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 The group American Atheists has placed this billboard in New York City's Times Square.
December 21st, 2013
10:22 AM ET
Why atheists should quit the 'War on Christmas’Opinion by Chris Stedman, special to CNN
In recent years, one organization, American Atheists, has claimed the mantle of prime atheist promoter of the tired “War on Christmas” narrative. This year, they ushered in the season with an electronic billboard in New York City’s Times Square carrying the message: “Who needs Christ during Christmas? Nobody.” The word "Christ" is crossed out, just in case their message wasn't clear enough. The American Atheists maintain that their latest entry in the annual “War on Christmas” saga is a message to other atheists that they are not alone. In a recent Fox News appearance, American Atheists President Dave Silverman said, “The point that we’re trying to make is that there’s a whole bunch of people out there for whom religion is the worst part of Christmas, but they go to church anyways, and we’re here to tell them they don’t have to.” While that intention is important and admirable, very few people—atheist or theist—seem to interpret the message as welcoming to anyone. Many of the responses I’ve seen have been vitriolic and disturbingly anti-atheist. Which raises the question: If the goal truly is to reach isolated atheists, why does the advertisement read as a dig at Christians? A better billboard for American Atheists’s stated aim might read: “Don’t celebrate Christmas? You’re not alone.” As atheists become more visible in our society, the entire “War on Christmas” back-and-forth feels ugly and unnecessary. Worse still, it seems to do little more than offer ammunition to those claiming atheists are just mean-spirited grinches. Bill O’Reilly—one of the major “War on Christmas” soldiers—made that clear when he and I discussed the “War on Christmas” a couple of weeks ago. Let’s not kid ourselves: There is no war on Christmas. We live in a culture that privileges stories of conflict, so it’s understandable that this narrative would gain traction—with or without billboards. Much of this narrative is a manifestation of religious fears about our increasingly secular society, and it reflects widespread anxieties about atheists and religious differences. But it doesn’t reflect reality. Rather, as religious diversity in the U.S. has become more recognizable, Americans have largely broadened their approach to this time of year. According to new data from the Public Religion Research Institute, the percentage of Americans who prefer the inclusive “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” has now exceeded the percentage that prefers “Merry Christmas.” It’s not that Christmas is under attack; instead, our society is becoming better at embracing its religious diversity and challenging the notion that a single majority religion should dominate public expressions of belief. So why does the “War on Christmas” narrative persist? Based on how much play they give it each December, the “War on Christmas” narrative seems to be good for Fox News ratings. And American Atheists has openly admitted that it is good for their pocketbooks, as their talk show appearances bring in a swell of donations. Consider this from a recent profile of Silverman: “Silverman’s notorious anti-Christmas billboards and subsequent TV appearances have breathed new life into American Atheists and are often followed by an uptick in subscribers and donations. ... According to Silverman, the primary objective of the billboards is to get invitations to talk shows.” In other words: American Atheists and Fox News - alongside conservatives like Sarah Palin - seem to have discovered a mutually beneficial relationship. But does this relationship benefit atheists more broadly? Does it accurately represent the sentiments of nontheists in this country? Does it improve atheist-theist relations? Does it lessen the widespread stigma and distrust that exists between atheists and theists, which enables atheist marginalization across the U.S.? Does it invite Christians to think critically about religious privilege? Many atheists, myself included, suspect that there are more effective approaches to tackling these important issues. To start, atheists can build positive relationships with believers to humanize our communities and educate one another about our differences. That’s something that billboards, for all of their flash and fundraising capabilities, likely won’t accomplish. Atheists face real marginalization in the U.S., and it should be robustly challenged. But we also have good tidings and great joy to offer—important contributions to the public square that are currently being drowned out by attention-grabbing billboards claiming “nobody” needs Christ in Christmas. In the spirit of generosity, compassion, and kindness so often associated with this time of year, let’s ditch the billboards and build relationships of goodwill. Chris Stedman is the Assistant Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University, Coordinator of Humanist Life for the Yale Humanist Community, and author of "Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious." You can follow him on Twitter at @ChrisDStedman. The views expressed in this column belong to Stedman. soundoff (5,210 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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(CNN) - The “War on Christmas:” what — or who—is it good for?
This one is for Christians only:
A. Do you agree or disagree with Phil Robertson (the duck guy)?
B. Do you like or dislike Phil Robertson?
C. Do you consider gays evil?
D. Do you consider atheists evil?
A. Agree.
B. I like the guy.
C. If gays are evil than so am I. Gays are no different than me. We are all sinners. So how can I think someone is evil that under the eyes of God is no different than me?
D. This answer is the same as C, but everytime you see the word "gay", put "Atheist" on it. I will say that I will never change my lifestyle as a Christian to satisfy an Atheist person. Each should live their lifestyle seperately without bothering one another. I will spread the word of God though, and will continue to do that, but if someone is Atheist they can walk away, just like I will walk away if an Atheist tries to spread their word for me. That way there are no fights.
Your "D" answer smells of the belief that you consider yourself superior.
The fact that you can't see that speaks volumes.
So you see yourself as being the same as someone who r.apes animals? Man, do Christians have some silly beliefs.
This poll is retarded.
Why should Christians change their lifestyle to satisfy an Atheist lifestyle?
Why can't each live their lifestyle seperately?
All christians were atheists first. You were born lacking a belief in god. Don't you forget it.
Impossible when the first person born already believed and accept God as their father and Creator. Maybe the word Christ did not exist yet, but since the first person in the world existed, Adam, he accept God as his creator.
Francisco
So the 5 billion people that do not believe in jesus/his father are born believing in him? Well you disappoint with your thought process which seems limited.
"Adam, he accept God as his creator." Wow... just wow. You know that "Adam" literally means "man" right?
There are many parts of the bible I find to be fairly reliable testaments to events in those times but all of Genesis is just... a bit too fanciful for me to take seriously. Too many theological and literalistic hoops to jump through to make them jive with anything coming close to reality. I never cease to be amazed at the amount of faith people have in the bible. Truly remarkable.
BS. We are born with a blank slate, not believing either way. You really think atheist parents don't teach their kids that God does not exist. Give me a break.
You guys spread the same BS rhetoric with this "born an atheist " crapola all the time. It's a pile.
I'm not talking about EVERY child born. I'm talking about the FIRST person to every exist, Adam, and Eve who maybe was not even created as a baby, the bible does not say, already believed in God as his creator. From then on and many years till now, parents had to teach and discipline their children.
If the story is to believed as told, he didn't have to BELIEVE in God, he hung out with him.
Francisco
If your daughter wanted to go for an abortion would you try and stop her? If an atheists daughter decides for her own reasons to have an abortion would you condemn her?
@ Francisco: "Why should Christians change their lifestyle to satisfy an Atheist lifestyle?" We are not asking you to. We simply don't want you imposing yours on us in laws and education and by demanding everyone use your religious greeting during holidays. It's your group that is forcing themselves on us. If you think about it carefully, we only want things to be neutral in the public sphere. And we are quite sick of being told we are minions of satan and going to be tortured.
"Why can't each live their lifestyle seperately?" You won't let us.
They admitted Christ and acknowledged their wanting to cross him out. Then they asked who needs Christ. Well, I do, and another third of the population of the planet needs him. That is a lot of people believing and needing Jesus.
I wonder why jesus won't do what I need? If he would fulfill my need, and prove he exists, I would pay more attention to what other people claim he wants and does not want, but at this point, he seems as invisible and irrelevant as Santa Claus.
You will only see after you believe. Looks like a never ending battle.
God says "No" sometimes. you obviously are NOT Capt obvious. Ask God to bring Christians into your life to preach the gospel to you. It will happen The Lord won't say no to that.
Ah, the old "ya gotta believe to believe," "join my cult" pitch.
He did prove he exists. He came to Earth and they wrote a big book about it calledthe New Testament of the Bible. You just weren't alive to see it. Just like you weren't alive to see George Washington, but I assume you believe in him, don't you? Are you waiting for George Washington to come down and prove he exists,nor are just just trusting your history books to be accurate?
There is plenty of evidence (the kind demanded by the scientific method and the justice system's rules of evidence) to establish to a very high degree of probability that George Washington existed. There is no, none, zip, nada similar evidence four your god or a divine jesus. But go ahead, be the first to prove me wrong. . .
I don't remember ever reading or hearing about atheists wishing ill on your precious christ. It accomplishes nothing.
So you think we Christians should stop our lifestyle of using Christ on our Christmas to satisfy an Atheist lifestyle? I see that as wanting ill of my lifestyle.
That the author thinks it is an "atheist thing" just shows his ignorance.
An article I agree with. American Atheists is counter-productive, in exactly the same way that Act Up! was. Militancy only makes people dig in their heels; it doesn't change a single mind, and pushes the undecided away. This is not a tactic that will advance atheism's acceptance.
Every atheist I know is a retard.
EVERY one.
Period.
That may have to do with your sample size and the location from where it was drawn. I have met some stupid atheists and some religious atheists and some nasty atheists, but none of them were "retards." Perhaps you should consider how it is that you keep running into so many "retards" in general. Where do you hang out?
You sound like a retard. Probably a liberal too...
Oh, I see, you're living in a fantasy world where everyone who doesn't automatically agree with everything you say is labeled a "retard" by you. How mature. Yes, everyone you know must be a "retard" by your reasoning. No wonder you know so many.
Wow...that is a lot of hate speech you spew. You need re-education immediately to prevent you from committing more Christophobic hate crimes...
HEY FRIEND, HOWS THE TROLLING COMING ALONG?
The Christians don't have a religion or a story without their persecution Complex. The Atheist are just making it easy for them, they can pretend that they are being persecuted.
Sorry, christians, you've already lost the War on Christmas- and it wasn't atheists that did it..
Xmas is now a secular holiday, a foundation of our capitalist society- a way to churn money into the economic machine. We've got non-stop commercials urging us to buy this and buy that...the iconography consists of Nast's & Clement Moore's Santa, and Rudolph and Frosty, a pagan Xmas tree & holly & mistletoe, Lights on houses, Hermy & the Abominable Snowman...and an ever-dwindling number of church-goers, many of whom make their once-a-year church appearance on Christmas and then go back to their everyday lives, none the better.
Even Sarah Palin agrees. She recently said on FOX news that she loved the commercialization of Christmas because it spreads Christmas cheer. Her words.Of course, she'll probably say the exact opposite next time she's asked.
There is no 'war' on christmas...just another lie made up by idiots like Palin.
This will NEVER make sense to me. Let's think about this.
Why do Atheists care about what believers think and do if they think that what believers believe is all fantasy? If all is fantasy, or a lie, why does it bother them. Shouldn't they just continue living on and be happy that they are the ones with the "truth" by not believing in the bible? I just never seen a Christian care about what Atheists think, but I always see Atheists trying to stop the way Christians do things. Can't Atheists just do their way and Christians do their way?
If Atheists don't want to say UNDER GOD on the pledge of allegiance, then don't say it and let the Christians say it. Stay quiet on that part. If they dont want Christ being a part of CHRISTmas, then celebrate your CHRISTmas without Christ and let the Christians celebrate with Christ. If they don't believe in God or the Bible, then don't be a part of it, but let the Christians continue to. To me it sounds so simple, but yet Atheists want Christians to stop their lifestyle ways to fit into their needs.
Christians try to influence every area of society and push their beliefs on everyone else, if you do not understand that non-believers and other faiths do not want that interference you are being disingenuous.
No they don't... I don't.. I live my life, and don't try to put my life into others. But I will not change the way I live to satisfy someone else who doesn't like it.
And I feel the exact same way. So how best can we live together as a society? By respecting bounderies! Good fences make good neighbors after all. I won't take the "christ" out of "christmas" (like that is somehow possible) if you will vote to ensure the religious liberties for everyone are not infringed.
You sound like you have a persecution complex. Everyone has a right to influence society's direction , everyone. That is part of our freedoms and we who believe have that right also. Even if it is sourced from God's dictates and even if you don't like it.
As an atheist, I can never understand that myself.
Christmas affects me in no way what so ever, other than I get a paid day off. 🙂
Francisco
You are in denial many Christians want to dictate what is taught in schools, they want to deny birth control to their employees, they want to control what a woman does with her body, they want to keep their tax free status, etc.
Christians have a right to influence society – if the majority think abortion should be restricted, then let it play out !You sound like us awful Christians should sit in the back of the political bus. Newsflash bub, ain't happening.
Yes you should sit in the back of the political bus because that is what is meant by separation of church and state. As individuals you have the same right as any other citizen but as a group until you start paying taxes, not lobbyist, butt out and obey the laws made by the government.
No one is saying don't vote your conscience but keep in mind that a secular government protects EVERYONE, not just the group that happens to be the majority at the time. Do what you can to ensure the most liberty possible for the most people possible.
I'm an atheist and I pretty much do exactly what you are suggesting. The problem with this is that the Christian community isn't happy with this either. Most atheists won't tell other people they are an atheist because bad things start happening to them in the form of persecution from Christians. I've lost a job of 9 years when people I work with found out I was an atheist. It's not legal to fire someone for being a member of a religion but atheism is not a protected religion according to the supreme court. So yes if you are an atheist and your Christian boss thinks that is an issue you can be terminated for no additional reason. Christians for some reason think atheist are automatically criminals, disreputable and un-trustworthy. This makes it a little hard to just get along from my end.
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Christianity is built upon a LIE ...
................ because ....................
..... http://www.GodIsImaginary.com ...
... and thank goodness because he ...
............. emanates from the .............
...................... http://www.EvilBible.com
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I don't like groups like American atheists. They don't help us secular people, all they do is give ammunition to the Sarah Palins of the country.
A lot of this article was lost on a lot of commentators. The atheist dude put up the billboard to get attention, so he could get on talk shows and feel relevant. To get attention in this mad world, you need to shock the unsuspecting population that is looking for the Next Big Thing. Just ask Miley Cyrus. Let me just say, whether you're a believer in Christ, Buddha, Mohammed, Santa, or the Easter Bunny, nobody is going to burn you at the stake. Relax, and have a Merry Christmas!
One sign does not a war make -the real war is between commercialism and religion-the holiday trees and decorations are in some stores before Halloween and all people think about is gifts-buying and receiving-that is the REAL war
All of these campaigns are just an effort to balance the books. Christians crusade 24/7 that they are right about everything. It is dangerous to allow that to happen unchallenged. I'm not an atheist, but hooray for the atheists!
If this were true, the manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven would be more apparent.
The life of a believer in Christ is demonstrated through their service to all mankind – "by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, because you have love for one another". That's it.
When we love as Christ has loved us, then we serve each other even as He served us. We destroy hell/the works of the devil in peoples lives. This is advancing the Kingdom of Heaven... when you see the kingdom of darkness (evil) receding then you'll know.
God Bless.
And Christians should stop trying to shove aspects of their beliefs into every facet of public and government life.
Generalizations aren't very fair are they? 99% of the Atheist's out there don't give a frack about Christmas and rather enjoy the paganistic and cult displays every year. Heck, most of us don't even say one thing about it or your religions.
So, Merry Christmas.
I'm an atheist and I'm telling you; there is no war on christmas. It's all in your head.
Just kidding! I too am an atheist. Well said friend.
Wow...what a group of fools. It is like someone writing ....the victims of Mai Lai should have done more to stop the war in Viet Nam. Xtion's are getting sloppy at playing the Xtion card. This is just too much.
What people actually disturbs is Christ. Nearly everybody, even an atheist, is ready to believe in an impersonal God, and to think God as a kind of energy or force. Nearly nobody wants to believe in a God who became man: Christ.
The issue is that Christ revealed God's high ethics, and we feel not able to apply this ethics in our world of selfish commerce. We could face to many disadvantages.
Indeed, if we decide to believe in Christ, at the same time we have to choose between fortune here and fortune in the world to come. If we believe in Christ we have to endure suffering and rejection here but eternal joy beyond.
Considering that we could die every moment literally, and meet the great Judge, it is better to choose eternal life instead short luck here and eternal torture over there.
http://confessingchurch.wordpress.com
Humans have worshiped literally thousands of gods throughout history. There is no proof that any of them exists. Your god is just another name on the list.
The reality of the historical Jesus is not negotiable. Be honest, and admit that you are disturbed by the light of Jesus, his love and righteousness.
How is it not negotiable? Name one actual historical text outside the Bible that mentions Jesus. There are many from around that time. Name one. Go ahead. Some Roman text should suffice, since he was tried and executed in Rome. So far as I know, there is none. Therefore, it is very negotialble.
That being said, I do not care whether or not Jesus existed. I believe he did. This does not make it true, however.
Thousands of gods, Rainer. Thousand of them. And every true believer of every one of those gods felt the same surety that you do. And yet there isn't a single shred of evidence that any god exists. There may have been a guy named Jesus in Rome 2000 years ago or so, but there isn't any contemporary evidence to support that claim. So no. I'm not disturbed by Jesus.
What disturbs me is adults who cling to old stories and superstitions without honestly investigating or questioning what they believe.
Basically silly.
No. As an atheist, I do not believe in the spiritual world at all. Therefore, no God. Is there a God? How would I know. I only believe what I believe. Please do not presume to know what an atheist believes.
The human race has achieved perfection in self-deceit.
Exactly. Religion has been around for a very long time. We have had lots and lots of practice.
There will always be those who yes, love to be tortured and when they die here, they will receive their wanton tortuous eternal life... Go figure...
Nobody loves to be tortured but joining Christ means to join the war between two opposed kingdoms: the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. That means some suffering.
You mention a war. This is the problem. It is Christians who are promoting this supposed war. As an atheist, I could care less about your faith. Why concern yourself with mine?
For God so loved the world that he created a Hell where people that He loves but who did not worship Him in the way that He commanded could be tortured for eternity.
Atheists wishing Jesus was never born, they are in effect admitting Jesus was born.
LOL
Huh? Why would atheists wish that Jesus was never born. I am an atheist and I believe that Jesus did exist. Whether or not the man Jesus existed has no effect on my faith. Who was his father? That is the question, and it is one you cannot prove one way or the other. That being said, go on believing that a spiritual being fathered Jesus. Your faith is your own and I do not care one way or the other.
Merry Christmas!
No atheist ever wished jesus not to be born. It defies logic!
Don't feed the troll.
So? Lots of people have been born.