RE: Poll for atheists - Do you still celebrate Christmas and why?
November 20, 2015 at 3:08 pm
(This post was last modified: November 20, 2015 at 3:58 pm by Simon Moon.)
Hasn't this topic been done to death?
In all seriousness, Christmas, as it is celebrated in the West, it is a largely secular holiday with very little connection to the Christian myth.
Almost everything about the holiday was born in pre-Christian paganism. The tree, mistletoe, giving gifts, decorating houses with lights, yule log, etc. All PAGAN. Saturnalia with some Norse paganism tossed in.
As far as I'm concerned, Christmas is a great excuse to celebrate with family and friends, give someone that 'perfect gift', eat great food, and have a couple of extra day off.
In all seriousness, Christmas, as it is celebrated in the West, it is a largely secular holiday with very little connection to the Christian myth.
Almost everything about the holiday was born in pre-Christian paganism. The tree, mistletoe, giving gifts, decorating houses with lights, yule log, etc. All PAGAN. Saturnalia with some Norse paganism tossed in.
As far as I'm concerned, Christmas is a great excuse to celebrate with family and friends, give someone that 'perfect gift', eat great food, and have a couple of extra day off.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
