Christians’ war on Christmas
17 December 2009 by Stardust
A growing number of Christians are upset with the materialistic side of Christmas that is promoted by corporate America. But is it really the fault of the corporations that people have grown to be so materialistic? The fault really lies with the comsumer and those who bury themselves in debt year after year in order to buy their little Christian offspring and other family members and friends all the trinkets and baubles they can squeeze from their credit limits.
A person doesn’t need to be a Christian to be sick of the materialism and greed that this season brings. And this commercial side of Christmas is not a new thing. Kids have eagerly waited for Santa Claus to bring them gifts for centuries. But as the years have passed, the commercialism has grown more and more out of control. The “reason for the season” has evolved into spending marathons. The religious aspect of the holiday is less and less important to more and more folks as the years go by, and the holy is being replaced with the material.
On one hand, for the atheists this is good news. Christianity is fading fast and at the doing of the Christians themselves. We just have to sit back and watch it all happen. We will get the blame, of course while no god comes to stop the greed and madness. Few Christians want to stop buying the toys, and all the goodies for their children, family and friends.
Christian Group Launches New Attack on Christmas Commercialism
. . .to a growing group of Christians, this focus on the commercial aspect of Christmas is itself the greatest threat to one of Christianity’s holiest days. “It’s the shopping, the going into debt, the worrying that if I don’t spend enough money, someone will think I don’t love them,” says Portland pastor Rick McKinley.
Where does this idea actually come from, though? Don’t church leaders themselves teach this idea that the more money you give their imaginary friend the more good that will come their way in return? On one hand they teach that “money is the root of all evil”, but at the same time they preach “send God your money” and “remember to tithe as the Bible instructs us to do”. Send by check, money order and credit card. They don’t care where the money comes from. God needs it. The focus in churches usually is about money. God does not provide. The “Almighty Dollar” does.
Don’t blame us atheists, god believers. Blame yourselves and your money-centered religion. Money makes the world go round, and your churches cannot operate without it. You have to have the big buildings, the fancy pews, and all that goes into your social clubs you call churches while there are people in the world starving and living in poverty. You just look the other way and “pray” to relieve your guilt. It is no surprise that money and material things have become more important to you than your religious beliefs. Praise the almighty dollar from whom everything flows.
The Religious Right has spent decades casting secular culture as the enemy. And yet instead of critiquing the values of the consumer marketplace, many conservative Christians have embraced it as the battleground they seek to reclaim.
18 December 2009, on 12:26 am
Hello!
“Christianity is fading fast and at the doing of the Christians themselves.”
Sorry, but I disagree on this one. These people are digging in their heels and lubing their guns (is that what they do?) and getting ready for war. Thankfully they talk much more than they act but it does not represent a positive for us either way. Read some http://912communique.ning.com/page/vent-20 as an example.
I think our strides have more to do with those of us us speaking up and forcing action rather than our increasing numbers and their demise.
I’m surprised every time a younger person admits their faith to me. I will never understand the attraction of their delusion.
Well, I feel sick; time for another Freedom from Religion Foundation Donation. Keep on fighting!
18 December 2009, on 1:17 am
The thing is Christopher, is do they really believe what they are professing? They say one thing and live in total contradiction. The ones who are ready to go to war for their beliefs and risk their lives or give their lives are very small in numbers. Most Christians would walk away from their religion if it came to actually having to physically defend it. The ones who are left, however are worrisome just as the Islamist extremist who suicide themselves for their invisible sky boss. But as for “true believers” I think there are very few. They just don’t admit it openly. That’s why their temples are so full of “wordly” things.
18 December 2009, on 2:16 pm
[pedantic] The quote is “the love of money is the root of all evil,” and it is from Timothy 6:10. [/pedantic]
18 December 2009, on 2:55 pm
This perennial conflict has, IMO, sort of taken a back seat to the Health Care and constant “Tea Bagger” insanity. I think most people have gotten rather bored with how stupid the whole argument is.
Like…
“Celebrate the fucking holiday any way that turns you on, (asshole)! Who really gives a flying fuck whether you’re religious or not. Go ahead…spend yourself deeper into debt…have a ball…but PLEASE…shut the fuck up about it; and turn that fucking crappy Xmas music off…SHEESH!
In short…
HUMBUG, I SAY!” (Grinch!, Grinch!)
OK…Actually; at least to all you Gifster ‘comrades’…
Have a wonderful godless holiday…Solstice, or otherwise.
A bit early, but “All the Best in 2010!”
For more about the yearly Xmas BS…”with all due respect to GifS” & “Having said that”…I suggest checking out Austin Cline’s Site; he’s been dregging up, as usual, just about every relevant article about the subject from as far back as ca. 2006; with plenty of comments Pro & Con.
(Yeah…enough to get you BARFINGLY sick & tired of the subject?)
Most of you probably know the link…
http://atheism.about.com/
I guess, considering how slow it’s been around here (OOPS! ahem!), I should add…
“But PLEASE…”Don’t you go away mad”…come back here and join in the frantic merriment and excitement we’re all raring to have…riggsht here.”
I’m pretty sure KA, and Stardust, can attest to that…considering all the extremely exciting activity, here, as of the last week or so. (snark!)
19 December 2009, on 4:13 pm
Did everyone find Jeebus or what? Where is everybody these days?
19 December 2009, on 5:00 pm
I don’t think Christianity is fading. I think it is shedding a portion of the marginal Christians, the kind that only go to church on Easter and a Christmas. But it feels like those remaining as Christians are becoming more and more conservative, and more and more vocal. Just look at the republican party, they are few in number that they have been in the past, but the members are more hard core than before.
The fight against materialism by most Christians is disingenuous. It feels as if the only reason they rally against the perceived materialism, is as a distraction from the own “materialistic” practices. If it were a true fight against materialism then there would be more protests against the “Prosperity Gospel preachers.” Instead, they are among the most famous and respected of Christian leaders.
On the other hand it’s still fun to wage war against Christmas.
19 December 2009, on 6:57 pm
Star,
Still lurking, just not commenting. But if you insist I can fill you in on my personal war with Christmas.
Today I lied to my landlords. They asked me if I had plans for Christmas. I lied because I suspected they were going to invite me for Christmas dinner with their family if I told them I had no plans (and didn’t want any). They are Seventh-day Adventists and, despite that, are very nice people who do lots of charity work. Also to their credit, they have never pushed their religion on me or even asked me if I was a believer. I’m sure their dinner would be a nice affair but I’m also sure there would more religion in it than I could take, (saying grace and crap like that). My experience has always been people have trouble taking no for an answer especially if you are single and live alone. They are convinced you must be desperately seeking company no matter how much you say otherwise. I guess it’s beyond their comprehension that some people think differently than they do. I find it much easier to say I’m going out of town. That eliminates the dreaded badgering.
19 December 2009, on 7:51 pm
People who don’t like to be told “Happy Holidays” just hate New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. Even the most religious will stay home from work on New Year’s Day, so don’t tell me that “holiday” shouldn’t be plural.
I take it as a given that they already hate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and the Winter Solstice.
20 December 2009, on 8:54 am
Captain Al I have to agree with you that people assume because you are single you are desperate for company.
I do agree that the more extreme versions of christianity are in decline but because the media is slated as it is they get more air time. I don’t think Christmas has ever really been that much about the religious aspect as it has been about the festive aspect. Many cultures had some type of festive event at this time of year and to get more people to focus on christianity, the birth of Jesus was incorporated into them
20 December 2009, on 3:23 pm
Baconsbud makes a good point. There would be no “war on xmas” if it wasn’t for our mainstream media’s fixation on all things both highly emotional and borderline stupid.
A vocal minority of the gratuitously religious and otherwise paranoid have always had an unfounded fear of the secular world. The media (particularly Faux “News”) takes advantage of this and helps maintain a symbiotic relationship in which their audience agrees to watch reports of (cue nafarious sounding music) the “war on xmas,” thereby justifying their righteous indignation, and the media agrees to continue brodcasting this non-sense ad nauseum.
As Holytape pointed out, the whole thing is silly, considering that, at least in my experience, a good number of the people railing against the materialism of this holiday (and I will agree, it is very materialistic), tend to be neo-Calvanists, subscribing to the gospel of prosperity. A good number of these people will make sure that their kids still receive the “it” toy this and every xmas.
24 December 2009, on 6:44 am
I am an atheist and I don’t have any opposition to materialism.
20 January 2010, on 1:46 pm
I just love it when I find blog sites like this, because when people reach out and poke God in the nose because they lack the ability to reach out with heart and mind to find that there is a God.
From the moderator: We simply lack the ability to delude ourselves. We lack the ability to retain the need for an imaginary friend. Grow up…
It shows a fear of that touch to be as one with God and all this fighting over who is right and wrong within a Church of diffrent faiths.
No, it shows that we understand that there are many people in this world delude themselves and the fear is that you want to interject your whacky beliefs into our secular government and schools.
Science seeks proof and the secret is simple, it tucked away in what is called a soul.
Where are these souls? Where is your evidence for the existence of a “soul”. What does it look like? I am sure that Harvard and Princeton and other big name universities around the world would love to see your proof.
When I write thing such as the following, I give a great big thant you to God for writing this for me…
I wish to be allowed to share this concept with you,the people United States Of America.
YOU, a human being are writing this…no god comes, no god comes to prevent disasters, no god prevents children from being raped by adults whom they trust to care for them, no god hears the cries of the hungry and impoverished, no god comes to clarify disagreements between warring nations. No god comes, because god is imaginary.
From the date of September 11, 2001 I have watched this Nation slowly die and this war has taken on a thought, a concept, that makes me feel unsafe.
And no god came…and humans committed the horrendous acts of 911 in the name of their imaginary friend just like GW went to war in Iraq because his imaginary friend told him to.
There are no gods. Humans hurt each other or help each other…or are indifferent. Nothing happens without human action, good or bad. Things don’t get done because of human inaction. No god comes…GODS ARE IMAGINARY. Religion is just to control the masses. It’s a power tool to gain control or large numbers of people.
(The rest of your comment was omitted because you will not use this site to advertise your religious propaganda website.