Why do people that do not beieve in Jesus... waste their time on Christmas.

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Culture. Period.

 

Atheists or non-christians don't see Christmas as a religious festival, so celerate in other ways. These days Christmas has become much more comercial and much less Christian anyway, so why shouldn't people who don't believe in Jesus celebrate it. It should only matter to you why you celebrate it, not why others do.

 

Who says I have to believe in anything, just cuz I like pretty lights and buying a few people presents.

 

Im pagan, and love the way Christmas fits into the pagan wheel of the year. I always appreciated the way that works out, with the new king being born on yule. What strikes me as odd is the way christians all think they had the original monopoly on december holidays!

Io Saturnalia!

 

I hate christmas.
I like easter.

 

MONEY. Neil Diamond made a Christmas album for god's sake!!

 

I by no means think that Christmas should only be celebrated by Christians... I was just wondering why you would waste the money and time on it... Seriously no one that's not Jewish celebrates Hanukkah.... To me it just seems all about the money... Its cool if you want give presents but why do that on a random day it would mean more. The lights are nice. but why not put those anytime they would look just as nice.

 

LOL, Last year my roomie had light up for over 3 months in our dorm room...until she moved upstairs.
Of course Christmas is all about money...where have u been?

 

Under 10 rocks of unimaginable proportions.... I think

 

Maybe the real question is-----why do Christians celebrate a holiday that is so pagan? Bible historians have well pointed out that Jesus could not have been born in December. It is the Winter solstice. The Christmas tree is the axis mundi which we could relate to the cross---but it is just as equally related to (oh my god) the Ashers---the poles placed at temples by those horrible goddess-worshipping enemies of the old testament (Oh my... heaven forbid).

I could go on-----but, actually I know why Christians celebrate Christmas. But do Christians know why they celebrate Christmas?

Many Christians, especially fundamentalist, would probably label my belief system as 'eeeeeeeeevvvviiiiillllll' and would want to uninvitedly pray for me, and would keep their young ones away from me if I visited their churches... I don't think my beliefs are so anti-christian---after all I think all religions have truth. There are tenets of Christianity that I do not buy into, and I don't fit in with institutions---including the institution of religion. But I celebrate Christmas. In fact, I even think it is wrong for people to take away the symbols of Christmas from our public sites, etc. even if they are 'religious.'

One thing I have learned in living in various parts of the world---no matter what your beliefs are, if you are raised in America or Europe----culturally you are a christian, or Judeo-Christian. If you are raised in Japan, culturally you are Shinto-Buddhist. If you are raised in India, culturally you are Hindu, the Middle East, Muslim----there is no escaping it. You meet a caucasian Hari Krishna, and you get a sense for how he is grating against his culture. You meet a Japanese Christian, he is grating against his culture. Sometimes it's subtle, other times it isn't. It's great for them if that is their path, but...

In the West, atheist, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan, whatever----culturally you are a Christian. That doesn't mean you believe in Jesus. Maybe you do. Maybe sometimes you just give him homage out of a little nostalgia of your childhood. Maybe you have no idea what he really did, and you are tired of people bugging you and you never care to know. But you are a cultural moron if you aren't familiar with the traditions of Christmas, or such things as the Nutcracker Suite, or the story of Rudolph the Reindeer, whatever. Who cares what you believe, you can still enjoy the traditions, exchange presents, put up a Christmas tree, share tender holiday moments with loved ones. It is a time for love, giving, good cheer...

Western man has destroyed and taken away the cultural traditions of many people---it is very sad. Now that we don't have other cultures to do that to----some people are trying to do it to our own---to destroy our culture. On the other hand, one thing I dislike about religions is it creates an 'us vs them mentality.' Non-christians would say, Isn't that just like a Christian to say you can't participate in celebrating? (Ok I know it's not exactly like that in this case---but you get the picture).

And when you get down to it----what religion does not have a winter solstice holiday in some form or another? Some may celebrate New Years---but the Winter Solstice is very significant at a spiritual level----The sun is at it's lowest point in the sky, it is time for the cycle of rebirth to begin, for the promise of new life, new harvests, new growth. As all things die so shall they be reborn----so come on now...


Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

 

Its probably safe to say that many atheists were at one time christian. I was, but by the time I was 18ish, I thought the whole thing was very commercialized and "the reason for the season" faded out of the holiday and the consumerism took over. For me, its the rest of my family and friends who are still Christians and wish to celebrate it so to some extent, I participate in things like parties, getting the whole family together, eating great food, etc, etc, etc... What I don't do is buy into all the consumerism. I've told all family and friends I'm atheist and I don't believe in the reason for the season and not to buy me a gift just because its Christmas. I've asked them that if they feel compelled to buy me something anyway, just give the money to one of their favorite charities because any money I was going to spend on them, will now go to my favorite charities where it can do more good for people worse off than us. I don't need or want sweaters, socks, waffle irons and video games, this is stuff I can get myself throughout the year or obtain on birthdays. For the kids in my life, its a little different. They still get gifts but only until they are 18, then they get a donation made in their name like the rest of the adults. Afterall, hasn't christmas in our lifetime really been nothing more than collecting toys and getting time off from school/work, eating like pigs and meeting family?

There are people much worse off than us and the money from all our petty gifts could be used to reduce poverty or help a child get the nourishment he needs to get a proper education or maybe something as simple as staying warm with a new coat and a hot meal. So you see, we can celebrate the "Holiday Season" the way the pagans originally intended it, to celebrate the winter solstice, the start of a new year, and to gather with family. The Jews did what the Christians did, take the season (winter solstice), and created their own reasons for their season (Hanukkah). Africans did the same thing with Kwanza.

Happy Holidays and a merry winter solstice to all :cheers2:

 

because it was a pagan holiday in the first place???...

 

I am positive that the jews came up with hanukkah way before christmas was invented by the christians

 

Nicely said Itsdarts. Whether Hanukkah came before or after Christmas, does it really matter? It's all cool.

By the way Funkateer----does that mean that when i buy drugs, Jesus is buying them too? Man! He's gotta pay up!!!

(Sorry---I'm just joking with you, don't mean anything by it---the message is great, hits the point-----but when I see it----it's saying to me "Come on say a joke about it, Come on Come on-------I just had to get it out---nothing personal-----don't hate me...)...

 

yule tide carols being sun by the choir , and kids dressed up like eskimos every body know that some turky and some milso toe will make the spirits bright and will find it hard to sleep tonight .

my best to the song i am stoned: yule = pagan holi day , misiltoe =pagan for furitilyy and good luck , spirits bright = pagan refurning to the fae . saint a claus = pagan refuring to the fae tht would leave presents , the tree= pagan yule lodge: tradional pagan for the log that would burn for long while and also to represnt the coming of the sungod to be born agin and to remarrie the goddess pgan. winter solstics : longest day of winter 2nd pagan holiday
pagan any religon that is not the majority wicca = a form of nature worship

christmas = jesus birthday = christ mass= mass = catholic = converting = taking in others beilfs so that they might be part of the church / temple .
chruch / temple: place of worship = fellowship , devotion , prayers , honor=deity/lord / lady / God/ Creator=Nature= life/ death= Spirits=Souls=All things=Mystery = Oneness w God though jesus who is thought to be Sun which also , is holy spirit .

 

I guess because atheists like to party?

 

Well I think that about answers my question.... in a lot of creative and cool ways... thanks guys for squelching my utter stupidity...

Merry Christmas to all!

 

Seeing as Christmas is not a Christian celebration, why shouldn't non-Christians celebrate their own Holiday?

 

I celebrate the Sabatt, not Christmas.