Seeing as most of our holidays are based on christian events i.e Christmas, Easter, Good friday etc are atheists taking advantage of this, shouldn't they just turn up for work?
Let the christians have their holidays after all they surely belong to them!

Just one question.... (http://okladki-divx.neostrada.pl/covers/w/what_planet_are_you_from.jpg)

Originally posted by bulldog D
Seeing as most of our holidays are based on christian events i.e Christmas, Easter, Good friday etc

Bzzzzt!

LOL. Get back under your bridge.

Nomme

Same on as you Strix. Think about the question before you launch into answering. Let me assist you in this and my apologies if you think this a tad patronising!
Christian based holidays are exactly that!
therfore if you don't profess to be a christian should you partake in them?
If you are then that's obviously OK!
If your not are you just a Hypocritical freeloader?
Remember It's aFriday night / Saturday morning so it'/s all about a bit of fun and wind up.

So by the same token, Muslims, Hindus and other faiths should all work through Christmas/ Easter too. They should have only their own religious holidays off, and to even things out, a new holiday would need to be created for atheists to make it fair. OR we could just leave it as it is. :loopy:

Originally posted by nomme
Bzzzzt!

LOL. Get back under your bridge.

Nomme

Sorry! I don't hang about under bridges, It's not something I'm familiar with, where's yours?

Originally posted by t020
So by the same token, Muslims, Hindus and other faiths should all work through Christmas/ Easter too. They should have only their own religious holidays off, and to even things out, a new holiday would need to be created for atheists to make it fair. OR we could just leave it as it is. :loopy:

C'mon to20 get with the thread, why should atheists freeload off christians or any other religion that might throw a holiday in their direction?

Originally posted by bulldog D
Same on as you Strix. Think about the question before you launch into answering. Let me assist you in this and my apologies if you think this a tad patronising!
Humour by pass :roll:

The christians hyjacked the exixting holidays when they arrived here, so no, they don't get exclusive rights - just coz they hanged people who didn't belive the same as themselves way back :suspect:

Ok...let me answer this as an atheist...

I work in a job where the usual holidays are our busiest days....I don't complain.

I work in a job where the christmas period is one of the busiest times of the year....I don't complain.

Whenever the idea of openingon Chistmas day has been mentioned, I have said it would bother me...and I used to go in on that day each year to check the buildi8ng in my old job.

So...as for the 'traditional holidays'...I couldn't care less. They mean nought to me, and never have. You can have you 'good friday' , 'easter monday'. 'christmas day' etc off work...I will work them....it is just another day to me. Much in the same way that thousands of people take their Saturday and Sundays for granted easch week....some of us work them in order to give you some leisure time. That's life...and who cares! So, no Atheists are not hypocrites as the title of the thread will tell you. If you want to get into that debate ask yourself this....

If you are a Christian, do you give your kids eggs at easter? If so, why? Do you not understand that the egg has nought to do with Jesus, but is a remnant of the pagan festival for fertility? Now that is hypocrisy!!!!

Originally posted by Strix
Just one question.... (http://okladki-divx.neostrada.pl/covers/w/what_planet_are_you_from.jpg)


that made me laugh a lot!!!!!!!!!!!:clap:

in fact if your a women will you marry me?
if your man i have just turned......lol

let's be honest. as a small child a vicar attempted to drown me in a font and I've been traumatised ever since. That and being made to listen to people try and sing hymns badly and someone babble on about some Jesus fellow and hot bushes.......:suspect:

oh and when I saw the title I assumed this was about athiests praying in times of grief/stress

I'm a Christian,

If holidays were still really about the religion then yes, it would be wrong I suppose.
However, all the holidays have now become so commercialised that you cannot blame any atheist for wanting to take Christmas off.

The muslims have got the right idea, when I was at school, anyone could go to the Christmas disco, but only Muslims could got to the Eid celebrations :rolleyes:

I can see your point - they are religion based, however, because of this country's 'traditional' religion being Christianity, it's taken very lightly now and commercialised in every which way.

It's no Joe Bloggs' fault and I wouldn't expect any atheist to say they are not taking Christmas off.

If society were different - the answer would also be very different.

Having said that - whilst Christmas is a time for giving - the three kings giving gifts to Christ - Christians have it commercialised as well.

How many Christians can say they don't put up Christmas decorations and tell their kids Santa's coming.

Really, I suppose in today's society your question has no place - whereas if it was different and the holidays were still about the religion more than anything else, then atheists or other religions taking part wouldn't be acceptable BUT the holidays aren't about the religious aspect more than anything - they are more about the holiday now.

just give me the same number of days that I can take when i like, that's fine by me.
Or do you think that christians are actually deserving of more holiday.

An awful lot of people just don't get the choice, myself included. If I did want to work on Good Friday or Christmas Day I couldn't.........the bulding is locked up.

Atheists aren't freeloaders. They work for a living, just like any member of a religion. Surely they should be entitled to a few holidays for that reason alone. I also agree with the point Beakerzoid made, a lot of celebrations originate from Pagan customs, so it is rather hypocritical to say Atheists are 'stealing' your holidays. Also, wasn't it said that God is love? Surely then, you should have no objections to people wanting to spend a day or two relaxing and enjoying the company of their families and friends? Just a thought.

did you go to the city hall last night bulldog?
is this where the question is coming from?

Im Atheist and proud of it...

God doesnt bother me.... its his fan club i cant stand.... now they are hypocrites... i dont belive in a god of any type... there has been more wars on this earth because some man is stupid enough to say " in the name of God"... which ever one he/she maybe... if god is so great ... why did he make man so frikkin dumb? Gods fan club say "you cant blame god for mans actions to wards another man" war/hate/violence.... but who in the first place gave man this power to choose to do so??

AS for the christian 'traditional holidays'... they to me mean nothing... i think christians must have a good business brain because its very well commercialised..... to make money....
what a religion!

Im more a fan of santa... than jesus christ....
I have 4 kids and i celebrate christmas because i see it as a family time... i spoil my kids at christmas... because i lv em.... not because in a christian. I like the feel good factor christmas brings with it... but also hate the dread of the debt of christmas.... as for easter...... i like chocolate...

When i die.. and if there is a god... and i meet him.... i will then say i was wrong... until then....Im Atheist. AS only a god could prove it to me... no word of man is trustworthy to do so.

I'd work Christmas if I could get another day of the year off instead. No traffic on the roads, no interuptions in the office. Sadly the nation marches to the Christian beat, since they are the majority.

Originally posted by liamfh
that made me laugh a lot!!!!!!!!!!!:clap:

in fact if your a women will you marry me?
if your man i have just turned......lol
I don't know....
These newbies :roll:

do a search for 'leather' posted by 'Strix' and see what you get ;)


And to stay on topic....

I once worked in an English office of a Scottish company. To enable the Scottish employees in our office to visit home on the same bank holidays as their family were taking, we didn't have fixed bank holidays, we just had extra anual leave days.

It didn't work the other way round though - if you were English and working in the Scottish office ;)

Should non socialists take May Day off when the holiday was based on communism and typified by Russia rolling out the tanks etc?


FGS don't give the government any ideas, the UK already gets the least number of BH in Europe.

Originally posted by Mo
Should non socialists take May Day off when the holiday was based on communism and typified by Russia rolling out the tanks etc?




May Day celebrations have their origins in the Roman festival of Flora, goddess of fruit and flowers, which marked the beginning of summer. People would decorate their houses and villages with fresh-cut foliage and flowers gathered at dawn in the belief that the vegetation spirits would bring good fortune.

May Eve was known as Mischief Night in some parts of Britain and all sorts of practical jokes were played and a general nuisance made.

May Day was an important day in the Middle Ages and was a favourite holiday of many English villages. People used to cut down young trees and stick them in the ground in the village to mark the arrival of summer. This is the origin of the maypole. People danced around them in celebration of the end of winter and the start of the fine weather that would allow planting to begin.

Originally posted by Lotti

The muslims have got the right idea, when I was at school, anyone could go to the Christmas disco, but only Muslims could got to the Eid celebrations :rolleyes:

Yes - it's called "multiculturism" and apparently it's wonderful and enriching.

Originally posted by beautynbeast
did you go to the city hall last night bulldog?
is this where the question is coming from?

A friend of mine and his wife went and we discussed this point in the pub later, after making me laugh I thougt it would be a cracking discussion topic and it seems to have worked.
Personally I think everybodies entitled to holidays(even atheists) just in case anyone out there has me down as a religious fundamentalist.

Originally posted by bulldog D
Seeing as most of our holidays are based on christian events i.e Christmas, Easter, Good friday etc are atheists taking advantage of this, shouldn't they just turn up for work?
Let the christians have their holidays after all they surely belong to them!

Well seeing as the Christians nicked the dates from the Pagan calender anyway, the Christians shurrup! :hihi:

a holidays a holiday :)

we dont have to thank the lord for the holiday or owt :)

most christians etc are hypocrites, cos the majority dont even bother going to church etc but still classify themselves as such

So presumably people who don't work in banks shouldn't get bank holidays off either then?! :hihi:

Being serious for a minute (don't worry - I won't manage it for long), I don't think it is hypocritical at all, being as pretty much all of the Christian holidays are actually pagan dates that were moulded into Christianity to try and make it easier for people converting from pagan religions to Christianity, as was a lot of the symbology.

So if atheists (like me) are hypocrites - so is everyone else without pagan beliefs.

Personally... I'm just glad of the excuse to stay in bed a little longer in the morning :clap:

Originally posted by t020
Yes - it's called "multiculturism" and apparently it's wonderful and enriching.

sorry - i may be being stupid but i didn't get that - was it a dig at me :confused: I just didn't understand the comment - if you could explain it for my idiot slow brain... :rolleyes:

on the comment about going to church - I class myself as a Christian and used to go to church every week but since being ill, and having college work, and everything else, I don't go very often at all.

I still consider myself a Christian as I have a relationship with God and don't believe that you can only believe and trust in God if you are in a church. I don't think anyone has the right to tell me that I can't be a Christian because I don't get to church.

And, just for the record - one thing that really puts me off going to church is the amount of hypocrites that do go.

Originally posted by bulldog D
Seeing as most of our holidays are based on christian events i.e Christmas, Easter, Good friday etc are atheists taking advantage of this, shouldn't they just turn up for work?
Let the christians have their holidays after all they surely belong to them!
I wonder if you realise the irony of your question, in that the time of the year that many of us now celebrate as 'Christmas' was originally a pagan festival and holiday time that was 'hijacked' by a comparatively recent religion i.e. christianity, whose followers were concerned that the existing pagan festival should be obscured and eventually eradicated.

I quote an extract from here... (http://www.eastbournepagancircle.co.uk/articles/sacredtree.html)

"As Pagans it is easy to 'pooh-pooh' the Christian celebrations at this time of the year. After all, the church did not get around to deciding the date of the birth of Christ until the early fourth century. However we must not forget that in their enthusiasm to eclipse existing Pagan practises and festivals, the early Church fathers succeeded unwittingly in preserving some vestiges of the Old religion."

They obviously didn't entirely succeed in their aims, the giving of presents, the Xmas Tree, Holly, the Yule-Log, etc, still remain and are seen by many as a traditional part of the Christian celebration of Xmas, when in fact they're pagan symbols and traditions.

So as you see, Xmas holidays are not strictly the right of christians, only pagans! ;)

I reckon us Athiests should invent a few holidays - or athidays as they shall be known - of our own.

Maybe Dibnahmas. Celebrating the great teachings of Our Lord Fred. Steam engine books could be exchanged around a Monkey Puzzle tree. Mid July would be good.

Then there could be Bartster Sunday. A whole day spent work-free, where Athiests everywhere give wedgies to complete strangers. Mid October gets my vote.

And as February has nothing going for it, how about Borrowed - as opposed to Lent. We could collect all our stuff back from our neighbours, such as our lawnmowers, hedgetrimmers and torque wrenches This would last a whole week and at the end of it we will stuff our faces with any profit we make.

Christians etc would be more than welcome to join in our festivities - in fact they'd have to because nearly all places of work would be closed. Just as they are during Christmas and Easter actually.:heyhey:

Originally posted by saxon51
I reckon us Athiests should invent a few holidays - or athidays as they shall be known - of our own.
BRILLIANT, Saxon51... I especially like the notion of 'Bartster Sunday'... Superb ideas, all... :D

Originally posted by robbie
someone babble on about some Jesus fellow and hot bushes.......:suspect:

Moses. Moses saw the burning bush. You're in the wrong half of the Bible.

Originally posted by robbie
.............Jesus fellow and hot bushes.......:suspect:

Jesus fella? Hot bush? Yes, I heard that rumour as well!

Mary Magdalen springs to mind.

:suspect:

Bible bashing, god bothering muppets. Honestly, I cannot believe such a question has even been raised.

First of all I will echo the Christians nicking the Christmas holiday off the Pagans thing, thieves!

Secondly, if athiests ran the world, there would be nothing to fight over, look at all the worlds problems............caused by what?..................RELIGION.

Third, the bible was cobbled together some time in the 2nd or 3rd century, many years after everything was supposed to have happend. Just think if we tried to write an acurate account of something that happened 250 years ago without the aid of modern technology..........come on people get a grip.

Religion was created by the powers that be, to control the peasant masses, i just can't believe people still fall for it in this day and age.

And to answer your question, yes I will take my holidays thankyou very much, i work just as hard as the God Botherers.

Do you take your day of rest on a Sunday, or are you a hypocrit who will go shopping at Tescos and expect others to work?

Sam

Originally posted by t020
So by the same token, Muslims, Hindus and other faiths should all work through Christmas/ Easter too. They should have only their own religious holidays off, and to even things out, a new holiday would need to be created for atheists to make it fair. OR we could just leave it as it is. :loopy:


Originally posted by Lotti
I'm a Christian,


The muslims have got the right idea, when I was at school, anyone could go to the Christmas disco, but only Muslims could got to the Eid celebrations :rolleyes:



Originally posted by t020
Yes - it's called "multiculturism" and apparently it's wonderful and enriching.

LOL I had to have a laugh at this one! You know Muslims DO believe in Jesus right? (In arabic he is called Is'aa), the in's and out's of which are something else, however they STILL do. I guess you could argue that entitles them to some time off during 'Christian' holidays. My question is, do you believe in Muhammad as a prophet, and if not - what exactly is your qualification to be concered about Muslims having Eid Celebrations? Would you go to a Pro Hunting Rally if you were Anti-Hunting - (see the point I'm making?)

Originally posted by 1Man&hisBMW
My question is, do you believe in Muhammad as a prophet, and if not - what exactly is your qualification to be concered about Muslims having Eid Celebrations?

Are you saying that a belief in your particular brand of religion is now a pre-requisite to showing an interest in what goes on in our country?

Originally posted by saxon51
I reckon us Athiests should invent a few holidays - or athidays as they shall be known - of our own.


We already have them. In the current vernacular they're called sickies ;)

Originally posted by 1Man&hisBMW
LOL I had to have a laugh at this one! You know Muslims DO believe in Jesus right? (In arabic he is called Is'aa), the in's and out's of which are something else, however they STILL do. I guess you could argue that entitles them to some time off during 'Christian' holidays. My question is, do you believe in Muhammad as a prophet, and if not - what exactly is your qualification to be concered about Muslims having Eid Celebrations? Would you go to a Pro Hunting Rally if you were Anti-Hunting - (see the point I'm making?)

I think the point was that if christian holidays are expected to be open to people of all and no faiths, then why are muslim holidays not expected to show the same openness. I believe in neither Jesus or Mohammed (okay, that's a vast oversimplication, so don't bother arguing about it), does that mean I shouldn't be allowed to either Christmas or Eid celebrations, or to both?

Originally posted by Cyclone
I think the point was that if christian holidays are expected to be open to people of all and no faiths, then why are muslim holidays not expected to show the same openness. I believe in neither Jesus or Mohammed (okay, that's a vast oversimplication, so don't bother arguing about it), does that mean I shouldn't be allowed to either Christmas or Eid celebrations, or to both?

True, but we don't really have 'Muslim Holidays' in this country do we? Its not exactly an official thing, and in all honesty I don't think it needs to be. When you are talking short of 2m people, you can't really compare it to Christian Holidays which would cover a vastly higher number of people overall.

Nobody says you shouldn't be allowed to either of the celebrations, if you got involved in those kinds of circles I assume you could quite easily get an invite to the mosque on eid morning ;)

Originally posted by mojoworking
As you saying that a belief in your particular brand of religion is now a pre-requisite to showing an interest in what goes on in our country?

The problem is (if you read the posts properly) that why should others have time off on Christian Holidays if they are not Christian. My question is if that is how you feel, why should you be bothered about what holidays people have in other religions in which you don't feel should share in yours (Eid is not exactly a national holiday anyway is it?). I was pointing out the difference in understanding between the two.

As I have put in a previous post, if you are really that interested in the Eid festivives, I'm pretty sure you can find somebody willing to take you down to the mosque in the morning. :D