Arnell Dowret will host “Equal Time for Freethought’s Secular Christmas Party,” focusing on the things that people do on and around the holiday season which transcend the “faith barrier.”
Audio here!
Religious or not, many people today practice traditions which anyone – even those of us who are secular – might enjoy. We’ll be taking listener calls about ways they celebrate during this holiday season which could be valuable to others regardless of one’s faith, or lack of it.
By defining a secular, non-faith-based approach to holiday experiences, we’ll identify ways that people with very different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs can share their traditions without becoming entangled in the differences between their respective faiths.
While we’ll be examining the secular verses religious holiday experience in the context of seasonal holidays such as Chanukah and Kwanzaa, we’ll also be taking about Christmas in particular. While many who are atheists or non-religious have long held that secularists would do well to develop an alternative approach to meeting those reasonable needs for which people presently have nowhere else to turn but to religion, what should this mean with regard to Christmas?
We’ll also be discussing how some prominent front-line atheists, such as current best selling authors Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, regard the question of Secular Christmas.
Also, helping us consider some of these questions will be Joseph Bloch, a member of the Board of Directors of the World Transhumanist Association, who has written an interesting defense for a Secular Christmas “Why I like Christmas” on his blog.
Also weighing in on the idea of Secular Christmas – we’ll be pleased to present perhaps the world’s oldest and certainly most famous proponent of Secular Christmas celebration – none other than Santa Claus himself, as we replay “Equal Time for Freethought’s Exclusive Christmas Day interview with Santa Claus!” Now an “Equal Time for Freethought” Christmas tradition, our Santa interview is light hearted, filled with good vibes, and has pleased, amused, and won praise from both skeptics and believers alike. Please join us for some fun and fascinating Monday morning (actually Tuesday afternoon) quarter-backing on “the day after” as we reflect on the holiday season in a context so truly original and unique – it only happens once a year- and – sometimes, not even then!