Happy Christ's birthday,

and Merry Christmas, to all the believers here on this day. We have our differences, but this is a day for peace, and hope, and family, and friends (even if I don't believe in the other stuff). Have a special holy day!

happy day of celebration of mythical events to you from a believer! ;)

to be with my family and friends, exchange appreciation gifts, and not work. But it is a good day to hope for peace ...

Just having some fun! :toast:

celebrate, anyway. As an atheist, I of course do not believe in much that the believers do, but I do not begrudge them this holiday.

But it is the birthday of Sol Invectus, Humphrey Bogart, Sissy Spacek, Rod Serling, C.C.H. Pounder, Annie Lennox, Barbara Mandrell, Jimmy Buffett, Larry Csonka, Cab Calloway, Sir Lew Grade, Quentin Crisp, Anwar Sadat, Carlos Castaneda, Mabel King, Ismail Merchant and countless other little-known or unknown people, including me.

Oh, and Karl Rove. Ugh. I apologize on behalf of the rest of us.

Happy Solstice/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/Festivus/Whatever to you, too.

Personally, I commemorate Christ's birth on Dec. 25, and since nobody knows when it was, that's as good a day as any. What is time, anyway, but an artificial construct?

All Jesus wants for his birthday is your soul.

I never thought of it that way before. Sounds remarkably like Satan. Merry Christmas! Welcome to DU! :hi:

The Jesus I know doesn't want my soul. I have free will to throw it away if I choose to!

Yup, all those folk were born on Christmas Day (me, too).

It's as good a day as any to celebrate, but I think it's important to recognize that the Christians took over Sol Invectus' birthday (the return of the Sun of God) for their religion. It kind of puts Christianity in context.

All religions morphed out of other faiths and cultures and seeing Christianity in context is important, particularly if you are a Christian.

Was "Sol Invectus'" birthday celebrated on the solstice? Frankly, I never heard of Sol Invectus. I have heard of Saturnalia and of course the Solstice.

The winter solstice, I am sure, has been marked by most cultures in some way. It should be. It is a magical time.

tg

and Happy belated Birthday to YOU!

See also Helios (Greek) lol It's basically the same concept - return of the sun god.

Thanks for the birthday wishes, Grannie. I used to laugh at people who mourned getting older until I got older myself. :cry:

:party:

It is a day for peace, hope, family and friends. Thanks for the message of good will.

I have been traveling.

I concur. Merry Christmas to all our Christian DU friends on the birthday (day of commemoration of birth) of their savior.

Of course, I'm an atheist but I've always found A Charlie Brown Christmas to embody what is most beautiful about this celebration, even if I don't believe.

CHARLIE BROWN: I guess I really don't know what Christmas is all about.
SHOUTS: Isn't there anybody who knows what Christmas is all about?
LINUS: Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.
WALKS TO CENTER STAGE
LINUS: Lights please.
LIGHTS GO DOWN, SPOTLIGHT ON LINUS as he RECITES:


LIGHTS COME BACK UP AS LINUS WALKS BACK - Linus then says, "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

I loved that part too.
Not enough to convert me, but enough to be a little jealous.
You know?

But that last line -- "And on earth peace, good will toward men" should be good enough for anybody. Atheist and believer alike.

But it never is somehow.

Other things seem to keep getting in the way.

evil atheists are trying to kill Christmas meme.:D

Much as they are trying to kill all that is good in life. Pice by piece, step by step they are chipping away at our freedoms, our traditions, our joys. They are not going to stop until they have destroyed everything in the name of their twisted version of Christianity. They aren't going to stop until they have complete control of the nation, unless people finally wake up and put a stop to it.

Maat posted a link to a particularly chilling article here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=214x42718

...until everybody is as miserable as they are.

And they really are a bunch of miserable human beings. Proof that money can't buy happiness.

Sorry for the delayed response. I have not had internet access for two days ...

I couldn't bring myself to say "men," but, otherwise, I love that one!

Nice post, SA!

Thanks for the response!

Merry Christmas to you, too.

:toast: Merry Christmas (late!).

How very nice of you.

And here's hoping our non-believer comrades are having a safe, happy and healthy winter holiday. Let's hope (or pray, as the case may be) that 2006 will be a better year for us all.

:toast: