The Hoarding of The Solstice

For as long as I can remember, I have been hearing the phrase: "Keep Christ in Christmas". When I was young, I mistakenly thought this was in reference to the obvious commercialization of the Holiday Season. As I grew older and became a non-believer, I began to realize that the expression "Keep Christ in Christmas" is really an attempt of some Christians to keep the Holiday Season the exclusive domain of Christianity. However, a brief look of the history of the Holiday Season clearly shows that neither Christmas nor its traditions are Christian in origin.

First and foremost: no one really knows when (or if) Yeshua Nazrene (Jesus of Nazareth) was born. So why is the Jesus' birth celebrated on December the 25th?

The reason is quite simple: There were a number of Pagan Holidays celebrated around the 25th of December and the early church "comandeered" these Holidays. Amongst the ones that influenced the decision of the early church was the celebration of "Natalis Solus Invicti" (birth of the unconquered sun), the birthday of Mithras (Persian sun god) and the celebration of Saturnalia. The common theme here is the rebirth of the sun after the winter solstice.

Even most of the traditions are Pagan in root. Amongst them are:

*Mistletoe: Which originated with the Norse religion.

*Christmas Trees: The origin of which can be traced as far back as the ancient Egyptians. The practice of bringing a tree into the house and decorating it was condemned in the Bible. In fact, even up to the 1840's, Christmas Trees were seen to be pagan in the United States.

*Carols: First Carols were sung by Pagans around stone circles during their Holy Days.

*Santa Claus: If you think the whole Santa Claus mythos started and ended with St. Nicholas, you have another think coming.

About the only thing that is Christian about Christmas is the abbreviation "Xmas". An abbreviation that absolutely drives many Christians nuts.

So considering the Pagan roots of Christmas and the fact many people celebrate other Holidays (such as Kwanza, Chanukah and even Yule) during this time of year; why do many Christians have a fit if Christ isn't kept in Christmas? There are many different possible reasons, but I would guess these people feel both insulted and threatened if one of their main religous Holidays is shown any kind of disrespect (whether real or just perceived). Interestingly enough, not even knowing the origin of their Holiday is showing it the supreme disrespect. This isn't defending baby Jesus from a "War on Christmas", it's hoarding the winter solstice celebration all to themselves.

So if a person comes up to you this Holiday Season and wishes you something else besides "Merry Christmas" do remember it is probably not a sign of disrespect or an attempt to be politically correct. It is probably just a case of different strokes for different folks.

That being said: I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas. That is the traditional way this Atheist celebrates the Solstice.

Another Case of A Former Atheist Talking About Atheism.

A couple of days ago, while on Twitter, I came upon a link to an article by Jennifer Fulwiler titled: 5 Catholic Teachings That Make Sense to Atheists. The very beginning of the blog post gave me some hope that there might actually be some hope that Ms. Fulwiler was going to, at least, attempt an honest dialouge with members of the skeptical community. She started off almost well enough by stating in the second paragraph:

Though atheists typically see all belief in the supernatural as unreasonable...

Alright, you got that part correct. The only real complaint I have with that statement is the fact she spelled Atheist with a lower case "a" instead of capitalizing it like she does for Christians. Sadly, though, she completes the sentence and the theme for the rest of her blog post becomes apparent:

...some doctrines, like the ones below, strike them as less crazy than others.

Right then and there she makes the idiotic claim that there are some types of supernatural beliefs that Atheists actually agree with. They are, in order:

1. Purgatory

Spiritual re-education camp for the soul to change you into a perfect being before you go to Heaven.

2. The Communion of Saints

Your dead relatives watch you when you eat, sleep, poop, masturbate, are the point man in a circle-jerk etc.

3. Veneration of Mary

After all, she's god's mommy!

4. Salvation for Non-Catholics and Non-Christians

Only works if you were born on Mars and never had a chance to hear and accept the word of god.

5. Apostolic Authority

God runs the Roman Catholic Church. That guy in the funny hat who protects paedophiles? He's like a human dictaphone with a hot-line to Jehovah.
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The problem with all of these teachings, which I am sure you have figured out by now, is that they ALL presuppose you already believe in a god. If one believes in a god then they are, by definition, a Theist which is the direct opposite of being an Atheist. Rather than finding these teachings to be "less crazy" than other theistc doctrines, they are all 100% certified bat-shit crazy.

This load of fertilizer, comes from someone who makes the claim that she not only talks to Atheists but was also once an Atheist herself. This, after she acknowledges that Atheists believe that "...the supernatural is unreasonable." I have come to the conclusions that she wouldn't talk to an Atheist (willingly) to save her own life and she is lying through her prosteltyzing teeth when she claims she was once amongst the ranks of the unbelieving.

So there you have it. In the end, she's just another liar for Jesus. I thought there was a rule against that in their holy book. Somewhere near the front.