Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?

Spookiesmom

Devine, who organized the class, and what type facility is it held in? A school, community center, church? That may give you some clues.

AliceBastable

Melbo, religion is a choice. A person's gender/sexual orientation are not. Please don't give them equal consideration, especially in the workplace. For your health story, when she reacts with thoughtless (AKA mindless) religious phrases, you can counter with "I had (or have) a great medical team." Not argumentative, just say it as a fact every time she tells you Sky Wizard caught your cancer - actually the same little bastard who gave it to you, for those who believe in that all-powerful Oz-in-the-sky.

DivineMrsM

Spookie, the line dance class is a senior citizen group that meets at the city recreation building that was formerly a grade school. There is no outright religious connection. But for some reason, faith and God and whatnot keep cropping up in the classes.

DivineMrsM

DivineMrsM

DivineMrsM

KIDI919

Love it DevineMrs.M!

AliceBastable

Those are great!

AliceBastable

Bwahaha!

wallycat

This thread gives me hope.

Just curious...what do you say when someone wishes you a merry xmas? I've started saying "happy solstice."

MinusTwo

Wally - I've even responded to several emails with "happy solstice 3 days late'.

Trishyla

I sometimes wish them a happy Yuletide, as that was a pagan festival. Or Happy Festivus (for the rest of us). Or even just the old standby, Happy Holidays. I just never specify which holiday.

Happy "what-the-heck-ever" to my lovely pagan friends. Hope it's a peaceful, joyful day for all of us.

Trish

AliceBastable

I say Happy Holidays in places like here, or on FB where I know my friends include people who are not Christians. Around family, I say Merry Christmas because most of them are Christians, observant in many cases or secular like I am. Although I'm an atheist, I'm also a secular Christian due to cultural tradition. Maybe I'm more mellow about it right now because I've been reading quite a bit about the culture of some overlapping ancestral areas, where they kept so many pagan traditions after they converted to Christianity, and many of those traditions are still celebrated today alongside the Christian ones. So this fits in with how I've felt for many years about Christianity, keep the culture but not the beliefs.

wrenn

I associate christmas with santa claus so I am ok with "merry christmas". I haven't celebrated it since my son died (made my daughter too sad) but with granddaughter turning 3 next year and grandson will be one I will get into it again but again only form the santa angle.

I am flummoxed that anyone falls for christianity or any supernatural shit but am mellowing and leave them to it until they bless me then they get the eye roll

Spookiesmom

Merry Happy Everything. Covers just about all of it, and you don’t miss anything. Then add feed me.

MinusTwo

I love that on some threads BCO members are saying Happy Saturday....

wallycat

I love you guys. I wish I lived close to any and all of you!

TB90

I am an atheist but have always loved Christmas. Christmas means Santa, presents, family, food and happiness in an otherwise challenging world for me. I never even knew who Christ was as my mother was also an atheist. I will always celebrate Christmas.

AliceBastable

Spookiesmom, you rock! 😆🎄🎅🥧🍪🍖🍛🍧🥐🍞🍲

Miriandra

This was my Dad's FB post for the season:

Spookiesmom

❤️❤️Yay dad!!!!

magiclight

That is a keeper for sure

Spookiesmom

moth

happy secular winter holiday!!!

Lol, naw, I usually say merry Christmas. Tim Minchin's (atheist) Christmas song really hits the nail on the head for me

"I really like Christmas
It's sentimental, I know, but I just really like it
I am hardly religious
I'd rather break bread with Dawkins than Desmond Tutu, to be honest

And yes, I have all of the usual objections
To consumerism, the commercialisation of an ancient religion
To the westernisation of a dead Palestinian
Press-ganged into selling Playstations and beer

But I still really like it"

kris_2000

moth - I like that. I laughed at "Some of the hymns that they sing have nice chords, but the lyrics are dodgy".

AliceBastable

I admit to a weakness for the music - anything from classical to old-fashioned churchy stuff. (The modern crap is the worst ! 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮) But lucky me, I don't sing, just play a few instruments badly, so I can completely ignore the lyrics. This year I was playing more German Christmas music, and since I know very little of the language, I was safe from subliminal conversion!

Miriandra

Our local public radio station played a choral concert a while back. It was a classical choir singing black spirituals, and it just sounded so very wrong.

😆😆😆

AliceBastable

Miriandra, those are so cringeworthy! They should just introduce them as "And now, here's the Tightass White Culture Vulture Chorale to completely butcher Black spirituals." Betcha they'd say the milder N word, though.

Miriandra

Ha!! So true, Alice!

DivineMrsM