im anti-religious, and i hate religious holidays. what do i do?
Question by Courtney: im anti-religious, and i hate religious holidays. what do i do?
this xmas my grandma is coming all the way out to california from new zealand. i dont want to be rude, or anything, but for about the past year, i’ve been anti-religious, and i’ve hated religious holidays. idk wat it is, just something about my train of thought has COMPLETELY changed…. i dont really want to do anything for xmas nor do i want to celebrate it. wats the purpose? we’re celebrating the birth of a dead guy who never really existed in the first place!! i dont want to tell my mom about my feelings and i dont want to be a complete screwge (ok idk how to spell that at all :p) and ruin it for my little brother… so how do i cope? it makes me sick just THINKING that people worship a fake!!! how do i act around the rest of my family (who are all christians, btw) without feeling like i’m ruining it for them? help me pleease!
Best answer:
Answer by Ember Atheist Intent
Scrooge*
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
Get in, eat some potatoes and a roll, and then get out. Volunteer to work that day if you can.
Some people are born in the wrong body and some are born on the wrong planet. You’re obviously a member of the second group.
Get over yourself. That old lady flew a really long way to see you. If you don’t like Religion fine neither do I but Christmas to me is about family and friends and gifts and turkey.
Just be with your friends and family…jeez
If the word “Christmas” bothers you so much then you can say “I’m celebrating December 25th, my get drunk and merry day.”
Hmm, I think you’re supposed to steal everyone’s decorations and presents and hide them in your cave or something.
man you are this kind of angry atheist that gives the rest of us a bad reputation. when you sneeze and someone says “Bless you.” do you strangle him?
cant you just relax and say “OK this holiday has religious roots but so what? im going to have some fun and spend time with my family.”??
Stop being a hateful intolerant bigot and enjoy the time off.
If you hate it, don’t go around boasting or complaining about it.
What do you do, you ask? Go with the flow! How hard is that?
It’s not like you’re gonna die are you?
If you hate so so so much, don’t make it a big deal.
Nobody wants to see your public displays of resentment. Just smile, play along, keep a low profile, enjoy the food, whatever!
It’s really not that hard.
you make ME sick just thinking about you
Try approaching the holiday as a family gathering rather than a celebration of Christ. This will help you realize that it has alot to do with spending quality time with loved ones regardless of religious preference.
Celebrate your family instead. The solstice is about togetherness, shelter from the cold and the return of the sun, not the birth of Jesus.
- an atheist (who admits he still gets misty-eyed at certain carols)
new zealnders are easy going people… he probably just wants to drink beer with you and catch up… it dosnt have to be religous
you are still young and ignorant people can believe as they choose if there faith gives them some happiness or peace whats the harm right or wrong it is there choice your anger is a sign you are miserable your way must not be working non believers are all so angry ang bitter why because believers seem to have some answers for there existence and some reason for the season fake or not faith has and will continue as long as there is humans on this earth because it is the core of us it is the reason for our existence you will be a miserable person your whole life if you are looking for earthly things to bring you happiness it will never happen the richest and most successful folks are your most miserable folks out there and that’s a fact you will never find the peace you need till you accept that only true peace comes from a relationship with God guarantee that child !!!
Just treat it like a time strictly for family or something else that you value, and leave it at that. You “hate” it because you force yourself to hate those aspects of it; don’t. Holidays have different meanings for everybody. Take my family – half of the people in our line don’t care for religion, but they come to present openings and carol singing and cocktails parties just to enjoy the time as it is. Remember to respect the meaning of Christmas to others without commenting on it – it’s not that hard.
Play nice. Christmas has been secularized in some ways. I don’t find it bothersome, not even its religious aspects. Besides, don’t you want the punch and pie? (dangles pumpkin pie in front of your avatar)
Your grandmother is traveling across the country to see you !
Please don’t get overly concerned about what they believe. Just focus on your own views and enjoy your time with family. Your grandmother won’t always be around, you know. Enjoy the moment.
everybody has its believes and you telling your mom that Jesus didn’t existed will take it offensive, for christians and catholics Jesus isn’t dead he resuscitated, it doesn’t hurt knowing about religion you choose to believe or not to. either way you should maybe think of xmas in a different way, a time to be with your family and love ones because you never know when it will be that last time you see them
I mean, I’m an atheist but I don’t “hate” religion or its holidays, i think hate is such a strong word here. Just look at it from a different perspective and that is you’re just celebrating with your family (without the religious baggage that this holiday carries).
I mean I still go to church despite being a non-believer. I think what matters is the companionship of others. Crack some jokes, have fun even though you know that you are free and sadly the others are tied to some legendary and mythological mumbo-jumbos.
By hatin religin and its holidays, it makes you no less an extremist as a religious person who “hates” atheists if you see what I mean.
The very nature of atheism is the ability to rise above traditional nonsense and watch those stuck in it from a bird’s eye view. Just feel for them and hope that one day they get unleashed from all of this.
I’m not religious either, but there’s absolutely no reason to be so rude or angry about it.
Why not think of the holiday as a celebration of Winter? Of family and friends.
That’s what we do. Most people in our family do not believe in God…But we respect that some do and they also have the right to celebrate the way they want to.
I’m an open minded Atheist…Live and let live.
As for Grandma… It’s a heck of a long way from New Zealand for someone to travel. Be thankful someone cares enough about you to do that.
Religion is different from Christianity. A religious person is still in search of truth. Truth is unchanging, religion does. We all get to points in our lives when we are disgusted at or about something someone does, especially when it is withing a church environment, but that is the reason we learn to forgive others. Forgiveness helps you more so than it does the other person. It helps you have a clear conscience and focus in order to deal wisely in the affairs of life.
As you mature as a Christian, you are more open to criticism and willing to change. You look for caring ways to correct others. You are teachable and accept correction. Life is a journey; it takes time to arrive. Do unto others as you would like done unto you.
May you find genuine Christianity in the most unusual places.
There are more real Christians out there than you think.
Peace.
sounds like you’ll have to deal with it no matter what based on where you live. My advice is to find Bob Rivers Twisted Christmas CDs or online and listen to them for awhile.
http://www.bobrivers.com/audiovault/tunes/xmastunes.asp
It helps me get through the season every year.
But your best bet is to try to go with it all and just see it as family time. Yeah, it’s a pain to have to play happy and nice when it just doesn’t feel right but if you try to deal with it now, the family will handle it badly since it’s too close to the holiday. Maybe talk to your folks about your feeling after the season is over in a more calm and open time. Or just count the days till you have your own place and your own life and can make decisions for yourself.
Christmas is the one holiday that can be enjoyed by everyone. Much of the pagan origins do not require religion at all!!
It is nothing to do with either Christianity or Islam but it does have it’s origins in the midwinter festival and many other basically pagan rites but since much of it is a celebration of nature rather than religion everyone should be able to enjoy it and be happy together despite religion!!
The ancient European pagans celebrated the midwinter festival and a number of other festivals long before Christianity ever existed!
Babylonians celebrated the feast of the Son of Isis with gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift giving and the goddess of fertility, love, and war.
The Romans held a festival on 25 December called “Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, celebrating their own god Sol Invictas – PAGAN.
The Persian god Mithras, the Syrian sun god Elah Gabal, the German Sol, the Greek Helios and the Mesopotamian Shamash. But also Saturnalia, honouring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. The law courts and schools were closed. No public business could be transacted an this is where the holidays originated – ALL PAGAN!!!
Wax tapers were given by the more humble to their superiors. The origin of the Christmas candle – PAGAN!!
In Rome groups of costumed went from house to house entertaining their people. And this was where the carolling Christmas tradition originated PAGAN!!
Statues of the Mother and lover or Mother and son were paraded through the streets not only in Italy but also in Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Bulgaria. Thus, the symbolism of the Heavenly Virgin and the infant child paraded on a yearly basis are not of Christian origin. They stem from the Mother-goddess religion, which is very ancient ENTIRELY PAGAN!!.
Scandinavian countries celebrated Yule honouring Thor – PAGAN.
In Germania (not Germany) they celebrated midwinter night followed by 12 wild nights of eating and drinking. The 12 days of Christmas PAGAN!!
The church under Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25 in 350 AD in order to try to hijack the PAGAN festivals but it was largely ignored. Christians did not really celebrate Christmas until 378 but it was then dropped in 381 and not resurrected until 400.
The Christmas tree stems from pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of holly boughs ivy and other foliage as an adaptation of pagan tree worship. Holly and ivy represented male and female. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual – all PAGAN!!
Santa Claus came from the Dutch “Sinterklaas” and was a tall figure riding a white horse through the air and usually accompanied by Black Peter, an elf who punished disobedient children. Also the origin of the reindeer, sleigh and the elves ALL PAGAN!!
The modern red coated Santa was brought about by coca cola!!
America actually banned Christmas several times and is the originator of the expression “Happy Holidays” which came about because of the pagan origins of Christmas to include all religions and traditions!!
The Venerable Bede, an early Christian writer pointed out that the Christian church absorbed Pagan practices when it found the population unwilling to give up the festivals. Thus a lot of what Christians now see as Christians practices are in fact pagan!!!
Christmas is the time of year christians strive to prove just how pagan they have become!!!
I am an atheist and don’t feel this is incompatible with celebrating Christmas. The pagan mid winter festival of Yule was hijacked by the Christians to celebrate the birth of jesus. There is no evidence that Jesus was born in the middle of winter. In the modern world anyway what has Christmas to do with religion. It is a celebration of how much we can charge to our credit cards.
I think you should just enjoy the feeling of having your family altogether. Spend time with them and ignore the religious elements that pop up. No one will be upset and you might have a nice time.
As a point of information, there is evidence in historical texts other than the bible that Jesus did exist. Christians obviously think he is the son of god but moslems think he is just another prophet.
I am a bit anti religious too, as well as being an atheist. If people believe in God then they should be prepared to defend their beliefs. I engaged some Jehovah’s Witnesses in debate on the doorstep one Sunday….they haven’t been back
Good luck and Merry Yuletide
Just do what all the other Hypocritical atheist do. Tell yourself its a secular holiday its origins are Pagan, your doing it for the kids, Your doing it to party or whatever excuse they are coming up with this week. You wouldn’t be the first and you wont be the last……..
Geez, Enjoy your holidays man.. How can you hate holidays and why do you want to hate a religion(s)? Get the company of some other guys who isn’t interested in Christmas and have fun..
Good Luck..
Friend,
Why not just go through with it out of love for your family? It may not mean anything to you, but it obviously means something to them.
What is more important to you, your thoughts and feelings, or theirs?
Good luck.
Well, Christmas is pretty damn secular, so you can join in with those bits and spend time with your family without actually doing any kind of worship. It’s only respectful to compromise.
first of all you do not know if hes a fake you should prove it first because there are documents that say he existed
now for the all hate thing i just say be open minded your no better then a conservative who doesn’t at least look into a liberals point of view
there must be a reason for hating it is there too many rules on your back or something?
Listen. I am not religious in the slightest. I dont “celebrate the birth of jesus” on christmas, I use it as a time to spend with friends family and people around me, be silly and eat lots. Watch stupid xmas movies and get a little drunk. I know Xmas is suppose to be about jesus but seeing as i am not a holy person, i just use it to enjoy my time off work (or school in your case) wear new clothes, relax and have a good time, forget about stress. Before you know it, it will be over and we will be back to work/school/college and it will just be another boring day so just try to enjoy it and get out of the frame of mind that you HATE christmas, give it a chance, be grateful that you have a house and friends and family to share it with, some people have nothing and are all alone.
Try to have a good Christmas, relaly try and enjoy it you may surprise yourself
xxx