Quote:

r3x29yz4a said:

All these "war on christmas" people are wrong to think its some secular thing, because Christmas itself is secular and about selling shit, so non-religious people don't really give a shit about it too much. Stores look to the largest profit base they can get. So they want Jews buying for hanukah (i can never spell it right) and for Muslims buying for Ramadan and for non-religious people buying for the commercial Christmas holiday.
Saying happy holidays is safe and risk-free.



Quote:

Wonder Boy said:

Y'know, what I find amazing about objections to Christmas, and any state or public mention of the word Christmas, is that even the most overtly religious symbols of Christmas celebration are largely just seasonal decorations at this point.

Even among Christians, I think it's perceived as a largely commercial and secular event at this point.



For decades here in South Florida, the Deerfield Beach Fire Department displayed a nativity scene on the front lawn of their firehouse at Hillsboro Blvd and Federal Highway. Despite that a nativity scene is a portrayal of the birth of Jesus, it really has no evangelical or religious purpose. It is arguably just part of the commercial trappings of the holiday.

There has been argument within the Christian community that exchanging gifts has marginalized the true meaning of Christmas, and completely eclipsed the message of the birth of a Messiah whose birth was prophecied in verses throughout Old Testament scripture, and fulfilled in the events of Jesus' birth, life, death and ressurection.

The Jehovah Witness church doesn't celebrate Christmas (or birthdays or other holidays for that matter), and I've met others who identify themselves as Christians who either individually as a family, or as a church community, do not celebrate Christmas with gifts or decoration, or other non-religious celebration.



I actually think Political Correctness and ACLU attacks on Christmas songs and decorations and so forth have had the opposite effect, of making Christians more vocal, fighting for the right to publicly practice their Christianity.
If atheists and other anti-Christian groups just shut their holes and allowed the subtle secularization/commercialization of Christmas to occur, they would be more satisfied with the result, as compared to unwittingly stirring up a revival by openly urinating on Christian tradition.


Jim Jackson [a self-proclaimed atheist] has voiced the sentiment that he enjoys the Christmas trappings, even though he is not a Christian.
I would venture to guess that G-man and many other atheists or agnostics feel similarly.
In my college years when I was agnostic, and even a bit hostile at times toward born-again Christians, I also still enjoyed celebrating Christmas every year.