The Other Christian Holiday Traditions, article

[MarkCharles]

"But I've encountered quite a few Christians who need to tell me every year around this time, "Of course you don't celebrate Thanksgiving! You don't believe there is anyone to thank." Some will then use this as an opportunity to proselytize (or perhaps they are simply trying to reaffirm their delicate faith). It never gets old, does it? "It must be awful," they say, "to feel gratitude and have nobody to thank."

Still, I'll gladly endure this bit of nonsense because I have plenty for which to be thankful and because I know how much worse it will be next month. That is when some Christians seek to remind everyone how persecuted they are simply because it is no longer as socially acceptable for them to impose the pagan traditions they Christianized on others as it once was."


http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/11/ive-noticed-that-there-are-parallel-set.html

[humblebum]

1. Do you ever reference anything besides atheist propaganda in your posts?nt

[cordelia]

2. His version of the Bible it would seem.

Site even has its own 11 Commandments.

[Goblinmonger]

5. Why is it so important for some to make atheism a religion?

And I went to that site and searched for 11 Commandments and nothing came up. You have a link for them so I can read them; I'd be interested in seeing what they have to say.

[NMMNG]

6. They want to make atheism a religion

so they can wag their fingers and say "See!1!1 You're religious too!1!1 How can you criticize religion when you're just as religious as meeee?!?!" (Of course they conveniently ignore all the times they bash other peoples' religion, like they ignore all their other hypocritical behaviors.)

As to the "11 Commandments" on Atheist Rev, they have nothing to do with atheism or religion. It's about Twitter. Another epic fail on the part of the bum.

[cleanhippie]

18. You mean THESE 11 commandments....of TWITTER? EPIC FAIL on your part.

http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/08/11-commandments-of-twitter.html


Sweet heyzeus, I love it when fail is so blatant.

:rofl:

[Goblinmonger]

4. The irony is rich is this one. n/t

[cleanhippie]

19. When one thinks "irony" means that its packed full of iron....

posts like that are what you get!


:rofl:

[NMMNG]

3. I've encountered that strange attitude more than once

If you don't believe in god who do you thank at Thanksgiving?

Another variation:

It must be terribly sad to be an atheist at Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for and nobody to thank.


Do people really think their god is the only being worthy of giving thanks to?

Here's some of the people/things I'm thankful to/for:

My lovely wife, and the rest of my family and friends
The farmers, farm hands (generally underpaid and under-appreciated), and everyone else who works to ensure I have food available to eat
My job
My health and dental insurance
My home
My car
Books, music, crafts, the Internet and the other things that help enrich my life

[skepticscott]

7. Didn't you know that

all of those are gifts from gawd?

[NMMNG]

8. Oh, that's right

:puke:

[Thats my opinion]

9. I don't know what kind of company you keep--even in your imagination.

But I never have known anyone in all my decades who would say such a thing to anyone.
Being thankful does not depend on religion or lack of it. Religion just provides a layer of meaning. But others have different layers. You certainly have not heard any such thing on r/t. if youmhave, please cite.

[darkstar3]

10. Do some traveling through the "flyover states" then. It might remove the scales from your eyes.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Fox News is kicking up a fuss that Obama didn't mention God explicitly in his Thanksgiving address

President Obama did not include any reference to God during his weekly address titled, “On Thanksgiving, Grateful for the Men and Women Who Defend Our Country.”

His remarks were void of any religious references although Thanksgiving is a holiday traditionally steeped in giving thanks and praise to God.

The president said his family was “reflecting on how truly lucky we truly are.”

For many Americans, though, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on how blessed and thankful they are.

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/obama-leaves-god-out-of-thanksgiving-address.html

And this has been spread by the right wing:
http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/sherm/No_reference_to_God_in_presidents_T-Day_speech.html?ref=618
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/11/president-obama-thanksgiving-radio-address-god.html

Of course, there's plenty of God in his Thanksgiving proclamation: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/thanksgiving-day-proclamation-by-president-barack-obama/2011/11/23/gIQAKAjFpN_story.html

but there are plenty of people who demand God (by which they'll mean the Christian, or, at a push, Judeo-Christian, God - if anyone slipped the word 'Allah' in, they'd go ballistic) is constantly name-checked. So I think it's pretty accurate to say there are 'quite a few Christians' who act this way.

[MarkCharles]

12. Thanks for catching yet another Fox News LIE!

Specifically, Obama said

"As we gather in our communities and in our homes, around the table or near the hearth, we give thanks to each other and to God for the many kindnesses and comforts that grace our lives. Let us pause to recount the simple gifts that sustain us, and resolve to pay them forward in the year to come."

Why would anyone want to be associated with the right wing media cabal that constantly lies, even about what the President says concerning a guy in the sky?

Reading the comments on those two newspaper columns, what a bunch of ignorant hateful Christians there are out there, taking any opportunity to stay misinformed and publish their personal racist hatred of Obama, and claiming to be believers in a very Christian god.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. They're distinguishing between the proclamation and the broadcast

Well, they're not explicitly saying that, but I'm sure that, if called out about it, they'll fall back on that (despite one of them comparing Obama's broadcast unfavourably to Lincoln's proclamation - and Lincoln didn't have the equivalent of a broadcast).

Being Fox News, I'm sure they were first looking for a way to criticize Obama, and then settled on this; but they know their listeners well enough that they can use 'God and Thanksgiving' as something that has to be mentioned every time.

[MarkCharles]

15. Quite correct. Fox will do ANYTHING to make Obama look bad.

There is nothing they will NOT do to bring that man down, including being disingenuous about the god guy.

Vile disgusting human beings, parading around their religion as a dog whistle to excite and keep the anger dogs over Obama at the tip of their hunger for a good bite.

[skepticscott]

13. You remind me of the liberals

who were monumentally surprised when Nixon beat McGovern in a landslide in 1972. Their reasoning? "But, but...everyone I know voted for McGovern!"

[Goblinmonger]

16. Of course. The atheists are lying.

Because you know what it's like.

You either need to get out more or pay more attention, but the stuff in the OP happens a lot. And I don't even live in the Bible Belt.

[NMMNG]

17. Essentially your position is that everybody else is lying to you

Anything you say about religion and religious people is The Truth and everybody is supposed to just take your word on it. Whatever other people say is obviously a lie because you've never experienced it. No matter how many times you hear the same bloody thing from other people you refuse to believe it, and you have the audacity to insinuate they're lying, just because it conflicts with your worldview.

You have some nerve.

[MarkCharles]

21. We are often told by believers that we atheists are liars, and we are just

denying the "reality" of a loving god, for, oh, a hundred different reasons the believers come up with.

We are poorly educated about religion and spirituality, we haven't learned the meaning of Christ, we hold deep psychological scars from a childhood where we were not properly exposed to the wonders of god, we are sinners and we haven't accepted that we are sinners, the list goes on and on... but essentially, atheists are seen as not very trustworthy people..and heaven help the world if we should ever become "organized"~!!!

[cleanhippie]

20. Look at ALL of these examples that you were given after you asked for them...and you are SILENT!!!

Will you ever respond?


I doubt it, as your premise has been shown to be false, yet again.

[skepticscott]

22. How can he respond

when he has us all on ignore? :rofl:

He's the only one who can't see his claims being demolished.

[MarkCharles]

23. "He's the only one who can't see his claims being demolished"...maybe

that poster hasn't gotten around to putting me on ignore yet.

So I'll re-post the last two comments in full.
.............................................................

"Look at ALL of these examples that you were given after you asked for them...and you are SILENT!!!

Will you ever respond?


I doubt it, as your premise has been shown to be false, yet again."
................................................

"How can he respond

when he has us all on ignore?

He's the only one who can't see his claims being demolished."