techstepgenr8tion wrote:
waltur wrote:
as an atheist, i xmas is f***ing awesome. as a militant asantist, i'm often misunderstood to be in opposition to xmas. nothing could be further from the truth. i believe that the tradition of gift-exchange is greatly educational and can help children learn, from a very young age, that other people are important, too.
it's also a great way to teach your children that people believe all sorts of stuff that isn't true, including the notion that there's a jolly old man flying around in the sky who rewards good works and punishes bad people. there are so many different sources for the traditional "christmas" stories, songs, and traditions, that it's also an excellent tool to teach your children just how easily a myth or legend can transform and be abducted by religion.
there's so much awesomeness in reality. i don't see a need to paint over it with magic.
and i really dgaf if anyone is offended by an asantist atheist celebrating xmas. if the lord thy santa has a problem with it, let him say so.
I actually posted a thread maybe a couple years ago where I suggested that atheists should think about organizing 'holidays' of sorts, days of reflection on human history or things to remind people of the meaning of certain things - the only one or two responses that came back were asking if I was high. From some of the sharper conservative theists that I have listened to and/or read, typically their biggest complaint is about the liquidation of old culture without replacing what was gutted. I can't think of any reason why it couldn't be done, aside from people perhaps forgetting that symbolism and public events (the pivots that society organizes around) mean a great deal to the underlying structure of things.
fsm holiday treats ftw!
i don't think atheists need to organize new holidays. especially in america. christmas, st patrick's day, and easter aren't christian holidays here, no matter how much that cranky lady who always almost hits me in the crosswalk's bumper sticker says otherwise. st patrick's day is already a drinking holiday, as secular as newyear's. easter is about eating chocolate "eggs" laid by rabbits.... ('cause THAT's a good lesson to teach small children: "brown things that come out of the back of rabbits are yummy!") and christmas is only still vaguely christian because of the whole "christ" part of it. just replace him with a big red X and the problem is solved!
and that's how we'll win "the war on christmas." by coopting it. just like the christians did when they made it. we'll just nix the baby superman part. that part really didn't make sense anyways. we'll keep the tree (it's not like a christmas tree is at all christian, in origin, anyway.), we'll keep some of the carols (and turn the religious ones we like into instrumentals and commercial jingles), and the presents.
happy Xmas to all, especially jews! once xmas is completely stripped of it's ridiculous christian affiliation, there'll be no need for jews to christmasify hanukkah! they can just give each other xmas gifts for xmas and honor hanukkuh in less consumerist ways.
_________________
Waltur the Walrus Slayer,
Militant Asantist.
"BLASPHEMER!! !! !! !!" (according to AngelRho)
20 Dec 2010, 7:30 pm
