Hello all,

I'm a screenwriter working on a new project that involves an atheist character. Instead of relying on stereotypes like most in my profession do, I'm looking for real insight from an atheist about what they believe/don't believe - etc.

Most importantly - The project involves Christmas time and people overly obsessed with Christmas. I have a few questions I am curious to have answered;

1) What is the general feeling towards the Holiday by you as an atheist?
2) What are your feelings towards the display of Christmas lights on houses?
3) What are your feelings about Christmas displays in stores?
4) What are your feelings about the mad dash for gifts?
5) What are your feelings about it being a federally recognized holiday?
6) What are your feelings about people telling their children that Santa is real?
7) What are your feelings towards Carolers or Christmas music on the radio?
8) What are your feelings about how non-atheists perceive atheists?
9) Do you as an atheist celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?
10) What are your feelings towards the Christmas people who start decorating their house before Halloween?
11) If you could ask those that celebrate Christmas to change one thing (or several things) about it - what would it (they) be?
12) At what point in your life did you realize you were an atheist?
13) Did you ever have a "coming out" moment as an atheist? How was it received?
14) As an atheist, what is your goal or intention about informing others that disagree with you about your stance?
15) If you do not celebrate Christmas - do you do anything in particular on Christmas day to celebrate anything at all? Family? A nice dinner with a loved one?

I appreciate the responses in advance. Cynics need not apply. I'm looking for level headed atheists who wish to put out a positive view of their "people", so to speak.

Thank you again,

Woj

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: Hello all,

I'm a screenwriter working on a new project that involves an atheist character. Instead of relying on stereotypes like most in my profession do, I'm looking for real insight from an atheist about what they believe/don't believe - etc.

Most importantly - The project involves Christmas time and people overly obsessed with Christmas. I have a few questions I am curious to have answered;

1) What is the general feeling towards the Holiday by you as an atheist?
2) What are your feelings towards the display of Christmas lights on houses?
3) What are your feelings about Christmas displays in stores?
4) What are your feelings about the mad dash for gifts?
5) What are your feelings about it being a federally recognized holiday?
6) What are your feelings about people telling their children that Santa is real?
7) What are your feelings towards Carolers or Christmas music on the radio?
8) What are your feelings about how non-atheists perceive atheists?
9) Do you as an atheist celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?
10) What are your feelings towards the Christmas people who start decorating their house before Halloween?
11) If you could ask those that celebrate Christmas to change one thing (or several things) about it - what would it (they) be?
12) At what point in your life did you realize you were an atheist?
13) Did you ever have a "coming out" moment as an atheist? How was it received?
14) As an atheist, what is your goal or intention about informing others that disagree with you about your stance?
15) If you do not celebrate Christmas - do you do anything in particular on Christmas day to celebrate anything at all? Family? A nice dinner with a loved one?

I appreciate the responses in advance. Cynics need not apply. I'm looking for level headed atheists who wish to put out a positive view of their "people", so to speak.

Thank you again,

Woj

1. I think its massively over-commercialized and that gets on my nerves. I wouldn't mind it if things were kept lower key like other holidays.
2. I don't bother myself, but they can be nice to look at. Some people overdue it though, which causes light pollution.
3. More commercialism.
4. Really don't like this.
5. Don't care.
6. People telling me that is how I became an atheist to begin with. God and Santa really aren't that different.
7. Gets really, really old. I want to slug people that start that stuff in November and still don't shut up in January.
8. Theists need atheists alot more than the reverse. Given our huge roles in pretty much any scientific field, we would be missed if something happened to us.
9. Only socially, not in any religious sense. Some atheists celebrate Winter Solstice Day as a substitute.
10. See #7.
11. Be low key about it and cut the commercialism.
12. Very young, soon after figuring out Santa wasn't real.
13. Coming out is a continual process and it varies by the individual.
14. They leave me alone, and I'll grant them to same courtesy.
15. Just the usual social stuff. No church obviously.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: Hello all,

I'm a screenwriter working on a new project that involves an atheist character. Instead of relying on stereotypes like most in my profession do, I'm looking for real insight from an atheist about what they believe/don't believe - etc.

Most importantly - The project involves Christmas time and people overly obsessed with Christmas. I have a few questions I am curious to have answered;

1) What is the general feeling towards the Holiday by you as an atheist?
2) What are your feelings towards the display of Christmas lights on houses?
3) What are your feelings about Christmas displays in stores?
4) What are your feelings about the mad dash for gifts?
5) What are your feelings about it being a federally recognized holiday?
6) What are your feelings about people telling their children that Santa is real?
7) What are your feelings towards Carolers or Christmas music on the radio?
8) What are your feelings about how non-atheists perceive atheists?
9) Do you as an atheist celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?
10) What are your feelings towards the Christmas people who start decorating their house before Halloween?
11) If you could ask those that celebrate Christmas to change one thing (or several things) about it - what would it (they) be?
12) At what point in your life did you realize you were an atheist?
13) Did you ever have a "coming out" moment as an atheist? How was it received?
14) As an atheist, what is your goal or intention about informing others that disagree with you about your stance?
15) If you do not celebrate Christmas - do you do anything in particular on Christmas day to celebrate anything at all? Family? A nice dinner with a loved one?

I appreciate the responses in advance. Cynics need not apply. I'm looking for level headed atheists who wish to put out a positive view of their "people", so to speak.

Thank you again,

Woj

1. I rather enjoy it, but the religious crap can be annoying.
2.I like them really. Though I wonder why they always use Luke's account in a major as opposed to Matthew's which is set in a house.
3. So of them are clever, some too jesusy but I usually ignore them
4. That's fiscally irresponsible. Buy ahead of time.
5. I love that as it means that its a holiday that nearly everyone gets off so you can have real family time.
6. Its all in good fun.
7. Some of it is good, like jingle bells or winter wonderland. But a lot of the praise Jesus stuff is corny and annoying.
8.Well in the case of Christians they are often taught to hate us. they will tell you your going to hell with a veil of false concern. Often condescending.
9.Christmas
10. Nuts
11. Leave the Jesus died for you because your born in sin out.
12. right after I left college it suddenly became clear how much of a monster the God of old testament is. Ex ordering the gays to be stoned to death or genocide against the amalekites.
13. Yes. My grandmother looked at me with disgust and told me I was going to hell and my grandfather argued with me till he turned red(thats charactistic of us.)
14. I don't have any goal and provided people respect my beliefs I respect theirs. Unless they try to convert or do something immoral based on their beliefs I don't bring it up

Quote:1) What is the general feeling towards the Holiday by you as an atheist? A silly commercial exercise.
2) What are your feelings towards the display of Christmas lights on houses? Indifference
3) What are your feelings about Christmas displays in stores? excessive
4) What are your feelings about the mad dash for gifts? insane
5) What are your feelings about it being a federally recognized holiday? Doesn't bother me - its more of a commercial exercise than anything else.
6) What are your feelings about people telling their children that Santa is real? Their kids would be smarter than the parents in that case. In most cases parents do not do that for long....but they tell them that jesus is real which is far worse.
7) What are your feelings towards Carolers or Christmas music on the radio? I despise both and really hate going into a store and being assaulted by that syrupy shit on the PA system.
8) What are your feelings about how non-atheists perceive atheists? I regard non-atheists as two or three cards short of a full deck to begin with.
9) Do you as an atheist celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah? Define "celebrate."
10) What are your feelings towards the Christmas people who start decorating their house before Halloween? I think they are morons but then, there are people who decorate for Halloween. Some people have too much money on their hands.
11) If you could ask those that celebrate Christmas to change one thing (or several things) about it - what would it (they) be? Less noise.
12) At what point in your life did you realize you were an atheist? I was 12.
13) Did you ever have a "coming out" moment as an atheist? How was it received? No.
14) As an atheist, what is your goal or intention about informing others that disagree with you about your stance? None. I don't give a shit about them unless they come here and start preaching.
15) If you do not celebrate Christmas - do you do anything in particular on Christmas day to celebrate anything at all? Family? A nice dinner with a loved one? We get together with the family or what's left of it but there is no religious aspect. Just dinner and some laughs.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: Hello all,

I'm a screenwriter working on a new project that involves an atheist character. Instead of relying on stereotypes like most in my profession do, I'm looking for real insight from an atheist about what they believe/don't believe - etc.

Most importantly - The project involves Christmas time and people overly obsessed with Christmas. I have a few questions I am curious to have answered;

1) What is the general feeling towards the Holiday by you as an atheist?

I really don't care about it, it's just another day. At this point most of the Jesus and Christianity aspects of Christmas have been sucked out and it has become more general and commercialized so I really don't even feel like I'm looking at a religious day anymore.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 2) What are your feelings towards the display of Christmas lights on houses?

Don't care, your property. Just please take them down by the start of February at the latest. It's just tacky at that point.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 3) What are your feelings about Christmas displays in stores?

Again, don't really feel like it's a religious display at this point, just a commercial one. Sooooo.......don't care.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 4) What are your feelings about the mad dash for gifts?

Don't care.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 5) What are your feelings about it being a federally recognized holiday?

Torn here. On one hand, I don't think it should be recognized because after all it is a religious holiday and our government isn't supposed to endorse any religion. On the other hand, like I said before I think that the religious aspect of it is dying and it's become more of an annual gift giving holiday. I guess I'd say it shouldn't be federally recognized because Christ's name is in the holiday. If it was to be called "Annual Gift Giving Holiday" than sure whatever, recognize it.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 6) What are your feelings about people telling their children that Santa is real?

Hey you wanna lie to your kid fine, ain't my family. I might not choose that path, but I can understand I guess how some parents would want to instill some kind of mystical wonderment.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 7) What are your feelings towards Carolers or Christmas music on the radio?

Private radio, sure go for it. I'm just not going to listen to that station. And I wouldn't listen to it not because I don't want to listen to religious music, I wouldn't listen to it because Christmas music sucks. And after having to listen to it in every store, mall, and fast food restaurant during the Christmas season I definitely don't want to listen to it on the radio. There's only so many times a man can listen to White Christmas in a day before he wants to put a bullet through his temporal lobe. NPR doesn't get the luxury of Christmas carols though.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 8) What are your feelings about how non-atheists perceive atheists?

I feel like many religious folk look at us like drunk drivers. We haphazardly drive down the road, crashing into random good drivers and converting them. There are some theists out there though that will vouch for our soberness.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 9) Do you as an atheist celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?

I used to celebrate Christmas with my family when I was younger and an atheist. But I no longer celebrate holidays in general. Haven't celebrated a birthday in 3 years.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 10) What are your feelings towards the Christmas people who start decorating their house before Halloween?

Like with #2, just tacky. Honestly, it's a good thing I only have an apartment and not a house. If my neighbors were putting up Christmas decorations before Halloween I would leave my Halloween decorations up through Christmas.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 11) If you could ask those that celebrate Christmas to change one thing (or several things) about it - what would it (they) be?

Sometimes, it's just too much Christmas. Look ultimately I really don't get too much say on what people wanna do as far as how they choose to celebrate the holiday. But sometimes I wish people would just tone it down a little.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 12) At what point in your life did you realize you were an atheist?

At 11 and a half years old. But I think it's important to point out that in my experience, other atheists I have met have rarely gone straight from being theist (if they were one) to atheist instantly. I was 10 when I stopped being Catholic (religion in which I was raised). In the year and a half between I explored a few other theist religions, then jumped to deism, agnosticism, and finally atheism.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 13) Did you ever have a "coming out" moment as an atheist? How was it received?

Not really. Was lucky enough to live in a pretty liberal state (Massachusetts) and people I knew gradually found out if the topic ever came up. I didn't really make it a point to state my atheism but at the same time I never really tried to hide it or anything.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 14) As an atheist, what is your goal or intention about informing others that disagree with you about your stance?

If they want to ask me some questions I don't really mind answering them. But I'm not going to go about evangelizing for atheism either. It's not like I feel any allegiance to atheism.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: 15) If you do not celebrate Christmas - do you do anything in particular on Christmas day to celebrate anything at all? Family? A nice dinner with a loved one?

I visit family because they celebrate it, but I took myself out of the gift giving aspect of it. I don't accept gifts and I don't give them.

(September 11, 2013 at 1:04 am)ScreenwriterWoj Wrote: I appreciate the responses in advance. Cynics need not apply. I'm looking for level headed atheists who wish to put out a positive view of their "people", so to speak.

It was a fun little survey. Just FYI though, asking for atheists to respond that aren't cynics is like asking for theists that aren't believers.

1) What is the general feeling towards the Holiday by you as an atheist?

I do not celebrate them. I usually do not give them any thought until others mention the holidays, as you have done with this questionnaire..

2) What are your feelings towards the display of Christmas lights on houses?

Garish and unnecessary.

3) What are your feelings about Christmas displays in stores?

Mere commercial propaganda to get people to purchase the items.

4) What are your feelings about the mad dash for gifts?

Silly and unnecessary.

5) What are your feelings about it being a federally recognized holiday?

*shrugs*

6) What are your feelings about people telling their children that Santa is real?

Just as wrong as informing them that god is real.

7) What are your feelings towards Carolers or Christmas music on the radio?

Tune out the carolers and change the radio station.

8) What are your feelings about how non-atheists perceive atheists?

I honestly do not care how others perceive me.

9) Do you as an atheist celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?

Nope.

10) What are your feelings towards the Christmas people who start decorating their house before Halloween?

They're insane.

11) If you could ask those that celebrate Christmas to change one thing (or several things) about it - what would it (they) be?

Only that it not be recognized as the date of Jesus' birth. The man who never existed was not even born around that time. Early Christians only made his birth coincide with the Winter Solstice to make conversions from paganism easier.

12) At what point in your life did you realize you were an atheist?

In my early twenties.

13) Did you ever have a "coming out" moment as an atheist? How was it received?

Not really, though I did have the sexual coming out experience.

14) As an atheist, what is your goal or intention about informing others that disagree with you about your stance?

I have no goal to proselytize to anyone, for starters. I enjoy online debates, but that is as far as I have ever discussed my beliefs with anyone in particular depth. In real life, informing someone that I am an atheist rarely presents itself.

15) If you do not celebrate Christmas - do you do anything in particular on Christmas day to celebrate anything at all? Family? A nice dinner with a loved one?

Nope. I do the same thing on December twenty-fifth that I do on any other day.

Well, my answers are cynical. Guess I won't apply.

(September 11, 2013 at 2:34 am)Captain Colostomy Wrote: Well, my answers are cynical. Guess I won't apply.

Some of mine were cynical, but I still replied.

And can you really expect Min to not be cynical? He replied with wondrous cynicism.

1) What is the general feeling towards the Holiday by you as an atheist?
I love Christmas. It's been a secular holiday with religious trappings pretty much since it became widely celebrated.

2) What are your feelings towards the display of Christmas lights on houses?
Love it. The more ridiculously elaborate, the better. My mom used to do this when I was younger.

3) What are your feelings about Christmas displays in stores?
Ambivalent. I worked retail long enough that I don't really pay attention to them unless they're creative and interesting.

4) What are your feelings about the mad dash for gifts?
It's the only part of the commercialization I really don't care for. I buy things months in advance if I can, and I never buy that much anyway.

5) What are your feelings about it being a federally recognized holiday?
No problem with it.

6) What are your feelings about people telling their children that Santa is real?
If you're going to tell your kids fairy tales in order to get them to behave, enticing them with rewards is better than threatening them with hell.

7) What are your feelings towards Carolers or Christmas music on the radio?
Fuck that song by Wham!. But, otherwise, I tune in after Thanksgiving.

8) What are your feelings about how non-atheists perceive atheists?
We have a bad reputation we've done nothing to deserve.

9) Do you as an atheist celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?
I celebrate Christmas.

10) What are your feelings towards the Christmas people who start decorating their house before Halloween?
Can't wait to see it when it's done.

11) If you could ask those that celebrate Christmas to change one thing (or several things) about it - what would it (they) be?
Let's stop pretending it is, or ever was, about Jesus. Christians stole a pagan holiday. Now, we secularists are stealing it for everybody.

12) At what point in your life did you realize you were an atheist?
About fifteen months ago.

13) Did you ever have a "coming out" moment as an atheist? How was it received?
I didn't make a big deal about it. Most people don't seem to care. My dad was the only family member who objected.

14) As an atheist, what is your goal or intention about informing others that disagree with you about your stance?
I enjoy debates and arguments both. My only real intention is to demonstrate how horrible the core beliefs of Christianity really are when you stop automatically assuming the best about God.

Next time you could read through the rules before posting a survey, since it's actually against the rules to do so without the permission of the staff, mmmkay?