2009 Winter Solstice Greeting (And What This Is Really All About) From American Atheists

[WillParkinson]

2009 -- WINTER SOLSTICE GREETINGS
(AND WHAT THIS IS REALLY ALL ABOUT)

The Winter Solstice of 2009 will occur in just a few hours
--precisely at 12:47 PM ET (5:47 CUT) on Monday, December 21.

That will mark the moment where our Sun reaches its lowest point in
its annual apparent journey across the sky. Our pagan ancestors
celebrated this event as the beginning of winter in the Northern
Hemisphere. Vegetation was dormant, save for the "evergreen" trees
and foliage which became symbols of this time of year; and in many
cultures, gift giving, revelry, feasting and other subtle "rituals
of misrule" became common practices for peoples so intimately linked
to the rhythmatic cycles of the seasons.

Come Christianity, and much of this symbolism and custom was
banned or co-opted by the official Church. Sun gods (some of
them said to have been born of virgins -- sound familiar?) were
replaced by a new fairy tale handed down to us in the following
centuries through the contradictory muddle of the New Testament.
Early Christians did not even celebrate the birth of this Jesus ,
being more fixated by his alleged gruesome death on the cross.
The pagan customs lingered on, however, personified by the likes
of Father Christmas and, closer to our own time, Santa Claus.

Today, the culture warriors of the religious right implore us to
"keep Christ in Christmas," forgetting that the more modern practice
is the product not of religiosity as much as commercial greed.
It took a series of events in the 19th century -- everything from
the musings of the Knickerbockers to the greeting card industry and
the story-telling charm of Clement Moore to lay down the foundations
of a "true Christmas" which emphasized not the natural events of the
time, but new sensibilities focused on probity, obedient children,
domesticity and, gift giving. Even Christians have remained divided
over just what "Christmas" stands for, and whether -- and how --
it may be celebrated. With so many mixed messages from the heads
of feuding religious sects, well, the Gods must be crazy!

Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the founder of American Atheists,
emphasized the need for nonbelievers to secure not only their
political and civil rights but a meaningful role in the culture.
She wisely suggested that the Summer and Winter Solstices, along
with the Fall and Spring Equinoxes be celebrated as "natural and
universal holidays." After all, she reasoned, they were common to
all of humanity. They were events in the natural world based on
genuine, scientific facts, not mythology. They marked correspondingly
significant points in the year, demarcations in the oscillations of
the seasons so vital to the survival of human beings and other life.

They belonged to everyone, not just the believers of a particular
faith.

As quaint as O'Hair's suggestion may have been two or three decades
ago, it finds renewed vitality and significance today in a world
where religion-based culture wars are part of our everyday lives.
One of the most significant trends has been the slow but seemingly
inexorable rise in the number of those Americans who describe
themselves as "non-religious." We go under a battery of labels
(or no label at all!) including Atheist, Humanist Freethinker,
Brights, Rationalist; and we are part of a cohort which has become
increasingly aware of our potential political and cultural influence.
These "seculars" do not always agree on all issues being thrashed
out on the Sunday morning talk shows; but increasingly,k we are
displaying an eagerness to claim and defend our civil liberties,
and seize a "place at the table" in the discussion over First
Amendment public policy.

Atheists and other nonbelievers have marched into the courts to
contest everything from school prayer to the use of tax money
to subsidize religious groups and programs. Twenty years ago,
Atheist books were somewhat of a rarity save for those published
by specialty presses. Today, Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion"
has sold over 750,000 copies, opening up a new generation to an
Atheist point of view.

In its own way, the Winter Solstice has become part of the culture
war, too. Religious conservatives rave about a "war on Christmas"
when, in fact, what the Seculars want is an equal position in the
public square. So,bravo! to Carl Silverman and the Pennsylvania
Nonbelievers for demanding equal time in a "Christmas season"
display on public property; see
<http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=236429&format=html>.
We also take this Winter Solstice occasion to salute veteran
Freethought activist Margaret Downey. Among her many novel ideas
has been the Tree of Knowledge, a seasonal evergreen festooned
with the covers of enlightening reading material everyone
should have on his or her bookshelf -- or, in keeping up with the
times, on their Kindle. Learn more at www.margaretdowney.com or visit
<http://www.examiner.com/x-26772-San-Francisco-Apologetics-Examiner~y2009m12d11-Atheist-Tree-of-Knowledge-courthouse-lawn-controversy>.
Not all Seculars celebrate the Winter Solstice, of course since
we are so fiercely independent a folk; but for a growing number of
nonbelievers, this event is becoming an incentive to engage in the
revelry of the season, reconnect with the natural world and join
together with close friends and family. It is a celebration of
all our lives; and being so inextricably linked to an important
natural event, it reminds us of something Madalyn Murray O'Hair
observed about the human condition. In the absence of any deity
or over-seer, what does that mean for human beings?

"All we have is each other."

So, dear readers, from AANEWS and everyone at American Atheists to
all of you ...

Happy Winter Solstice!

(For more on Wiunrter Siolstice, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice )

[yellerpup]

1. What a great post.

Wish I could recommend it a thousand times!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

2. Axial Tilt is the Reason for the Season.

Period.