Posted on 12/01/2012 7:23:12 AM PST by Raebie
April Fools’ Day was taken?
They could worship me if they wish. I won’t condemn nor encourage them.
It would be nice if they would sacrifice an Ox on “Creekness” and offer many juicy steaks.
No. Only those who insist upon taking Christmas away from the rest of us. I know plenty of atheists who are not political about it and participate in the festivities ( in a non religious way of course).
Soon to be reality near you along with Festivus.
Atheism is a religion.
It is their belief system relating to the existence (or in their case, the nonexistence) of a divine creator.
The fact that the courts routinely issue edicts favoring their belief-system (religion) over the belief-systems of Christians and Jews (for the most part, they only attack Christians and Jews) is unconstitutional.
Good luck with them shutting up or practicing what they preach, however.
(Full disclosure: I consider myself agnostic, bordering on atheism. My opinion though is that Judeo-Christian values are great, moral values and are what this country was founded upon. I see, and oppose, the militant atheist religion's attacks on those religions.)
I have a pretty good idea.
The atheists I know LOVE to celebrate Christmas. They just make it a day to give presents, and think of Santa Claus, Reindeer, snowmen, trees, snow, Grinches, and any number of distractions, that have little to nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.
If you assume atheists hate Christmas, you’re assuming they are rational, logical, and consistent to their world-view.
They are not. They cannot be.
In 1960, the US Supreme Court, in the Torcaso case, decalared secular humanism not only atheistic but also a religion in the same sense that Buddhism and Taoism are religions. Humanism, by implication, was granted status as a worldview complete with its own theology.
"Among religions in this country...[is]...secular humanism"
Supreme Court Justice Black, 1960
WRONG: an Atheist Christmas must celebrate the birth of NOTHING. Atheism is the ultimate nihilism.
Most of my fellow atheists who celebrate Christmas simply consider it a mid-winter holiday that was previously pagan, co-opted by Christians, and represents winter solstice, or is just an excuse to brighten up the winter blues. Personally, I enjoy it. I don’t celebrate it myself anymore, but I like the pretty lights all over town.
I thought it was April 1st
Haha! Wonder if my atheist brother will show up for Christmas if I send this to him. Hahaha!
It happened gradually over a period of years. I was raised Catholic, then embraced agnosticism, then atheism, then agnosticism again, and eventually, after a few “experiences,” returned to the Church. A complete circle.
It should be in August
We can use another 3 day weekend in the summer
Well said.
Agnostics merely say that there is not sufficient proof of God (any god). Some will thus stipulate that there is no valid reason for beliefs therein to be a part of the laws or official structure of society or make lack of profession any sort of basis for disqualification for a position in government or industry, others will say “but look at what works, our Constitution has a theistic basis and it is the best structure ever devised for running the affairs of men”. One cannot lump all agnostics together, they range from “there is no evidence of anything” to “spiritual but no faith tradition has provided evidence that it is the One.
No government could possibly EVER stop someone from worshiping in their heart. Indeed I know of evangelical Christians who feel that persecution only makes their faith stronger (which makes sense, it’s one thing to merely go along in what you were raised in, it’s something else to profess when there is punishment or ostracism for doing so)
A lot of people confuse “Atheist” with “Agnostic”. There is no way to disprove God. An agnostic will say “fine, worship as you wish, and I might often agree that many of the values you believe are divinely inspired are good for society, even if I see them as merely an end result of societal trial and error”. That there be no religious test is even written into our founding documents. Agnosticism is a perfectly valid viewpoint that would be disrespected by only a rude moron.
Atheism, on the other hand has all of the attributes of a religion - the requirement for ‘faith’, the need to confront and proselytize, the ‘inner circle’ versus ‘them’ mindset that feels persecuted when it encounters ANY disagreement..... in other words, none of the benefits (joy, forgiveness, hope) and all of the dangers (rationalization of the use of force and violence or merely opprobrium against /non believers’).
When Muslims take over the world, they will eliminate the atheists.
There are indeed religious atheists. They subscribe to atheistic magazines, attend conferences about atheism, go out of their way to convince others of their beliefs, write and read books about atheism, rejoice when someone rejects God, and generally wallow in the subject.
Thing is, they have to believe God, if only to deny Him.
Not a new phenomena.
There is actually a parable in the Jain religion about a person who was so vehement in his denial of God that he actually is brought before God and commended to everyone as an example of true and fervent belief! . Very snarky for 4th century BC writing and truly funny.
How about an atheist nativity scene with baby Stalin? Or the little Pol Pot lay asleep in his bed?
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