Coopernundrums » atheism

Gloriously Hedonistic Annual Jaunt

JayCooper — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:23:06 +0000

It’s that time of year again. The gloriously hedonistic annual jaunt through that labyrinth filled with religious land mines called XMAS. As I get older I have noticed that I loath xmas more and more each year. I find that as soon as the turkey is all gobbled up, my mind begins an old internal struggle. Should atheists ignore xmas or celebrate It?

I know that many do generally because they always have and don’t want to change. Some even say that it should be replaced by a more inclusive, general holiday. Part of me feels that all such holidays should be ignored by atheists altogether. A more humane holiday should be global and universal, equally relevant to all humans, regardless of their cultural heritage or where they live.

The idea that xmas is a purely christian holiday is actually a myth perpetuated by the majority that happen to actually be christians. (link to post on this here) Many atheists don’t believe that Jesus existed, and those who do don’t regard him as having been anyone special. No atheists are christians, so why bother participating in such a holiday? It’s arguable that participating makes christianity seem more popular than it really is, not to mention giving christians an unjustified ego boost.

I feel that atheists celebrating xmas can often cause more harm than good by arming conservative evangelical christians with the perceived argument that America is essentially a christian nation. The more popular and important christian holidays are in America, the easier it is to claim that there is something about christianity which is fundamental to America’s culture. It’s not a very good argument and this isn’t very good support for it, but why offer them even this bit of help?

Long ago I lost the struggle being an atheist parent who celebrates xmas, weather or not to perpetuate the Santa Claus myth. This required me to lie to my kids. Yes, it is a lie. There’s not a nicer way of describing what one does when telling small children that Santa Claus visits every house on the planet delivering presents to children via a flying sleigh pulled by “magic” ruminants. If I had it to do it over I would have left this out of my children’s lives Aside from the joy of engrossing oneself in pure fantasy I find no value in it. In fact in many ways I feel it may even be a mild form of indoctrination. There are always very strong incentives to do what other parents are doing. Not celebrating xmas and not telling kids about Santa could have caused my children to be ostracized from others above and beyond what simply being an atheist tends to do already. At the same time, though, the numbers of religious minorities who also don’t participate are increasing, thus increasing the numbers of kids who are “different.” Being different isn’t easy, but who wants to be a hypocrite just to fit in?

One possible reason for atheists to celebrate xmas is that it has become increasingly secularized over time and there is little sign of the process stopping soon. Arguments against xmas remain, but atheist participation in xmas actually helps serve the cause of removing it from its various christian and pagan roots. There are good reasons why many christians are upset over the current state of christmas, and those may be good reasons for atheists to keep the changes in motion.

Some folks will read this and think it is an attack on a cherished holiday. Others may take away that I am a hard-line non- conformist that wants to openly besmirch christianity in general. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I enjoy all the pagan, secular aspects of the holiday. I just don’t like the feeling of being under fire that comes along with its observance.

Pledge to Know the Facts

JayCooper — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 23:03:00 +0000

The pledge of allegiance was written by the socialist minister and magazine editor Francis Bellamy in 1892 for a nationwide public school celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s landing. Bellamy had hoped that the pledge would be used by citizens in any country. Bellamy was a well-known ”Christian Socialist” whose beliefs involved some pretty unsavory bents. I will leave you with one of his most often quoted statements as an example.

“(a)democracy like ours cannot afford to throw itself open to the world where every man is a lawmaker, every dull-witted or fanatical immigrant admitted to our citizenship is a bane to the commonwealth; where all classes of society merge insensibly into one another.”

The Pledge in its original form it read:

“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, New York became the first state to mandate that public school students recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of each school day. Many states followed suit, and the pledge remained a staple of the daily routine in most schools. The pledge recital itself was accompanied by a salute which Bellamy and one of his colleagues invented. It consisted of a hand over heart motion ending with the extension of the arm pointing to the flag. Look close at the image here. Does the ending of the salute look familiar? Yup, that’s right folks that is the same salute the Nazi’s adopted in their own socialist escapades.

The Bellamy Salute. Look familiar?

In 1923, the words, “the Flag of the United States of America” were added.

At this time it read:

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words “under God,” creating the 31-word pledge as it is usually spoken today. Bellamy’s daughter objected to this alteration.

Today it reads:

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

The next time you state the pledge try to remember the facts. What we view as a very patriotic and religious salute was and really still is anything but a good thing. Allegiance to any symbol or person or belief without intelligent thought and discussion behind it is worthless and dangerous.

The Interjection of Faith and 1st Greet

JayCooper — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:28:23 +0000

It is hard as an atheist not to interject when hearing people proclaim their religious beliefs. This doesn’t offend me personally because I have empirical evidence to back up my version of reality, and someone else’s opinion doesn’t change that. I often find my self feeling offended myself when I hear people who I believe to be otherwise brilliant people following what I consider odd superstitions and strange rituals. These days I try hard to rein myself in and not make comments that I feel might upset religious folk because it is important to remember that EVERYONE has a right to believe the way they want to.

This doesn’t work most of the time though because as I try to check my own comments most religious folk don’t have such a verbal or mental filter. They consider anyone that does not agree with their beliefs an affront to their beliefs. I think atheism offends the religious because there is no empirical evidence to support their beliefs. Religious people rely on the fact that they are a part of a large and powerful group of people. Having a such a group of people who agree with them supports their viewpoint, even if that viewpoints has no logical or empirical support.

When an atheist simply proclaims his or her point of view, it erodes the perception that everybody is in agreement about god, and thus constitutes a direct attack on the institution.

My point today is this. Religious folk, we atheists are not out to get you. We just don’t believe what you do. All my atheist friends out there need to stop viewing religious folk as inferior or stupid people. It can be an intelligent choice to be a part of such a group, right or wrong. We all need to remember that the right to believe the way we want to is why we can have blog posts like this on BOTH sides of the aisle.

It’s the Most Ignorant Time of the year

JayCooper — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 21:30:40 +0000

It’s that time of year again. That time of year when the Christians complain about the secular war on “their” holiday. My kids and I have to endure the dirty looks, snide comments and general inconsiderate natures of most Christians who make the usual crude assumption that everyone in this country believes the way they do. From a factual standpoint they don’t care or even want to know that much of what people associate with Christmas, a holiday that is supposed to be about the birth of Jesus, actually pre-dates Christianity.

In fact, traditional Christianity celebrates the DEATH of its holy people, not their birth. In 274 CE, though, pagan emperor Aurelian proclaimed December 25th Natalis Solis Invicti, the festival of the birth of the invincible sun. Saturnalia already occurred around this time along with many other celebrations. Christians usurped this and other Roman festivals to forward their own beliefs. Xmas is actually a large number of ancient pagan practices, a few pieces of Christian traditions, and a large number of modern creations which are almost ENTIRELY secular in nature, no matter where they got their inspiration from. I see little room and little need for any “Christ” in all of this – but more importantly, I see little place where a “Christ” could be put back into the mix.

As a person without supernatural beliefs, the holidays have no nominal connection to what is “up there” for me. Rather, they are about what is “down here.” We don’t live in utopia, but for this small period of the year we put aside our concerns, worries and grievances, and celebrate all that there is to celebrate. The more religiously diverse a society is, the harder it is for a holiday of just one religion to maintain a status of dominance. My hope is that one day xmas will be changed to the point where it’s no longer recognizably Christian.

So when you find someone talking about putting Christ back into Christmas, you can ask them what part Christ really played in Christmas to begin with. Although you may not be interested in celebrating holidays with any religious trappings whatsoever, Christianity’s hold on Christmas, from a religious perspective, is rather tenuous. If you’re an atheist who would like to enjoy the holiday, you should be able to do so without giving Christianity a second thought.

Age Old Debate..Trapped Miners

JayCooper — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:08:23 +0000

This made me think and laugh, so I decided to share it with you.

Emotional Frame of Mind

JayCooper — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 03:00:21 +0000

I struggle every day, in a world that surrounds me with xstians not to become that “angry atheist” that causes their friends to leave the room or scares the children spouting off the facts they have never heard from their parents. It is such a seriously hard line to walk. I love all my friends and I don’t want to loose any of them. I just hope every time I wade into the realm of debate with them that I don’t wind up alienating them. On the other hand, I am not one that will back down from said debate. I have very strong beliefs based on fact and reason.

It’s tough when you live in a world with folks that are obviously intelligent and yet they pursue causes out of ritual or habit. People that no longer question the why of the world or want to know the truths all around them. People that you might see as incredible conversationalists or thinkers yet they choose to overlook obvious inconsistencies in logic and reason. Tough, living with the realization that these otherwise brilliant people will never change their minds, no matter how much science or proof you draw to their attention. Its super easy to become that angry, profane individual when you feel like you are screaming at the top of your lungs that the world is round not flat, and no one will listen to you.

…oh wait, that’s another story, isn’t it?

Life is all just a matter of perceptions. Some people think the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, when in fact, the sun never moves at all.