Notice I narrowed it to the MILITANT Atheists, the ones that try and force others to believe as they do and belittle others who think different than them. The ones that try and remove all religious items from public.
Do you still take religious holidays off like Christmas? Do you give/receive gifts at that time? Do you do Christmas for your kids or do you tell them life is tough and to get over it because Christmas is a made up thing for a made up God?
Or do you refuse to take the time off and refuse any gifts?
If not, doesn't that make you a hypocrite?
I don't take Hanukkah off nor do I take any other religious holidays off and I would politely turn down any gifts offered for those holidays.
2007-09-14 05:16:31 · 35 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Pagans believe in God(s) so it would still be a RELIGIOUS holiday... DUHHH!
2007-09-14 05:22:27 · update #1
Jehovah's Witnesses believe in God and Jesus and are a sub sect of Christianity.
2007-09-14 05:24:53 · update #2
Funny how some automatically assume I am religious or that I go to church or try and convert others.
I do NONE of the above. I just ask that YOU respect my rights as I respect YOUR rights. You can believe anything you want. Why is it that I get berated for my beliefs? I couldn't care less if you make it to the next level of life after this one is gone. In fact, I'd be happier if the jerks were kept out, but that isn't for me to decide.
2007-09-14 05:35:55 · update #3
Beautiful!!!
(here's your star)
2007-09-14 05:19:43 · answer #1 · answered by no one 5 · 3⤊ 10⤋
As others have written, Christian holidays all have their roots in pagan rituals that were around long before Jesus hit the scene. The only way early Christians could get converts to their new religion was to let them continue to celebrate their old holidays, but with new names -- hence Easter and Christmas. Also, an atheist taking off Christmas because his company is closed for the day does not make him a hypocrite.
By the way, I couldn't care less about Easter, but I enjoy Christmas. I'm not a "militant atheist," but I do question the existence of God, and I definitely question the beliefs of organized religions.
2007-09-14 05:28:09 · answer #2 · answered by Kathryn 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure if I fit your profile of a "militant atheist", but I'll take a stab at it (seeing how this question gets asked every other day).
First of all, I don't take time off during Christmas. I am given the time off. If my employer wanted to shut down so he could worship Satan for a week, I'd gladly accept my time off. Would you rather I demand they reopen my work so I can come in?
Second, when discussing giving and receiving gifts and any other Christmas (pagan?) traditions, why do you set it up as either you celebrate it or you just tell your kids "tough" and "get over it"? Are those really my only options? It's easy for you to win any argument when you make the cases for both sides.
Third, if somebody gave you a gift because it is a tradition in whatever religion they practice, why would it be hypocritical of you to accept the gift? Wouldn't that be rude if you refused the gift? If someone knows I don't believe in the story of Jesus in the Bible, yet they want to give me a gift, I accept it for the nice gesture that it is and say thank you.
2007-09-14 05:26:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't participate in Christmas as a matter of fact.Not for religious reasons,I just lost it for the holiday altogether when I started hearing about people being trampled to death trying to get THE toy.What does gift giving have to do with Christmas?gift giving is Santa's thing.Why would I not take off a national day off?I should persecute myself?That is absurd.I am not so "unsure" of my atheism that I must take such ridiculous,self defeating measures.I just might buy someone a gift on Dec.25.I just might buy a gift on,say,Aug 17.I get together with loved ones,don't need a reason or a season,don't care if Christians,Muslims,Pagans,whatever happen to be celebrating the same day.More power to them.I celebrate when I want.Period.No hypocrisy involved
2007-09-14 05:33:23 · answer #4 · answered by nobodinoze 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you aware that Christmas is actually a pagan holiday? Do you have a Christmas tree?--Pagan symbol, not Christian.
Don't call *others* hypocrites, when you yourself are being hypocritical. (Or if you can't even be bothered to learn about your own religion or the history behind things you claim belong to your religion.)
(Non-militant atheist)
"Pagans believe in God(s) so it would still be a RELIGIOUS holiday... DUHHH!"
--You're calling people hypocrites for adopting a pre-existing holiday to use for themselves. If atheists want to adopt Christmas to use as a secular holiday celebrating love and family, they aren't any more hypocritical than you are for adopting the pagan holiday and symbols to use to celebrate YOUR religious beliefs, which those symbols have nothing to do with.
2007-09-14 05:24:59 · answer #5 · answered by Jess H 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hey retard, Christmas was a pagan holiday long before it was a Christan one, and the story of the birth of Christ has been told in other religions way before the bible or the time of Christ. And yes i do those things, i take Christmas off to spend time with my family, because that's what i celebrate family!!!! And who's going to turn down free sh*t?!!? And what wrong with getting rid of religious items in public, would you be ok with having anti religious things up? We don't want to look at your bs, a christian calling an atheist a hypocrite,LOL. You poor delusional brainwashed person
2007-09-14 05:25:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Man, you are one pathetic loser.
Do i have to be a christian to celebrate my birthday too? Christmas isn't originally a christian holiday, like my birthday.... so i should be able to celebrate each in the way I choose to celebrate.
I find it incredibly amusing that you self-righteous halfwits defend these holidays when you don't even KNOW the origins of those holidays. Easter, Christmas.... do you know ANYTHING about them? Do you know that the birth of your fictional messiah... if you go by dates in the bible (scholars have actually worked it out) would've been born more in the middle of the year... not december. You know why christians hijacked christmas for themselves? Because the pagans had the solstice and they figured it would be easier to convert the pagans to christianity if they had a holiday around the same time as the solstice! It's amazing isn't it? The things you brainless buffoons don't even know about your own cults.
Truly pathetic! You should NEVER blindly follow anything without getting as much information about it as you can.
Edit: These holidays are not about religion anymore anyway. All people care about are gifts and money and getting that toy for little timmy before any of the other parents get that toy for their kids because their little timmy is better than any other kid on the planet and they deserve to have it while the other kids don't. I've seen more atheists out there and showing the "meaning" of christmas by volunteering, donating food, money, blood, and their time to helping their fellow man, while most of the christians i've ever known are more interested in getting a new mp3 player, laptop, or whatever other fad devices for their kids.
Do you put up a christmas tree? christmas lights? That would make you a hypocrite as well.... especially considering the fact that they have NOTHING to do with the birth of your fictional savior. for easter do you dye and hide eggs? do you buy marshmallow baby chicks? chocolate bunnies? That too is hypocritical because they have nothing to do with the resurrection of your fictional messiah either.
Your lack of knowledge on the religion which you lay your beliefs on is truly disturbing. To believe when you know it's background is one thing, but to believe without knowing ANYTHING is just plain stupid.
2007-09-14 05:25:31 · answer #7 · answered by DaveFrehley 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Religious holidays, of which Christmas really isn't (The church stuck it in December to co-opt pagan holidays), are also civil holidays in a secular society.
Jehovah's witnesses are Christians and they don't celebrate any holidays.
I guess i think your question is based on assumptions that are too narrowly defining what a holiday and religious holiday are.
2007-09-14 05:24:36 · answer #8 · answered by www.AllGuides.com Publisher 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would just like to refute the argument concerning the notion that Christmas was invented by pagans and not Christians. Before the pagans did Christmas, the Egyptians celebrated the worship of their pharoes. So technically, holiday is still asscoiated with the divine. Even with the notion of a pagan holiday, the pagans still celebrated the life of the gods, so I think his argument still stands as highly funny.
2007-09-14 05:23:26 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
I am an atheist (not militant), however my born again Christian neighbor is constantly inviting me to special church services and preaching to me. I NEVER mention religion to her or POLITICS but she always finds an excuse to praise the lord.
Christmas and Easter have their origins in the equinox's of the Sun.
I celebrate the Winter Equinox and rejoice in the Mid Summer Equinox, that doesn't make me a hypocrite. Are you in touch with nature, do you observe the Hallmark holidays?
2007-09-14 05:27:41 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The difference is that most Christian holidays are national holidays. We take them off not because we believe in God, but because it gives us a day off.
And Christmas is more secular than you may realize. It is about gifts and family and sharing. Principles Jesus taught, and should in no way be attributed to a higher power.
Heck, I know Jews who celebrate Christmas.
2007-09-14 05:22:12 · answer #11 · answered by most important person you know 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋