhope11

What about covering a christmas pudding in alcahol and setting it on fire, then putting out the fire and then eating it?

What about it?

Originally Posted by Dreamhope11

What about covering a christmas pudding in alcahol and setting it on fire, then putting out the fire and then eating it?

Yea! Plum pudding!

Don't forget the charms that are supposed to represent getting married and stuff

Nothing wrong with just having some good fun...celebrate minus the nativity scenes and prayers and whatever

Originally Posted by drewmandan

What about it?

About what?

Christmas is a day to celebrate capitalism and the creed of excessive commercialism and consumerism.

I'm not a christian any more, but I celebrate Christmas because if I didn't my family would probably think theres something wrong with me. I don't really get too into it, but I still give presants and whatnot.

I would hope that atheists celebrate Festivus. It is a holiday for the rest of us after all.

Ah yes, who doesn't enjoy the Airing of Grievances.

Originally Posted by Kushna Mufeed

Christmas isn't a religious holiday. It's a shameless display of consumerism and a chance to lie to your kids.

Lol, I celebrate it. Over the years, It's been changed into barely a religious holiday at all.