Tis the season....

[YardleyLabs]

How could people who dont believe in anything have a display about it?

As Larry The Cable Guy would say...that's just STUPID!

Believe it or not, as an atheist, I tend to agree. Personally. I care what kind of person you are and don't think your religion makes any difference. Having said that, I see no reason why Christians should have some form of monopoly on public displays related to the season and I don't consider an atheist display to be any more of an insult to Christian beliefs than a Christian display is an insult to mine. In my company I encouraged holiday displays from every group and we made sure we had displays for Christian (both Christmas and Kwanzaa as well as Easter), Jewish, Hindu and, to the extent we were able, Muslim holidays as well as national holidays such as the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and MLK day. I think it let everyone feel welcome, encouraged everyone to be tolerant, and made it clear that no one group was dominant. I personally believe our public spaces should be managed with a similar attitude. Let everyone express their beliefs in a positive fashion but never permit any one perspective to dominate the landscape.

[Patrick Johndrow]

Believe it or not, as an atheist, I tend to agree. Personally. I care what kind of person you are and don't think your religion makes any difference. Having said that, I see no reason why Christians should have some form of monopoly on public displays related to the season and I don't consider an atheist display to be any more of an insult to Christian beliefs than a Christian display is an insult to mine. In my company I encouraged holiday displays from every group and we made sure we had displays for Christian (both Christmas and Kwanzaa as well as Easter), Jewish, Hindu and, to the extent we were able, Muslim holidays as well as national holidays such as the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and MLK day. I think it let everyone feel welcome, encouraged everyone to be tolerant, and made it clear that no one group was dominant. I personally believe our public spaces should be managed with a similar attitude. Let everyone express their beliefs in a positive fashion but never permit any one perspective to dominate the landscape.

Hell must have frozen over…we agreed on something. I would add to your comments when a group put a display next to another groups display with the intention of drawing attention to their cause and demean the other group’s display I do find it insulting.

An example…you will never find me with a heterosexual lifestyle display at a gay pride parade…for the record you will never find me near a gay pride parade.

[Hoosier]

Believe it or not, as an atheist, I tend to agree. Personally. I care what kind of person you are and don't think your religion makes any difference. Having said that, I see no reason why Christians should have some form of monopoly on public displays related to the season and I don't consider an atheist display to be any more of an insult to Christian beliefs than a Christian display is an insult to mine. In my company I encouraged holiday displays from every group and we made sure we had displays for Christian (both Christmas and Kwanzaa as well as Easter), Jewish, Hindu and, to the extent we were able, Muslim holidays as well as national holidays such as the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and MLK day. I think it let everyone feel welcome, encouraged everyone to be tolerant, and made it clear that no one group was dominant. I personally believe our public spaces should be managed with a similar attitude. Let everyone express their beliefs in a positive fashion but never permit any one perspective to dominate the landscape.

So your saying Christians should have a monopoly on the Christmas season. I guess I don't understand that logic.

[Patrick Johndrow]

So your saying Christians should have a monopoly on the Christmas season. I guess I don't understand that logic.

We do have the market cornered on the birth of Christ… what we call the Christmas Story…the nativity. The rest of the world has whatever they do with Santa Clause, Elf and stuff.

[YardleyLabs]

So your saying Christians should have a monopoly on the Christmas season. I guess I don't understand that logic.

I'm guessing that you left a word out of your sentence and meant to say "So your saying Christians should not have a monopoly on the Christmas season. I guess I don't understand that logic."

The simple answer is no, I do not believe that any group gets to lay exclusive claim to any particular dates or weeks on the calendar. If precedence rules, the Christians lose out to the pagans who claimed the solstice period long before and the Jews who claimed Hanukkah long before as well. We share the space and the calendar.

[Hoosier]

I'm guessing that you left a word out of your sentence and meant to say "So your saying Christians should not have a monopoly on the Christmas season. I guess I don't understand that logic."

The simple answer is no, I do not believe that any group gets to lay exclusive claim to any particular dates or weeks on the calendar. If precedence rules, the Christians lose out to the pagans who claimed the solstice period long before and the Jews who claimed Hanukkah long before as well. We share the space and the calendar.

Well God bless ya. Jesus loves ya. In god we trust. Just because a large population base wants to celebrate Christmas it does not mean that you are forced too. How does their right to celebrate and believe how and what they want infringe upon you. Is someone forcing you to have a Merry Christmas?

[Bruce MacPherson]

Believe it or not, as an atheist, I tend to agree. Personally. I care what kind of person you are and don't think your religion makes any difference. Having said that, I see no reason why Christians should have some form of monopoly on public displays related to the season and I don't consider an atheist display to be any more of an insult to Christian beliefs than a Christian display is an insult to mine. In my company I encouraged holiday displays from every group and we made sure we had displays for Christian (both Christmas and Kwanzaa as well as Easter), Jewish, Hindu and, to the extent we were able, Muslim holidays as well as national holidays such as the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and MLK day. I think it let everyone feel welcome, encouraged everyone to be tolerant, and made it clear that no one group was dominant. I personally believe our public spaces should be managed with a similar attitude. Let everyone express their beliefs in a positive fashion but never permit any one perspective to dominate the landscape.

It's called Christmas the season when we traditionaly celebrate OUR beliefs. If you Atheists want to celebrate your own holiday feel free, I won't object and won't interfere, just stay out of mine.

[YardleyLabs]

It's called Christmas the season when we traditionaly celebrate OUR beliefs. If you Atheists want to celebrate your own holiday feel free, I won't object and won't interfere, just stay out of mine.

So are you suggesting that the only public displays permitted during the "Christmas Season" would be Christian ones? And how exactly are you defining the "Christmas Season"? Right now it seems to start on Thanksgiving and continue until after New Years.

I believe in good manners and mutual respect in all dealings, including interactions among these with different religious beliefs. However, I don't expect others to defer to my beliefs and I don't see any reason why I should defer to the religious beliefs of others. This year Hanukkah begins on December 22. Are you suggesting that it should be rescheduled to stay out of the way of Christmas?

Personally I try to celebrate my beliefs every day that I am alive and am happy that I live in a country where that is not just possible but welcome.

[Hoosier]

So are you suggesting that the only public displays permitted during the "Christmas Season" would be Christian ones? And how exactly are you defining the "Christmas Season"? Right now it seems to start on Thanksgiving and continue until after New Years.

I believe in good manners and mutual respect in all dealings, including interactions among these with different religious beliefs. However, I don't expect others to defer to my beliefs and I don't see any reason why I should defer to the religious beliefs of others. This year Hanukkah begins on December 22. Are you suggesting that it should be rescheduled to stay out of the way of Christmas?

Personally I try to celebrate my beliefs every day that I am alive and am happy that I live in a country where that is not just possible but welcome.

If the Jews want to put up a Hanukkah tree, I wont feel the need to go put a nativity display next to it. It's not like we're forcing holy water enemas on anyone.

[K.Bullock]

So are you suggesting that the only public displays permitted during the "Christmas Season" would be Christian ones?

That would make sense to me. it is a Christian holiday.

And how exactly are you defining the "Christmas Season"? Right now it seems to start on Thanksgiving and continue until after New Years.

That would be about right, advent began just last Sunday.

I believe in good manners and mutual respect in all dealings, including interactions among these with different religious beliefs. However, I don't expect others to defer to my beliefs and I don't see any reason why I should defer to the religious beliefs of others. This year Hanukkah begins on December 22. Are you suggesting that it should be rescheduled to stay out of the way of Christmas?

No one is suggesting that, and the Jews would not follow Christians around forcing them to stick a disclaimer on the nativity either.