By DocMike

In 2005, Bill O'Reilly declared there was a "War On Christmas" because retailers were posting signs that said, "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" instead of "Merry Christmas." Of course, the stores were simply trying to appeal to all Americans instead of a single group, in hopes that everyone would buy more stuff during the holiday shopping season. But Uncle Bill and his followers proceeded to blacklist retailers and anyone else who didn't cave in to the media pressure.

Now, three years later, Bill is pushing, "We Say Merry Christmas" bumper stickers (free with a purchase of $19.95 or more from his website), The Liberty Council and Focus on the Family have posted "Naughty or Nice" lists, identifying retailers who mention (or don't mention) the word "Christmas" in their ads, and there has been a major backlash by religious groups (and individuals) about recent billboards and signs posted by various groups.

When are Bill and the others going to realize that this is not a war on Christmas? Rather, it's an effort to include everyone, regardless of their beliefs, in the celebration of the season. Whether you celebrate The Winter Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever, you should have the right, in a free country, to celebrate and to be acknowledged without exclusion or discrimination.

I mean, we're bombarded with Christmas messages even though most non-Christians know that it was originally a pagan holiday. You don't see non-Christian groups boycotting, having signs removed, etc. (that I know of). People of all faiths (and no faith) should be able to enjoy gift giving, family gatherings, and private and public celebrations without being demonized. And retailers should be able to advertise to the general public without being deemed "naughty".

What's really funny is the worst promotions against Christmas come from self-proclaimed Christians. See Fred Phelps's "Santa Clause will take you to Hell" promotion as a prime example.

How's that for a "War on Christmas?"


Other References:

Liberty Council Naughty/Nice List

Focus on the Family puts retailers on Christmas naughty, nice list

Atheist sign joins nativity scene, tree at Capitol

Missing atheist sign found in Washington state

"Imagine No Religion" Billboard Visits Canton, Ohio This Month!

American Humanist Association Puts Atheist Ads on D.C. Buses

Don't believe in God? You are not alone.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Is it Ok to Celebrate Christmas, Even If You're Not a Christian?
• Running from HELL
• This year's hype on the so-called war on Christmas

Labels: atheism, Atheist, christmas, war on christmas

By DocMike

I don't know if it's the approaching holiday season, the global economic crisis, or just the fact that I'm getting a little older, but I've been feeling the pain of the world lately and I really want to do something about it.

I'm a very fortunate person. I have financial security, a close family, lots of great friends, and basically everything I need and most of what I want in life. If I believed in a deity, I would certainly be thanking it for my good fortune. But since I'm a rational human being, I attribute it to hard work and lots of good luck!

Anyway, I've been reading a lot lately about hunger and I really want to do something to help those in need. However, I don't like the idea of sending money to a religion-based organization. Now, I know many of them do a lot of good in this area. I won't try to take that away from them. But frankly, I don't trust them. I always wonder how much of my money is being spent to feed hungry people and how much is spent spreading their toxic dogma. And I wonder how much religious bullshit these people have to listen to just to get a hot meal.

Now I've always given a few bucks here and there to local charities that I believe in; the food bank, homeless shelter, abused women's shelter, etc. But I really want to do more this year!

I started searching the web for charities without a religious connection, but it's sometimes difficult to tell. I've been reading the mission statements, looking for clues. Most are pretty obvious, but some are more subtle. Here are a few that I've found that don't appear to have a religious connection, although they may.

Feeding America
World Food Programme (WFP)
UNICEF
Meds & Food for Kids (MFK)

I would appreciate any info on these and any other organizations you might be aware of or, better yet, involved with.

Not that being non-religious necessarily means they're trustworthy (That still sounds funny to me, must be my xian upbringing.) I'll evaluate each one with a skeptical eye, as usual. I would just like to find a worthy charity that is really capable of helping people without trying to convert them.

And finally, I would like to appeal to other rational people who are financially capable; Atheists, Agnostics, Freethinkers, Humanists, Skeptics, whatever you call yourself. We should all support non-religious charitable organizations that can really make a difference. There are a lot of needy people in this world and I would hate to think their only choice for help is praying to a mythical savior or listening to a pompous sermon.

People should not have to trade rationality for rations!

Labels: agnostic, Atheist, charity, freethought, humanist, hunger, rational, skeptic

By DocMike

I know I've done this one to death (excuse the pun), but I just love Leviticus!

Labels: Atheist, Bible, Leviticus

By DocMike

I love finding obscure Bible stories the kids never hear in Sunday School. Here's a nice little tale about one of the Bible-God's favorite people, Noah.

Apparently, after the whole ark thing was over, Noah planted a vineyard so he could get drunk whenever he wanted. One day, he got so drunk he fell asleep naked in his tent. When his son, Ham, wandered in and saw Noah's "nakedness", Noah got pissed off. Genesis 9:24 says, "And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him." I'm not sure what Ham did, but it sounds like Noah was mad because Ham didn't cover his eyes.

So in retaliation Noah cursed Ham's son, Canaan, to be "a servant of servants." In fact, Canaan (Noah's grandson) would become a servant to Noah's other son, Shem, because of what his father did (or didn't do).

It's very complicated and it really makes you wonder what the fuck kind of message the author of this story was trying to convey. Is there a moral here? Don't look at your father's dick or your kids will be made into slaves? Is that it? Great lesson! I'm sure glad God Almighty, the creator of the universe got that one out to us!

Technorati Tags: humor Atheist Bible Christian Comics religion

Labels: Atheist, Bible, Genesis, humor, recovery from religion