Happy Winter Solstice

[greggh]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/12/05/at ... index.html

At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail.

There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell.

There is only our natural world.

Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.

http://www.ffrf.org/news/2006/06solstice.php

The sign reminds citizens of the "real reason for the season, the impending Winter Solstice (Dec. 21)," says Dan Barker, Foundation co-president.

The Winter Solstice, the shortest and darkest day of the year, signals the return of the sun and the new year, and has been celebrated by pagans for a millennia with festivals of light, evergreens, feasts and gift exchanges.

"Freethinkers don't mind sharing the season with Christians, but we think there should be an acknowledgment of the natural origins of many of December's customs," he added.

[MattKingUSA]

Joy to the world..oh wait..I mean..reason to the world...Who made up this joy crap anyway. That just pisses me off. Let's kill people instead to bring the population down since we are hurting the planet we just have to make sure that it is the right people...jews?

[hellonorman]

Joy to the world..oh wait..I mean..reason to the world...Who made up this joy crap anyway. That just pisses me off. Let's kill people instead to bring the population down since we are hurting the planet we just have to make sure that it is the right people...jews?

I nominate you for the prestigious honor of being first.

[LinuxMint-4]

I look forward to the Winter solstice too! It simply means from that time forward each day will be a little longer and we can start counting the days toward spring. I never really considered the solstice to be pagan. My personal belief is that The Good Lord made the Earth that way.

[MattKingUSA]

I was just being dramatic, sorry. I didn't mean any of that. Other than just making sure that everyone know how sick I am of anything associated with Religion being knocked and hated on for no other reason that a bunch of fear mongering oppressors want to cotrol everyone's minds. And to impose their beliefes on the rest of us. It's very hateful and intollerant.

EDIT: I don't want to sound like a complete idiot. So I thought that I would concede that there is no doubt of the origin of the celebration which is totally pegan. Is that right pegan or pagan? I not so good with spelling.

[Patrick]

Happy Saturnalia you heathens!!!!

[Brian]

Christians look at this and understand that everyone is different and if you don't believe in God, Christians will still help you in a time of need, pray for you even if you don't believe, and love you as brother or sister.

Since atheists don't believe in anything, they have to engage in acts of intolerance and call you names and insult your beliefs. For that reason, Christians will pray for your souls as well and there is nothing you can do about it. lol.

[Wally Balljacker]

atheists don't believe in anything

That is utter bullshit. Atheists believe in all sorts of things: freedom, human rights, democracy, justice, equality, etc. We simply reject the existence of gods just as Christians reject all non-Christian gods. We just go one god further. When you think about it, you're an atheist when it comes to Hindu gods, Norse gods, Greek gods, or Roman gods. You don't believe in any of them do you? Why? Well because you have no reason to, just as I have no reason to believe that the Judeo-Christian god is anything more than mythology like the aforementioned gods above.

Christians will pray for your souls as well and there is nothing you can do about it. lol.

Good luck with that. I'll be sure to pray to Odin for you.

[Brian]

Atheists believe in all sorts of things: freedom, human rights, democracy, justice, equality, etc

...and Christianity is the basis for those here in America. You would not be able to enjoy these in America if it weren't for the Judeo-Christian beliefs that many of our leaders have held over the past 200+ years.

Most religions have one thing in common - a god or gods. The concept of a Creator is not unique to Christianity. Since I am Christian, I am tolerant of others' religious beliefs and don't cry 'bullshit' and try to refute them either. An atheist is someone who believes there is no deity (Merriam-Webster); an absolute, not someone who disputes all but one; a resolute.

[Wally Balljacker]

Atheists believe in all sorts of things: freedom, human rights, democracy, justice, equality, etc

...and Christianity is the basis for those here in America. You would not be able to enjoy these in America if it weren't for the Judeo-Christian beliefs that many of our leaders have held over the past 200+ years.

Please. Our founders were men of the Age of Enlightenment, with many of them being openly critical of organized religion, and some of our greatest presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, were opposed to Christianity.

"The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion." - John Adams

"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson

"Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man." - Thomas Paine

"All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit." - Thomas Paine

"Revealed religion has no weight with me." - Benjamin Franklin

"The way to see by Faith is to shut the eye of Reason." - Benjamin Franklin

"Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise....During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in laity; in both, superstition, bigotry, and persecution." - James Madison

"My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures, have become clearer and stronger with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them." - Abraham Lincoln

"The Bible is not my book, nor Christianity my profession." - Abraham Lincoln

"The study of theology, as it stands in Christian churches, is the study of nothing; it is founded on nothing; it rests on nothing; it proceeds by no authorities; it has no data; it can demonstrate nothing and admits of no conclusion." - Thomas Paine

[Brian]

I know Franklin was a Deist and I think Jefferson was too. They still believed in a Creator. Paine may have been atheist.

"...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom..." - Abraham Lincoln, 11/19/1863, Gettysburg, PA

And, I said that "and Christianity is the basis for those here in America. You would not be able to enjoy these in America if it weren't for the Judeo-Christian beliefs that many of our leaders have held over the past 200+ years." I didn't say all the Founding Fathers (or Lincoln) were strict Christians. And, even if I am wrong, it seems that most of them at least believed in a Creator, putting them much closer to Christianity than to atheism. The fact that religion is mentioned in the First Amendment (and Madison is credited with writing most of the Bill of Rights) shows that they knew religion was important and must be encouraged to flourish - thus the restriction on Congress - and Adams' quote above falls right in line with the First Amendment.

If not a Judeo-Christian influence, than what religion or belief has influenced America the most? Agnostic? Atheist? Islam? Voodoo? Henotheism?