> -----Original Message----- > From: Wayne Putterill [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 9:33 AM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: mixed religion households > > On 06/12/06, G Money <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > You know, for all the shitty parts about Christmas, it still can be fun > to > > give and receive presents, to decorate a tree, make your house look > festive > > and inviting, etc etc. > > And you can do all that without getting near any christian symbols - > decorations, the tree, gift giving and feasting are all traditions way > older than christianity.
Unfortunately that's very difficult around here - this is a MUCH more religious area than I've ever lived in. I live on the corner lot... I can actually see a Nativity scene from all but one of my windows - three from my front door. I'm not suggesting that they shouldn't be there - that's not my call at all. What I am at a loss for is how to make my own convictions _as clear_ without being offensive (or getting a rock through my window). Atheists are actually considered by many to be the most untrustworthy minority in America. Many people equate "atheist" with "morally bankrupt". So I struggling with the question of what can I do, in my community, in an attempt to combat such attitudes? (I should also be clear: I'm really only concerned with decorating the outside of my house. We still do up a fine secular Christmas inside - the kids get their presents on Christmas morning and we bake cookies and everything.) What's actually annoying is that there's now an elaborate manger scene on one of the empty desks at work. During one meeting the topic turned to religion (what churches people go to, etc), it wasn't until I mentioned that I am an atheist that the room was (lightly) chided that we probably shouldn't be talking about religion at the office. It seems to be a pattern: you can discuss religion, you just can't discuss the lack of it. I would like to change that discussion, even in a small way, if I can. I think I might start with a small "Atheism is a non-prophet organization" sign over my desk and see where it leads. Maybe a few little Darwin fish... ;^) (I actually wanted to do up a nice big Darwin fish in Christmas lights on the lawn... my wife won't let me.) Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Create robust enterprise, web RIAs. Upgrade & integrate Adobe Coldfusion MX7 with Flex 2 http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;56760587;14748456;a?http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/flex2/?sdid=LVNU Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:221840 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
