Are we a Nation of Cultural Christians?

[Gromit]

"Scientist Richard Dawkins, an atheist known worldwide for arguing against the existence of God, has described himself as a "cultural Christian".

Being a Cultural Christian does not mean you have to believe in God or Christ, but you enjoy the traditions of Christmas like Carol singing and getting presents.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7136682 .stm

As there seems to be a contradiction in that hardly anyone goes to church yet Christmas is enormously popular:
Do you think that there must be many Cultural Christians out there?
Are you one?
Would any other religion let their festival be hijacked?

[jno]

the pagan midwinter festival was around for quite a while before Christians hijacked it. It was also the birthday of other gods - Roman sun gods and Mithras, for example.

[ruby27]

Christian Christmas Culture is a Victorian tradition. Such as sending cards, and the invention of the Christmas cracker. Father Christmas or Santa Claus, dates from Victorian times. The Christmas tree became popular, as did gift shopping in big stores. In England, the Boxing Day holiday also started in the nineteenth century.

Lets also bring back other Victorian traditions, such as poverty, child abuse and serious year round alcohol problems.

[ludwig]

Yes, I'm quite happy to be called a cultural christian -not just because of christmas - I also like giving and receiving Easter eggs.

[Supernick]

I'm an atheist and believe religion to be rather debilitating to the human race, but I enjoy many traditions that have their roots in Christianity. I sing Christian carols because I enjoy them rather than because I care about their meaning. I enjoy Christmas immensely, so I'm happy to say that in these respects I'm a cultural Christian. In others I'm not.

[mike1222]

I, also am an Atheist - I think that worshipping some omnipotent idol just flies in the face of all reason, common sense and logic.......but that's another debate. I fit the description of a "cultural christian" as well.

I enjoy most of the non-religious things about Christmas and other festivals(?), but am firmly of the opinion that it has now become too commercialised and too long!

[naomi24]

Yep, count me in.

[parkesquay]

Count me in to. I am a Richard Dawkins fan.
Strange though that we can state this here and yet if we said the same for Islamic trditions we would all be off to the Tower.

[karmabum]

I don't think so - I think we're a nation of greedy present-lovers, so any excuse to Buy More Stuff, Eat More Stuff and Drink More Stuff is fine with us. I don't think you'll find too many people adopting anything unpleasant in the christian culture. That hair-shirt fashion never really caught on......
I'm not a Christian, but I do buy presents and send cards at Christmas, more out of politeness than anything else. The present-giving is just a nice thing to do, but I wonder if I had never had kids I probably wouldn't do Christmas at all by now!
And it was the Christians who hijacked Easter, wasn't it? Oh, AND Christmas!

[fletcher.5]

It appears that the term Cultural Christian has become a diluted version of the word atheist? Which in turn is what Pagans were seen as. who had their winter festival taken away from them by a mythical invention used as a tool for conformity.& reinvented in a different format.
I do not have a problem with the virtues we are expected to show to fellow man on the 25th December,I feel that if WE ALL show the same sentiments on EVERY day of the year we may all get on?

[Ice.Maiden]

That's how it should be, in theory, but in reality, because of the diversity in natures, moods and so on, this is unlikely to ever happen.

[bilzo]

There can be little argument that Christmas is over commercialised and overblown in modern western culture. However, speaking as a strong atheist myself, I still enjoy Christmas and many of the traditions that go along with it... it breaks the year up, gives us one time a year where just about everyone takes a few days off and catches up with friends and family at the same time. I think that it has evolved into a slightly grotesque caricature of itself in answer to the ever increasing speed of modern day life.

Whether the roots of a festival are Christian, pagan or otherwise seems irrelevant to me - if it gets people and families to agree on a short period of time to take a step back, relax and enjoy each other's company it has to be a good thing.

Virtually every culture around the world has at least one major annual festival with feasting, dancing, singing etc. Just because many people are non-religious doesn't mean that they no longer crave or need that type of event for social interaction and identity.

'Culteral Christian'? I hate the term, but I guess I have to admit to that label being applicable to me!

[Booldawg]

Christians hijacked Christmas from the Pagans because the Pagans hijacked Halloween from the Christians.