December 17, 2006
merry godless christmas
The NY Times has a great piece that almost perfectly summarizes my feelings during this time of year.
Mr. Dawkins, reached by e-mail somewhere on a book tour, was asked about his own Christmas philosophy. The response sounded almost as if he and Mr. Harris -- and maybe other members of a soon-to-be-chartered Atheists Who Kind of Don't Object to Christmas Club -- had hashed out a statement of principles. Strangely, these principles find much common ground with Christians who complain about the holiday's over-commercialization and secularization, though the atheists bemoan the former and appreciate the latter."Presumably your reason for asking me is that 'The God Delusion' is an atheistic book, and you still think of Christmas as a religious festival," Mr. Dawkins wrote, in a reply printed here in its entirety. "But of course it has long since ceased to be a religious festival. I participate for family reasons, with a reluctance that owes more to aesthetics than atheistics. I detest Jingle Bells, White Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and the obscene spending bonanza that nowadays seems to occupy not just December, but November and much of October, too."
He added: "So divorced has Christmas become from religion that I find no necessity to bother with euphemisms such as happy holiday season. In the same way as many of my friends call themselves Jewish atheists, I acknowledge that I come from Christian cultural roots. I am a post-Christian atheist. So, understanding full well that the phrase retains zero religious significance, I unhesitatingly wish everyone a Merry Christmas."
posted by scott pilutik at December 17, 2006 01:48 PM