Do atheist, agnostics, and the like celebrate Christmas?

Question

Christmas commemorates the birth of Christ, right?

Answer 1

Christmas is not as religious a holiday as it ought to be. I would guess that most people, even many people who call themselves Christians, consider Santa Claus a part of Christmas, even though he has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.

I am an atheist. I grew up in a secular family, and we celebrated the traditional American Christmas, with Santa Claus, christmas trees, stockings, presents, etc., but we didn't consider it a religious holiday in any way.

In my later years, I've wondered if this is right. I enjoy participating in giving and receiving presents, being with family, spreading the cheer. But is it offensive to believers that I desecrate their holiday by claiming to celebrate it, while removing all traces of religion from it? For a while, I decided that I should wish people a happy Isaac Newton's birthday, as that also falls on the 25th. But my fellow atheist friends said that was ridiculous and I should just say "Merry Christmas."

Answer 2

Christmas is nothing to do with either Christianity or Islam but it does have it's origins in the midwinter festival and many other basically pagan rites but since much of it is a celebration of nature rather than religion everyone should be able to enjoy it and be happy together despite religion!! The ancient European pagans celebrated the midwinter festival and a number of other festivals long before Christianity ever existed! Babylonians celebrated the feast of the Son of Isis with gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift giving and the goddess of fertility, love, and war. The Romans held a festival on 25 December called “Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, celebrating their own god Sol Invictas - PAGAN. The Persian god Mithras, the Syrian sun god Elah Gabal, the German Sol, the Greek Helios and the Mesopotamian Shamash. But also Saturnalia, honouring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. The law courts and schools were closed. No public business could be transacted an this is where the holidays originated - ALL PAGAN!!! Wax tapers were given by the more humble to their superiors. The origin of the Christmas candle - PAGAN!! In Rome groups of costumed went from house to house entertaining their people. And this was where the carolling Christmas tradition originated PAGAN!! Statues of the Mother and lover or Mother and son were paraded through the streets not only in Italy but also in Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Bulgaria. Thus, the symbolism of the Heavenly Virgin and the infant child paraded on a yearly basis are not of Christian origin. They stem from the Mother-goddess religion, which is very ancient ENTIRELY PAGAN!!. Scandinavian countries celebrated Yule honouring Thor - PAGAN. In Germania (not Germany) they celebrated midwinter night followed by 12 wild nights of eating and drinking. The 12 days of Christmas PAGAN!! The church under Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25 in 350 AD in order to try to hijack the PAGAN festivals but it was largely ignored. Christians did not really celebrate Christmas until 378 but it was then dropped in 381 and not resurrected until 400. The Christmas tree stems from pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of holly boughs ivy and other foliage as an adaptation of pagan tree worship. Holly and ivy represented male and female. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual - all PAGAN!! Santa Claus came from the Dutch “Sinterklaas” and was a tall figure riding a white horse through the air and usually accompanied by Black Peter, an elf who punished disobedient children. Also the origin of the reindeer, sleigh and the elves ALL PAGAN!! The modern red coated Santa was brought about by coca cola!! America actually banned Christmas several times and is the originator of the expression “Happy Holidays” which came about because of the pagan origins of Christmas to include all religions and traditions!! The Venerable Bede, an early Christian writer pointed out that the Christian church absorbed Pagan practices when it found the population unwilling to give up the festivals. Thus a lot of what Christians now see as Christians practices are in fact pagan!!! Christmas is the time of year christians strive to prove just how pagan they have become!!!

Answer 3

Christmas has come to be both a Christian's celebration of the birth of Christ and a secular holiday. Personally I don't know anyone who doesn't use Christmas, a forced holiday for everyone in this nation, as a way to celebrate family, friends, goodwill, and for most, the birth of Christ.

Answer 4

Christmas originally was a pagan holiday. In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church turned it into a Christian holiday to bring more pagans into the church. Most of the traditions we celebrate at Christmas are actually derived from the pagan holiday. Recent studies show that Jesus was actually born in the spring time, anyways.
So, I feel it is fine for atheists, agnostics, etc to celebrate Christmas because it's not actually rooted in Christianity.
Hope this helps!

Answer 5

I'm a atheist, and I celebrate Christmas. ( I'm not a militant athiest. I'm not going to go say that you're wrong if you believe in god, it's just that this is what makes sense to me.) I think it's good for a person to think of what someone else who they care about would like, help build a warm and inviting atmosphere, and generally help others to feel better. I know some people think I shouldn't celebrate Christmas because i don't believe that Jesus was God, etc. but to me, it's a celebration of life and rebirth as much as anything else.

Answer 6

Yes they do celebrate it. To the majority, Christmas is a secular holiday and always has been. Some people do choose to celebrate it as a religious holiday but that is not true of most of the population.

Answer 7

Non-Christians commercialized Christmas and took the meaning away from Jesus and emphasized it on Santa. We changed the Holiday like Easter. We replaced your icon with something different and better. Doesn't giving gifts and making a tree, and one upping everyone else to buy presents for your friends/family just take you farther away from the true meaning of your Holiday? Shouldn't Christians be buying nothing but Bibles and pictures of Jesus for others? Shouldn't you devote that one day in the Year to do nothing but pray to Jesus? If anything.. You are practicing a non christian tradition on Christmas by participating in anything that doesn't directly have to do with Jesus. Christmas has less to do with Jesus each year. And you do nothing but partake in those activities.

Answer 8

Ofcourse, but now a days its more about giving and recieving gifts and being with family then just celebratiing the birth of baby Jesus. Most religious historians believe Christ was born sometime in October anyways.

Answer 9

first of all christmas was originally a pagan holiday but surprise surprise the christians stole it from them. when is everyone going to learn. christmas now is not like it was 50 years ago. before it was about celebrating "gods" b-day (which wasn't even on that day) but now it's all about the kids and the big fat guy who dresses in red with a long white beard he also gives out presents. i celebrate it with my kids.

Answer 10

Yes, Christmas is definitely celebrating the birth of Christ! :)

However, the commercial Christmas is so widespead that a lot of people "celebrate" Christmas without Christ in their minds or in their hearts. They celebrate it for the egg nog and the gift giving, rather than the birth of our Savior.

I personally don't like it when non-Christians celebrate Christmas, because it's celebrating a religious holiday for material and commercial reasons and ignoring the REAL reason for the holiday.

Jesus is the reason for the season! :)