25th December - Deconversion Day

[TheFlyingBastard]

So a while ago I had a discussion with my faghag, who lives in a very Christian town and people are getting really upset that we are "hijacking Christmas" because Christmas is Christian and we're making it into "just something cultural" or whatever. (Ironic as most of the celebrations are blatantly stolen from pagan religions.) I've noticed that this sentiment is particularly true in the US, especially when you put "atheist signs" in public spaces around Christmas.
Apparently Christians want us to get our own holiday or something.

Two days later I saw Christmas & Deconversion by ProfMTH, in which he described how he was at the Christmas mass on the 25th, and that that marked the day of his deconversion. That's why he celebrates Christmas - to commemorate the day of his becoming an atheist.

Some guy nicknamed "horsesandmountains" commented, saying: "Unfortunately,, i don't have a definite day on which to celebrate my deconversion... maybe i should just pick one!"

So I followed suit. From now on, December 25th will be the day for me that I celebrate the day that my long night of theism ended and that the light of rationalism (with atheism as its obvious and necessary result) has already begun shedding more and more light on my life.
So since Christians want us to get our own holiday, why not make it an unofficial holiday? What do you think?

 

[Lallapalalable]

Cant really celebrate, as i would have to have deconverted from something. :|

 

[JustBusiness17]

Boy wouldn't that be GRAND!! If Christians insist on calling the reclamation of Winter Solstice celebrations as a "War on Christmas", this would be the nuclear strike of religious warfare! Draw Mohammad Day would look like a small air raid by comparison... Quick, someone make a facebook group :lol:

But seriously, the whole war on Christmas BS is nothing more than Christian Propaganda at its finest. By the look on TogetherForPeace's face in ProfMTH's video, I can tell he bought it hook, line, and sinker. If you want to celebrate your deconversion on December 25th, all the power to you. If anything, I would do it just to spite the whole myth of some "War on Christmas".

 

[Prolescum]

I was born this way :cry:

 

[Pennies for Thoughts]

Quick, someone make a facebook group

So I did. Find Celebrate Solstice Day (Dec 25) at http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=135&uid=121939641184089#!/group.php?gid=121939641184089

 

[SagansHeroes]

I was born this way :cry:

I guess technically we all were... You're not born with the precognitive motion of the Judea-Christian god, someone has to preach it. For me I believed in all the religious stuff about as much/longs as any other fairytale/myth a kid believes in.

 

[Prolescum]

I was born this way :cry:

I guess technically we all were..

Yes, it was... a gag.

 

[FaithlessThinker]

A lot of them deconvert as a process over months or even years, and doesn't happen overnight. In that case, should you celebrate the day when the deconversion starts, or the day when it ends, or the days in between? I know which day it started for me. I don't know when it ended though.

 

[DepricatedZero]

I say celebrate the days in between.

Celebrate life. Every day.

 

[Anachronous Rex]

We infidels need no such mechanism of reinforcement.

 

[nasher168]

I celebrate on December the 25th because it's fun and happy. No need to have some other reason as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Pennies for Thoughts]

The new Solstice Day (Dec 25) Facebook group already has four members. We'll work our way up to the 300,000+ in the "Keep Christ in Christmas" FB group with more help from our League of Reasoners. See the Christmas tree made of beer bottles and feel free to add funny or blasphemous pix.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=121939641184089

 

[TheFlyingBastard]

Cant really celebrate, as i would have to have deconverted from something. :|

You don't have to celebrate YOUR deconversion. You could celebrate that others have seen the light.

A lot of them deconvert as a process over months or even years, and doesn't happen overnight. In that case, should you celebrate the day when the deconversion starts, or the day when it ends, or the days in between? I know which day it started for me. I don't know when it ended though.

You COULD treat it as a birthday, of course, but that's not the point of Deconversion Day. It's a very nice date to remember the fact that there are still people out there getting a better understanding of the universe and deconverting, symbolized by the nights getting shorter.

We infidels need no such mechanism of reinforcement.

Reinforcement? Pfrt. This is a celebration! Have an extra beer on December 25th and remember me - someone who got deconverted and is happier for it. Celebrate knowledge and intellectual honesty.

 

[DepricatedZero]

We should totally encourage all the Christians to use symbols of intellectual growth and prosperity to celebrate free thinking and rationalism on December 25th.

Here are some symbols we should adopt:

• A tree, which must have grown from a pinecone. Pine trees represent personal growth.
• Stars. Everything we know of our world and universe comes from the stars in one way or another.
• Winged men. Sometimes women or children, these represent personal freedom and the ability to rise above our ancestors. These should wear white graduation gowns.
• Lights and Candles. Decorate your house and conifer in lights. Let your house shine to the world, demonstrating humanity's infinite capacity for understanding.
• A creche representing our domestication of farm animals, leading to the dawn of agriculture and the end of our hunter and gatherer society.
• Tinsel. This represents the progression of humanity to the present, in our age of plastic and metal.

 

[TheFlyingBastard]

DepricatedZero, those are some pretty damn awesome symbols and I propose we implement them as soon I have stopped pissing myself.

 

[DepricatedZero]

What should we call it?

I think something other than Deconversion Day. The reason is the same for why I wouldn't want to call it Atheist Day or something like that. It's the negative to a positive.

I want it to a purely positive. Here are some ideas. Lets get the best one! Is there a way we could add a poll once we get some names?

Human Pride Day
Secular Science Day
Life Day

p.s. Once we have a name I will totally register a domain and host a website for this. If anyone wants to contribute you're more than welcome to.

 

[TheFlyingBastard]

What should we call it?
I think something other than Deconversion Day. The reason is the same for why I wouldn't want to call it Atheist Day or something like that. It's the negative to a positive.

I love the words like enlightenment and awareness. But I'm Dutch, so my English vocabulary isn't as comprehensive as that of many native speakers.

p.s. Once we have a name I will totally register a domain and host a website for this. If anyone wants to contribute you're more than welcome to.

You register the URL, I'll host the website. I've got unlimited hosting anyway. ;-)
Also, facebook group.

 

[DepricatedZero]

What should we call it?
I think something other than Deconversion Day. The reason is the same for why I wouldn't want to call it Atheist Day or something like that. It's the negative to a positive.

I love the words like enlightenment and awareness. But I'm Dutch, so my English vocabulary isn't as comprehensive as that of many native speakers.

p.s. Once we have a name I will totally register a domain and host a website for this. If anyone wants to contribute you're more than welcome to.

You register the URL, I'll host the website. I've got unlimited hosting anyway. ;-)
Also, facebook group.

That works. You're in charge of the facebook group though, because I don't do facebook.

I get colorful with english, I love it to death. If anything I say doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll try to explain it better for you.

 

[DepricatedZero]

MadScientist2 proposed "National Enlightenment Day" in Chat

I REALLY like that one. MORE IDEAS!

I'm gonna start a poll on Monday to decide on a name. Lets get more suggestions in. I'll let the poll run through next week and next Friday I'll register the domain.

 

[FaithlessThinker]

MadScientist2 proposed "National Enlightenment Day" in Chat

That's limiting to a nation (I suppose it's America). How about the rest of the world?

I'd suggest "Global Enlightenment Day" or "Universal Enlightenment Day".