Non Christians celebrating Christian Holidays

I don't know about a lot of you, but I have a lot of non-Christian friends who see nothing wrong with celebrating Easter, Christmas, and today Good Friday. Why do they do this? And if anyone here isn't Christian, do you celebrate these holidays and why?

Maybe being brought up Catholic I was taught to take a "show no mercy" standpoint against the matter, but some of my Christian friends agreed with me. Heck, my friend Brandon, and Apache Indian, is going to church Sunday because he believes in Jesus just not God.

I find this as an act of hypocrisy, especially when Atheists celebrate these holidays.

Thoughts? Comments?

 

It doesnt bother me when they celebrate Easter, or Christmas or anything like that. What does bother me is when they want to take Jesus Christ out of the holidays because he offends them.

There was one guy in Arkansas wanting to get people to sign a petition to legally change the name of Christmas to Winterfest so all can celebrate it without being hounded by religious meanings and what not.

If youre going to celebrate the holidays accept the reason of them and not expect others to change for you.

 

I agree with you somewhat, Mike. I do think it's wrong. My whole family is christian, so i know and understand what you mean. But the way it seems, over the centuries, this routine has come up.

 

It doesnt bother me when they celebrate Easter, or Christmas or anything like that. What does bother me is when they want to take Jesus Christ out of the holidays because he offends them.

I agree. I hate it when people completely change the meaning.

Christmas is about Christ's birth, not about Santa Claus. The giving part is good, but it's usually giving without thinking about the real meaning.

Same with Easter. It's not about the Easter Bunny. It's not about candy. It's about Jesus' ressurection.

There actually used to be a town somewhere in the south where it was illegal to celebrate Christmas.

 

Everything You Might Want to Know about Easter

 

Well, in the US a majority or at least a plurality of the people are Christians, so many Christian holidays are all but adopted as National holidays. Sure, sometimes they'll throw in a symbol from another religion or two to make things more PC, and occasionally a non-Christian holiday makes it big commercially (Hallowe'en, anyone?), but for the most part it's things like Christmas and Easter that get the attention. And non-Christians celebrate 'em because, hey, if you're getting a day off work or something, then why not take it?

 

Most Christian holidays are just co-opted pagan holidays anyway.

 

I find it kind of humourous, but I generally don't have a problem with it.

 

I don't have a problem with it. The days themselves are not what really matter, it's the meaning. If others want to celebrate the day for tradition's sake, and get nothing more out of it than presents and family time, it doesn't really matter. All that matters to me is what's in my own heart and life, and what I'm thinking of throughout the day.

 

Not much I can do but take the day off when my place of work is closed for the day.

I'm not going to complain though.

As for how you "celebrate" the holiday, do as you want. Me, I just enjoy having the day off, could care less about the meaning of it.

If others are so offended by this, I would be more than happy to take another, non-christian holiday off. Except in society today, I am in the minority, and don't really have that option, and must conform to the days that christians deem are holiday worthy.

Latre!

 

I thought Halloween was a Christian holiday . . . "All Hallows Eve" or something.

 

Found this on the web. They had more, but it would have taken up too much space.


1. Where does Halloween come from?

Our modern celebration of Halloween is a descendent of the ancient Celtic fire festival called "Samhain". The word is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with cow.

2. What does "Samhain" mean?

The Irish English dictionary published by the Irish Texts Society defines the word as follows: "Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May, during which troops (esp. the Fiann) were quartered. Faeries were imagined as particularly active at this season. From it the half year is reckoned. also called Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess).(1) The Scottish Gaelis Dictionary defines it as "Hallowtide. The Feast of All Soula. Sam Fuin = end of summer."(2) Contrary to the information published by many organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate that Samhain was a deity. The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "lord of death" as such.


Latre!

 

he believes in Jesus just not God.

Wait a minute. What's wrong with that? I believe in Jesus too, although I'm not a Christian. I believe there was a person called Jesus who was crucified on what's now Good Friday. Whether or not he was the Messiah is a different question. In any case, I think even non-Christians can appreciate the fact that humanity as a whole benefitted from Jesus because it was a direct result of his having lived that a billion people now follow a moral code that prevents them from killing others and doing a variety of other socially-destabilizing things.

As far as whether non-Christians are entitled to celebrate Christian holidays, I think it depends very much on what you mean by celebrate. A number of Christian holidays have taken on cultural and commercial meanings independent of their religious significance, and I don't think there's anything wrong with non-Christians participating in those things if they choose to (or, alternatively, having the right to avoid those things if they don't want other people's holidays thrust upon them). Exchanging Christmas cards, for example, is something people generally do to show they're thinking of one another, not an act of piety.

 

It doesnt bother me when they celebrate Easter, or Christmas or anything like that. What does bother me is when they want to take Jesus Christ out of the holidays because he offends them.

Can I get an Amen?!?! I mean, why take out those holidays for that reason. If that were the case, would that be racist agianst other beliefs? I highly think so. Plus, wouldn't pretty soon, many more items containing God in their sentences or even in their background would prove to be extinct sooner or later?

 

I see no problem with it. From what I recall, scripture doesn't limit holiday celebrations to just Christians. Christ was a rather accepting person. He dined and associated with the scum of society in His day. There are many things written about Him dining and associating with prostitutes, tax collectors, beggars, Samaritans, gentiles, and other kinds of people which weren't held in high esteem by the rest of society or His fellow Jews. Christ died for us all, even those who don't believe in Him, so why should we keep non-Christians from celebrating Him as well??

 

Im a muslim, I dont celebrate christmass, but I do like the time of year, good TV. And the best bit, work during crimbo, get paid double, treble, quadraple time! Good for the bank balance.

 

It kind of annoys me when tell me I can't take christ out of a holiday, myself.

I celebrate these 'christian' holidays (Which conveniently happen to fall on pagan feast days, the co mingling of religion way back when happened) because of tradition. We've always done it. The only tradition I've taken out is that I no longer go to church. I figure it waters down the faith for a heathen like myself to be in a church. And I get bored anyway

If I want to Celebrate Santa claus day, or fertility symbol day (Eggs and rabbits I believe come from pagan symbolds of fertility and life, and the rabbit and egg can also be converted to christian symbols of rebirth.) let me.

I'll still call it 'Christmas' and 'Easter' though.

FWIW, I believe jesus existed, but I don't believe in the christian God.

You celebrate the way you want, I'll celebrate the way I want and well.. don't get your panties in a bunch about it.

My religion is freefoodianity, and the day after easter is a holy day for me because all fo the chocolate is half price.

I declare that easter monday be renamed to 'Cheap Chocolate Day' XD

 

My religion is freefoodianity, and the day after easter is a holy day for me because all fo the chocolate is half price.

I declare that easter monday be renamed to 'Cheap Chocolate Day'

AMEN!!!!!!!!


Don't really celebrate the Christian holidays except for Christmas since it has taken a secular life of its own.

 

I was a Christian but I lost faith in the religion, so I don't bother now celebrating these holidays anymore. Most holidays now are too commercial and people seem to forget or don't know the meaning of these holidays.

 

I'm an athist and so is my entire family, but tommorow we'll be meeting at my grandmother house for an easterdinner.

Here in Denmark where I live christmas is called Jul which is an old pagan word for the celebration of the start of a new year. It's a holliday where you get together with your family and and show your love for them. I think that in most families in Denmark there is very little religious content, if any, in all of the days.

-Mulacki

 

Why can't people just celebrate whatever and however they want?

What right does anyone have to tell someone they shouldn't observe a holiday because they don't believe in that religion?

Sheesh.

 

Guinastasia, I agree one hundred procent.


-Mulacki

 

IMHO, ArtyEwok has the right idea. Just what was this First Amendment thing anyway if not a freedom to worship when and how we want? If someone wants to go to take Good Friday off or go to church on Easter, more power to them. They've identified with their higher power (I purposely do not say god or God there) and that's a good thing.

Having someone who doesn't believe your definition of God sit next to you in a pew may offend your religious sensibility, but it's his right to worship how he wants. That also goes for this Christmas to Winterfest thing. If that guy wants to give Winterfest gifts to his friends and family, that's fine, but don't force me to stop calling my holiday Christmas.

I guess I should close by saying that my tolerance comes to me from being Presby most of my life with a Jewish heritage. Truly, I believe that none of us - Christian, Jewish, Muslim, whatever - will not know until the end of time if our definition of "god" is correct or not. Until then, we have to live according to whatever religious texts we believe in, but resist the temptation to force our texts down others throats when they don't agree.

 

Christmas is about Christ's birth, not about Santa Claus. The giving part is good, but it's usually giving without thinking about the real meaning.

Anyone else find this amusing? Christmas orginally wasn't about Christ's birth either. That's a made up reason, just put there to make it easier for Pagan's to convert to Christianity.

 

I don't call this Easter; it's the feast of Maximum Occupancy.

E_S