What is the Atheist/Agnostic justification for Holidays?

I fall under this category and im having touble finding any reasonable justification for having holidays like christmas or easter or w/e. Can we atheists/agnsotics even justify celebrating a holiday? I mean in a truly secular society, shouldnt we not have national holidays like christmas or easter of good friday?

spending time with family? We aren't heartless monsters.

"Celebrating" means getting a day off of work and exchanging presents. What do you have to justify, exactly?Engrish_Major

[QUOTE="Engrish_Major"]"Celebrating" means getting a day off of work and exchanging presents. What do you have to justify, exactly?BossPerson

spending time with family? We aren't heartless monsters.

iloverikku11

[QUOTE="BossPerson"]

[QUOTE="Engrish_Major"]"Celebrating" means getting a day off of work and exchanging presents. What do you have to justify, exactly?Engrish_Major

[QUOTE="Engrish_Major"]"Celebrating" means getting a day off of work and exchanging presents. What do you have to justify, exactly?BossPerson

Poor Atheists, I used to be one. Atheists can still celebrate, Most people are religious in this country, and most of them dont care one way what your beliefs are, they just want to be celebrating. I used to be an atheist and I didnt need to justify celebrating a holiday, it was just a nice thing to do regardless of religious views.Mephers3

[QUOTE="iloverikku11"]

spending time with family? We aren't heartless monsters.

BossPerson

[QUOTE="BossPerson"]

[QUOTE="iloverikku11"]

spending time with family? We aren't heartless monsters.

Mephers3

Christmas has been turned into more of a nondenominational holiday for people of all religions across the world. Be it because of the consumerism of the time or just the fact that nearly every business has always considered this a holiday as we are becoming less secular or just because people actually like one time of the year to be about family, giving, and just being able to take a damn break from work and life.

Personally, like many modern things today, Christmas isn't a religious holiday like it once was. Sure it is derived from the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, but like many other things in our current society it has taken on a much more broad meaning and scope.

There is no other time of the year where the entire world shuts down for more or less an entire week in between December 25th and January 2nd. It's the most logical time to relax and enjoy life without having to worry about work.

I'll also keep saying Merry Christmas just because it's Christmas damnit, no matter what you try to paint it as.

[QUOTE="Mephers3"]Poor Atheists, I used to be one. Atheists can still celebrate, Most people are religious in this country, and most of them dont care one way what your beliefs are, they just want to be celebrating. I used to be an atheist and I didnt need to justify celebrating a holiday, it was just a nice thing to do regardless of religious views.BossPerson

I'm not an atheist, so I can't speak as one. However, life in general is pretty tough. There is so much to do between working and maintaining a home and car repairs and taking pets to the vet and so on and so forth. So, even if people aren't celebrating the birth of Jesus, what's wrong with using Christmas as an excuse to take a little break from this crazy make-a-day world and celebrate with friends and family?

(the word excuse was for lack of a better word)

[QUOTE="Mephers3"][QUOTE="BossPerson"]i dont mean having breaks, but I mean the religious holidays and stuff like that

BossPerson

[QUOTE="BossPerson"]

[QUOTE="Mephers3"]Poor Atheists, I used to be one. Atheists can still celebrate, Most people are religious in this country, and most of them dont care one way what your beliefs are, they just want to be celebrating. I used to be an atheist and I didnt need to justify celebrating a holiday, it was just a nice thing to do regardless of religious views.Mephers3

[QUOTE="Mephers3"]

[QUOTE="BossPerson"]you used to be an atheist? what changed?

Stavrogin_

k, you got me all wrong, im just asking sort of a philisophical question... I enjoy the holidays and i think we should keep them, but Im just seeing if there still is an atheist justification for respecting religious holidays officially

BossPerson

what difference does having a justification make.

it's just a bunch of ancient pagan traditions adapted into a christian holiday anyway.

hey lets put a druidic tree in the living room and act like it has something to do with christianity! lol.

Alcohol.

ok, im not saying not to have holidays and breaks. im just asking if there is a jsutifcation in a secular society to still have religous holidays

[QUOTE="Stavrogin_"]

[QUOTE="Mephers3"]

I dunno....I just sorta grew out of it, Ive seen, experienced and learned way too much to believe this is an electro-chemical accident, and their are alot of SUDDEN anti-religion trends going on that make me suspicious. An extremely quick and intelligent friend of mine that Ive known for like 8-10 years, whose always been a stout Atheist and hater of religion(christianity in specific) Kind of "Woke up" as well. I'd wrather not derail the topic but their have been other things.

Mephers3

[QUOTE="Engrish_Major"]"Celebrating" means getting a day off of work and exchanging presents. What do you have to justify, exactly?BossPerson

Tradition.

ok, im not saying not to have holidays and breaks. im just asking if there is a jsutifcation in a secular society to still have religous holidays

BossPerson

There is none, Christians do not celebrate X-MAS, why? because its a pagan holiday. Real christians anyways.Solid_Tango

I fall under this category and im having touble finding any reasonable justification for having holidays like christmas or easter or w/e. Can we atheists/agnsotics even justify celebrating a holiday? I mean in a truly secular society, shouldnt we not have national holidays like christmas or easter of good friday?

BossPerson

spending time with family? We aren't heartless monsters.

iloverikku11

[QUOTE="BossPerson"]

ok, im not saying not to have holidays and breaks. im just asking if there is a jsutifcation in a secular society to still have religous holidays

Riverwolf007

[QUOTE="Riverwolf007"]

[QUOTE="BossPerson"]

ok, im not saying not to have holidays and breaks. im just asking if there is a jsutifcation in a secular society to still have religous holidays

BossPerson

[QUOTE="BossPerson"]

[QUOTE="Riverwolf007"]and i'm saying why do you have to justify it when most of the christian holidays are just old pagan holidays that were being celebrated for centuries before christians slapped a new coat of paint on them and claimed them as theirs.

Engrish_Major

It's an excuse to drink and have fun. That's the only justification I need. -Sun_Tzu-

Because it's enjoyable - that's all the justification I need. We have a wonderful Santa-based Christmas at our house.

I mean, I don't even know what the heck Halloween is based on - is that Christian? Pagan? I don't care. I just enjoy carving a pumpkin, watching horror movies and eating the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups we bought for the trick or treaters.

[QUOTE="Engrish_Major"][QUOTE="BossPerson"]All i asked was in a secular society, what is the justification for still respecting religious holidays? Why dont we just come out and say,"alright, all holidays are pretty much made up, why dont we just admit it and have a day off where we can relax without saying its for one religion or another." Thats why I like labour day, its pretty much the most honest holiday with itself

BossPerson

It's an excuse to drink and have fun. That's the only justification I need. -Sun_Tzu-

^

That.

yea more or less....am i coming off as an assh*le just wondering?

BossPerson

[QUOTE="-Sun_Tzu-"]It's an excuse to drink and have fun. That's the only justification I need. xaos

[QUOTE="BossPerson"]

[QUOTE="Engrish_Major"] So it's not the act that matters to you - it's the intent?Mephers3

atheists make up the second largest group in the united states when religion is broken down to sects, sadly whatever sway they would have they lose when they group people either "religious" or "atheist" the only sect larger than atheists are the catholics. just tossing that outthere, maybe if atheist did not have such an abrasive minority they would have better representation. just tossing that out there.

atheists make up the second largest group in the united states when religion is broken down to sects, sadly whatever sway they would have they lose when they group people either "religious" or "atheist" the only sect larger than atheists are the catholics. just tossing that outthere, maybe if atheist did not have such an abrasive minority they would have better representation. just tossing that out there.

surrealnumber5

Dumb thread is dumb

Holidays are CULTURAL events

not religious

Dumb thread is dumb

Holidays are CULTURAL events

not religious

parkurtommo

[QUOTE="surrealnumber5"]

atheists make up the second largest group in the united states when religion is broken down to sects, sadly whatever sway they would have they lose when they group people either "religious" or "atheist" the only sect larger than atheists are the catholics. just tossing that outthere, maybe if atheist did not have such an abrasive minority they would have better representation. just tossing that out there.

BossPerson

Having fun. I personally hate most holidays, Easter ranks among my least favorite, but I enjoy some like Thanksgiving and New Year's.