Survey: Christmas and Religion

[Kirjava]

Noooo, if we didn't have religion, we wouldn't have Christmas.

And everyone would celebrate some other holiday for the winter solstice.

Christianity made have a hand in creating christmas, but a large aspect of christmas is now non-religious.

 

[Cheese11]

And everyone would celebrate some other holiday for the winter solstice.

Christianity made have a hand in creating christmas, but a large aspect of christmas is now non-religious.

But Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

 

[E3cubestore]

But Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

I agree cheese11 as I am a Christian.

However, you can celebrate whatever you want on Dec 25th, and many people choose to celebrate nothing with a fun but essentially meaningless exchange of gifts, gluttonous meal, wasteful expenditure of electricity, time off from work, fun with friends and family, and just sort of a feel-good time of year.

There's nothing wrong with all of that IMO, all of these things have their place and the celebration of Christmas by non Christians is simply a fun and sometimes debt-inducing tradition.

I don't hold it against anyone for celebrating Christmas even if they don't celebrate Christ coming to earth, however I get a little PO'ed when people call it Xmas, (I mean seriously guys, give Christians some credit-you wouldn't have Christmas otherwise)

As for me personally, I enjoy a lot of the commercial and social aspects of Christmas, but since the day holds deep symbolism to me, it means more to me than I'm sure it does to those who don't celebrate the religious part of Christmas.

 

[Cube-Fu]

I celebrate the mid-winter; for me it's a time of sharing foods, so you can have a balanced diet, at the hardest time of year. And it's a good time to meet women, who can help keep the cold out.

 

[Godmil]

...I get a little PO'ed when people call it Xmas, (I mean seriously guys, give Christians some credit-you wouldn't have Christmas otherwise)

Maybe you should read up a little on where 'Xmas' comes from.

 

[E3cubestore]

I am aware of the different arguments for the origins of Christmas and I know that Dec 25th was a pagan holiday, so the Catholic church thought it was a clever idea to make it unpagan (a silly tradition that has confused many people about several Christian holidays throughout the centuries)

The truth is non Christians celebration of Christmas stems from the Christian celebration on dec 25th, not the original pagan one

 

[Godmil]

No I'm meaning that X is an abbreviation for Christ (from the Greek), it's been used for more than a thousand years, and long before the term 'Xmas'. So your objection to the use of 'Xmas' is either a misunderstanding of what it means... or you really hate abbreviations.

 

[E3cubestore]

I wasn't aware that's what you were thinking, and you are right!

I remember hearing that once, but you just reminded me.

Even though what you are saying is true, that is not the motivation for many people substituting Christmas with "Xmas" or "holidays", do you understand now?

Sorry for incorrectly guessing your meaning when you disagreed with me, clarify what you mean next time

 

[Kirjava]

But Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

For christians.

 

[PandaCuber]

"But Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ." To whoever said this.

Since the Bible gives no actual date for Christ's birth, it is a topic that has been left to interpretation and debate. Early Christians did not bother to attempt to pinpoint the date of his birth because they were more interested in deaths and feast days at that time.

By the fourth century, however, church leaders decided that they needed a Christian celebration to compete with the solstice celebrations of nonbelievers. They settled on December 25th and celebrated the first Feast of the Nativity in Rome in 336 AD. This directly challenged the preexisting celebration of the birth of the Cult of Mithras's infant god of light!

Nevertheless, taking a closer look at the Bible's text, we realize that Luke 2:8's "shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night" can mean only one thing - Jesus' birth had to have occurred in the spring! This is because shepherds would only watch their flocks both day and night during the lambing season.

 

[Nestor]

33 years old atheist (although I prefer to be labeled as Secular Humanist) that celebrates Christmas for cultural reasons only.

 

[E3cubestore]

Yes it is common knowledge that Christmas is not the actual day Christ was born.

However, that doesn't mean it isn't a celebration of that event.

So your information is incorrect but it doesn't challenge the claim you were attempting to challenge.

 

[PandaCuber]

"Christans celebrate December 25th, Christmas, as Jesus' birthday. ....
In accordance with Christianity and Catholism...Christmas day is celebrated as it is the birth and the birthday of Jesus christ, the son of God.
However it is also said that this day may not have been Jesus Christ's actual birthday..and may have been chosen to correspond with either exactly nine months after some early christians believe jesus had been conceived."

 

[E3cubestore]

This is not true, no one really believes that dec 25th is the day of Christ's birth.

It is accepted that there will mostl likely never be a way to know.

However, the event happened so it's not like the event can't be celebrated because we don't know exactly what day it is.

On dec 25th Christians celebrate the birth of Christ in full realization that dec 25th is not a likely date for the actual event.

 

[AgentKuo]

The only reson Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25, and in Dec. in genereal for that matter is because of the Roman holiday, Saturnalia (Winter Solstice), the Norwegian sacrifice day, Dísablót and the Germanic holiday, Yule (and probably a bunch of other days). Christians at the time wanted a holiday that they could also celebrate in the winter, and they wanted it to celebrate something significant to their beliefs. The Pagan's celebrated their sun god. The Christians took the idea of the "sun" and applied it to Jesus, the son of God. And thus, Christmas came about. (if I remember correctly)

It has been said that Jesus' actual birth was approximately 9 months earlier (sometime around March or April).

 

[insane569]

The reason they celebrate it on the 25 is because everyday before that day gets shorter and shorter(daylight). And for 3 days it stays at its shortest. on the third day it rises and the days get longer. Like the so called resurrection of christ.
Zeitgeist? Anyone?

 

[cmhardw]

Please keep discussion in this thread relevant to the survey.

 

[Rpotts]

One question was sorta difficult, you asked what religion we were, and I had to answer Atheist, which isn't a religion. The next question was how religious you are. I'm strongly atheist, but I had to answer not religious, which may give the opposite indication that I have.

 

[Hershey]

One question was sorta difficult, you asked what religion we were, and I had to answer Atheist, which isn't a religion. The next question was how religious you are. I'm strongly atheist, but I had to answer not religious, which may give the opposite indication that I have.

I just said "No religion" and "strongly not religious" (whatever the second one was).

 

[David Zemdegs]

Ive often wondered how many do the xmas thing on the night of the 24th. Thats when we do the dinner and prezzy thing. A european sort of tradition I think...