To think people are ridiculous for moaning at the little things on Christmas, forgetting the true meaning?

[questionqueeen2022]

This season is about Jesus. Celebrating his birth and the amazing things he did for us. Not getting the latest gadgets and drinking games. Although all of that can be fun, did you take your children to church this year?? Teach your children about God

Lots of us realise that the jesus story is just a story though, and celebrate christmas as a cultural holiday, as opposed to a religious one.

I always have a lovely Christmas, thanks. With no need for believing in god. Presumably having a religious Christmas doesn't preclude receiving 'the latest gadgets' though?

And yet you find the time to find Mumsnet …. and start a thread just to moan.

😂This has got to be a wind up thread right? I have a lot of Christian friends but even they get wound up by the little things at times. You're not immune from being annoyed just by being Christian.

Also my own little gripe is when people describe something happening 'on Christmas' rather than 'at Christmas'.

But for most people it's not. Most people are not celebrating the birth of Jesus, they are not religious and this time of year is a chance to eat loads, not go to work, spend some time with their families and give/receive gifts.

This season is about Saturnalia. Celebrating the pagan gods and the amazing things they do for us. Not getting the latest gadgets and drinking games. Although all of that can be fun, did you take your children to a museum this year?? Teach your children about Roman history.

This thread so far is quite small and look how many people choose to celebrate Christmas differently. That’s the beauty of life, that we’re all different.

op it’s great that you have a faith and go to church but that’s your family and your children. The vast majority of children in the UK don’t go to church unless they’re in a Catholic school like I was and my dc were and we had no choice in the matter.

I don’t know what I believe anymore after seeing so much cruelty and suffering across the world, and that’s ok.
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Aetheist household here, no belief in Santa or sky-Santa. We had a lovely Xmas thanks.

We don’t know when Jesus was born, it doesn’t say in the bible.
The festival of the nativity was originally held in the spring.
It was blended with existing pagan mid winter festivals in the 3rd century probably to coincide with Constantine’s conversion to Christianity and make this new official religion more palatable to Roman citizens.
Regardless of its history if you are Christian you are celebrating the birth of Jesus. If you are not you are celebrating a midwinter festival, bringing light and joy to the darkest part of the year - many religions celebrate at this time of year.

As much as people here are protesting their atheism, I can assure you that we have had hundreds of people in our small town attend church services despite not attending for the rest of the year, no shortage of people wanting our pretty Victorian Church for weddings, it's amazing how many think we should pull out all the stops for their parents funerals (having never met them) and every September I'm inundated by requests for baptisms (guess which school is best rated???)

I don't think people really are that secular, they just live busy lives which mean tipping up at 10am on a Sunday isn't really possible.

Sorry my reply seems totally irrelevant. The thread title and the actual thread appear to be about different things. That'll teach me for replying to the title and not actually reading it. Anyway OP I think you're being very unreasonable. So what if people want all the presents, food etc. No I didn't go to church and not all of us have kids here so no my non-existent kids don't know about your beliefs. But as others have pointed out, Jesus isn't the original meaning behind Christmas.

But Jesus wasn’t even born at Christmas? December 25 is pagan festival, adopted subsequently by Christians.

In the Church of England:

Mike Pilivachi
John Smyth
Justin Welby’s inaction around John Smyth

I wouldn’t be advocating adherence to this faith, OP.

Paganism is part of our history

No thank you, we're not interested in patriarchal oppression via religious story telling.

The nativity is a particularly upsetting and dark story of female oppression and erasure and has no place in my winter holidays.

There have always been celebrations around certain times of the year, equinoxes, midwinter, midsummer. The early Christian church just imposed their feast days on the older ones. You choose which one is yours.

Love this reply ❤️

Not only celebrating Saturn around the solstice but the festivals also flowed into early January for the festival of Janus.
Just like Christmas flows into new year with a few quiet days between.

I don't believe and I'm not taking my kids to church

Well you can say no to the people who aren't believers or regular attenders but want weddings and baptisms can't you? I was under the impression that the church was desperate for bums on seats in these times of waning popularity.

Don't fall into the trap of believing that you are better than other people because you follow a religion.

What about those that are kind, generous, caring and helpful, without the incentive of heaven or a God's approval. You must realise that they are the real 'good' people.

"Blessed are the cheesemakers.."
"He's not the son of God, he's a very naughty boy.."
Verfied evidence, Monty Python style!

I think it’s the other way round. As as you have pointed out your self, many people will baptise their kids and rock up to church, every Sunday for a bit, so that they can get into that local catholic school, and then stop going to church after, so they came for the school admission and not for Christ. Plenty of people have a church wedding not because of god or Jesus, but because they want the pretty photos for their wedding album. Plenty of people attend Christmas services, again, not because of god but because it’s just a festivity that makes them feel „”Christmassy” or whatever. I think we are a lot more secular than you think.

Thats right, so you teach history.