So, @poniesinjudah (twitter) posted this image and made several comments worthy of correction - but twitter sucks for anything of substance, so Im posting a reply here. https://twitter/poniesinjudah/status/547285757157978113/photo/1 The picture says Christmas is Christian - Atheists dont need to celebrate it and hed gone on to say that Christmas is exclusively Christian and that those of us who celebrate a secular Christmas are buying into Christian ideas. The truth is that, much like Tom Flynn, this individual is the one buying into Christian ideas...not those of us celebrating a secular Christmas. Specifically, theyre hung up on the Christian definitions of specific labels (Flynn buys into a rather narrow definition of atheist that leads to the no true Scotsman fallacy where real atheists dont celebrate Christmas or, well, anything - and @poniesinjudah buys into the idea that the label has ties to Christianity, so whatever is celebrated does, as well). First of all, atheists dont need to celebrate it is correct - and none of us are suggesting that any atheist needs or should celebrate it. (Assuming you mean need as in Id die without this and not merely Id metaphorically die without this - because YOU dont get to decide what someone else needs at the level of individual desires). Were merely acknowledging the facts and noting that theres nothing wrong with celebrating a secular Christmas. Why? Well, that goes to the fact that his assertion that Christmas is exclusively Christian is simply false. Giving presents? Not Christian. Presents this time of year? Not Christian. Decorated trees, wreaths, lights, Yule logs, mistletoe? Not Christian. Santa, Elves, Frosty, Rudolph, Grinch? Not Christian. Snow Miser and Heat Miser? Not Christian. Meals and visits with family? Not Christian. Most of the most popular Xmas songs? Not Christian. Rampant consumerism? Not Christian...or not exclusively. :) You know whats more Christian that those things? Claiming that the holiday is or should be exclusively Christian. Those things arent tied to Christianity but they are tied to Christmas. When I was a kid, it was made very clear that theres a Christian Christmas and a Secular Christmas. We celebrated both and they were as separate as they could be. Other people blend them, and some opt for merely one or the other. When you ask people what they think of, when they think of Christmas, most of the things theyre most likely to list have nothing to do with Christianity (as partially noted, above). In fact, there are Christian denominations that dont celebrate Christmas at all because of its pagan roots, secular or commercialism aspects. Christmas was even illegal in Puritan controlled New England. Theres a constant appeal to keep Christ in Christmas or put Christ back in Christmas - specifically because nearly everyone recognizes that the holiday has changed, dramatically. If Christmas was exclusively or primarily Christian, thered be no such campaigns. The individual who posted that picture is actually playing into those appeals, buying into Christian hegemony with respect to Xmas and thinks that if were celebrating Saturnalia or solstice, we should call it that. I agree. Im not celebrating Saturnalia or solstice...Im celebrating the secular aspects of Christmas, so Im going to call it that. All of us are free to celebrate whatever we like, in whatever way we like and to call it whatever we like. But when people start getting prescriptive about what OTHER people can celebrate or what they can call it...theyre just being obtuse. When they do it along with a parade of fallacies and ignorance about the facts and a staunch refusal to consider those facts or change their mind...theyre being irrational and asshole-ish. So...go out and celebrate - or dont - as you like...and call it whatever you like (though you may find a need to explain your chosen label to some). Stop surrendering ground to religions. The secular Xmas I celebrate is the sort of holiday that Id want to invent, if it didnt already exist. Fortunately, theres a robust, long-standing history that not only isnt exclusively Christian, it isnt Christian at all. Dont get so hung up on the origins of an idea - because things change. Definitely dont get hung up on the origins of a label - because those change, as well. When you start talking about word/event origins in a prescriptive manner that attempts to define what other people should or shouldnt do...youre not showing your intelligence, youre showing your ass.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 16:05:43 +0000
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