To ask a question about Christmas, and celebrating it....

[mcrvamp]

Right! Over the last couple of months I have read many threads slating Christians and how spreading the word of God and Jesus is wrong, I hate religon..... etc, etc.

So I would like to ask a question to those of you that feel this way.

Why do you celebrate Chritmas, when it is so clearly a religous festival?

Isn't it alla bit hypocritical (sp?)

I'd really like to be pagan, the festivals and celebrating, women are equal, the druids and witches and wiccans. Going to stone henge for the solstices dancing round a may pole. The fact the goddess and the god are celebrated and the maiden the mother and the crone. I just don't have any faith I wish I did sometimes though. shouldn't of read the god delusion

inneedofbrandy there are pagan atheists out there - they don't worship a divinity as such, they just think nature and the universe/creation are pretty special and worthy of celebrating, without believing they were created by some uber-being, or that there is anything divine behind the amazingness of it all.

There is also a huge number of people who go to Stonehenge at the Solstices who aren't pagan.

so we have all agreed yet that christmas is for all and have a lovely time

Sloe gin, anyone?

I think so mrsjay!

Good. Hope the OP is convinced.

Christians didn't nick CHRISTmas off anyone - they timed it to coincide with pagen festivities and adopted some of the traditions - but CHRISTmas is in it's essence and name a CHRISTian festivale

I am humanist - we celebrate and acknowledge the Christian aspects - so we go to the crib service, we have a nativity scene and we read the Christmas story.

For me it is important to recognise the religious element - while enjoying the fun bits

Ah yes, the story of Osiris, an Egyptian myth that's older than Christianity by a long way.

Thing is, all these cultural myths that are basically the same story: a king who is sacrificed and comes back to life - they are romantic versions of the life cycle of plants - a symbolic retelling of the way crops grow, are cut down, die back and then start growing again. Religions all started out as ways of both explaining stuff that people din't quite understand, and romanticising it. Fairly quickly, the smarter and more powerful people recognized that they had a pretty decent and effective method of social control: DO as you're told, or else the Big Sky Fairy will get you.

THe ultimate truth about religions, all of them (apart from them being frankly ludicrous to begin with) is that they are peddled by the powerful and believed by the powerless.

If you really think it is the birthday of Jesus, shouldn't you be celebrating on the 7th of Jan, since the change from the gregorian to julian calander?

What solidgold said. I'd just as soon not celebrate it, but my parents and sister still believe there's some man in the sky who actually gives a toss about us, we're stony skint and have two young children, so it's cheaper to go along with them and get a free meal out of it.

Some people do, virginia.

It is a good excuse for two Christmas dinners!

'Who cares really?
It's about no work, winding the kids up to a frenzy over Santa, and having Cava for breakfast. Let's be honest.'

Pretty much.

I also simply enjoy having some fun, family time, parties and a good dinner in the dark days of winter.

I don't think spreading the word of God and what not is wrong, I just don't believe it.

I do believe in partying, good food and family time. :)

I worship the God of Capitalism so Christmas fits quite nicely with my belief system.

I think so mrsjay!

good stuff now is it too early for mulled

Not too early in the year (after halloween, after first frost...). But a bit too early in the day. More time.

I might put craberry in my vodka later and feel festive

Catholic here.
(Dons tin hat and awaits flaming merely for being a Catholic...)

I am perfectly aware, and have taught my children, that all of the Church celebrations are based on previous festivals and I have explained the reasons why.

I think 'Christmas' is a good time for people to think ahead to the coming days of spring, spend time with family, have lovely food and just chill.

I do resent the commercialism that has crept in over the past few years.

So, for me, Christmas is the time when I celebrate the birth of the Christ that I believe in but I am also glad to see others celebrating and having a damnably good time no matter what they believe. I just wish it wasn't so commercial and I don't think any 'Christmas' stuff should be allowed in the shops before December.........

(Oh, and I object to OCC for its shameless foisting of religious materials on those who are vulnerable but I have no objection to other gift/shoebox organisations and if I could find one that wasn't as unpalatable as OCC round here I'd do it)

"Christmas is religious, and pagan, but also cultural. It's my culture to celebrate Christmas, even if it isn't my religion (non-believer)"
that despite being christian and celebrating that element, most of what we do at christmas is cultural/family traditions (like christmas jammas ). Even midnight mass is more tradition than religion for us because the non practicing members of our family always do that too!

Lent/Easter is all about church, christmas is cultural with a religious element (for us anyway)

"If you really think it is the birthday of Jesus, shouldn't you be celebrating on the 7th of Jan, since the change from the gregorian to julian calander?"

nah! in this house we have birthday weeks/months and often have our big celebration on a different (but near) day, so don't see why jesus can't have a "birthday season"

awaits flaming merely for being a Catholic...

think the country gave up on that quite a few hundred years ago. IME on this issue Catholics are like you, pleasantly tolerant of the once-a-year types, not liable to fling accusations of hypocrisy.

I'm Catholic. (nods and joins Grimma and never in the catholic corner to await flaming) and if I adopted OPs stance I wouldn't be able to celebrate Christmas with my Dad and DP. Which would obviously be massively rubbish. And involve less presents. As I said up-thread.

It's a pagan festival, half-inched by the Christians. I celebrate it as such.

why are catholics flamed on Mn just being nosey I am half catholic and half prodestant went to catholic church up until i was 6 then went to church of scotland till i stopped going at 20 no wonder I dont do religion I am confused