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posted by LaminatorX on Thursday December 25 2014, @11:10AM   Printer-friendly
from the Jeremiah-7:18 dept.

Amanda Marcotte notes at AlterNet

We may object to using the holiday as an excuse to push overtly religious songs and prayers on kids in public schools, but the Christmas holiday, despite its religious origins, is accepted by most atheists as a secular holiday and many of us enjoy it as much as the Christians do. In fact, I'd argue there are many advantages to being an atheist, when it comes to celebrating the holidays.

1. Travel flexibility
2. No Christmas mass
3. Sex
4. Creative decorating (a Nativity scene with superhero action figures)
5. Wrapping paper
6. Give me the loot!
7. No praying before the meal
8. "Happy holidays!"
9. Better music. (You can fully admit that "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey is the best Christmas song, full stop)
10. Better movies

I disagree with her best song selection. The obvious choice is "Five Pound Box Of Money" (Pearl Bailey, 1958).

Along those lines, Greta Christina, again at AlterNet, notes

10 Christmas Songs That Atheists Will Love

It's widely assumed that atheists, by definition, hate Christmas. And it's an assumption I'm baffled by. I like Christmas. Lots of atheists I know like Christmas. Heck, even Richard Dawkins likes Christmas. Plenty of atheists recognize the need for rituals that strengthen social bonds and mark the passing of the seasons. Especially when the season in question is dark and wet and freezing cold.

[...]I've compiled a list of Christmas songs that atheists can love unreservedly.

The rules:
Songs cannot have any mention of God, Jesus, angels, saints, or miracles.
Songs must be reasonably well-known.
No song parodies.
Songs have to be good songs.
A song gets bonus points for not mentioning the word "Christmas".

[...]here are my Top Ten
10. White Christmas
9. Jingle Bells
8. Sleigh Ride
7. Silver Bells
6. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
5. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
4. Santa, Baby (gewg_ notes: That's my #2. Eartha Kitt, 1953)
3. Carol of the Bells
2. Winter Wonderland
1. Deck the Halls

[...]Honorable mentions. The 12 Days of Christmas. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Up on the Housetop. Over the River and Through the Woods. Jolly Old St. Nicholas. The Christmas Song (a.k.a. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire). I'll Be Home For Christmas. Frosty the Snowman. Here Comes Santa Claus. Jingle Bell Rock. O Christmas Tree.

She missed my #3: Zat You, Santa Claus? (Louis Armstrong, 1953)

 
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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 25 2014, @01:54PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 25 2014, @01:54PM (#129092)

    Atheist (to me) somehow indicates actively rejecting organized religion.

    When I first heard the term "post-theological" it clicked for me. Both my parents quit organized religion in their teens, and didn't promote any religion when I was a kid. For anyone interested, here's the first Google hit,
        http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/our-humanity-naturally/201102/being-post-theological [psychologytoday.com]
    In grade school (in a highly Catholic area) I was often asked, "atheist or agnostic" and I had no clue how to answer...

    We do have Christmas as a big holiday, but when my siblings and I were little it was about Santa Claus. Later, when we found out there was no Santa Claus ("great debunking" is a great phrase, thanks for that!) it became about making/finding presents for each other.

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  • (Score: 2) by danomac on Thursday December 25 2014, @04:27PM

    by danomac (979) on Thursday December 25 2014, @04:27PM (#129113)
    For as long as I can remember, we were never taught about Santa Claus. We would do a gift exchange and spend time with family Christmas Eve, and sleep in the next day. Because of me, my friends all got to open one present Christmas Eve. Mostly cause I'd call them up on the 24th after our gift exchange and tell them what I'd opened.
  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 25 2014, @06:36PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 25 2014, @06:36PM (#129126)

    Atheist - Lacks belief in deities
    Strong Atheist - Asserts that deities do not exist
    Weak Atheist = Agnostic - Lacks belief in deities and does not claim that deities do not exist

    From your link, post-theological people "see theology itself as unnecessary". They seem to be people who are weak atheists, but view the existence of organized religion in a negative light. The reason for the term is probably to escape the negative connotation that is associated with the term atheist.

  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 25 2014, @08:08PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 25 2014, @08:08PM (#129144)

    It doesn't. That's a politically engineered meaning, in atheist is to theist, what amoral is to moral, as opposed to immoral to moral. This language has enough pointless exceptions as it is, the last thing we should do is condone more of them in favor of American fundamentalist crap.