Why does Richard Dawkins sing Christmas carols?

i didn't.i do find it odd that someone who claims that moderate christians empower murderous fundamentalists of all stripes simply by existing would want to sing christian-type christmas carols and describe himself as "culturally christian". i don't care what he does with his free time. i care the stones that he throws.

If that's the case, then perhaps you'd care to explain why words are OK but holidays aren't?If you condemn a man for celebrating a pagan holiday that was swiped by the xians, why would you then give him a pass on using words that are culturally xian?

I'm going to celebrate Christmas the atheist way --- with an orgy of impious blasphemy.I'm going to get together with my family and enjoy their company, breaking the commandment in Luke 14:26 to hate my father, and mother, and wife, and bretheren, and sisters. I'm going to dine on an unholy repast known as "Christmas dinner" that breaks half the dietary laws in Leviticus. I'm going to look on the wine when it is red, with a fine careless contempt for Proverbs 23:31. And the sin of gluttony? I'm going to commit it.I'm going to give people hand-made Christmas cards that violate the commandment in Deuteronomy 5:8 not to make "any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth". I'm going to deck a tree with silver and with gold, breaking the commandment in Jeremiah 10:2-4: "Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen ... For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers, that it move not."And if I'm feeling really sacreligious, I may go to church, in open defiance of the commandment in Matthew 5:5-6 against praying in public.Edited by Dr Adequate, : No reason given.

Is it OK to sing sea shanties if you're not a sailor?Edited by Dr Adequate, : No reason given.

i don't condemn him for celebrating holidays. i condemn him for saying i'm empowering murderers.

i didn't say it wasn't okay. i just think it's odd that he'd want to associate himself with murderers... since we apparently all are.

Then you're about as sure of your beliefs as Dawkins is of his, i.e. you commit to a belief, but you're still willing to concede that you might be wrong, pending relevant evidence.
If this level of doubt makes Dawkins an agnostic, rather than an atheist, then you must be an agnostic as well, no?

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Mutate and Survive

OK. But you find it "odd" that he celebrates a pagan holiday given that he is adamant re: religious fundamentalists.Why is it odd?And why is it NOT odd that he (I'm assuming) uses words that are culturally xian (holy/blessed/god dammit/etc.)?

because those words (or rather their meanings) have been around longer than christianity. do you really think it's all that novel? do you think no "pagan" religion has a concept of "sin" or "holy"? please. because he said he was "culturally christian". that would inspire the assumption that he's not celebrating a pagan holiday, but a religious one.also, last time i checked, paganism was a (or rather many) religion. i wonder if he thinks he has to light his yule log or spring won't come.it's not an issue with him celebrating "christianity", it's an issue of him associating himself with religious events when he preaches so vehemently that religious people of all stripes are enabling murderers.you people spend so much time denouncing "christian" superstition, why not "pagan" superstition?Edited by brennakimi, : No reason given.

So has xmas, Brenna. That's the point. I got no truck with superstition of any stripe. Will that suffice?The fact remains, xmas is a pagan holiday that the xians swiped.Dr. Dawkins referred to xmas as "culturally xian" because it is currently considered xian.If you accept xmas as "culturally xian" because that is its current status, then you should accept the current cultural status of religiously-derived words, too.You can't cite the historical origin of words and then ignore the historical origins of holidays.You need to be consistent.

Pagan holidays were intended for celebrating one or more pagan gods.Note, I have not insisted anything. I have only drawn the inference that, like you, some people may not always be concerned about the significance of what they are saying or doing.

Pagans throw better parties.

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but you're missing the point. i don't care if he celebrates any holiday. i just wonder why he does given that he thinks religious people are enabling murderers.

You, I am assuming, use the words "Wednesday" and "Thursday" without concern.Why are you given a pass on using culturally pagan concepts like "Wednesday" and "Thursday" and yet an atheist "should be concerned with the significance" of a holiday the xians swiped from the pagans?

Sounds like we need another Dawkins thread then.