Comments on: How Can Atheists Win the War on Christmas?

By: Leilani

Leilani — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:04:18 +0000

Even when I was Mormon, I would say no when asked to say the prayer. It always felt odd to me. I opted to sit quietly.

So, I gather from this article, being a rather new Atheist, that I am not supposed to be spending my nights wandering through town beating the crap out of navitiy scenes with my baseball bat? Oh, crap.

I have always celebrated a Christ centered holiday, this is my first Christmas as an Atheist and I am actually excited. My daughter’s loved learning about Hanukkah, throughly enjoyed our Winter Solstice ‘party’, and I know will enjoy Christmas. I never thought of it as a war. I think we have commercialized the heck out of this holiday already and it’s never going to be all the Christians want it to be.

It sure makes them seem paranoid by calling it a WAR.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 04:01:29 +0000

Why is it okay for Atheists to display their religion but not Christians?

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:58:13 +0000

ATL- this year for Thanksgiving, we went around and talked about what we are grateful for. My mother actually started it. She knows I am an atheist, but I don’t think that’s why she did it. You could, if asked to pray, talk about how grateful you are to, say, the people who got your dinner to the table, to the people who made your X-mas gifts, to the good weather (or the snow tires on your car). Just ignore thanking a deity. Or, be a brat and thank a different god.

By: Erp

Erp — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 22:10:11 +0000

For prayer you can try a moment of silence. My family which is mostly atheistic takes a moment of silence to think of absent friends and family. A moment of silence to think of that for which we should be thankful can be interpreted either theistically or atheistically (one can think of those people who have helped you in the previous year).

By: Brooks

Brooks — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:47:28 +0000

My family are Christians, but they’ve always believed that celebrating religious holidays was a sin, but it was ok to celebrate the secular side of Christmas, so Christmas has always been a purely secular holiday for us and we never made a big deal about the Jesus stuff. I have no problems when somebody wishes me a Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays. Christmas is pretty much a pagan holiday anyway.

The only people I know of who take the religious part of Christmas seriously are the diehard Christians and there’s only one atheist I’ve known of who was fighting the “war” on Christmas. The only problem I have with this “war” is when Christians insist you absolutely have to say Merry Christmas and act like it’s some horrible sin to say Happy Holidays. If you want to say Happy Holidays, I think you should be allowed to if you want, the same with Merry Christmas. If Christians don’t want people to take the phrase “Merry Christmas” as a big deal, they should stop treating it like a big deal themselves and just let people wish others what they want.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:59:42 +0000

Pretty much everyone I know knows I am an atheist, so if they are wishing me merry christmas and asking me to lead prayers, they are doing it to be buttheads (I seriously knew a girl who knew I was an atheist who wished me Merry Christmas for the whole month of December). For strangers, I just smile and nod and ignore it. However, I am opposed to state or taxpayer sponsored religious ceremonies. They are free to celebrate if they want, but don’t make me pay for it.

By: Joe M

Joe M — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:55:51 +0000

Thanks for the link and kind words, Hemant!

I’m pretty open about my atheism, so I have yet to be asked to lead a dinner prayer. If I found myself in that situation, I’d probably offer secular thanks to people that deserve it. Thank the family for being there and providing food, thank the doctors for our health, and the poles for keep the strippers from falling.

Wait, your Thanksgiving doesn’t have strippers?

All joking aside, I have myself been guilty of feeling exasperation at those that want to pray, but I’m only human. Wehn the decision comes to vent my exasperation or enjoy a nice meal with my family and friends, I tend to choose to enjoy the meal!

“Fix: “show A little extra patience” – without the “a” the meaning changes completely”

LOL I’ll fix that! Good eye!

By: Mathew Wilder

Mathew Wilder — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:14:07 +0000

Fix: “show A little extra patience” – without the “a” the meaning changes completely

By: Modern Girl

Modern Girl — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:08:39 +0000

I live in a multicultural city with people of many religious paths than my own. I wouldn’t get annoyed by a Jew, Buddhist or Hindu trying to participate in their religion (as long as I wasn’t infrining on me) so I don’t mind people who choose to get fully into the spirit of Christmas.

I do know of some Atheists and secularists who are bothered by all the Christmas propoganda. But from my experience, those people are the ones just developing their Atheist identity and are more sensitive to this vulnerability. I’ve found that once people become most secure in their identity, they are bothered less by it all.

By: PShooter

PShooter — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:47:20 +0000

Great advice! I have always loved Christmas, so during my conversion to reality and reason I was worried I would loose this holiday. But having done some research I draw great happiness in knowing the whole celebration of Christmas was around centuries before Christians and they actually hijacked this holiday as their own!
Happy Holidays everyone.