Quote:
Originally Posted by Swarly
What exactly is the "ceremony of Christmas"? giving gifts? eating a feast with family? decorating a tree? all the stuff people did anyway hundreds of years before Christianity was a religion? makes it sound that by doing these thing people have fallen in the trap and are taking part in religious ceremony.
Why do I celebrate Christmas? because I usually have off from the 24th to the 1st to eat good food and spend time with the people I love. Call it Satanmas for all I care. People who get upset over this stuff need to put another bottle of rum in the eggnog and chill.
|
I've never really understood how people say something is not "Christian" because they were doing it before it was called Christianity. Christianity as it is today was the result of a group of roman subjects adopting a break-off sect of Judaism. So Christianity by definition involves the tree decorating, feast, etc...It's still a religious ceremony. What you're talking about are your motivations for participating in the religious ceremony.
There are plenty of agnostic Jews who still have cedars with their families. There are agnostic Sikhs who still grow beards. Agnostic Muslims who still wear robes. Etc...That doesn't mean these customs don't have religious roots or aren't part of a religion.
Your argument is really based on an artificial division between culture, tradition, and religion. In reality, the lines are blurred, they're arguably the same thing. There's no fine line when you believe in a higher diety or not that now defines you as a religious person. Even ultra-religious people have varying beliefs within themselves.
Also, I wouldn't describe it as a "trap". You are participating in a cultural ceremony with your family, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's a great thing.