How do atheists celebrate Christmas? I posed that question to my friend Michael Shermer, the editor of Skeptic, during our recent Cal Tech debate. (My two debates with Shermer will soon be up on the web and I'll link to them on this blog.) Shermer replied that he puts up Christmas trees, and his kids sing Christmas carols--even the religious ones--and he exchanges gifts just like everyone else. Here is a guy who is not a believer but who at least respects what Christianity has done to shape our civilization and our world.
Then there's Christopher Hitchens, whom I've known over the years and like just as much. Hitchens, alas, seems to be letting his atheism get to him. First, the poor man is never seen without a drink. As a wine aficionado myself, I cannot begrudge Hitchens his affection for the spirits. In fact, a priest friend of mine once observed that wine is evidence of how much God loves us. It seems odd, however, that Hitchens feels the need to imbibe even when he's on national television or giving a public speech. If you watch our debate on C-Span or on my website dineshdsouza.com, you'll see that Hitchens reaches for his glass with the same alacrity that fundamentalists reach for the Bible.
Recently Hitchens appeared at a "secular Christmas party" thrown by the libertarian magazine Reason. Many libertarians are basically conservatives who are either gay or druggies or people who generally find the conservative moral agenda too restrictive. So they flee from the conservative to the libertarian camp where much wider parameters of personal behavior are embraced. To the sensible idea of political and economic freedom many libertarians add the more controversial principle of moral freedom, the freedom to live however you want as long as you don't harm others. Hitchens, needless to say, is at home in this group.
Hitchens' contribution to the party was to read an irreverent Christmas ditty by the lyricist Tom Lehrer. Remember Lehrer? He's a bit of a relic, like the Monty Python and the Rocky Horror movies. When I was eighteen and a freshman at Dartmouth I found Lehrer and Monty Python very sophisticated and amusing. Most of us, however, outgrow the juvenile sense of humor that they represent. Hitchens also offered a brief summary of his view that God is a celestial dictator. He portrayed God as a kind of Kim Jong-il and Jesus as a kind of little Kim waiting to inherit the throne. So here we see another portrait of Atheist Christmas: bitter guys making sophomoric jokes and staggering out of the room inebriated.
Yes, I agree that many nominal Christians have also forgotten the message of Christmas. Even so I wonder: what's the atheist equivalent of Christmas? Darwin's birthday? For many libertarians I suppose it's the day they get their tax refunds.
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Reader Comments ( Page 54 of 54)
796. bump
fabio at 11:15AM on Dec 27th 2007
797. I'd write something thoughtful and considerate, but basically D'Souza is a self-righteous blowhard, and I can't be bothered.
Why on Earth does it it matter to this dimwit how other people celebrate holidays?
SteveHT at 7:34PM on Dec 27th 2007
798. This was one of the most insulting things I have ever read. I have seen the CSPAN debate, (and because of his conceited attitude I am no fan of Hitchens) I thought Dinesh won the debate not just on well thought out answers, but on his firm, intelligent, and civil apologetics.
After reading this libel against libertarians, Dinesh is now quite a few notches down on my list.
There are many of us appalled by what drugs do to people, and by people that are morally bankrupt. Yet we take very seriously Christ's words to love thy neighbor as thyself. Siding with Conservatives that believe the drug war is best fought by filling prisons, and as result a filling black markets for the most dangerous of terrorist to profit, well, I think that is anti-Christ. A Christian should go to a sinner, inform them of their sin, and tell them to repent. I don't think that would include using military tactics to kick in the doors of dying patients that had their neighbor's consent to use marijuana for their pain.
Finally, a libertarian is first and foremost a hater of a government that thinks it is to solve our problems. Christ destroyed Jerusalem as an example to show that he disapproved of a large, centrally controlling moral authority.
A libertarian believes the same thing.
joel stewart at 1:00PM on Dec 28th 2007
799. I'm disappointed in D'Souza's commentary on a number of counts. Having had the opportunity to briefly meet Dinesh a few weeks ago, I believed (until I read his Christmas piece) that he had been one of the best debaters that Hitchens had faced. I had been impressed by his civility, good humor, and (relatively) cogent arguments for a faith world view. I'm disappointed to find that I was wrong once again. His mean-spirited, stereotyping, and ad hominum attacks betray him.
It's worth noting that Tom Lehrer's "Christmas Carol" (quoted eyes-closed by a clearly inebriated Hitchens)is a biting commentary on a commercialized christmas holiday, and makes no (repeat, zero) attacks on Christ or Christianity. Read it for yourself at http://members.aol.com/quentncree/lehrer/xmas.htm. Isn't this a sentiment that many devout Christians share as well?
thejazzguy at 4:29PM on Dec 28th 2007
800. Dinesh,
This is just for you:
"The Lord is my Shepherd, and sometimes he gets lonely."
- A new prayer
TikiHead at 3:13PM on Dec 31st 2007
801. To all Atheists - Can you imagine a nightmare lasting for eternity where you are in the midst of a blazing fire and as you scream and beg for death, it does not come because no one hears you since you are completely alone.
P.J.Bal at 11:44PM on Dec 31st 2007
802. I find that D'Souza consistenly attacks his opponents (ad hominem) rather than attacking the actual discussion or argument--an obvious indication of poor debating and critical thinking skills.
Tim at 4:52PM on Apr 8th 2008