Solstice celebration

[nigel99 474]

As athiests and being interested in the universe etc, my partner and I decided we are no longer celebrating Christmas, but rather returning to older pagan based celebrations and dates.

Its been fun and opened our eyes to a few things. We are no longer lying to children about mythical beings, no focus on material goods (toys and presents etc) and teaching them about how the universe works

[gowlerk 2,192]

Well then, that puts you into the Happy holidays camp I guess. I would remind you that pagans are not atheists though and they certainly did and do believe in mythical creatures! We have always been fascinated by the turn of the seasons and the march of the Sun to bring life back to the ground in places that have winter. It's the most wonderful time of the year. Enjoy it.

Edited December 23, 2019 by gowlerk

[Coreece 190]

1 hour ago, nigel99 said:

As athiests and being interested in the universe etc, my partner and I decided we are no longer celebrating Christmas, but rather returning to older pagan based celebrations and dates.

Its been fun and opened our eyes to a few things. We are no longer lying to children about mythical beings, no focus on material goods (toys and presents etc) and teaching them about how the universe works



I see this as just another way of teaching kids to be holiday snobs, and they too will grow up to resent it all when they have a bad year, lose their job, suffer a heartbreak or the death of a loved one, etc.

I can see it now.  "Pffft, solstice celebration?  Ya right, what's there to celebrate, the sun?  It just sits there blasting us with with it's solar flares and deadly radiation as it destroys our planet - millions of people dead from skin cancer every year - ya, fuck the sun!  And then my parents with their little miss sunshine and their "me o'clock" throw pillows, as if to suggest the world revolves around me rather then the sun, yet they couldn't be bothered to buy me a fucking present like a normal family.  Where was my Furby, where were my fingerlings?  Imagine all the toys I got skrewd out of as a child - I could've had them all, but nooooo, we had to learn about how the fucking universe works as if we didn't do that everyday in god damn science class.  Thanks. . ."

Nigel, if you really want to feel better than everyone else, then just teach your kids about the various traditions and how they contributed to how we celebrate Christmas today and how some of those "mythical beings" weren't as mythical as you think.

[ryoder 1,590]

Merry Yule, and Happy Saturnalia!

[jakee 1,489]

24 minutes ago, Coreece said:

Nigel, if you really want to feel better than everyone else, then just teach your kids about the various traditions and how they contributed to how we celebrate Christmas today and how some of those "mythical beings" weren't as mythical as you think.

Who pissed in your mince pies this morning?

 

I don’t know if you were intending to make a late play for most arrogant and condescending post of the year, but it is a contender.

[gowlerk 2,192]

1 minute ago, jakee said:

Who pissed in your mince pies this morning?

 

I don’t know if you were intending to make a late play for most arrogant and condescending post of the year, but it is a contender.

I was also sort of noticing a tone of malice here. Coreece often has angry reactions to Christianity not being given the place of high honour he feels it is entitled to in western and particularly American life.

[Coreece 190]

3 minutes ago, jakee said:

Who pissed in your mince pies this morning? 

Come dude, that was funny, right?

 

6 minutes ago, jakee said:

I don’t know if you were intending to make a late play for most arrogant and condescending post of the year, but it is a contender.

Well ya no shit, I'm trying to beat Nigel!

 

3 minutes ago, gowlerk said:

I was also sort of noticing a tone of malice here. Coreece often has angry reactions

Dude, just because I always use the fuck word doesn't mean that I'm always angry.

[nigel99 474]

6 hours ago, gowlerk said:

Well then, that puts you into the Happy holidays camp I guess. I would remind you that pagans are not atheists though and they certainly did and do believe in mythical creatures! We have always been fascinated by the turn of the seasons and the march of the Sun to bring life back to the ground in places that have winter. It's the most wonderful time of the year. Enjoy it.

Absolutely understand that pagans aren’t atheists! I would not identify as pagan, just rather ‘borrowing’ or stealing their traditions in the same way the Christians have

[gowlerk 2,192]

Just now, nigel99 said:

Absolutely understand that pagans aren’t atheists! I would not identify as pagan, just rather ‘borrowing’ or stealing their traditions in the same way the Christians have

Yup, Christians see no irony at all in placing their manger scene right beside or even under the decorated tree!

[nigel99 474]

3 hours ago, gowlerk said:

I was also sort of noticing a tone of malice here. Coreece often has angry reactions to Christianity not being given the place of high honour he feels it is entitled to in western and particularly American life.

It’s ok, I’m not offended by the post. And Jesus especially White Jesus is most certainly a mythical creature. He was a dirty rotten refugee of colour!

[nigel99 474]

2 minutes ago, gowlerk said:

Yup, Christians see no irony at all in placing their manger scene right beside or even under the decorated tree!

Growing up my step dad (avid Christian fundamentalist) constantly got into trouble with the church because he wanted the ‘pagan’ symbols removed - like the tree. 

I am serious though, how can parents in still values when Santa is real until ‘you’re old enough to know I’ve been lying to you?’ I’m much happier with how cool is this it’s the longest/shortest day of the year !

[Coreece 190]

20 minutes ago, nigel99 said:

I’m much happier with how cool is this it’s the longest/shortest day of the year !

Ya, tell that to the wife and kids Christmas morning, lol.

Talk about bullshit.

[gowlerk 2,192]

32 minutes ago, Coreece said:

Ya, tell that to the wife and kids Christmas morning, lol.

Talk about bullshit.

You really do think that everyone and everyone's family is the same as yours?

[jakee 1,489]

52 minutes ago, Coreece said:

Ya, tell that to the wife and kids Christmas morning, lol.

Why would e say it on Christmas morning?

[Coreece 190]

1 minute ago, jakee said:

55 minutes ago, Coreece said:

Ya, tell that to the wife and kids Christmas morning, lol.

Why would e say it on Christmas morning?

I knew somebody would say that, but really tho, what's the difference?  Do atheists sit there with stop watches timing the sunset to see how much longer tomorrow will be?

[gowlerk 2,192]

28 minutes ago, Coreece said:

Do atheists sit there with stop watches timing the sunset to see how much longer tomorrow will be? 

Do Christians reflect on the inevitable second coming and wistfully hope the end times? 

[turtlespeed 220]

36 minutes ago, Coreece said:

I knew somebody would say that, but really tho, what's the difference?  Do atheists sit there with stop watches timing the sunset to see how much longer tomorrow will be?

There are people that do that for you.  They even put it in a book. It's called an almanac.

[jakee 1,489]

42 minutes ago, Coreece said:

I knew somebody would say that, but really tho, what's the difference?  Do atheists sit there with stop watches timing the sunset to see how much longer tomorrow will be?

I would imagine the people who do that sort of thing are both atheists and religious. Given that we live on planet earth knowing exactly what time of year it is has always been quite important, actually.

 

Odd that you would make fun of that while simultaneously getting bent out of shape that someone else's family isn't celebrating the exact day that was chosen to represent the birth of somone who almost certainly wasn't born on that day.

[gowlerk 2,192]

15 minutes ago, jakee said:

celebrating the exact day that was chosen to represent the birth of somone who almost certainly wasn't born on that day.

If he even existed. Which there is absolutely no proof of. There are no contemporaneous accounts of him, and no archeological proofs exist either. The gospels are clearly about someone that was believed to have existed. But they certainly leave room for both believers and doubters. In any case there is no clear birth or death date for him. Making it very easy and convenient to take over both the winter solstice and the spring celebrations as the church slowly imposed its will on the population of Europe.

Christianity and most religion is about power and glory. Not of God, but of priests and kings.

[JerryBaumchen 1,363]

32 minutes ago, gowlerk said:

Christianity and most religion is about power and glory. Not of God, but of priests and kings.

Hi Ken,

IMO it is about enslavement.

Jerry Baumchen

[billvon 2,991]

45 minutes ago, gowlerk said:

If he even existed. Which there is absolutely no proof of. There are no contemporaneous accounts of him, and no archeological proofs exist either.

Well, there are a few - but certainly not many.  I'd take odds that he existed, but was he well described by the Gospels?  Doubtful.

[billvon 2,991]

2 hours ago, Coreece said:

I knew somebody would say that, but really tho, what's the difference? 

Four days.

Quote

Do atheists sit there with stop watches timing the sunset to see how much longer tomorrow will be?

Nope.  Do you stare at the host every week to see if it really turns into flesh and starts to bleed?

 

[Coreece 190]

1 hour ago, jakee said:

Odd that you would make fun of that while simultaneously getting bent out of shape, bla, bla, bla. . .

Odd how someone starts a thread to express how they and their family celebrate the holidays and then spends 90% of it bashing how other's celebrate.

But whatever, you guys are having your fun, I'm having mine.  I'm just not feeling the excitement for the whole shortest/longest day of the year thing.   Do you guys go all out for daylight savings time as well?

 

14 minutes ago, billvon said:

Four days.

More like four minutes. 

And in case you guys haven't noticed, he's a couple days late and obviously comparing it to Christmas.

 

22 minutes ago, billvon said:

Quote

Do atheists sit there with stop watches timing the sunset to see how much longer tomorrow will be?

Nope. 

Oh, my bad - he was saying how it's soooo much cooler than enjoying 1Trillion dollars of Christmas giving.  I thought maybe there was a countdown with balls dropping, and maybe even some champagne.

 

25 minutes ago, billvon said:

Do you stare at the host every week to see if it really turns into flesh and starts to bleed?

No, I'm not Catholic anymore, but when I was an altar server we had to kneel before it and guard it in 30 minute shifts around the clock during Corpus Christi. . .

. . .I know, right?

[jakee 1,489]

28 minutes ago, Coreece said:

Odd how someone starts a thread to express how they and their family celebrate the holidays and then spends 90% of it bashing how other's celebrate.

No he didn't. Unless you really place that much value on materialism.

 

Quote

But whatever, you guys are having your fun, I'm having mine. I'm just not feeling the excitement for the whole shortest/longest day of the year thing.

I bet you enjoy a bunch of the festivities that sprung from it though. And let's face it, if you're going to have a big party in the middle of winter (and a lot of people need cheering up in winter) you might as well have it on a day that actually signifies something.

Edited December 23, 2019 by jakee

[turtlespeed 220]

2 hours ago, jakee said:

I would imagine the people who do that sort of thing are both atheists and religious. Given that we live on planet earth knowing exactly what time of year it is has always been quite important, actually.

 

Odd that you would make fun of that while simultaneously getting bent out of shape that someone else's family isn't celebrating the exact day that was chosen to represent the birth of somone who almost certainly wasn't born on that day.

Why is that odd?

People do NOT like being told their deep seeded beliefs are wrong.

They KNOW that they are the truth.