The True Meaning of Christmas is Atheism?
Question:
Can someone tell me where I am being illogical? Please read on.
Why Christians celebrate Christmas just like Atheists.
The true meaning of Christmas, for religious people, is said to be found in the worship of the Baby Jesus, the God-child who is coming to save mankind from sin and evil, in the simplicity of a Midnight Mass, in the solidarity with the injustices and sufferance of the world’s oppressed by poverty, war or disease. Thus, Christmas should be a time of quiet and thankful rejoicing for being among those who are actually spared, so far, by oppression, war, and disease. The true religious people advocate atonement and solidarity with those who suffer at this time. Christmas is a time that reminds us of giving aid to the unfortunate ones.
One cannot deny, however, that even among the strictest order of Christian monks, even among the most ascetic communities of early Christians, the celebration of the birth of the Messiah was a time of profoundly selfish and personal satisfaction in the belief that one day the greatest of all the great gifts possible to men would be delivered to us, personally, to our very own self, our immortal soul deserving of the ultimate pleasure of being united with God. In the end, Christmas is a celebration of our own ego. Granted, an ego redeemed and purified by the Grace of God, but still, it is the salvation of our own selfish ego that the profoundly religious person must be sacrificing for, and it will be our own selfish ego that will benefit from eternal bliss. Those who wish that Christmas would consist of a visit to the Holy Manger in thankful devotion to the birth of the Messiah are few and live in small and ancient monastic communities scattered across the desert of the Middle East. They have no festive lights, no special shopping to do, no desire of material additions to their monastic life, for their rewards are of the afterlife, not of this one.
Most Christians are not monks, and even less of the ascetic order. The way Christians celebrate Christmas is not even close to devoting much time to atonement and sacrifice for the benefit of gaining eternal salvation. Most Christians believe that believing in Jesus Christ the Savior is enough atonement for gaining eternal bliss and that one can have the best of both worlds: instant gratification in this one, and eternal bliss in the next. This philosophical principle of convenience brings every religious person “de facto” to live and practice the philosophy of an Atheist. An Atheist, of course, has always lived the principle of guiltlessly celebrating with personal gratification his achievements, for he has no reason to postpone gratification to another world. While Christians in their churches are indoctrinated to see human selfishness and the pursuit of one’s egoistic pleasure as the roots of all evil, at Christmas time Christians and Atheists share and practice exactly the same philosophy. They both indulge in celebrating, feasting and lavish spending for all sorts of entertainments precisely because Christmas, like all Pagan festivities, has a humanistic meaning: the celebration of one’s own achievements.
And this is why the wealthy, those who have achieved the most, those who have acquired material possessions in abundance can afford to make the greatest display of Christmas by spending on lights, fancy decorations, parties, and acquiring an endless list of luxury items. At Christmas time, cities around the world vie for spending taxpayers’ money to be the most festive in celebrating… well, what else… the achievement of material wealth. Cities are beckoning their population to indulge to spend, to increase commerce and to give themselves to unbridled consumerism. Why, because the alternative is poverty.
It is human achievement and its derivative, the creation of wealth, which permits us to take advantage of any kind of festivity, religious or secular, to do what human nature requires: enjoy life, the only life we have for sure. When people pursue the enjoyment of life, when people do not sacrifice their self today for the self in an imaginary afterlife, they can be productive and they tacitly acknowledge and practice the principle of Atheism. Religious people are people who do not know that they are believers in the supernatural only in name, but that in practice they are Atheists. That’s because no one has the power to create another reality out of a belief.
wigginsray
I am saying that productivity (progress for humanity) is possible by selfish means only. This does not place an Atheist in the category of non-compassionate, non benevolent character. Compassion and benevolence are not monopolies of religion. Egoism, on the other hand, is the fuel for productivity. Contemplative people give nothing to the world because they have no material aspirations. They live to save their selfish soul ONLY.
wigginsray says: “I think that progress for humanity is also embodied in compassion and selfless giving.”
Compassion is consistent with egoism, it does not contradict egoism. One can derive great pleasure in helping and giving of himself to others. But for his own survival, which comes before any compassion is possible, he needs to satisfy the SELF. Can you give me a single example where compassion CREATES progress? Compassion can be a motive for dedicating oneself to study, although no one achieves discoveries, inventions and knowledge without SELF-INTEREST first.
wigginsray says: “..but egoism is also the fuel for violence and corruption.”
Not the rational egoism. Rational egoism is the kind that is based on the understanding of the law of trade. I offer my skill, my intelligence, my services in exchange for yours. This kind of egoism urges one to study science, to be an artist, a doctor, an industrialist, a teacher, a producer of goods so that he can exchange value for value. Irrational egoism is the kind where one wants the products and benefits from others without exchange. That kind of egoism is the fuel for violence and corruption and is found in people who dismiss logic as a method of reasoning, regardless whether they are believers or non believers in the afterlife.
wigginsray says: “The world does not revolve around material wealth or gain. The best evidence of this is in the arts – many of the world’s greatest artists were dirt poor.”
On the contrary, the world ONLY revolves around material wealth and gain. The best evidence is in the artists who for their selfish love of art were willing to live in poverty because they were, possibly, unrecognized. It is also possible, however, that their “art” wasn’t worth anything and they were merely stubborn. They could have selected to paint houses instead and live decently, rather than stay dirt poor. Some may have been good artists, but very poor money managers, too. There are thousands of different cases, but none will tell you that material gain is not the primary concern of this world. Very little art can be produced by a starving person, no matter what the talent is.
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“Christmas Sucks” by Old Fart Rants
- August 2, 2010 3:39 am
- Author: The Good Witch
- Categories: Questions About Wicca
- Tags: Atheism, Christmas, Meaning, True
let me clear this up
its simple
Christianity is false
Christamas is false
just like Santa Clause was made up by Christians
so is the belief that Jesus is God
they have blind faith and they know it
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It’s very interesting, I agree with you about the analogy between the two positions of life….in the end everything is for selfsatisfation …but I love that. We are not completely nuts, we wont to be happy , here and now, and the celebration of life embedded in the world’s history tranquilizes me……
I can’t see illogicity in that!
Bye, thank you, all this is very intersting, indeed! Bye!
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“When people pursue the enjoyment of life, when people do not sacrifice their self today for the self in an imaginary afterlife, they can be productive and they tacitly acknowledge and practice the principle of Atheism.”
I think that statement isn’t a good reflection of Atheists – do you honestly believe that Atheists are only concerned about themselves yearning for a narcissistic hedonist paradise on earth? Do you honest believe that if you asked a devout Christian if they feel they are “sacrificing themselves” or are not “enjoying life” they would say that it is true?
No, you can’t neatly place Christians or Atheists into tiny convenient groups, and I think that by misrepresenting what they both feel and think destroys your general thesis.
–
“I am saying that productivity (progress for humanity) is possible by selfish means only.” I disagree – I think that progress for humanity is also embodied in compassion and selfless giving.
“Egoism, on the other hand, is the fuel for productivity.” It is, but it is also the fuel for violence and corruption.
“Contemplative people give nothing to the world because they have no material aspirations.” The world does not revolve around material wealth or gain. The best evidence of this is in the arts – many of the world’s greatest artists were dirt poor.
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Christmas is the most popular holiday in America. Both the secular and the sacred celebrate it, but for different reasons. Some see it as the greatest business time of the year which is fueled by the exchange of gifts. Others consider it the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Either way, it is a very important holiday.
The word “Christmas” comes from two old words: Christes maesse. It means, “the Mass of Christ.” This comes from the Catholic Mass, that practice where the priest re-offers the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross during the time of Communion.1
The Origins of Christmas
The origins of Christmas go back to before the time of Christ when many ancient cultures celebrated the changing of the seasons. In the northern hemisphere in Europe, for example, the winter solstice, which was the shortest day of the year, occurs around Dec. 25th. These celebrations were based on the decline of winter. Since during winter animals were penned, people stayed in doors, crops didn’t grow, etc., to know that winter was half over and on its way out was a time of celebration.
In the ancient Roman system of religion, Saturn was the god of agriculture. Each year during the summer, the god Jupiter would force Saturn out of his dominant position in the heavenly realm and the days would begin to shorten. In the temple to Saturn in Rome, the feet of Saturn were then symbolically bound with chains until the winter solstice when the length of days began to increase. It was this winter solstice that was a time of celebration and exchange of gifts as the hardness of winter began to wane and the days grew longer.
December 25th specifically coincided the day of the birth of the sun-god named Phyrgia a culture in the ancient Balkans.
In the Roman Empire, by the time of Christ the winter festival was known as saturnalia. The Roman Church was unable to get rid of saturnalia, so early in the 4th Century, they adopted the holiday and tried to convert it a Christian celebration of the Lord’s birth. They called it the Feast of the Nativity. This custom has been part of western culture ever since.
The Christmas Tree and Mistletoe
One of the symbols of the life found in the celebration of saturnalia, was the use of evergreens. These plants which stayed green all year long, were often used in different cultures as symbols of life and rebirth. They were sometime decorated as a form of worship in some cultures in religious ceremonies dealing with fertility.
Mistletoe was considered a curative plant and was used in many ancient medicine recipes. The Celts even believed that the plant, which is a parasite that lives on trees, contained the soul of the tree it lived on. The Druids used Mistletoe in their religious ceremonies. The Druid priests would cut it up and distribute it to the people who would place the cuttings over the doorways of their homes. This was supposed to protect the dwellers from various forms of evil.
What Day Was Jesus Really Born On?
No one knows for sure what month, not to mention which day, that Jesus was born on. Various theories have been raised that put Jesus’ birth in April, October, and September. But no one knows for sure.
Additionally, our calendar is inaccurate. It set about 4 years too late. This is known by comparing the biblical accounts of gospels and the extrabiblical records known about Quirinius, the governor of Syria (Luke 2:2) and Herod the Great (Matt. 2:19) who died in 4 B.C. in the year of Jesus’ birth. Humorously, that would make Jesus, born in 4 B.C.
Can the Christian Celebrate Christmas?
Is the Christian free to celebrate a holiday that not only has pagan origins, but also is used by the unbelieving world a promotion of commercialism? In my opinion, it depends.
The Christians must hold his standard of righteousness and devotion to God above those of the world. The Old Testament says that we are to worship God in truth according to the dictates that He has established (Exodus 20:1-4; 24:12-31:18). Christmas was not established by God. In addition, there are no records at all of the early church celebrating the birth of Christ.
On the other hand, there are those who say we have freedom Christ and can celebrate any day we want to. Paul says, “All things are lawful, though not all are profitable” (1 Cor. 6:12).
Should we then participate in the celebration of a festival origins and exceeding commercialism?
It is my opinion that we are free to celebrate the day. This is why.
In the Bible in 1 Cor. 10:23-33, Paul speaks about meat sacrificed to idols. This meat was often sold in the meat market and the question arose, “Should a Christian each such meat?” Paul said in verse 25, “Eat anything that is sold in the meat market, without asking questions for conscience’ sake.” The origins of the meat were, essentially, pagan. Many animals were raised for the purpose of sacrificing to pagan deities and their meat was offered in the market place. In reference to this Paul said it was okay to eat the meat.
Then in verses 28-29 he says, “But if anyone should say to you, ‘This is meat sacrificed to idols,’ do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake; 29I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?” (NASB). Paul is saying that if you are with someone who might be stumbled by your eating meat that was sacrificed to idols, then don’t eat it — not because of you, but because of the other person. In other words, eating that meat won’t affect you. The false gods are not real. They have no power.
1 Cor. 8:-7-9 echoes this idea. It says, “However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 9But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” Though this passage requires a bit more examination, it still carries the sense of freedom. And, Jesus has definitely set us free.
However, if you are not comfortable with this conclusion and you don’t want to celebrate Christmas, that is okay. You must answer to the Lord.
Sanctification
The Lord, through His sacrifice, has cleansed us of our sins. When we come in contact with Him, it was we who were cleansed. It is not Him who was made dirty. The woman with the issue of blood who touched Jesus (Mark 5:25-34) was made clean. It was not Jesus who was made dirty. Likewise Jesus touched the unclean lepers and cleansed them (Matt. 8:3). Jesus came in contact with many people and it was never Him who was dirtied. It was they who were cleansed.
I think this principle can be applied to Christmas. Yes, Christmas has pagan origins. Yes, it is a highly commercial time. Yes, many do not have their eyes on Jesus. But for the Christian it is a time to reflect upon the birth of our Lord and to celebrate. We are making the day holy.
________________
1. Because of its strong Catholic associations, Christmas was often opposed by those in the Protestant Reformation. This opposition was based largely on the belief that it contradicts the biblical teaching of the finality of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. (Cf. Heb. 9:12, 24-26; 10:10-14).
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I agree with you in a sense, but paganism is a religion whether you agree with it or not, and the way people celebrate is egotisical – that is what people are like – I am an athiest, so obviously I think that they are barking up the wrong tree, but apparently religious people REALLY do believe in god/ goddess etc!
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No, it is not. Sorry, but I refuse to wade through your monologue.
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The true meaning of Christmas is paganism. the New Catholic Encyclopedia observes under “Christmas”:
“The birth of Christ was assigned the date of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian calendar, January 6 in the Egyptian), because on this day, as the sun began its return to northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the invincible sun).”
Yes, Christmas has its roots in ancient pagan festivals. The New York Times explains: “Pope Liberius [in the fourth century] decided to absorb pagan observances by declaring Dec. 25 the official birthday of Jesus.
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