So, what was that about a Christian country?

[matgb]

So, I should celebrate Christmas because it's a Christian festival (wrong) and because Britain is a Christian country? ORLY?

Britain's generally tolerant attitude to religion is underlined by the small proportion who say the country is best described as a Christian one. Only 17% think this. The clear majority, 62%, agree Britain is better described as "a religious country of many faiths".

In fact, following on from earlier discussion, it would appear that I'm in the clear majority:

Most people have no personal faith, the poll shows, with only 33% of those questioned describing themselves as "a religious person". A clear majority, 63%, say that they are not religious - including more than half of those who describe themselves as Christian.

Regarding those who describe themselves as "Christian" but don't believe? Charlie puts it best:

this is more of an ethnic or cultural definition than a spiritual one

So, it's December 23rd, I'm up and about, had a shower and a bit to eat. I'm off to celebrate the True Meaning of Christmas. Shopping. With my family.

So, from the bottom of my heart, this little atheist would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very genuine Merry Christmas, because the whole thing has nothing to do with that little kid who might have been born about 2000 years ago, during lambing season, at the time of a census. Both of which took place in March.

Comments

[matgb]

It's a habit most people above a certain age seem to have, and although I never quantified it at work, I meant to.

We sometimes got students requesting to stay with either "A christian family" or a family of a particular denomination (ie, there's). So we asked a question along the lines of "if you are a member of a particular faith please tell us so we can match students of the same faith with you". A lot of families said they were CofE. I knew this was bollocks, as I knew a lot of them never went to church (we knew the ones that did for the most part).

So the next year I changed it to "if you regularly attend a place of worship, please state". Number of people ticking that box went right down. My mum says she's Christian, but goes to church for Christmas eve, weddings and funerals.

My father is an agnostic of the Dawkins school, and refused to allow either of us to be Christened, muchto my grandmother's chagrin.

That's also partially it; if you're christened as a kid, you're a member of the faith, even if you don't actually believe. I'm rambling, aren't I. I'll stop.