hss99 Â Â 10 #13 Posted July 16, 2008 it is so ingrained into such a large part of the fabric of society that it is impossible to 'get rid of' (for lack of a better expression!). i think people who are born into it believe, not so much for the sake of believing in a God, but because they believe in their family, they believe in their surroundings (strong communities are often church communities), they believe in their routine (church on a sunday, no meat on fridays etc), they believe in their holidays (christmas, easter etc)..it can be a hard thing to 'shake' as it would leave a massive void in most people's lives, so it's easier to just carry on believing.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
taxman   12 #14 Posted July 16, 2008 It was forced into me by my school. I remember being astonished when a classmate told me he didn't believe in God because I thought it was just the natural order of things. You go to school, you go to assembly, you mumble the Lords prayer and you believe in God.  My epiphany (if I can use that word) came when we had two sermons given on consecutive days that totally contradicted themselves. I thought to myself..."well if you can't even get that right what bloomin' use is all this guff" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
bizzle   10 #15 Posted July 16, 2008 it is so ingrained into such a large part of the fabric of society that it is impossible to 'get rid of' (for lack of a better expression!). i think people who are born into it believe, not so much for the sake of believing in a God, but because they believe in their family, they believe in their surroundings (strong communities are often church communities), they believe in their routine (church on a sunday, no meat on fridays etc), they believe in their holidays (christmas, easter etc)..it can be a hard thing to 'shake' as it would leave a massive void in most people's lives, so it's easier to just carry on believing..  I know this thread is about why do some people believe in god? Question) How come people who are atheists why do they celebrate Christmas etc. I dont understand if the do not believe in god? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
taxman   12 #16 Posted July 16, 2008 I know this thread is about why do some people believe in god? Question) How come people who are atheists why do they celebrate Christmas etc. I dont understand if the do not believe in god?  Because we get presents and time off work to be with loved ones and generally have a good time...simple really Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
plekhanov   10 #17 Posted July 16, 2008 I know this thread is about why do some people believe in god? Question) How come people who are atheists why do they celebrate Christmas etc. I dont understand if the do not believe in god? Because festivals are fun and atheists like fun as much as everyone else.  Besides have you really not noticed that the vast majority of Xmas festivities have nothing to do with religion? Haven't you noticed that every year there's a chorus of Christians complaining about just how commercialised and so forth Christmas is? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
bizzle   10 #18 Posted July 16, 2008 Because we get presents and time off work to be with loved ones and generally have a good time...simple really  But isn't Christmas a celebration of the birth of christ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
taxman   12 #19 Posted July 16, 2008 But isn't Christmas a celebration of the birth of christ?  For Christians it is, for everyone else its a holiday....do you think we should all go to work instead? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
plekhanov   10 #20 Posted July 16, 2008 But isn't Christmas a celebration of the birth of christ? It is for christians, to others it's just a seasonal celebration with optional religious aspects. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
bizzle   10 #21 Posted July 16, 2008 For Christians it is, for everyone else its a holiday....do you think we should all go to work instead?  is tha daft? Course not........I think everyone should get together & we should all have one massive party  Thanks for your reply it is just that i've always been curious or maybe that people who do not believe in god why would you want to celebrate a day when someone of a religious symbol was born & celebrate it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
taxman   12 #22 Posted July 16, 2008 is tha daft? Course not........I think everyone should get together & we should all have one massive party  Thanks for your reply it is just that i've always been curious or maybe that people who do not believe in god why would you want to celebrate a day when someone of a religious symbol was born & celebrate it.  Christmas has never had any remote connotation to Christianity in my, or my parents' house. Its a holiday, pure and simple.  Besides it's a pagan festival anyway, usurped by the Christians...not that that matters in the scheme of the things.  Why do we drink Advocaat at Xmas and at no other time of the year? Nowt to do with religion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
plekhanov   10 #23 Posted July 16, 2008 He wasn't born then, early christians just said he was to hijack pagan winter solstice festivals.  Just look at much of the symbolism we have associated with Christmas, evergreen trees, snow, robins, burning logs, mistletoe... how much of that is Christian and how much is a mish mash of assorted European folk and pagan celebrations of the winter solstice? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
bizzle   10 #24 Posted July 16, 2008 Christmas has never had any remote connotation to Christianity in my, or my parents' house. Its a holiday, pure and simple. Besides it's a pagan festival anyway, usurped by the Christians...not that that matters in the scheme of the things.  Why do we drink Advocaat at Xmas and at no other time of the year? Nowt to do with religion  Thank you for your info. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...