“Curious how many of you out there have had a similar experience. Any things you would now like to claim as your own, and not as a result of God randomly choosing to make it happen for you?”

I’m curious to know why you are curious about this. Are you seeking validation?

Also, now that you are an atheist, are you still going to take Christmas day off this year? What about the exchanging of gifts? Are you still going to have a tree and all, or are you in boycott mode? Just curious

Mark

This is a comment I received, and it got me thinking about why people seem to think that having a tree is solely a Christian tradition, and why taking Christmas Day off is considered celebrating the Christian religion.  So, let me answer the comment above point by point.

1. I’m curious, because I’m sure there are others out there who have gone through the same thing I have and have stories to share.  I’ve been proven correct.  I don’t need validation for what I think about things coming together as I’ve been on both sides of the fence and have hard proof through my own experience.
2. I’m not an atheist.  I have been decently clear on this point on this blog.  I don’t believe there is one guy in the sky, nor do I believe the Bible is the perfect word from this guy in the sky.  I believe the Bible is a historical text, at best.  Now, that being said, I’m not sure that there is nothing out there either.  I’m not convinced that there isn’t some sort of energy that connects all of us.  I’m not convinced there is, either.
3. Yes, I will be taking Christmas Day off this year… it is a nationwide holiday… one that my Company pays me to take off.  It is a great time to spend with family and friends, and I treat it as such.
4. Again, yes, I will have a tree.  Trees and evergreen and holly, etc. are NOT just Christian traditions and in fact many started well before Christianity as a celebration of the winter solstice.  Many pagan religions also used evergreen trimmings.  The Romans used holly wreaths and evergreen clippings in a ritual to celebrate Saturn. (http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_tree.htm)
5. Yes, I will exchange gifts, meaningful gifts.  I like to give gifts all year round, I find that at this time of year, I’m able to see members of my family that I don’t see any other time and it is a great time to give them gifts in person.  Giving gifts is not something that is just for Christians, you know.

So, I’m curious Mark (and any others who feel the same way he does about this topic), do you know that you aren’t even celebrating Christ’s birthday in December… as it has been pretty well agreed that he was most likely born in the spring?  Will you admit that there are MANY celebrations that take place this time of year that started well before Christmas that are as celebratory as Christmas is?

Why are some Christians so up tight about other celebrations taking place?  They have been going on for many centuries… before Christ was on the planet.  Let everyone celebrate, enjoy their families, enjoy the turn of the season, enjoy their religious traditions.  I see the joy that my Christian friends get from the holiday, and it is equal to the joy I get from the holiday.  Why is it that some Christians think they are the only people on the planet who get to celebrate something in the winter?  Get over yourselves… maybe you’ll be able to celebrate more if you just focus on what it is you’re doing, and not so much on what others are doing.

You go through the whole New Testament and you’ll find case after case where Jesus kind of holds back a little bit, or stops short, and maybe it’s not outright lying but it ain’t the truth, either. Same with the guys who wrote the gospels. How else can you explain the fact that they all contradict each other? Somebody was lying, right?

It’s always nice to see a blogger I love point out the obvious.

I think about these things a lot… what if:

• I’d never been told about the Bible
• I didn’t know about Jesus
• My family never raised me as a Christian
• I’d never stepped foot into a church

I especially think about these things the more  meet people who never grew up in church, knowing the Bible, or knowing about Jesus.  When I ask them about their guilt, worry of hell, etc… most (not all, I’ll admit) tell me they just don’t worry about it.  They are interested in philosphies, and thinking about the World, and how it got here, and where we came from… but they don’t think about it in terms of some guy in the sky who is going to send them to hell if they think about these things, and come up with an answer that is different than what they’ve been told to think from the age of five.

I have worked through a lot of the feelings I used to get, like guilt and fear, but there are still times it hits me.  Usually when I least expect it.  Then I think, what if I had never known it the way I did.  What if it was just another theory.  Then I remind myself, that really… that is how things are for me now.  It is just another theory… and just happens to be a theory that I’ve decided is not the one I believe in.

How have you worked through these feelings?  Or, if you’ve never been a part of organized religion… have you ever had feeilngs of guilt or worry?  Would love ot hear thoughts from both sides.

Photo:  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

According to the LA times, even Jesus Christ and Darth Vader are seeing a slow down in revenues.  Down on Hollywood Blvd., people have stopped putting money in their hats.  Poor Jesus… guess he’ll need to bring back the old ‘miracle act’.