Hello, Right Atheist here. I believe my counterpart forgot to begin with the proper formalities. Let's start with why this blog exists. I am an atheist. Truman, my buddy, is an atheist. I am very conservative. He is very liberal. Are we seeing how this ties in to the name of the blog? Here's the deal, we both have radically different views on anything political, yet we are both part of a religious minority, so we decided to defend the atheist-ness of our lives by arguing and complaining about stuff just like other people do, except we get to do it from an atheist's point of view. That being said, our writing style and, ultimately, the tone of this blog will evolve over time and end up as something not yet known, but at its conception, this is our goal. View life from the perspective of an atheist, conservative or liberal.
CHRISTMAS!
Good call Truman, a nice little topic to start with. I agree with Truman, I celebrate Christmas. I'm not sure I agree with some of the reasoning behind why Truman celebrates Christmas though. It seems kind of a stretch that Truman would be celebrating the birth of a great guy named Jesus if he didn't believe Jesus was god. We'll just chalk that particular paragraph of Truman's entry up to "Truman was looking for any and all ways to defend his celebration of Christmas". Here's how I defend my choosing to celebrate Christmas as an Atheist.I don't believe in god. I want to celebrate a holiday. I will. That's the joy of not having a religion! If I were Jewish, celebrating Christmas would be a no-no. Same if I were Muslim. By not being tied down to a religion, I can celebrate the holidays of any religion I choose! Granted, I will never be deep and emotional about the "true meaning" of any said holiday, but when there is hot cocoa, presents, trees, shiny things, and good music, I choose to participate. How many families truly treat Christmas as a celebration of Christ? Not mine. . . and I'm the only atheist in my family.
What if Christmas really were a celebration of Christ's birth? What if every family spent Christmas eve praying and reading the bible and discussing Mary and Joseph's trip through Bethlehem? Would I celebrate Christmas? No. I'd remove myself from the festivities and go occupy myself some other way. Nowadays we don't see this kind of religious devotion on Christmas, so I celebrate it. Ever tried to swim up river? That's like being an atheist. Ever tried to swim up river while being attacked by birds? That's like trying to not celebrate Christmas.
Rambling aside, I pick my battles. Why should I fight against cookies and Santa for fear of being misinterpreted as a Christian when in reality, Jesus doesn't play a huge role in Christmas anymore?
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Haha, I like your point of view Michael. However, you've probably not been to many Christmas celebrations outside of your family in the past years because you are a part of your family, but I know many families who gather to celebrate Christmas with the main focus on Christ. Every family is different and has their own traditions. Regardless, I thought your blog was quite entertaining. Also, I like the idea of this blog in general. You and Truman will make a pretty good team, I'm sure.
It seems kind of a stretch that Truman would be celebrating the birth of a great guy named Jesus if he didn't believe Jesus was god. We'll just chalk that particular paragraph of Truman's entry up to "Truman was looking for any and all ways to defend his celebration of Christmas".We have several holidays that celebrate the birth (or at least the existence) of a great guy. Nobody thinks those guys named George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (now unceremoniously crammed into one day) are gods. Ditto for that great guy Martin Luther King. And Christopher Columbus. (True, some people think that Labor is a god; and maybe so since there is little historic evidence of his or her corporeal presence on Earth.) None of these holidays is celebrated with the same enthusiasm as Christmas; but perhaps Truman is celebrating Jesus with the same kind of appreciation he has (or might have) for MLK or for Descartes or for some other important philosopher who doesn't have an official day, and leaving the worship to others.
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