Christmas has become generally secular in America, but despite (or perhaps because) of this, it has acquired an almost sacred and untouchable character which people defend to the utmost. Skeptics of Christmas are not received well; those who do object to something about Christmas usually portray themselves as actually defending a 'true' Christmas. I think, however, that a bit more skepticism of and dissent from Christmas would be better for everyone - it might even be better for Christmas.

 

Read Article: Bah, Humbug! Arguing Against Christmas

It's simultaneously depressing and amusing to see Christians blow a fuse over atheists doing little more than expressing an opinion and/or being public about what they think. One might get the impression that some Christians regard the public square -- and indeed the entire public realm -- as their own exclusive property. They certainly don't seem able to handle any sort of direct competition, disagreement, dissent, or criticism.

Case in point this time around is Jane Gilvary, a student at St. Joseph's University who is throwing a fit over the existence of a "Tree of Knowledge" erected in West Chester, PA, by the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia. As an alternative to traditional holiday displays, this "tree" is designed to promote the values of literacy, learning, and skepticism -- none of which seem to be accepted or appreciated by the complaining Christians. Jane Gilvary in particular regards it as little more than "denigrating" for Christians to have to deal with something other than a religious display this time of year. Read more...

Is Astrology an art or is it a science? This may seem like an odd question, but the fact of the matter is that astrologers appear to want to have it both ways. On the one hand, they claim that what they do is something like an art, requiring a particular "feel" for the nature of celestial events and human beings. On the other hand, they try to paint their work with the brush of scientific accuracy and validity in the hopes that such an association will help justify what they do.

Read Article: Is Astrology Art or Science?

Perhaps the mid-winter holiday season centered around Christmas should be a time of festivities, but in America many other things intrude as well. Atheists are faced with questions about whether they should participate and if they should reveal their atheism. Conservative Christians insist that Christmas is meaningless without their religion -- and say that both are under assault from atheists. Should parents lie to encourage belief in Santa? How reliable are gospels stories about the Nativity?

 

Read Article: Atheists, the Christian Right, and Christmas Traditions