Do atheists celebrate Valentine's Day, too?

Question

Of couse, the day has something to do with religion. The day is celebrated in memory of St. Valentine, a Roman Catholic saint.

Answer 1

Personally, I think "Valentine's Day" as we know it has very little to do with St. Valentine.

Everything is too commercialized and every "holiday" has been merchandized to the hilt. Religion has hardly anything to do with "holy days" (holi-days) anymore.

Valentine's Day has become an excuse for Hallmark, Teleflora, Tiffany's and Russell Stover's to make an awful lot of money during an otherwise slow first quarter.

And it's another thing to make a man feel guilty for forgetting, to make woman all grabby and greedy for "stuff," and to make single people....nauseous.

I'm sure some atheists celebrate Valentine's Day, just as they do Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, blah blah blah.

Answer 2

Valentine's Day is celebrated more about a couples love than about the "saint" that it is named after, unlike Christmas which has a lot of elements that relate to the birth Jesus Christ. It seems that most couples regardless of religion (there are some religions that don't celebrate anything) celebrate V-Day.

Answer 3

"St. Valentines Day" originated in ancient Rome, long before Jesus was even born. In this festival, several young men and women were pair-bonded for a year. Other European and Mediterranean countries had similar festivals around the same time.

As with every Christian festival, the early Catholic church adopted it and Christianized it, making up a Christian reason to follow it. Yes, even Christmas and Easter were originally pagan. So for an atheist to practice these ancient festivals, he is merely practicing a cultural festival. And just as these festivals have been reduced from many Gods presiding to simply one God presiding, the atheist has only reduced it by one more deity.

Answer 4

Why wouldn't they celebrate Valentine's Day? It is a day devoted to love. We are not humans without feelings, we simply do not believe in any gods of any kind. We choose to believe in something substantial and solid instead of something that cannot be proven.

Answer 5

Atheists celebrate Valentines Day, nihilists do not.

Answer 6

well, sorry to say commercialism has hijacked your st. Valentine's day. I doubt many people even know of the origins.

I don't like forced romance, btw.

Answer 7

I am not a atheists but how does Valentine's Day play into God? They do not believe in a higher being... Valentine's Day is about love.

Answer 8

well, they celebrate valentines day, they are humans but not a heart-stoned being... they do care to their loved ones (an atheist also, probably).

Answer 9

"Atheists make me SICK!"

Clearly you are ignorant of the true nature of what an "Atheist" is, beyond your narrow-minded misconception of them. What's "sick" about intelligent, reasonable, logical people who simply do not believe in the literal existence of God?

Besides your ignorant remark about Atheists, Valentine's Day is a holiday about "love," not "God." And simply because one does not believe in God does not mean they believe in love. Love and God are not inextricable concepts. Love can exists where God does not, and vice versa. Simply because thiests have been taught to associate LOVE with GOD does not mean an Atheists does not love; they simply don't belive in God. God does not mean Love!

Again, another note: it is true what someone said about Atheists and Nihlists. Nihilists fail to participate in any tradition such as Valentine's Day, because the value of it, to them, has degraded in their minds. Atheists, who are not be confused with Nihilists, simply do not wish to participate in the traditional belief in God, which is partically Nihlistic, but not completely. Thus, not all Atheist are complete nihlists, and not all Nihlists do not believe in God - some do, as odd as that may seem.

Thus, the answer to this question is: yes! - Atheists aren't aliens from another planet who cannot understand the concept of LOVE. Atheists are simply smarter than the rest of the population, and see things differently - beyond the scope of most of you. Love is a concept we can all see - whether we are atheists or not. God - however - is one some of us cannot accept.

"no, because just like God, they don't believe in love."

And this statement is absolutely untrue. Atheism does not automatically denote the disbelief in love. To think this is to make yourself look like a fool.

Answer 10

I'm single so I don't celebrate it regardless of religion.