Do some atheists put up Christmas lights or is this too much public support for a worldview they disregard?
Do we?Do we ever!!! Christmas (or as I have renamed it, Chriskwanzakkah) is absolutely FABULOUS! Every year I decorate my loft with as many lights, plastic reindeer, snowmen, dradels, stockings, and ornaments as I can muster! I've got boxes and crates of decor. I decided about a decade and a half ago that regular trees are boring, so instead I get my friends to be living holiday trees (I don't like to narrow things to one holiday, so I lump it all and call it a Chriskwanzakkah Tree! Some years my trees are Zoolander good looking.Some years they come in pairs. Some years all alone. Some years they take the form of multi-denominational Super Holiday Action Squads. Of course, trees and lights aren't enough. Jesus and Santa are there every year. And sometimes Hanukkah Harry, the Kwanzaa fairy, and even Buddha joins them! Holiday candles are fun. Human candles even better. But we aren't humancentric. Nothing like a human android hybrid Santa elf to deliver desert. Sure, lights on the house are fun. Christmas lights on a hula hoop are even better. And the Christmas angels don't just go on top of the tree at my loft. They get suspended over the dance floor (we've only dropped one in all these years, and she survived wonderfully intact.) Of course, all this would be a bit selfish if it was just for me. So I invite a few hundred friends to stop by and celebrate the holidays. Atheists, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Pagans... we get them all. Everyone celebrating good times with good people. But I admit, I have an ulterior motive. Yep, like a bad atheist exploiting the holiday, I don't let my guests arrive empty handed. I make them all bring a toy or two for my personal favorite charity, Toys-for-Tots. No toy, no entry into my loft. We get a few US Marines to stop in, and force those Devil Dogs to gather the hundreds and hundreds of toys we collected to distribute to local children (even the atheist ones.) So yes, atheists, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Scientologists, Christians, and everything in between can put up lights, throw on a Santa hat, and celebrate. Christmas might be about Jesus to you. But to me it is about close friends, good fun, joy, cheer, and making sure 300 kids who might not get anything, instead find a GI Joe with a Kung Fu Grip on Christmas morning.
Do some atheists put up Christmas lights or is this too much public support for a worldview they disregard?
Do we?Do we ever!!! Christmas (or as I have renamed it, Chriskwanzakkah) is absolutely FABULOUS! Every year I decorate my loft with as many lights, plastic reindeer, snowmen, dradels, stockings, and ornaments as I can muster! I've got boxes and crates of decor. I decided about a decade and a half ago that regular trees are boring, so instead I get my friends to be living holiday trees (I don't like to narrow things to one holiday, so I lump it all and call it a Chriskwanzakkah Tree! Some years my trees are Zoolander good looking.Some years they come in pairs. Some years all alone. Some years they take the form of multi-denominational Super Holiday Action Squads. Of course, trees and lights aren't enough. Jesus and Santa are there every year. And sometimes Hanukkah Harry, the Kwanzaa fairy, and even Buddha joins them! Holiday candles are fun. Human candles even better. But we aren't humancentric. Nothing like a human android hybrid Santa elf to deliver desert. Sure, lights on the house are fun. Christmas lights on a hula hoop are even better. And the Christmas angels don't just go on top of the tree at my loft. They get suspended over the dance floor (we've only dropped one in all these years, and she survived wonderfully intact.) Of course, all this would be a bit selfish if it was just for me. So I invite a few hundred friends to stop by and celebrate the holidays. Atheists, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Pagans... we get them all. Everyone celebrating good times with good people. But I admit, I have an ulterior motive. Yep, like a bad atheist exploiting the holiday, I don't let my guests arrive empty handed. I make them all bring a toy or two for my personal favorite charity, Toys-for-Tots. No toy, no entry into my loft. We get a few US Marines to stop in, and force those Devil Dogs to gather the hundreds and hundreds of toys we collected to distribute to local children (even the atheist ones.) So yes, atheists, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Scientologists, Christians, and everything in between can put up lights, throw on a Santa hat, and celebrate. Christmas might be about Jesus to you. But to me it is about close friends, good fun, joy, cheer, and making sure 300 kids who might not get anything, instead find a GI Joe with a Kung Fu Grip on Christmas morning.
Does saying “Merry Christmas” really offend some people in the UK/USA?
We need to talk about the war on Christmas.I am from the UK. From a very multicultural city, and I have never heard of, let alone experienced, anyone being offended by ‘Merry Christmas’. The so-called “war on Christmas” is simply non-existent.But it’s not just a myth; there’s more to it.For far too long, Christmas – a time for peace, love and respect – has been used as a weapon to propagate hate through ignorance and fear. Like in the US, the media use exaggerated, if not completely fabricated stories to divide society and engender racial tension.No, that is not a satirical piece; that is a genuine UK newspaper article. The far-right use cultural differences to scare people into believing their culture is at risk. From fringe-fascists to the President of the United States—everyone who benefits from their voter-base being scared into supporting hateful politics uses this tactic.Trump claims Obama refused to say ‘Merry Christmas’, despite him doing it in every single presidential Christmas address. He treats ‘Happy Holidays’ as an anti-Christmas, anti-Christian, and (let’s be frank) anti-White phrase, when in fact it is simply designed to wish everyone, irrespective of faith, a peaceful and special time. It didn’t start with Trump, however; the UK sees threats about ‘offended muslims demanding Christmas trees be taken down’ every year. They are lies, they misrepresent the views of the vast majority of the population, and their sole purpose is to alienate minorities and spread hate.We need to tackle this narrative. It is toxically powerful. One of the most successful tools in Trump and co.’s arsenal is the suggestion that the minority pose a threat to the majority’s livelihoods.Sure, many non-Christians don’t celebrate Christmas. After all, Christmas is traditionally a Christian holiday. But traditionally is the operative word; I am an atheist, and I have always celebrated it. The same can be said of many Muslims, Jews, Hindus and all other religions and cultures that are united by the values Christmas represents.It’s kind of what Christmas is all about.
Why don't we enforce atheism?
Why don't we enforce atheism?There has been historical events where atheism was forced upon the people. A great example would be Communist regimes of the 20th century.Obviously because Karl Marx himself quoted:But what Marx did miss was that not all religions act as opium of the people. However, there are lot of things we can agree upon, that it is better to keep any religious institution separated from the state. When the state becomes a theocracy, that is, run by a religious institution, it won’t do justice to the minority. Religion then becomes a tool of oppression in this case.Now, using Marx’s ideology, many Communist regimes of the 20th century tried the exact same thing. First, in Russia, the Communist Party lessened the influence of the Orthodox Church, and it was done by confiscating the church property and sending those who didn’t renounce their religion to kulaks.The same happened during Mao’s regime in China, and Pol Pot’s regime in Cambodia.But this is just an example of atheism forced upon the people.One cannot deny the fact that religion was indeed forced upon the people during the Medieval period in Europe, and during Islamic rules elsewhere in the country. Just search for it, be it Google or reliable history books on the nearest library.However, what I think is that religion should be a personal matter. It doesn’t matter if you’re an atheist, agnostic, Hind, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Christian, Jew, Asatru, Zoroastrian or a follower of any pagan tradition. However, no one should have the right to force one’s religious thoughts on the other, and forcefully convert them, or simply kill them if they don’t submit.I mean, would you dare kill a coffee lover just because you love tea? Or would you even dare force everyone to drink tea, just because you love tea? Or, would you even force everyone you know to play PUBG, just because you love playing PUBG?Religions are different perspectives, each having their own faults and virtues, and it should remain a personal matter.
Atheist how do you fell about The Freedom From Religion Foundation?
Human rights include: + Freedom of Speech, not freedom from Speech + Freedom of the Press, not freedom from the Press + Freedom of Religion, not freedom from Religion Freedom from Speech infringes on the Freedom of Speech. Freedom from the Press infringes on the Freedom of the Press. And Freedom from Religion infringes on the Freedom of Religion. The Freedom from Religion movement is an attack on the Freedom of Relgion by a few Atheist extremists. If this movement is successful then not only will we lose our Freedom of Religion but, using the same argument, the door will be opened to lose our Freedoms of Speech and the Press. ==== The entire world agreed to include freedom of religion in the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. See Article 2: http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html The citizens of the United States think this freedom is just as important as the freedoms of speech or the press. All are part of the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/... Even the Catholic Church seeks and supports the freedom of religion for all human beings. In the Vatican II document, Declaration on Religious Freedom, Dignitatis Humanae (Human Dignity), the Church states: The human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits. For the entire document, see: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_counc... 75% of the people in the world now live in countries where religious freedom is highly restricted: http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/12/10/human-rights-day-still-pursuing-religious-freedom/ http://www.pewforum.org/2012/09/20/rising-tide-of-restrictions-on-religion-findings/ With love in Christ.