Hi all,
With the winter [trigger warning for conservatives] holidays just a couple of weeks away, I’ve decided to ask y’all a question: What are some of your views on the dreaded “War On Christmas”? Btw this is in preparation for Fox News’ and the Religious Reich’s cries of persecution and “Declare war on the atheist, not Christmas!”
As an atheist, I personally think it’s all a load of horseshit because I still celebrate and enjoy the aspects of Christmas that are about family, generosity, and the spirit of giving, even though I don’t do the nativity and church parts anymore, because I no longer believe in that stuff. Also, nobody is saying that you can’t call a Christmas tree a Christmas tree. Nobody is saying that you can’t celebrate the religious aspects of this holiday if you believe in that stuff.
Theists are welcome to give their opinions!
Subscription Note:
Choosing to subscribe to this topic will automatically register you for email notifications for comments and updates on this thread.
Email notifications will be sent out daily by default unless specified otherwise on your account which you can edit by going to your userpage here and clicking on the subscriptions tab.
The war on Christmas is a big lie started by the Christian's. They are protesting the separation of church and state during Christmas. They don't like it when they can't be the only ones putting religious stuff on public property. They protest against the saying of happy holidays, instead of merry Christmas.
And you forgot to mention how they cry on Facebook whenever the FFRF puts up a small sign that reads “Let Reason Prevail This Season”.
What I find incredibly amusing is that all the Christians are getting so terribly upset and defending a PAGAN ritual. There's irony for you. LMAO....
@Tin-Man: defending a PAGAN ritual
And a happy Saturnalia to you Tin-Man. Let's all gather around our pagan decorated trees and drink a toast to Sol Invictus. Just to complete the pagan ambience, let's also hang up a few sprigs of sacred mistletoe.
@ Algebe
Don't forget to raise a glass and toast Mithra's (aka the lamb's) Birthday!
I always wish people happy holidays unless they say something about christmas, in which case I apologise and wish them Happy Mithras instead.....its fun watching them work out if you have a lisp or a cleft palate are meant what you said....
No matter what time of year it is, even during this bullshit season, I always say, "Have an easy one." When asked, I replied, "I say have an easy one in case your day goes bad, then may it be easy."
rmfr
EDIT: added missing word
Can i find some sites or books (serious ones) corroboring the fact that christianity stole from pagan ancient religions, because there are a lot of counter-apologists nowadays and it sometimes confuses me. I just want to not succumb to confirmation bias.
@ Talyyn
Should keep you going until next year! The Mithrain and Teutonic customs are the source for most Western Christmas rituals....have fun!
Bowler, Gerry, The World Encyclopedia of Christmas (October 2004: McClelland & Stewart). ISBN 978-0-7710-1535-9
Bowler, Gerry, Santa Claus: A Biography (November 2007: McClelland & Stewart). ISBN 978-0-7710-1668-4
Comfort, David, Just Say Noel: A History of Christmas from the Nativity to the Nineties (November 1995: Fireside). ISBN 978-0-684-80057-8
Count, Earl W., 4000 Years of Christmas: A Gift from the Ages (November 1997: Ulysses Press). ISBN 978-1-56975-087-2
Federer, William J., There Really Is a Santa Claus: The History of St. Nicholas & Christmas Holiday Traditions (December 2002: Amerisearch). ISBN 978-0-9653557-4-2
Kelly, Joseph F., The Origins of Christmas (August 2004: Liturgical Press). ISBN 978-0-8146-2984-0
Miles, Clement A., Christmas Customs and Traditions (1976: Dover Publications). ISBN 978-0-486-23354-3
Nissenbaum, Stephen, The Battle for Christmas (1996; New York: Vintage Books, 1997). ISBN 0-679-74038-4
Restad, Penne L. (1995). Christmas in America: A History. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509300-3.
Rosenthal, Jim, St. Nicholas: A Closer Look at Christmas (July 2006: Nelson Reference). ISBN 1-4185-0407-6
Sammons, Peter (May 2006). The Birth of Christ. Glory to Glory Publications (UK). ISBN 0-9551790-1-7.
Wikisource "Christmas". Encyclopædia Britannica. 6 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 293–294.
Cumont, Franz, Textes et monuments figurés relatifs aux Mystères de Mithra : pub. avec une introduction critique, 2 vols. 1894–96. Vol. 1 is an introduction, Vol. 2 is a collection of primary data, online at Archive.org here [7], and still of some value.
Jitărel, Alin (2005). "Social Aspects of Mithraic Cult in Dacia" (PDF). Analele Banatului, seria Arheologie-Istorie (The Annals of Banat) (in Romanian and English). Timișoara, Romania: Editura Grafite. ISSN 1221-678X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2011.
Turcan, Robert, Mithra et le mithriacisme, Paris, 2000.
Meyer, Marvin, The Ancient Mysteries:A Sourcebook of Sacred Texts, 1987
Ulansey, David, Mithras and the Hypercosmic Sun.
Ulansey, David, The Mithraic Lion-Headed Figure and the Platonic World-Soul.
Beck, Roger, The seat of Mithras at the equinoxes: Porphyry, De Antro Nympharum 241.
Méndez, Israel Campos, In the Place of Mithras: Leadership in the Mithraic Mysteries.
Méndez, Israel Campos, Elementos de continuidad entre el culto del dios Mithra en Oriente y Occidente, [Elements of continuity between the worship of the god Mithra in East and West].
Richard Gordon, Attilio Mastrocinque, et al. in Jörg Rüpke A Companion to Roman Religion
Mastrocinque, Attilio, Studi sul mitraismo:il mitraismo e la magia.
Mastrocinque, Attilio, Des Mysteres de Mithra Aux Mysteres de Jesus.
Turcan, Robert, The Gods of Ancient Rome: Religion in everyday life from archaic to imperial.
Turcan, Robert, Note sur la liturgie mithriaque [Note on the Mithraic Liturgy].
Hutton, Ronald, The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles:Their Nature and Legacy.
Gawlikowski, Michal, Hawarte Preliminary Report.
Gawlikowski, Michal, Hawarte Excavations, 1999.
Majcherek, Grzegorz, Hawarte:Excavation and restoration work in 2003.
Gawlikowski, Michal, The mithraeum at Hawarte and its paintings, Journal of Roman archaeology, ISSN 1047-7594, Vol. 20, Nº. 1, 2007, pp. 337–361.
Moga, Iulian, Mithra în asia mică şi în regiunile limitrofe. Mirajul originilor. [Mithra in Asia Minor and in regions close].
Sauer, Eberhard, The end of paganism in the north-western provinces of the Roman Empire:The example of the Mithras cult.
Walters, Vivienne J., The cult of Mithras in the Roman provinces of Gaul, Brill
Bianchi, Ugo, The history of religions.
Bivar, A. D. H., The personalities of Mithra in archaeology and literature
Bivar, A. D. H., Mithraic symbols on a medallion of Buyid Iran?.
Bromiley, Geoffrey W., revised edition edited by Kyle, Melvin Grove, The international standard Bible encyclopedia
Duchesne-Guillemin, Jacques, Etudes mithriaques: actes du 2e congrès international. (Some portions are in English).
Harris, J. R. "Mithras at Hermopolis and Memphis", in Donald M. Bailey (ed), Archaeological Research in Roman Egypt (2004). Journal of Roman Archaeology.
Kaper, Olaf E., "Mithras im ptolemäischen Ägypten", in Peter C. Bol, Gabriele Kaminski, and Caterina Maderna (eds), Fremdheit-Eigenheit: Ägypten, Griechenland und Rom : Austausch und Verständnis (2004). Prestel.
Lane Fox, Robin, Pagans and Christians.
Nicholson, Oliver, The end of Mithraism, Antiquity, Volume: 69 Number: 263 Page: 358–362.
Roll, Israel, The mysteries of Mithras in the Roman Orient:the problem of origin.
Mary Beard, John A. North, S. R. F. Price, Religions of Rome: A history.
Mary Beard, John A. North, S. R. F. Price, Religions of Rome: A Sourcebook.
Will, Ernest, Le relief cultuel gréco-romain, (1955).
Nilsson, Martin P., Geschichte der griechischen Religion, Volume 2.
Marleen Martens, Guy De Boe, Roman Mithraism, (2004).
P. Athanassiadi, A contribution to Mithraic Theology: The Emperor Julian's Hymn to King Helios.
Gwynn, David M., Religious diversity in late antiquity.
Weitzmann, Kurt, ed., Age of spirituality: late antique and early Christian art, third to seventh century, no. 173-175, 1979, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, ISBN 9780870991790; full text available online from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries
Richard Carrier - Historicity of Jesus - Watch the lecture on YouTube/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Lmmy2jfeo
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pagan+origins+of+Christianity
Io, Saturnalia, fratribus et sororibus!
No, it’s even more ironic than that: the fun pagan rituals were added later on in the 11th Century by the Pope as part of the Chirch’s quest to brainwash the pagan Europeans by basically tricking them into thinking that their rituals were actually Christian.
But now the conservaflakes are getting all freaked-out about atheism (and I like to refer to this as “Atheism Derangement Syndrome”) and the fact that many of us are celebrating the same holiday as them but a bit differently, so they want to make Christmas 100% about their invisible friend in the sky by getting rid of the pagan traditions that were quite ironically added by the Church 900 years ago. *My last few remaining irony-meters explode from the irony overload* Shit. Looks like I’ll have to go and get some more irony-meters from RW.
What part of Christmas is Christian. (Go to Church, Worship Baby Jesus, Angels, Nativity scenes.) As far as I am concerned the frigging Christians can have their Christmas shit. We still got all the good stuff; Santa, flying reindeer, decorated trees (banned by the bible) gift giving, better songs, bright green and red clothing, cheer instead of praise, sleigh rides, Christmas morning, feasting of fisting if you like, candy, stocking hung by the fire, magic toy making elves, watching "Schrooged" again on TV, snow men, snowball fights, Christmas Caroling - all the fun songs are non-religious, and not spending the day in a dark, candle-lit room listening to some preacher moan on about the magical birth of some silly ancient mystical Jesus baby.l
And don't forget A Christmas Story about little Ralphie and his Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle (Wikipedia).
rmfr
With a compass in the stock!
@Arakish
You'll shoot your eye out, kid!
@Arakish
Ah, another thing conservatives love- their largely defensive weapons of gun.
@ Rohan
They are not only ones. I have a gun collection. Only two are used if necessary. One is a Desert Eagle I use when I am out in the yard due to bears, wolves, and coyotes (O! My!) that are around. The 10-guage shotgun is for bear hunting only, otherwise I hunt with a bow. All other guns I have are collector's items. Here is a list of some:
My great grandfather's WW1 army rifle he used.
My grandfather's WW2 army rifle and M1911 pistol.
A WW2 Luger actually owned by a former SS officer.
My father's Vietnam War M1911 pistol.
A WW2 Swiss Army Rifle.
My uncle's (died on 9-11) Vietnam War M16 rifle.
An authenticated Civil War musket rifle.
Just a partial list. The collector's items I almost never shoot. Just keep them cleaned and polished.
And I am neither Conservative or Liberal. I am neither Republican or Democrat. I am foremost a Human.
But like I said, I live where bears, wolves, and coyotes even come up onto the decks of the house. That is why my brother's son cannot play outside unless one of us takes him to a school friend's house into town. My brother despises guns. Me, I am indifferent. However, I fully agree that only certain persons should allowed to possess firearms. And some of those gun show sellers are some of them. Some them are real nut jobs. As said, I only carry that pistol when I am out in the backyard working, or bow hunting. It is defensive ONLY.
rmfr
Here’s yet another of my satires (to the tune of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch”, a famous Xmas song written by Dr. Seuss)
There. Now we have yet another Christmas song. Even better- as y’all can probably tell, it’ll piss off so many folks! :)
@Cognostic
While they watch a bunch of shitty persecution complex-based propaganda films like Saving Christmas and listening to whatever Fox News, FFAF, and Donald Rump will tell them about how atheists saying two words in late December starting with "H" is Politically Correct™ censorship... I even once heard some liberal- yes, liberal- students at my school griping about how atheists would, and I quote, "have a seizure" if they said "Merry Christmas" instead... and I asked them, "Well, I'm an atheist, and do you see me getting offended?"
What war on Christmas?
rmfr
The War On Christmas that us godless secularists are always supposed to wage each winter; just ask FOX News.
Speaking of fun Christmas songs....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok5WsPYcj5Y
LOL.... As soon as you posted "fun Christmas song" that was the one that came to mind. If you had posted another I would have followed it with this one.
Ending the "War on Christmas" was a conservative Christian solution to a non-existent problem.
They just didn't like that Americans were acknowledging other religions' holidays celebrated during that time that were anything other than Christmas.
The war on Christmas isn't real?!? I was hoping to carpet bomb the North Pole this year!
That sure would piss off a lot of SNOWFLAKES! Ha ha ha ha ah ah aha ha ha...
I wouldn't mind Christmas so much if it was celebrated at a more pleasant time of the year.
Yeah, like never again!
rmfr
As it says in Ecclesiastes 7:2 (TLB) = "It is better to spend your time at funerals than at festivals. For you are going to die, and it is a good thing to think about it while there is still time."
Quote that when someone wishes you a Merry Christmas.
Here's your War on Christmas!..... EAT LEAD, YOU PSYCHO BASTARDS!...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baFmgjwptic
Pages