Why does Richard Dawkins sing Christmas carols?

Oh, god bless you, Ned.I came to the same conclusion at the same age, without the benefit of the interwebs or a talk with daddy!One of the side effects of growing up in a very small Southern town and having an inquisitive mind, I think.My putting up a tree or singing carols is as "hypocritical" about as much as my saying "god bless you" or "god dammit" is hypocritical.Putting up a tree is a habit. God is a word.Edited by molbiogirl, : sp

I like that one, too. One strange experience I had was listening to "Amazing Grace" and realizing it was being sung to the tune of "The House of the Rising Sun". And it totally worked, too!Edited by Chiroptera, : Added last sentence.

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It has become fashionable on the left and in Western Europe to compare the Bush administration to the Nazis. The comparison is not without some superficial merit. In both cases the government is run by a small gang of snickering, stupid thugs whose vision of paradise is full of explosions and beautifully designed prisons. -- Matt Taibbi

You really should read the man's book(s).He is one smart cookie. And a wonderful writer.His books are full of all that icky science stuff, tho ... hm.That is a conundrum.Oh. Wait a minute. Icky EVOLUTION science stuff is OK, icky EVERY OTHER KIND OF SCIENCE stuff is very, very bad.Yeah.Read his book(s).

Food.
Wine.
Gifts.
NO SCHOOL! As for deep meaning? Well... could anything be deeper than wine?

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Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

Thanks but I'm honestly not interested in the PoV of an evangelical atheist. I don't doubt that he's made some insightful contributions to science. As someone else here said, it's the anti-spirituality that narks me to the point where I'm just unwilling to digest any of it.Edited by LindaLou, : No reason given.

I think I may have hit on what's been bothering me. Something special about Christmas deserted me when I left the Catholic faith. I could never throw out what I'd learned and go back to that, but it's felt like a loss all this time.I think it's the ritual element that was involved. For many, this human need is perhaps satisfied by their own Christmas traditions i.e. putting up a tree, exchanging presents, watching the football game and having a party with family and friends.For me, I think ritual needs to be a way of re-connecting with the transcendent. It's something that needs to be done quietly, in a peaceful and contemplative atmosphere. I used to like this about the church at Christmas: a special place serving as a kind of halfway-house between this world and the spiritual one; incense; singing; praying; being together in a mystical kind of way. And lighting candles. There's something special about light too, particularly at this dark time of year. Maybe there was more to the celebration of the winter solstice than just agriculture.Maybe these things can all be done whether it's Christmas or not. I think it does at least help to have some kind of peaceful time to contemplate things, amid all the hustle and bustle. Meditation, in whatever form, doesn't have to be religious.Still can't get over that funny feeling, though, singing about Jesus at Christmas

Heh. I used to know a bunch of atheists who went together to attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve for that very reason.

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It has become fashionable on the left and in Western Europe to compare the Bush administration to the Nazis. The comparison is not without some superficial merit. In both cases the government is run by a small gang of snickering, stupid thugs whose vision of paradise is full of explosions and beautifully designed prisons. -- Matt Taibbi

I might like to add that many Christians were quite appalled at the original idea of celebrating Jesus's birth. Some sects still do not do it.

quote:

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Gal 4:8 -- Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. (9) But now that you know God”or rather are known by God”how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? (10) You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! (11) I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

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(emphases added)

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Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

That's interesting Chiroptera. I do still like the atmosphere in churches, particularly the old cathedrals here. Last time I was in one I lit a candle; don't know who or what I was praying to exactly, but it felt like a good thing to do somehow.Sometimes as an agnostic, it seems uncertainty is the name of the game. At least it seems a better option than being closed-minded.It's fun to read what some fundamentalists think of Dawkins' Christmas celebrations. This is an entertaining read, for example: Edited by LindaLou, : No reason given.Edited by LindaLou, : No reason given.Edited by LindaLou, : Crap I'm tired.

I'd be surprised if the loss of a meaning for your life (one which they say, transcends the very best that you can assemble for yourself) would pass by unnoticed.

Context Jon, context. Paul is addressing those "foolish Galatians" who, subsequent to their receiving and believing a gospel of grace, were setting about works (amongst which Religious Observation) - as if that mattered for their salvation.If one utilises Christmas (or Christmas utilises one) for the purposes of rememberance of what is (once true) the most monumental occurance in human history - bar none - then I fail to see the harm in it.

What good did his birth do?

Not sure what you mean here exactly, but assembling it for myself has been what the second half of my life has been about so far. I had to learn how to cast my nets much, much wider and still feel that it has somehow satisfied my need for spirituality. I'm very pleased about where I'm heading, with particular thanks to a handful of people on this forum who despite their efforts always seem to end up pushing me further in the opposite direction to the one which they intended.I think maybe it would actually be nice, on second thought, to celebrate the winter solstice. I'd just rather do it in a sincere way with a group of people, rather than in an eccentric way by myself.

I never said that he was, nor has he.But he's a scientist. Surely that's indisputable. As for "promoting atheism", I don't know what that's supposed to mean or why it "isn't allowed" for a scientist to do that. Atheism is based on science.When he disputes the historic veracity of religious claims, he's being a historian. When he disputes the sociological claims of religion ("it makes people better", etc) he's being a sociologist, and that's a form of science. When he disputes creationism and relays the scientific support for evolution - much of which he's directly researched himself - he's definitely acting as a scientist.To the extent that atheism is the natural conclusion of science - and it is, because the facile idea that the "supernatural is beyond the reach of science" is clearly false - I don't see why promoting it is inconsistent with being a scientist.

Good is not really the issue. Monumental is. If you have to ask what would be monumental about the moment of eternal God stepping into time..If you have a passing understanding of the story you will recognise that is it only good for those on "the narrow path". For everyone else it's not very good at all