What are Holidays and Rituals?:
Holidays can serve to form a connection to your own past by evoking memories of past celebration. Holidays can form and reinforce connections with the friends and family with whom you celebrate. Holiday events can also create connections across an entire society as people develop parallel experiences which forge subtle bonds. Rituals and celebrations, as long as they are not empty of personal meaning, can be worth preserving. Rituals are not inherently irrational, but they can be irrational if they are simply followed for the sake of tradition, or because that is what is expected of you, etc. Holidays & Rituals
Holidays can serve to form a connection to your own past by evoking memories of past celebration. Holidays can form and reinforce connections with the friends and family with whom you celebrate. Holiday events can also create connections across an entire society as people develop parallel experiences which forge subtle bonds. Rituals and celebrations, as long as they are not empty of personal meaning, can be worth preserving. Rituals are not inherently irrational, but they can be irrational if they are simply followed for the sake of tradition, or because that is what is expected of you, etc. Holidays & Rituals
Revealing Atheism On Holidays: Should Atheists Mention Atheism on Holidays?:
Perhaps a core issue which will influence all others is whether or not those around you even know of your atheism. If they do, then they will be aware of the fact that you may feel, at the very least, uncomfortable or uninterested in the more religious aspects to the holiday season. But if they do not realize that you are an atheist, it will become much more difficult to assert yourself in any fashion and resist social pressures to conform to traditional religious observances.. So, should you tell them now, or keep quiet for the sake of family harmony? Revealing Atheism On Holidays
Perhaps a core issue which will influence all others is whether or not those around you even know of your atheism. If they do, then they will be aware of the fact that you may feel, at the very least, uncomfortable or uninterested in the more religious aspects to the holiday season. But if they do not realize that you are an atheist, it will become much more difficult to assert yourself in any fashion and resist social pressures to conform to traditional religious observances.. So, should you tell them now, or keep quiet for the sake of family harmony? Revealing Atheism On Holidays
Families and Holiday Traditions:
Perhaps the biggest loss in not attending religious ceremonies at a church and not participating in religion-themed rituals is the loss of joint family activities and the diminishing of a family tradition. If this bothers you and others in your family, you should entertain the possibility of developing some substitute activities and starting some new traditions which might genuinely include all of the family regardless of belief. Perhaps you'll decide to attend religious services anyway as a sign of respect, but finding alternatives may prove to be the best long-term solution. Families and Holiday Traditions
Perhaps the biggest loss in not attending religious ceremonies at a church and not participating in religion-themed rituals is the loss of joint family activities and the diminishing of a family tradition. If this bothers you and others in your family, you should entertain the possibility of developing some substitute activities and starting some new traditions which might genuinely include all of the family regardless of belief. Perhaps you'll decide to attend religious services anyway as a sign of respect, but finding alternatives may prove to be the best long-term solution. Families and Holiday Traditions
Atheism & Saying Grace: What Should Atheists Do When People Say Grace?:
A common tradition among many religions is to say some sort of thanks to their god for the food which people eat. As with participation in holiday services at churches, people who might otherwise never bother with "saying grace" the rest of the year can suddenly feel the urge to do so during the holidays in front of the rest of the family. This might occur either when you are visiting relatives in their homes, or even when they are visiting you in yours. What do you do? Atheism & Saying Grace
A common tradition among many religions is to say some sort of thanks to their god for the food which people eat. As with participation in holiday services at churches, people who might otherwise never bother with "saying grace" the rest of the year can suddenly feel the urge to do so during the holidays in front of the rest of the family. This might occur either when you are visiting relatives in their homes, or even when they are visiting you in yours. What do you do? Atheism & Saying Grace
Atheism & Celebrating Holidays:
Should you participate in acknowledging, much less celebrating, any aspect of a religious holiday? If a holiday has no other aspects to it but religion and religious ritual, there are few opportunities for atheists to participate. In such cases, if you do participate, it will likely be because some other factor like family unity weighs more heavily on you than does the principle of avoiding religion. Atheism & Celebrating Holidays
Should you participate in acknowledging, much less celebrating, any aspect of a religious holiday? If a holiday has no other aspects to it but religion and religious ritual, there are few opportunities for atheists to participate. In such cases, if you do participate, it will likely be because some other factor like family unity weighs more heavily on you than does the principle of avoiding religion. Atheism & Celebrating Holidays
Alternative Holidays for Atheists: What Are Atheists' Options?:
A question which faces many atheists is whether or not they should avoid prevalent religious holidays and instead adopt their own holidays. One method would be to develop new, uniquely atheist or humanist holidays - for example a celebration of historical developments in freethought. Another method is to adopt a holiday which is used by some but which might also have significance beyond religion, for example Winter Solstice. I cannot answer whether one or both of those will have any value, much less effect, in the long run - but I doubt it. Alternative Holidays for Atheists
A question which faces many atheists is whether or not they should avoid prevalent religious holidays and instead adopt their own holidays. One method would be to develop new, uniquely atheist or humanist holidays - for example a celebration of historical developments in freethought. Another method is to adopt a holiday which is used by some but which might also have significance beyond religion, for example Winter Solstice. I cannot answer whether one or both of those will have any value, much less effect, in the long run - but I doubt it. Alternative Holidays for Atheists
Finding Meaning in Holidays: What Can Holidays Mean for Atheists?:
An atheist might best approach the question of religious holidays and the creation of new atheist holidays by asking: What might this mean to me? Are you going to let Christians "win" by allowing them to decide what holidays like Christmas mean to everyone else, or are you willing to stand up and decide what it means for yourself? If you decide it means nothing, fine - say so and don't bother with it. However, if you think that you can find your own meanings in the celebration and activities of holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving, you should not be afraid to stand up and try to do so. Finding Meaning in Holidays
An atheist might best approach the question of religious holidays and the creation of new atheist holidays by asking: What might this mean to me? Are you going to let Christians "win" by allowing them to decide what holidays like Christmas mean to everyone else, or are you willing to stand up and decide what it means for yourself? If you decide it means nothing, fine - say so and don't bother with it. However, if you think that you can find your own meanings in the celebration and activities of holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving, you should not be afraid to stand up and try to do so. Finding Meaning in Holidays
Godless New Year's Resolutions:
Being an atheist doesn't require much effort. There aren't any creeds to memorize or religious services to attend regularly. So long as you don't believe in any gods, even if you never give the subject a second thought, you're an atheist. Never thinking about it may not be the best course of action in modern society, though. There are good reasons to think that making a conscious effort to be open and deliberate in your godlessness would be better for you and those around you. Godless New Year's Resolutions...
Being an atheist doesn't require much effort. There aren't any creeds to memorize or religious services to attend regularly. So long as you don't believe in any gods, even if you never give the subject a second thought, you're an atheist. Never thinking about it may not be the best course of action in modern society, though. There are good reasons to think that making a conscious effort to be open and deliberate in your godlessness would be better for you and those around you. Godless New Year's Resolutions...
Godless Thanksgiving:
There's a popular belief among some American Christians that the American Thanksgiving holiday is necessarily religious. Aside from the apparent desire to turn everything into an expression of their religion, the primary reason behind this seems to be the idea that the whole point must be to give thanks to their god - not any other gods, just theirs, thus making it a Christian holiday too. If this is true, then it makes no sense for non-Christians, or at least non-theists, to celebrate Thanksgiving. Godless Thanksgiving...
There's a popular belief among some American Christians that the American Thanksgiving holiday is necessarily religious. Aside from the apparent desire to turn everything into an expression of their religion, the primary reason behind this seems to be the idea that the whole point must be to give thanks to their god - not any other gods, just theirs, thus making it a Christian holiday too. If this is true, then it makes no sense for non-Christians, or at least non-theists, to celebrate Thanksgiving. Godless Thanksgiving...
Atheists, the Christian Right, and Christmas Traditions:
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? Godless Christmas...
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? Godless Christmas...
