Ok, so my neighbors are both Atheist and extreamly left wing on all political matters. Yesturday, I see them put up a huge Christmas tree and decorate their house with lights and such.
How can you be an Atheist and celebrate Christmas?
2006-12-22 05:06:09 · 23 answers · asked by Dog Lover 7 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
I have no clue why this posted twice. Sorry
2006-12-22 05:10:27 · update #1
Now the second post is gone. Sorry to the ones that answered there.
2006-12-22 05:11:14 · update #2
I know because I attended a birthday party at their house and after several cocktails we got into a heated political discussion. They clearly informed me of their political and religious views.
2006-12-22 05:15:02 · update #3
If you take a step back and look at it, Christmas is less religious than it is social and commercial. In the religious sense, Christmas is when Jesus, the savior or Messiah to the Christians, was born. But, the Christmas season is not religious for the most part. Christmas music, Christmas decorations, and the like are traditions that have originated hundreds of years after the religious holiday had already been established. So, your Atheist neighbors may not celebrate Christmas, but they may celebrate the Christmas season. I know that this is the case with some of my Indian friends. They still decorate their their house, and get a Christmas tree, but celebrate other traditional holidays that are celebrated in India. So, even though your Atheist neighbors have a Christmas tree, they probably do not celebrate the religious aspects of the holiday.
2006-12-22 05:32:25 · answer #1 · answered by spazattack674 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Well first of all, you don't actually know if he was putting it up for Christmas. A lot of atheists celebrate the winter solstice instead. Just ask Richard Dawkins :D Besides, even if he was calling it a christmas tree (not a solstice tree), that's still not a big deal. I'm an atheist too, and I celebrate christmas because I'll celebrate any holiday where presents are involved. Besides, christmas is more about Santa than jesus now anyway. I personally believe that Jews should be able to celebrate christmas if they want to too. As Sara Silverman Said: "Though I don't think he's the son of God, I think he was still a nice boy. If you ask yourself "What would Jesus do?", He'd say give the Jew girl toys, give the Jew girl toys, Give the Jew girl toys." _____________________________________ Edit: As far as atheists not having a "wholsome" christmas, my grandmother (an atheist) has held christmas and thanksgiving every year since I can remember in order to bring to whole family together, relatives coming from across the country. You don't have to believe in jesus in order to have a meaningful christmas. I would've listed family for one of my reasons, but I'm mad at most of them right now...
2016-05-23 16:00:39 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, these days it seems like Christmas is even more an atheist holiday than a Christian one by seeing all the commercial buzz and fancy house decorations and such.
Most of the activity you see or read about during this time of year has absolutely NOTHING to do with either CHRIST or CHRISTIANITY, which means it is therefore pagan or atheist activity even if it is not recognized as such due to the enduring stigma of those words in our culture.
So in effect if you are atheist it is not Christmas you are celebrating on December 25th each year, but rather the most basic social institutions of family and community, just as the ancient pagans did with their Winter festivals, which had nothing to do with Christianity, but from which Christianity adopted some traditions and symbols like the Christmas tree.
As you can see from the above explanation, "Atheist Christmas" is a misnomer.
2006-12-22 08:27:41 · answer #3 · answered by STILL standing 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Easy. It's a holiday. Celebrate! Be ye christian, Muslim, agnostic, or atheist. The only friends and neighbors I know that don't celebrate Christmas happen to be Jewish. And they are celebrating Hanuka. As has been pointed out this was originally a celebration of the winter solstice, which predated Christianity by thousands of years.
2006-12-22 05:38:01 · answer #4 · answered by Sailinlove 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Christmas is not totally about Christianity. 1. Commercial. 2. Self. 3. Christ birthday was months earlier. 4. Christmas was intertwined with many other holiday's including so-called paganism. The Catholic Church adopted this date to include Christmas so as the pagans could still be Christian and worship on the same date. Hey let every one accept Christmas as they choose, it is a spark of good in this world.
2006-12-22 05:29:11 · answer #5 · answered by edubya 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Myself being mostly an agnostic.. I kinda celebrate a commercial christmas.. I appreciate a time of year ment to being good to others, sharing gifts, and general kinship with goodwill.
the christmas tree isn;t a religious symbol in its modern form it actually started as a pagan symbol, then got changed into some christian connotations.. it began as apples getting tied to the tree to symbolize the garden of eden which evolve over the centuries to the chiney lighted symbol of the season it is today
2006-12-22 05:12:17 · answer #6 · answered by lethander_99 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
To answer your question lets first clear up a few common assumptions some people make that are wrong.
Christ was not born in December. ( if you are questioning this statement, read the Bible and learn about geography, specifically in the Middle East - there are many clues in the Bible that suggest it was not December, like the farmers where tending their fields... not likely in winter )
And we can all see that Christ-mas barely seems to celebrate Christ, more kids recognize Santa Claus over Jesus... so Since Christmas is no longer in celebration of Christ why can't athiest enjoy this fun and festiv time of year... after all the shopping is done most people are very joyous this time of year.
2006-12-22 06:27:45 · answer #7 · answered by all unknowing 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Christmas Tree is a pagan ritual taken over by the christians, same as the timeof year. Christ was born in spring, but is celebrated during winter solstice, a pagan holiday. Now, if I get a thumbs down from you, I will realize that you never want answers, just hate spewed by like minded people
2006-12-22 05:17:37 · answer #8 · answered by hichefheidi 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Very easily. I do it every year.
Besides, Christians didn't invent Christmas. It is yet another religious festival they hijacked from European pagans, just like Easter. In the case of Christmas, the festivals were called Yule by the Celts and Saturnalia by the Romans.
2006-12-22 05:09:17 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
Christmas is to athiests just a time to exchange gifts and see family, they put up the tree and lights just in a holiday spirit although they dont celebrate the holiday.
2006-12-22 05:09:39 · answer #10 · answered by sodomite101 2 · 6⤊ 0⤋