No Religious Christmas cards

[mumofEandE]

I was in one of those 'cheap card shops' and a customer asked if there were any Religious Christmas cards.
There weren't.
I am not a practising Christian/ or practising anything (!) but this really made me feel that this is wrong!

Errol

'Not really, if you see 'Christmas' as being merely the label currently applied to the midwinter festival'

Nothing to stop people who don't want Christmas calling it something else.

speakout,

'Why are christians happy having their zombie festival called Easter if the name means so much?'

As you hate religion so much why are you even interested?

And you still haven't explained why you don't tell people to stop sending you religious Christmas cards as you hate them so much?

I'm pleased it's getting easier and easier to find cards that definitely seem to be for the winter solstice, rather than Christmas. That is what I celebrate really, as an atheist, though I often call it Christmas because that's what I was brought up calling our midwinter feast, and I hold the celebration a few days late because that's when I get time off work.

I'm not sure how people can't compute that there doesn't need to be faith involved. The sun coming back, the days getting longer, warmth and light in the bleakest time of the year - that's what I celebrate. Jesus (and the supremely unseasonal-for-the-UK imagery of camels and palm trees) is especially irrelevant to me.

I'm now very tempted to buy those Percy Pig cards to wish a Happy Hogswatch to few friends

IMO People are free to do what they want at Christmas.
I just can't see the logic in calling it Christmas if people don't want a Christian celebration, why not Yule, Saturnalia, Solistic Feast of Mithras, Midwinter. (No religion in the last one)

Because that's what it's called by everyone around me, in the English speaking world anyway, and suddenly calling it something else would be confusing. What does it matter to you what other people call it? Do you also think that people who don't worship the Norse gods should have different names for the days of the week, or the Roman gods different names for the planets?

*Ellen888

As you hate religion so much why are you even interested? confused*

If I could live in a world where religion does not impact me I would be happy.
The foundations of our patriarchial society are built on misogynistic christian ideas,, jesus is still stuff down the throats of our children in schools.
I would love to ignore christianity- I can't.

The anger on this thread bemuses me.

I'm not at all religious. I have very much loved family members who are. We all enjoy Christmas and respect each other.

Thank goodness that most people take the middle ground and neither resent atheists celebrating Christmas, nor throw a Christmas card with a picture of the wise men on it straight in the bin, with no respect for the person who kindly sent it.*

So how about remembering that whatever your faith or absence of, this is supposed to be the season of goodwill?

*That one weirds me out a bit. Does that poster think there are religious germs on it and she'll become infected?

Twopenny,
I'm not sure that you can say that you can have a Midwinter Celebration without religion.

Wasn't that what Pagans used to celebrate?

www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/year.shtml

speakout

"I would love to ignore christianity- I can't."

So why post on a thread about Christmas cards ? !

I really don't get it.

[quote Ellen888]Twopenny,
I'm not sure that you can say that you can have a Midwinter Celebration without religion.

Wasn't that what Pagans used to celebrate?

www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/year.shtml[/quote]
So any celebration that happens midwinter must be religious because it was when the Pagans did it? That makes no sense.

deprenesmil,
"Do you also think that people who don't worship the Norse gods should have different names for the days of the week, or the Roman gods different names for the planets?"

Now you're just getting silly.

Incidentally, as a side issue, the French don't call the "English Channel" the "English Channel", or even the "French Channel" they call it "La Manche" = 'the sleeve'.

[quote Ellen888]Twopenny,
I'm not sure that you can say that you can have a Midwinter Celebration without religion.

Wasn't that what Pagans used to celebrate?

www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/year.shtml[/quote]
I'm not quite sure I understand what you're getting at? I don't celebrate Solstice/Yule as pagans do, either (though I love the beautiful imagery involved!). There is no spiritual element to my celebration at all.

Twopenny,
"I don't celebrate Solstice/Yule as pagans do, either (though I love the beautiful imagery involved!). There is no spiritual element to my celebration at all."

OK.
So how do you celebrate it?

Genuine question.

Ellen888

Because I celebreate chrismas- I can;t see why that is confusing.

@Ellen888

deprenesmil, "Do you also think that people who don't worship the Norse gods should have different names for the days of the week, or the Roman gods different names for the planets?"

Now you're just getting silly.

Incidentally, as a side issue, the French don't call the "English Channel" the "English Channel", or even the "French Channel" they call it "La Manche" = 'the sleeve'.

Good for them. But what has that got to do with Christmas?

@Ellen888

Twopenny, "I don't celebrate Solstice/Yule as pagans do, either (though I love the beautiful imagery involved!). There is no spiritual element to my celebration at all."

OK.
So how do you celebrate it?

Genuine question.

I have food and drink and gifts with my family to celebrate the fact that the days are getting longer and spring is coming. It's a lovely thing to do at the coldest, darkest time of year.

Perhaps that similar to some of the things that Christans do to Celebrate Christmas or Pagens to celebrate Yule, but for me there's no spiritual element - I don't go to church, I don't perform any religious rituals, I don't put any offerings on altars, I don't celebrate the birth of the sun god, I don't pray to anyone to thank them for making the sun come back (as I don't believe gods are involved in that process).

I've seen loads of cards with a religious image of sorts on - Three Kings, Nativity Scene etc. Sometimes a bit arty / abstract. I doubt that they have a religious message inside though. Maybe that's what the customer was after (in which case a Christian bookshop / Cathedral shop would probably be a better place to look)?

[quote Ellen888]Twopenny,
I'm not sure that you can say that you can have a Midwinter Celebration without religion.

Wasn't that what Pagans used to celebrate?

www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/year.shtml[/quote]
Well, those of us who manage to celebrate in the middle of winter without religion are sure we can do it, so maybe you can take our word as proof?

I'm not sure that you can say that you can have a Midwinter Celebration without religion.

Wasn't that what Pagans used to celebrate?

Pagans have religious beliefs. Paganism does not equal atheism.

Christmas has also evolved into a secular festival too- and that is just as important to most people nowadays- and just as valid.

Christmas has also evolved into a secular festival too

No, it hasn't really

Why are christians happy having their zombie festival

@mustlovegin

Christmas has also evolved into a secular festival too

No, it hasn't really

It has definitely evolved into a secular festival for non Christians in addition to also still being a religious festival for those who still adhere to Christianity.

No, it hasn't really

Yes it really has.

@mustlovegin

Christmas has also evolved into a secular festival too

No, it hasn't really

Stating something over and over again doesn't make it true.