Simple answer: Not all of us do.
I have friends that only celebrate the solstice. These are the atheists that keep with the tradition of how the holiday celebration started- by pagans rejoicing in the movement of the sun.
I have friends that put up a Festivus pole. Some place a Flying Spaghetti Monster on top of their tree. These examples are of the commercialism that has dominated the holiday for decades.
I have known some atheists who have Jewish heritage that will still celebrate Jewish holidays. It is a part of their culture.
Many go through the religious motions of Christmas because of pressure from society or their family.
Personally, Christmas has always been about my family traditions. My family has dozens of small things we do to celebrate the season. None of it really has anything to do with a baby in a manager.
Even though my family is religious, I grew up with my mother telling me that Jesus was not born in the winter months. I'm sure this thinking was not taught to her in Sunday School. I'm not sure where she was able to learn this knowledge but, nonetheless, she always taught it to me. (And she wonders how I ended up a godless heathen)
So, for me, Christmas as always been about presents, PJs on Christmas Eve, Santa Clause, breakfast burritos, story telling, leaving carrots for Rudolph, opening 'sister presents' on Christmas Eve and my mother reading Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Why do atheists celebrate Christmas? Because it's not and never was about your particular messiah.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Monday, December 16, 2013
Gay Cakes and Birth Control
Since I live in Denver I am hearing a lot about the local business owner that refused to bake a cake for a gay couple to celebrate their union.
I'm honestly torn by this.
On one hand, I have a lot of small business owners in my circle of family and friends. I would not want someone to tell these business owners to go against their own values. I believe that small business owners should have the right to run their establishment as they see fit.
On the other hand, the guy is being a bigot. It sucks. It's also illegal. We had a civil rights fight for a reason.
I'm not even sure if I would want a bigoted baker to bake me a cake...
I can understand why someone who opens a small store would want to run their business as they see fit and have a moral dilemma with serving customers who blatantly go against their values. I would not want to make a cake for a Nazi skinhead... But are Nazi skinheads a protected minority? Would I care in the moment?
On a much larger scale we have large businesses, with thousands of employees, pushing their religious beliefs on their employees. Hobby Lobby is one of the larger corporations trying to not have birth control covered by their employee's insurance. This is disgusting.
Religious churches are pushing their religious opinions on their patients. There are stories of women being denied even the option of terminating a pregnancy due to health issues for the baby and/or mother. This is terrifying.
I'm not sure what else to write about this. My internal struggle pulls back and forth on small vs large corporations and their individual rights.
I'm honestly torn by this.
On one hand, I have a lot of small business owners in my circle of family and friends. I would not want someone to tell these business owners to go against their own values. I believe that small business owners should have the right to run their establishment as they see fit.
On the other hand, the guy is being a bigot. It sucks. It's also illegal. We had a civil rights fight for a reason.
I'm not even sure if I would want a bigoted baker to bake me a cake...
I can understand why someone who opens a small store would want to run their business as they see fit and have a moral dilemma with serving customers who blatantly go against their values. I would not want to make a cake for a Nazi skinhead... But are Nazi skinheads a protected minority? Would I care in the moment?
On a much larger scale we have large businesses, with thousands of employees, pushing their religious beliefs on their employees. Hobby Lobby is one of the larger corporations trying to not have birth control covered by their employee's insurance. This is disgusting.
Religious churches are pushing their religious opinions on their patients. There are stories of women being denied even the option of terminating a pregnancy due to health issues for the baby and/or mother. This is terrifying.
I'm not sure what else to write about this. My internal struggle pulls back and forth on small vs large corporations and their individual rights.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Baton Rouge Follies
For Thanksgiving this year I went to visit my father and sisters in Louisiana.
My family is pretty understanding about my atheism. I'm one of the lucky ones who has a very loving family. I don't hide my non-belief and they don't confront me about it. Even though I have some very religious family members- some are even preachers- we don't let that come in the way of our time together.
It's everyone else's family members that are the damn problem.
I took a few hours and headed out to Baton Rouge for a quick visit with a good friend from college. We went to a gig for a local band, went to a bar and enjoyed some karaoke. In the matter of 5 short hours I was confronted numerous times about the stereotypes of atheist people.
At the band gig a girl from the audience came over to speak with my friend, let's call her Rachel. During the conversation they kept just saying 'Witness' and, being unaware of the shorthand, I asked if that meant Jehovah's Witness. (Rachel was but no longer is a JW and defines herself as an agnostic.) The girl said, "Yes and Rachel can talk to you all about that!" I replied that Rachel knows very well that I'm an atheist and we've spoken about it at length. The girl lost her smile, stared at me like I'd grown a second head and, without another word, walked away never to return.
A few minutes later a man that had been sitting next to me asked me to tell him more about atheism. I was happy to do so! I love dispelling stereotypes or answering questions about atheists! I asked him what he wanted to know.
"When atheists get together do they wear big long robes like the KKK and burn things?"
Seriously, dude? But, OK, I can handle that. This is why I don't mind talking to people about atheism. Somewhere along the way misconceptions like this happen. I explained to him what groups like mine do; social events, lectures, community service, etc. He seemed vaguely interested until his friend, who was a firefighter BTW, almost caught himself on fire while playing with the bonfire... The conversation about atheism stopped there. The firefighter was singed, but otherwise fine...and more than a little drunk.
At the next stop on this little adventure I met with one of Rachel's old flames, Matt, at a karaoke bar. He told Rachel how he was going the school to be a minister. He looked like the type of guy who, when he told you he was a minister, you immediately did not want to leave him alone with children...
Rachel's exact words, "Matt this is my friend Ruth. Ruth is the head of an atheist organization in Denver that has 1,400 members. GO!"I looked at Rachel like she had lost her damn mind.
Matt started right off the bat with, "I just think it takes a LOT more faith to be an atheist than to believe that there is a heaven." I was SO NOT in the mood for this played out argument.
"OK." I really did not want to engage with this guy.
"I just don't understand how someone can look around this world and not see the evidence of a creator."
By this point in the night I was tired, annoyed and just a little deaf by all the loud music so I let it go and just replied with, "OK."
"I just don't know how someone could be an atheist in this world."
LET IT GO, DUDE!!
Around this time someone started singing an Alicia Keys song or something (I actually hate karaoke and wasn't really paying attention) and the guy got distracted. Good thing for me.
When the guy at the band gig asked for information he really seemed curious about atheism- he was kidding about the robe thing, I'm sure. It was kinda funny- but he wasn't being mean spirited about it.
This Matt guy was just being a righteous asshole. You can't talk seriously to an asshole. It's a waste of time. All they have to offer to the conversation is shit.
My family is pretty understanding about my atheism. I'm one of the lucky ones who has a very loving family. I don't hide my non-belief and they don't confront me about it. Even though I have some very religious family members- some are even preachers- we don't let that come in the way of our time together.
It's everyone else's family members that are the damn problem.
I took a few hours and headed out to Baton Rouge for a quick visit with a good friend from college. We went to a gig for a local band, went to a bar and enjoyed some karaoke. In the matter of 5 short hours I was confronted numerous times about the stereotypes of atheist people.
At the band gig a girl from the audience came over to speak with my friend, let's call her Rachel. During the conversation they kept just saying 'Witness' and, being unaware of the shorthand, I asked if that meant Jehovah's Witness. (Rachel was but no longer is a JW and defines herself as an agnostic.) The girl said, "Yes and Rachel can talk to you all about that!" I replied that Rachel knows very well that I'm an atheist and we've spoken about it at length. The girl lost her smile, stared at me like I'd grown a second head and, without another word, walked away never to return.
A few minutes later a man that had been sitting next to me asked me to tell him more about atheism. I was happy to do so! I love dispelling stereotypes or answering questions about atheists! I asked him what he wanted to know.
"When atheists get together do they wear big long robes like the KKK and burn things?"
Seriously, dude? But, OK, I can handle that. This is why I don't mind talking to people about atheism. Somewhere along the way misconceptions like this happen. I explained to him what groups like mine do; social events, lectures, community service, etc. He seemed vaguely interested until his friend, who was a firefighter BTW, almost caught himself on fire while playing with the bonfire... The conversation about atheism stopped there. The firefighter was singed, but otherwise fine...and more than a little drunk.
At the next stop on this little adventure I met with one of Rachel's old flames, Matt, at a karaoke bar. He told Rachel how he was going the school to be a minister. He looked like the type of guy who, when he told you he was a minister, you immediately did not want to leave him alone with children...
Rachel's exact words, "Matt this is my friend Ruth. Ruth is the head of an atheist organization in Denver that has 1,400 members. GO!"I looked at Rachel like she had lost her damn mind.
Matt started right off the bat with, "I just think it takes a LOT more faith to be an atheist than to believe that there is a heaven." I was SO NOT in the mood for this played out argument.
"OK." I really did not want to engage with this guy.
"I just don't understand how someone can look around this world and not see the evidence of a creator."
By this point in the night I was tired, annoyed and just a little deaf by all the loud music so I let it go and just replied with, "OK."
"I just don't know how someone could be an atheist in this world."
LET IT GO, DUDE!!
Around this time someone started singing an Alicia Keys song or something (I actually hate karaoke and wasn't really paying attention) and the guy got distracted. Good thing for me.
When the guy at the band gig asked for information he really seemed curious about atheism- he was kidding about the robe thing, I'm sure. It was kinda funny- but he wasn't being mean spirited about it.
This Matt guy was just being a righteous asshole. You can't talk seriously to an asshole. It's a waste of time. All they have to offer to the conversation is shit.
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