The theory is great: No matter what you do for the holidays, just be a good person. I completely agree. We should all be good people this season, reaching out to the needy and checking our consciences before flipping the bird to someone on the thruway.
But, this quote from Fred Edwards, spokesman for the American Humanist Association, had this to say, and I am a bit bewildered:
Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of nontheists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion.Well, last time I checked, Christmas was still about Christ. It is inherently about religion, Mr. Edwards. Spell it out and tell me what it says. Don't let the commercialism fool you: There are still folks out there who take Advent seriously. I honestly feel that all folks should feel loved and not lonely during the holidays, but you bet I'm going to leave you out in the cold for 90 minutes while I celebrate Christ's birth on Christmas Eve.
I hope this holiday season can include everyone on its festive spirit, but at the end of the day, agnostics, atheists and nontheists chose not to believe. That's part of the Christmas spirit: The belief that a Savior was born, the hope for all mankind. You make the bed you lie in; you chose not to believe in God. They don't deserve persecution from a human, to be sure, but saying that the holidays are associated with traditional religion is like saying the sun is associated with warmth or water is associated with being wet: You can't have one without the other.
2 comments:
i just have to say that i didn't chose to not believe in god. i actually wish i could. i just can't...
it's really, really hard to believe in something that i just don't see, hear, feel.
it's like asking you to stop celebrating easter because pieces of it come from pagan beliefs.
:-/
Everyone's journey is different - maybe you won't believe in God ever, but the fact remains that Christmas is still a Christian holiday. You can still celebrate the spirit of the holiday with friends, family and love, but what I'm trying to say is that Christmas will be about Christ, regardless if you think God exists.
I'm not asking atheists to believe in Christ to celebrate Christmas; I'm asking that they understand it really is a Christian holiday and that the religious aspects will remain.
As an aside - Christmas also has pieces coming from pagan beliefs, such as the evergreen tree. There are many Christian holidays that have pagan roots, but the evolution of those aspects into a Christian holiday are still chiefly part of the Catholic tradition, which the Catholic Church strives on.
I want to celebrate Christmas with all folks - but I also want them to respect my interpretation of Christmas, which is the celebration of the birth of Christ. I hope you are given many blessings and have the opportunity to be close to your family and friends during this Christmas season.
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