The "War" on Christmas?

[Kylyssa]

I think Christmas is a repulsive orgy of unrestrained consumerism no matter who it "belongs" to.  How anyone can claim it as a religious holiday is beyond me, except that, in many ways, it does reflect what religion has become in America.

[LoneMateria]

Uhm, are you denying that atheists camp out on the streets and protest Christmas? Because I can find you video footage if that's the case. For all their pretensions at being tolerant, atheists seem to have a problem with Christians celebrating their own holiday. That's why they get no sympathy from me when their rights are infringed upon.

Unlike atheists, I'm not an angry prick, so Christmas doesn't bother me. I see traditions as silly things that are done periodically for enjoyment/amusement. Christmas is a tradition, and I have no problem with that. That's why I'll be giving and unwrapping gifts this year.

I'm currently not in the mood to go 10 rounds over this.  Because the staggering minority of atheists decide to make asses of themselves and protest a holiday thats been around nearly 1700 years (for those of us who are keeping track) doesn't mean atheists in general are having a war on Christmas like fox news and evangelicals would love you to believe.  Your whole post seems to confuse the minority with the majority.  I can find you videos of atheists doing stupid shit ... just like I can find you videos of Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Hindus etc... doing just as crazy if not more crazy shit.  Does that mean they represent the majority?  Not at all.

You'd be surprised at the number of atheists who refuse to discuss religion because they feel it's above reproach.  What you are doing in your post to atheists would be like me finding a Pentecostal church and labeling them as the majority of Christians.  You're just wrong.  Plain and simple.

[Aedus]

Your whole post seems to confuse the minority with the majority.

Let's hope so...

*looks at post right above yours

[Whitney]

*looks at post right above yours

She's talking about consumerism Christmas being repulsive...which is different from the War on Christmas BS where fundamentalist Christians think atheists are trying to take Christ out of the holiday they stole form pagans.  It's actually all very ironic.

[Ellainix]

Your whole post seems to confuse the minority with the majority.

Let's hope so...

*looks at post right above yours

That's funny, because he specifically mentioned that he hates a non-religious aspect of Christmas that many Christians do agree with.

[SSY]

Your whole post seems to confuse the minority with the majority.

Let's hope so...

*looks at post right above yours

Very good, because one person posts they hate the commercial aspects of Christmas, you imply that the majority of atheists are campaigning to rid it of the religious connections Christians have tied to it. Very good indeed.

[LoneMateria]

Here is an update... somewhat.

http://action.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147486887

Found this on the atheist experience blog.  Though its not updated like the people claim it might be good to note which places to support ^_^

[Lark]

Xmas is a secular feast devoted to mammon, spending money and having a good time with workfolk and family. Very few people see any other significance in it but everyone has the right to celebrate as they wish... or not at all.

[Jolly Sapper]

Uhm, are you denying that atheists camp out on the streets and protest Christmas?

Ima atheist and I've never "camped out on the streets and protested Christmas."  

I smell fail.

[Mark L Holland]

There should be a war on Christmas.  This time of year is celebrated by many cultures and beliefs as being a special time of the year.  As a secular nation this time of year should be celebrated as being a universal time of celebration.  But it should not be celebrated as a holy day or season of a single religious belief.  We should be celebrating the winter solstice holidays, not the Christ holidays.

[Whitney]

We should be celebrating the winter solstice holidays, not the Christ holidays.

Why does it matter what we call it?  Both were originally celebrated for religious reasons.  Many now secular holidays have religions origins....like Halloween that has origins in the idea that spirits could merge with the living world and then take Valentines day and St. Patricks day; I don't know their full histories off the top of my head but I think they are based on Saints.

While America may be a secular nation we simply can't ignore the fact that our culture has a lot of religious influence in what holiday we celebrate without not celebrating almost all currently common holidays...and that's not fun.

[Mark L Holland]

There should be a war on Christmas, We are a secular nation with secular laws and no false religious belief should have a holiday dedicated solely to it's beliefs.  The winter solstice is a universal time of celebration of universal beliefs.  I have no problems with celebrating a holiday at this time of year.  But I object that a proven false religion should have it’s own religious false belief be practiced by all.

[Whitney]

There should be a war on Christmas, We are a secular nation with secular laws and no false religious belief should have a holiday dedicated solely to it's beliefs.  The winter solstice is a universal time of celebration of universal beliefs.  I have no problems with celebrating a holiday at this time of year.  But I object that a proven false religion should have it’s own religious false belief be practiced by all.

So...in your opinion...there should be a 'war' on Hanukkah(sp), Easter, Ramadan etc too?    

The US is a free nation, people are free to practice whatever religion they like even if it is very very very obviously false (like Scientology).

I think we just don't celebrate holidays if we don't like them...no need to prevent others from having their fun.

(for readers passing through, please note the only person supporting a war on christmas in this thread, so far, is a theist)

[kenh]

Except for my grandmother, my family was never very religious.  We occasionally attended church services, although my father never did. I still have fond memories of Christmases past when family members, now long gone, got together and exchanged gifts.  We still put up some decorations and exchange gifts although we don't attach any religious significance to it.  I think its a nice time of the year to celebrate the Winter Holidays.

BTW, Mark, are you an independent theist or do you belong to an organized church or religion?  (Perhaps the church of the dancing banana?  :bananacolor:

[Kylyssa]

If Christians wish to accentuate their year-round worship of money and riches for one month out of the year, that's fine with me.  It helps show everyone where their real priorities are.