Should Atheists Celebrate Christmas?

[Lee]

Me and a friend were talking about this at work yesterday, I'm an Athiest yet I celebrate Chirstmas like anyone but the friend in question rose a good point;

Am I celebrating Jesus or am I just being selfish and taking advantage of a religious holiday?

I've came to the conclusion that it's a public holiday and should be celebrated by whomever would like to, but that issue has been in the back of my mind since, if there are any Christians on this forum, what's your view on it all? And for the Athiests, why do you celebrate Chistmas?

 

[amp88]

I don't "celebrate" Christmas, as such. I don't believe in the historical significance of the event, but I don't see anything wrong with getting together with family and friends at the time. You don't need to believe in something to enjoy the things associated with it.

 

[Wolfe]

Actually, Christmas is a mish-mash of Pagan and Christian beliefs.

...In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast...

...In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year.

Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.

The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees.

In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.

Christmas (Christ-Mass) as we know it today, most historians agree, began in Germany, though Catholics and Lutherans still disagree about which church celebrated it first. The earliest record of an evergreen being decorated in a Christian celebration was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany. A prominent Lutheran minister of the day cried blasphemy: “Better that they should look to the true tree of life, Christ.”

The controversy continues even today in some fundamentalist sects.

In other words, if you celebrate Christmas but aren't Christian, you're essentially just celebrating the pagan side of it.

 

[Lee]

In other words, if you celebrate Christmas but aren't Christian, you're essentially just celebrating the pagan side of it.

But then still, isn't that taking advantages of a belief system that you are not part of?

 

[Touring Mars]

I suppose I celebrate Christmas for purely bogus reasons - but then again, doesn't everyone??

I reckon I enjoy it for what I get out of it - an opportunity to spend time with my family. Ultimately, there is no rational reason why anyone should celebrate Christmas, so I don't see why atheists shouldn't enjoy it (irrationally) too. Maybe, however, we should call it Brianmas?

 

[Dave A]

I'm a christian and I don't celebrate chrstmas, I have a good time over the holliday period but I don't bother with all the decorations and the tree ect. I have taken advantage of the mistletoe before for purely selfish reasons though.

 

[TheCracker]

Christmas is a celebration of consumerism anyway. You like to buy things and spend money? - then Christmas, or Xmas as it gets called now (missing the 'Christ' bit out altogether), is the Holiday for you!

 

[Famine]

But then still, isn't that taking advantages of a belief system that you are not part of?

Not really. It was originally a celebration of winter (the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere falling on or about the 21st of December), which morphed into a celebration of winter being brought along by a winter god courtesy of people who never got invited to those kinds of party and instead sat around thinking about why winter happened. The Romans, as was their wont, merged one of their holy days with these localised festivals, standardising the date wherever they spread, to bring people into their belief-set gently, rather than converting-by-sword. Then, when Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, the celebration, aided by some ropey calculations putting Christ's birthday in December (it's often posited to be in September), evolved into Christ's Mass (probably being XMas first - X being the Greek letter "Chi" and the first initial of "Christ", as used by the Christian "underground" in the days of their persecution by Rome as a kind of code).

And the rest is history. In fact all of it is, but I digress.

Celebrating at Christmastime does not automatically compel you to join a specific belief, as it is composed of many different beliefs and just the celebration of winter's arrival. Given our agrarian roots, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine that they needed a damn good party in winter, as their animals are all indoors and the crops aren't growing any time soon. It could just have been a celebration of another year's farming well done - which also neatly explains why we don't have similar mass celebrations at other times of the year, as we'd have been too busy. So it could originally have been a party for partying's sakes - and it has come full circle...

 

[Kent]

Maybe I'm the last guy to think like this but...

No, you shouldn't celebrate Christmas.
Not only is that plain old bogus, but it's also a sell out of your atheist views.
Celebrating Christmas as a god-less person.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, who is accepted as the son of god and saviour of man amongst those of the Christian faith.

As an American, I say do as you wish it's your right.
As a decent person, I say enjoy the festivities but don't celebrate Christmas- doing so is a mockery of your beliefs as well as of the Christian beliefs.

Athiest celebrating Christmas, what's next, maybe the Ku Klux Klan will celebrate Martin Luther King Day?

 

[TheCracker]

Athiest celebrating Christmas, what's next, maybe the Ku Klux Klan will celebrate Martin Luther King Day?

As long as they get presents ("Grandma bought me another white hood" ) and a day off work.

 

[Touring Mars]

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, who is accepted as the son of god and saviour of man amongst those of the Christian faith.

As you rightly point out, only Christians celebrate Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The rest of us don't, but it still serves a purpose - a time for family and friends to get together, and it's as much a part of our culture as it is part of the Christian faith, if not more so (as Famine explains most eloquently above)

Athiest celebrating Christmas, what's next, maybe the Ku Klux Klan will celebrate Martin Luther King Day?

That's a rather unfortunate comparison, to say the least...

 

[Diego440]

There's a difference between celebrating Christmas as a holiday and celebrating it as the birth of the lord Jesus or whatever you want to call it.

In the last 30 years or so, Christmas has become a marketing/advertising season. Whether you're Pagan, Christian, Atheist, Jewish or gay, Christmas is the season where people get together and exchange gifts, and for the younger kids, Santa Claus, or baby Jesus, or the three wise men, or the three kings, or the klingons and the four horsemen come and bring you gifts.

Since the majourity of the western world is christian, Christmas is celebrated wherever most of us live, in one matter or another. Some people decide to go to church and everything, some just get together and celebrate a bit. Some even take it as another excuse to get drunk and/or depressed.

EDIT: I just skimmed to the bottom, but Mars seems to have summed it up best.

Athiest celebrating Christmas, what's next, maybe the Ku Klux Klan will celebrate Martin Luther King Day?

What an idiotic comparison. You don't have to be Christian to celebrate christmas, in the same way you don't have to be christian to go to heaven. It's as if a westerner would work in Saudi Arabia, he'd still have to adhere (at least partly) to Rama-Dhan or however it's said. Or Muslims in the US still do Thanksgiving.

 

[Speedy Samurai]

I don't celebrate Christmas (and I am not an atheist) because I really don't like what it is; People stressing themselves out trying to get their shopping done before lining up for the boxing day sales.

I also dislike the notion that Christmas is the day Christians celebrate the birth of christ. Not only is the date incorrect (He was most likely born in September or so), but why do we (the christians) need an excuse to celebrate the birth of the savior of mankind? As a christian, you should be celebrating that every day. and some 'believers' justify it to themselves as the only day they should be going to church.

Ahh the christmas christians... some things never change.

 

[kennythebomb]

I guess I would prefer if Christmas was a time when everybody got together as a family and had a great time around each other, sharing heartfelt gifts and sharing in the joy of the Lord.

Seeing as how most people are not christians, I'd be satisfied if everybody just got together as a family and shared stories and fun memories.

Although I realize Christmas originally did not have any religious roots... now that it does... it really irks me when people try to remove God from it. Changing the name of the holiday and making it politically correct in the hopes that you don't offend even one religious group by any chance is just silly.

 

[Touring Mars]

Changing the name of the holiday and making it politically correct in the hopes that you don't offend even one religious group by any chance is just silly.

I may be shooting myself in the foot here, but I agree with the last bit of what you said (albeit for slightly different reasons).... I'm not a Christian, clearly.... but the holiday I celebrate (and have grown up with as part of my culture) is called Christmas Day... before it is Christmas Eve, and after is Boxing Day. I'm not a boxer either, but I don't see or feel the need to alter the names just to appease people of other religious (or sporting) persuasions - including us pesky atheists (and 'sporting atheists' aka lazy gits....)

 

[FoolKiller]

What does putting out pretty lights, being annoyingly chipper, drinking egg nog, watching "It's a Wonderful Life," and giving/receiving presents have to do with the Christian aspect of Christmas?

It is 99% consumerism and maybe 1% is still religious. Let the Christians watch their nativity stories and go to church and celebrate the birth of Jesus while you get in a few more glasses of (preferrably spike) egg nog.

Now if you were to start celebrating the birth of Jesus as the christ then you would be going against your beliefs.

 

[kennythebomb]

I may be shooting myself in the foot here, but I agree with the last bit of what you said (albeit for slightly different reasons).... I'm not a Christian, clearly.... but the holiday I celebrate (and have grown up with as part of my culture) is called Christmas Day... before it is Christmas Eve, and after is Boxing Day. I'm not a boxer either, but I don't see or feel the need to alter the names just to appease people of other religious (or sporting) persuasions - including us pesky atheists (and 'sporting atheists' aka lazy gits....)

That certainly deserves my respect, and I wish more people in this world shared that opinion.

 

[Diego440]

while you get in a few more glasses of (preferrably spike) egg nog.

isn't egg nog spiked?

I thought it had rum in it... oh well, must be the non-christian egg nog that I've tried

 

[FoolKiller]

isn't egg nog spiked?

I thought it had rum in it... oh well, must be the non-christian egg nog that I've tried

It depends on who makes it. It also depends on if the Christmas festivities are at my mother's house or my house.

 

[Famine]

It is infinitely more hypocritical as an atheist to write the year on your cheques (checks, for our North American friends) than it is to celebrate Christmas - as Christmas was merely a time-of-year festival, later adopted by other religions and ultimately Christianity, but the year is directly derived from the supposed date of Jesus's birth - we even call it "Anno Domini" ("the Year of our Lord")...

 

[Scaff]

I may be shooting myself in the foot here, but I agree with the last bit of what you said (albeit for slightly different reasons).... I'm not a Christian, clearly.... but the holiday I celebrate (and have grown up with as part of my culture) is called Christmas Day... before it is Christmas Eve, and after is Boxing Day. I'm not a boxer either, but I don't see or feel the need to alter the names just to appease people of other religious (or sporting) persuasions - including us pesky atheists (and 'sporting atheists' aka lazy gits....)

Quite agree.

My wife is a practicing Catholic as are my kids (church on Sunday, Catholic school, etc) and they all attend midnight mass, etc at Christmas.

I however am an atheist (baptised Church of England but most certainly non-practicing) so it can be an interesting time of year for me. However I have no intention of sitting in the corner come Christmas day just because my beliefs differ, I'm quite mature enough to respect my wife and her families (as in her mum and dad) beliefs and they respect mine.

They celebrate Christmas in the way they believe and I celebrate Christmas in the way I believe (which is as a social event that is an integral part of my culture but not specifically, for me, linked to religion) and every one is happy.

Regards

Scaff

 

[King Crockery]

I'm an Atheist aswell, but I don't actually celebrate christmas.

So i can't really answer that question... Should you celebate anything in the first place if the issue celebrated doesn't touch or interest you by any means? Of course you can have fun with friends, but a celebration day isn't required for that.

 

[Touring Mars]

Should you celebate anything in the first place if the issue celebrated doesn't touch or interest you by any means? Of course you can have fun with friends, but a celebration day isn't required for that.

That's kind of my whole point - Christmas means many different things to many different people, and is a day of celebration for everyone - but possibly for different reasons. It is not like atheists are free-loading on a Christian festival - it's a national holiday which has taken on/has significance to Christians as well...

It is infinitely more hypocritical as an atheist to write the year on your cheques (checks, for our North American friends) than it is to celebrate Christmas - as Christmas was merely a time-of-year festival, later adopted by other religions and ultimately Christianity, but the year is directly derived from the supposed date of Jesus's birth - we even call it "Anno Domini" ("the Year of our Lord")...

I've been trying to tell my landlord this for ages, but does he listen? Nooooooo....

 

[Danoff]

I'm an Atheist and I celebrate Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. I see no reason why non-religious folks can't celebrate the exchanging of gifts, the tradition of santa, and the customary exchange of chocolate easter bunnies and searching for bunny eggs on easter.

These are secular versions of religious holidays and I see no reason why we can't enjoy these fun traditions. It's not hypocritical for Jewish people to decorate a Christmas (or as I like to call it, Santamas) tree, and it's not hypocritical for an Atheist to have an easter basket.

If you think Christmas (Santamas) is really about Christ these days head over to the mall, and take a peek at people's homes. How do the vast majority of people celebrate Christmas? A tree, some fake reindeer, maybe a snowman, throw in some gifts, some holly, and a wreath and you've got a secular holiday.

Maybe if everyone put out a nativity scene I'd feel differently about it. But even then some people were raised with nativity scenes during christmas, and even though they don't believe in Christ, they associate the secular holiday with the religious symbol/music/etc. So I think it's fine for them to want to do what's comfortable to them. As long as you're not actually celebrating a diety, you're not breaking the rules of your religion (or lack thereof).

 

[Swift]

Ok, here's my thing. I've yet to see an Atheist give back their christmas bonus, go in on christmas eve or christmas day(when they were able to take off).

As Famine correctly put, the exact date of Christmas comes from Roman tradition and the merging of the church and the state(bad idea). But the idea of christmas is still the same.

I have a Jewish freind that does the christmas thing and quite frankly it makes me rather upset. He said he wanted to make it more fun for his children, but to me, he's pretty much betraying his faith.

The simple fact of the matter, regardless of the history of the particular date, is that it's the day to celebrate Christ's birth into the world. The national holiday in America is Christmas, not santamas .

Now, haveing said all that. I really don't care if people go out and spend all their money on presents for people they don't like. But just like the atheists have the right to celebrate the festivities of Christmas. I have the right to wish someone "Merry Christmas" and should have a fear of loosing my job or other possible penalties.

 

[ledhed]

Should Atheists Celebrate Christmas?

Sure if they want pie ...and gifts...


Really whats religouse about malls and shopping and gifts ?????

 

[Diego440]

I have the right to wish someone "Merry Christmas" and should have a fear of loosing my job or other possible penalties.

I think the politically correct wish is "happy holidays"

 

[ledhed]

Why should we care about RC ..whats wrong with tradition and tolerance ?

why did the world get a bad case of PMS so suddenly ??... Sooooo easily offended..a bunch of pansies and chaffs or chads or puffs or whatever the Brits call them ?

I have a cure , just immediately tell everyone to f- off and do something about their ugly face because it scares the kids..then rapidly change the subject to whatever non pc mode you care to. Then immedialetly walk away.

Should be good for a laugh or two at least .

 

[Swift]

I think the politically correct wish is "happy holidays"

So?

As ledhead said, who cares about being PC?

I'm not worried about offending someone by saying Merry Christmas. Infact, I contend that if you ARE offended by someone wishing you a Merry Christmas then that's your problem(In America at least). This happy holidays is ridiculous. Granted, if you don't believe in Christ for whatever reason that's your business. But I'm not going to go out of my way to check if your a muslim, buddist or atheist before I wish you a Merry Christmas. Just take the well wishes and roll on

BTW, I'm not blowing up on you Diego. Just the general thought of political correctness. Especially when it's applied to Christmas.

 

[Danoff]

I have a Jewish freind that does the christmas thing and quite frankly it makes me rather upset. He said he wanted to make it more fun for his children, but to me, he's pretty much betraying his faith.

Why does it betray his faith to celebrate a secular holiday?

Christmas is multiple holidays in one. It's a religious holiday, it's a secular holdiay, and it's a seasonal celebration. Some people celebrate all three at once. Others pick and choose.