Thread: Atheists Unite
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Old 05-15-2011, 03:17 AM   #96
Sundae
polaroid of perfection
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 24,185
I celebrate the Christian festivities because they are part of my culture.
I send Christmas cards without a religious message to people I care about. I send Easter cards without a Christian message to my family because it is expected and respectful.

I go to Bonfire Night celebrations too, that's not to say I celebrate the torture of Guy Fawkes or condone the suppression of the Catholic faith in England. 1606 is too long ago to worry about, I like fireworks!

But I didn't get married in a church.
If I had children I would not have had them baptised.
And if I have to attend a church ceremony (for family reasons) I do not take the Eucharist, or go up for a blessing.

I celebrate Christian festivals the same way I celebrate Diwali and Eid.
Good wishes to those who believe, now bring out the good food.

And finally... I think my opinion of people not knowing the Bible has been misinterpreted. In England, it is very rare to come across people who quote it chapter and verse. Even the Evangelicals don't tend to bring it into every day conversation. I was not saying that the better you know the Bible the better Christian you are. I was saying that not being able to recall a single Bible story (oh wait, the Nativity? No, that was a play wasn't it?) or teaching of Jesus, makes me suspect self-labelled Christians.

If I call myself a forklift truck driver, just because my Dad was, it doesn't make it so.
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