Heathens Greetings

How do people manage to say so much and at the same time to say nothing at all? Most of them are usually promoted to managers after one-two passages like the one above.

Personally, I have believed from a very early age that we are all very small, infinitesimally small in fact, particles that act as atomic building blocks for a much larger system of reality. I think my belief in this started soon after I read the book, "Horton Hears a Who!".

It's all part of "demoralization".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n0sgMy9beA&feature=channel

Once you break down the family, then religion, you can take over a country more easily.

If you get rid of "god" and morals, what do you have left?

Nothing.

Atheists are the ultimate empty suit.

That was a great read, Kate. Thanks for the link to a thinking atheist.

Merry Christmas everyone! Celebrate family, have fun and if you believe in the Saviour rejoice everyday!

Thanks Kate for a wonderful blog.Hope you have a sweet, cozy Christmas with family, friends and furry pets!God bless you.

Amen Kate ... I'm an agnostic, but it bugs the hell out of me when agnostics and atheists get a hate on for Christians ... and I'm bugged even more when they don't hold that same hate for other religions. Christmas, and especially Christianity is a corner-stone of Western civilization and no amount of revisionism will change that. Furthermore, give me a nation of Christians any day, over Islam.

Being an agnostic though, I understand that atheism is a "faith" , so it comes as no surprise to see atheists acting with religious zeal.

"The man behind the billboards claims to only want to make people think..."

Well, such messages do make me think. I think proselytizing atheists are FAR more annoying than proselytizing fundamentalists, and have no more claim to The Truth than the freakiest hillbilly snake handler in the whole Bible Belt. Or bomb making jihadists, for that matter.

Atheist "activists", (aka missionaries for post-modern Humanism which if you ask me is a freakier cult than Scientology) might be advised at this time of year to "dwell in the question" as rational Christians do. Its a more uplifting exercise than running around trying to spoil everyone else's fun.

Being a buzz-kill pr1ck is not a very winning strategy, either. You don't see Buddhists putting up signs dissing Jesus at Christmas time, do you? Even the frickin' jihadists don't do that.

Just sayin.

That article was chock full of great one-liners. I liked this one the best:

"Americans rank atheists as the most disliked minority group in the entire country, topping other groups who richly deserve such honors, like journalists, for instance."

What Paul said.

Sometimes strident atheism and parody religions make it just too easy to ridicule them:

It dawns on Druids they're a day early for solstice

Pagan worshippers who braved freezing temperatures to celebrate the winter solstice at Stonehenge were dismayed to discover that they had turned up on the wrong day...

Yeah like Paul said.

Why mess with an opportunity to eat, drink and be merry.......

The main reason for the fall of the Puritan's short lived Commonwealth was their cheer-less outlook.

This is what they say:
Atheism can be either the rejection of theism, or the position that deities do not exist. In the broadest sense, it is the absence of belief in the existence of deities.
At your source of ,depends, knowledge, the Wikipedia.

Nothing paraticularely wrong with that. Trouble begins when a billboard suggests that it is superior to others who think different.
Same applies to the religionists of all varieties that tell others how good and superior they are, while proving by the very words otherwise.

Have a very nice Christmas.

Merry Christmas and all the best to you and your families in 2010.

For a scientist it is blatantly obvious that humankind does not possess enough knowledge to judge either way - if there are or there are no deities.

Here's one hypothesis which I believe is logical.

If it is true that matter consists of identical particles of several sizes and masses, whose parameters never change with time, then it is only possible to come to several conclusions:
1. everything in universe is pre-determined since it became to be. there are no 'ifs'.
2. universe is endless. which means it has no borders. if there were borders, there would be something beyond them - which should be universe just as well.
3. universe always existed. which means, there was no big 'boom', as there had to be something before the 'boom'.

Think about it, it is an interesting test of IQ. No one has been able to logically debate and defeat the above 3 points so far.

If the above theory is true, there is no place for the deities in their traditional sense, but plenty of places for more superior beings than ours. This theory also hints at existence of infinite number of parallel universes in the same space and time and at possibility of gates among them.

That gives whole new meaning to the concepts of god, heaven and hell and provides food for thought about many things we take for granted in science and religion.

Merry Christmas everyone!
I want to thank Kate and the commentors - SDA has become part of daily routine for more truthful news and opinions.
And, God Bless you all and may He richly provide for you in the New Year. :-)

I'm an atheist and I agree: my fellow atheists are often childish jackasses.

Merry Christmas to everyone and the best of happiness and health to you and your families in the new year.

I like Jesus, but I can't for the life of me figure out what a caricature of Odin, as well as holly, mistletoe, evergreen trees etc (all part of Celtic religions) have to do with his birth. Maybe you might want to look and see how Christ himself wanted his birth to be celebrated.

The folks behind that can go to Hell...

Oh...

Wait...

Nevermind.

MERRY CHRISTMAS folks. :D

I used to be an atheist. I was threatened by my parents that I would be kicked out if I didn't go to Mass. I was threatened by my High School that I would be kicked out of school if I didn't go to Mass and believe in God. I was isolated from all my so-called friends. I was a freak to everyone. You see, I thought I was very smart.

When I completed my M. Eng. degree, I was in a weird state of mind. All my professors in EE, Eng. Phys., Physics, were actually very religious. One of the guys (who won the Nobel Prize in Physics and the Eng building at Mac is named after him) was kind of religious - he was a Prod though.

I made a decision that I am going to believe in the Big Guy and that I am going to be Catholic to the core.

ccon- You don't have to be Catholic (or Protestant) to believe in the Big Guy.

ccon: "I used to be an atheist. I was threatened by my parents that I would be kicked out if I didn't go to Mass. I was threatened by my High School that I would be kicked out of school if I didn't go to Mass and believe in God. I was isolated from all my so-called friends. I was a freak to everyone. You see, I thought I was very smart.

When I completed my M. Eng. degree, I was in a weird state of mind. All my professors in EE, Eng. Phys., Physics, were actually very religious. One of the guys (who won the Nobel Prize in Physics and the Eng building at Mac is named after him) was kind of religious - he was a Prod though.

I made a decision that I am going to believe in the Big Guy and that I am going to be Catholic to the core."

So you decided to become religious because other people were? Well isn't that a great reason! (I have a feeling that's exactly why most people become "religious", rather than an actual belief or faith in a god)

Wishing everyone here a Merry Christmas. And now, I'm going out to shovel all that global warming residue from my drive. Cheers!

MM

I'm with you on that, atheism is as much a religion to many of it's practioners as kristianity is to the theists

humans appear to need to believe, it's just too difficult to comprehend infinity and it's verious children:-)))))

and a MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL:-))))

I'm not a fan of Christmas
Jeremiah 10: 3-5

3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.

4 They adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.

5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch,
their idols cannot speak;
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm
nor can they do any good."

Christmas is no longer about Christ, but money and greed, what are we teaching our kids?.
In my neighborhood they even have a gay Santa convention.

You can celebrate the winter solstice anyway you like.

The early christian leadership choose to coordinate their celebration of christ's birth with the popular pagan Saturnalia celebrations in Rome, but the date of 25 December was not settled on until the reign of Constantine in the 4th century. The same guy who ran the Council of Nicea and determined the whole trinity thing, among other early christian issues.

Heck, celebrations of christmas were outlawed in Cromwellian England as heretical and in some of the early American colonies, as they recognized the pagan connection and felt it unseemly for true christians to venerate a pagan holiday, in any form.

I do hope you enjoy your holiday season, whatever beliefs you were born into and chose to follow.

Everybody thinks, it's what you choose to do with the thoughts that matters.

As an avowed atheist, I have to wonder: when did atheism become a religion worthy of proselytising ?

It's frustrating, annoying, useless, and ultimately self-defeating (not to mention utterly moronic).

After reading that 92% of Canadians celebrate Christmas, I make a point of saying "Merry Christmas" to everyone this time of year knowing the chances I might offend someone, are very small. Merry Christmas everyone.

I am a non-theist, I am to ashamed to be associated with the non-thinking rubes known as atheists. Forgive them, for they know not what they do.

To be honest I don't know what I believe. I see it as you are supposed to take on spec. a divine entity. I watched my daughter grow in vivo. I know the science but what was the spark? A miracle. What leaves the person as their eyes start to glaze? I know a lot of people are painless and feel good just before they die. I don't know if I will be aware when I find out. Well, this is just depressing. Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for any kind of holiday you want.

My very special words to live by.

Don't f!@k with God!

I am an atheist only because I find I am unable to believe in anything supernatural or magic.

Otherwise, I subscribe to most Christian beliefs because they make sense. IE the most of the ten commandments, if complied with, will help you have a better life.

I think it was my reading of an astronomy book when I was 14 that made me realize that the Universe was just too much to have been 'created' as a backdrop for the likes of us.

I am a catholic atheist and I have no problem with Christians, but Muslims and Journalists ... that's a another story, because I do believe in evil.

"Atheism can be either the rejection of theism, or the position that deities do not exist."

The problem with this statement is that all atheists believe in deities, they just refuse to believe in the God of organized Christianity. It is more to do with the historical failures of the institution coupled with the idea that they individually are god that causes them such internal confusion.

The deep thinkers of modern atheism are the only subculture in all of history that says there is no God. They got that from their deep thinking at the deep thinking universities where some deep thinker told them there was no God.

That's the only way they would have known. Otherwise they would have continued to thank the creator God for the provision of sins forgiven through the death and resurrection of the His Son Jesus. And right now we happen to be in a season where we acknowledge the birth of that Son.

So now, without hope of salvation through the rejection of God, what are atheists going to do? Save the world through climate change activism? Good luck with that.

"So it pains me to witness fellow atheists acting like a bunch of irritating '80s televangelists and defeating the entire purpose of unbelief by organizing, grousing, wagging their fingers and, worst of all, proselytizing."

Poor old atheists - they just haven't got a prayer!

Ha ha!

Seriously though, Hirsani is right. I would have thought that, if you're an atheist, religious beliefs should at most evoke detached bemusement, nothing more.

The way so many atheists carp on and on reminds me of George Orwell's pithy observation:

"He was an embittered atheist, the sort of atheist who does not so much disbelieve in God as personally dislike Him."

A Happy Christmas to you all!

Only a fool buys billboard space to say there is no God.

Let's assume for a moment that whichever religion or anti-religion you choose becomes real.
What upside is there to Atheism? We're here by random chance everything means nothing and when we're dead that's it. No reunions with loved ones, nothing!
Christianity, the belief in God's free gift of grace through his son Jesus. The idea that God knew each one us before we where born, that we have a reason to be here and that some day we will be reunited with friends and family.

God wins hands down!
Merry Christmas

Atheism is parasitic!

All those who are either atheist or agnostics need to sit back and think about this over the Christian Christmas celebration.

Atheists feed off of their social and moral surroundings and are lead by those around them to form their social standards so they can fit into society. If you are an atheist, you must be true to yourself and admit that what, why and how you behave then does not come from any internal force, but is totally shaped by those around you.

This Christmas season, please join us with all the other Christians on the earth, to celebrate Jesus, and the reminder of His coming to the earth to show us a better way to live and act.

Merry Christmas to all and peace on earth and good will towards all men and women!!!

"to logically debate and defeat the above 3 points so far."

Excellent points, Aaron, and ones that always keep me humble - it ain't easy!:). Here's another. When they start talking about things happening billions of years ago, I ask them where time came from.

I'm an atheist, and I enjoy Christmas. I don't think these billboards are a big deal. There are billboards with Jesus on them, or billboards with bible quotes, all over the United States. I've never thought twice about such a billboard.

I guess they like billboards.

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos."

Written in 1946, The Christmas Song is one of my favourites this time of year. AGW alarmists be damned, I'm still for open fires, and expect to dress warmly this time of year for he rest of my life.

To Kate and all SDA readers I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Al the frozen (atheist) fish

Whether people want to believe it or not, Jesus existed and made a bigger impact on the world than Richard Dawkins ever has. Indeed, every time he speaks about Christ, he gives Jesus further credence.
I believe it's a sign of emotional and social immaturity to pout and complain about Christmas. If it bothers you so much, don't celebrate it. Otherwise, get used to the idea that Christmas is widely enjoyed by many people.
That being said, Merry Christmas and have a nice time.

Richard Hermsen, the atheist and activist who mounted the billboards: "Maybe [Christians] should question some of [their] dogmatic beliefs ..."

Perhaps Mr. Hermsen should question HIS dogmatic beliefs; as others have pointed out, atheism can be just as dogmatic and "religious" as Christianity. I'd like to ask him if his community of atheists is mounting a festive dinner for the homeless tonight and tomorrow? Do they have a weekly in-from-the-heat/cold program for the homeless at their meeting place?

Why rain on our parade on one of the most celebrated of our major Holy Seasons? Why is it somehow OK to diss Christians and one of our main holidays (holy days) when no one in North America would DARE to do the same thing to Muslims or Jews?

I'm amused by you, a non-theist, Robert, asking "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." Who is to forgive them?!

In this very Holy Season of Advent and Christmas, a very blessed and joyful Christmas to every body at SDA! And a specially warm greeting to Kate, our hostess at SDA, and her family. Venison for Christmas dinner?!

Hark, the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King!

As a Christian myself I have adopted Christmas as the celebration of JC's birth. I frankly do not care how or when Christmas became a "Christian" holiday, but I do care when it gets pissed on by many who are just against the idea.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas whatever your belief, that is the way God wants it to be.

I must say that I've never encountered a real atheist, and I doubt that they exist. Everyone I've ever come across who calls himself an "atheist" believes in God. They just don't love Him.

I feel bad for atheists because they have to work on Christmas Day.

(And Boxing Day.)

(And Good Friday.)

You know, out of atheistic principle.

> and are lead by those around them to form their social standards so they can fit into society.

It's heartwarming to know that me and you would have equally difficult time fitting into North Waziristan society. I am a big boy and lough at the rest of your intentionally insulting drivel.

I'm an Atheist and I love Christmas for the same reason I love Halloween... because it's fun.

I don't believe in God any more than I believe in ghosts or goblins or Santa Claus.

Shopping, decorations, presents, feasting and spending time with friends and family. That's what it's about for me.

As far as I'm concerned, those who take the whole baby jesus thing too seriously in either direction can stick it in their ear. Life's too short as it is. I've got a couple of days here to enjoy myself before it's back to the regular grind and that's what I'm going to do.

ebt: glad to hear I don't exist. Merry Christmas to you too.

Rob Huck: don't worry, we don't work on holidays either. There is no principle.

glacierman: you are an icicle.

I wonder, can atheists not believe in atheism?

Talk about a paradox.

We will now return to regular programming.

Whatever our religion, or lack thereof, Jesus existed and His message of hope, forgiveness and love is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. Societies built on Christian principles have been the most successful in the history of the world. We abandon those principles only to regret it.

With that said, Merry Christmas to all of you, and especially to you Kate. Keep the free thinking.

I've said this before: Some people play devil's advocate for so long that they don't even realize when they've actually "gone to the other side".

Happy Christmas and New Year to all SDA readers, especially to Kate for hosting this unmassaged news site.

My New Years wish is that some of the AGW fraud artists will show up in the courts as defendants.

Aaron @ 12:26

It was not meant as an insult, but an observation.

The Waziri tribalism is very interesting, and would be not that hard to fit in to. They have a sound and safe family structure, not personally fond of their hunting and gathering techniques, but I could live there...not too far off from some of our own North American communities(Wall & Bay Streets!) :^)