Closet Extremist

Christmas vs. Holiday's

(I'd like to start this out by illuminating the fact that I'm typing this on one of my Christmas Gifts. It's one of these, and I'm here to tell you that it's Uber cool. The backlight works like a charm, so if you're another of those folks who likes to keep the room darkenned when you're blogging, this thing is the bee's knees.)

This season has been festooned with a lot of drama. I'm certain taht you've had to have been living a box over the last month to miss the whole "Happy Holiday's" vs. "Merry Christmas" flap that's been going on this year. I thought that I'd give you my opinion as it's from the point of view of a "secular" individual.

UIt would seem that most of the people who are attempting to enforce the whole "HH" thing are individuals who are of a similar religious persuasion as myself, ie: none of the above. As you may know...I'm an Athiest. Yep, I don't believe in God, in any of his popular (or even obscure) forms, but I'm not one of the "Athiest's with agenda's" that I normally get lumped in with. A lot of my colleagues are guilty of doing the same thing that the religious folks do... they become zealots. Their belief in their "Unbelief" makes them go way overboard in trying to make a point. A typical zealot will take any situation that does not agree with his beliefs, and then try to force it onto others. Hey man..I ain't that guy.

I went on about being an Elitist awhile back, and here's another reason why I think I am one: The average Athiest has a higher IQ than the rest of the population, however, they fall into one of three categories... The zealot, the sellout, and the realist. The zealot tries to remove religion from every activity that anyone ever participate's in. The sellout will mention God in both his writing's and speech's, and I believe that he is the first person to spurn the whole "intelligent design" thing. This person is trying to subvert the more popular opinion of having a God, by pandering to the folks who have one, and then inserting his own thoughts about how it doesn't exist. Then there are the realist's (a true minority if I can be frank here.). Realist's are the one's who've figured out that the vast majority of the population absolutely require a God to ensure that they do what they should from day to day, but they don't need that influence to do the same. they've also realized that just because the God Lover's are different, it doesn't necessarily make them wrong, or stupid. My opinion is that you believe what you wish to believe to make yourself able to get throught the normal trials and tribulations of every person out there, and if it's good for you, then it's good.

I think that if you wish we a Merry Christmas, you are doing the same thing as wishing me a happy holidays, or a happy hannukah. It's merely an expression of the season, and a well wish at that. I'm of the inclination that you should take every well wish that you get at face value, and believe thatfolks just want you to be happy. Don't take any offense at somethign that is well meant, as if you do, you are the one who means ill. If you're one of those folks, I highly recommend that you do a little soul searching. If you don't figure that you're wrong, then just chalk yourself up to being an idiot. You'll be in good company.