Athiest Christmas cards - religion mentioned

Nina J wrote: I think this man seems to make cards in poor taste, considering his Depression cards.

But, one thing that seemed odd to me is why would an athiest want Christmas cards? It seems ridiculous for an athiest to want to send a card on a holiday symbolising the very things they do not believe in, unless they just want to send a card in poor taste?

I thought it was interesting, though. Don't want to start a debate about religion or anything though . I don't think I would buy one, I have not seen them but they seem in poor taste. I know religious people and athiests, all nice people. But the athiests I know do not harp on about there beliefs or send me cards showing they do not believe (likewise for the religious friends I have). We have discussed it before in a more educational way, if you kwim. Not in a 'I am right and you're wrong way!". And my family members (some, anyway) were raised in the Great Depression, so I don't think it is anything to mock.


Atheist Christmas cards hit the market
Artist and comedy writer Andrew Shaffer has tapped into an improbable market: he began designing and selling Great Depression and atheist Christmas cards.

"I always thought that Charles Darwin looked like Santa Claus," Shaffer said from his home in Iowa, in the US midwest, explaining how he had come up with the idea for Christmas cards for atheists.

"So last year, I put together an image of Darwin with some presents under his arm and started selling it alongside my other edgy Christmas cards."

Sales of Darwin Claus outstripped sales of any other card Shaffer was marketing, leading him to think that "maybe there are atheists out there who want to send Christmas cards".

So he started an entire line of cards for them.

The 30-year-old turned entrepreneur has also launched a line of Depressing Times cards, featuring images from the 1930s, when the United States grappled with the Great Depression, and humorous verse contrasting those very difficult times with the current economic slump.

One card shows a woman cutting cloth against a pattern and has the caption on the front: "I made you a present."

Inside the card is the message: "But I had to burn it in a rubbish bin to stay warm - Have a Great Depression and a Happy New Year."

Another shows the evolution of man which starts with an ape-like figure and ends with a metamorphosis into Santa Claus.

Shaffer also has gay cards, often featuring the rainbow colours that have come to symbolise the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

Shaffer insists he did not create the cards to offend anyone or to scare small children, as the card that declares "The good news is that Santa is real" but "the bad news is that he's dead" might do.

"I expected people would be offended a little bit by the atheist cards, even if I didn't feel I was mocking Christian figures or Jesus or anything like that," he said.

"I was mocking the secular side of Christmas - Santa Claus, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer - and in fact, I've had a lot of people who are traditional Christians who have bought the atheist cards for friends, because they think they are funny," he said.

But he has taken some flak over the Great Depression cards, he admitted.

"Some people felt I was knocking people who were not well-off, but I came up with those cards the weekend of the $US700 billion ($A994.74 billion) bailout, when people on Wall Street were losing their jobs.

"Then, it was OK for the people on Main Street to mock. Now it's a little less funny because now it's the people on Main Street who are losing their jobs," he said.

This year, though, sales are up five times compared with 2007, when Shaffer started the greeting card business. The cards are sold directly to the consumer via the www.orderofstnick.com website.

Shaffer is an unlikely artist and comedy writer. Armed with an MBA, he decided not to go into investment banking.

Instead he studied creative writing at the prestigious Iowa Writer's Workshop. His cards have been featured on the Comedy Central television channel.

Judging by media coverage linked on his website, business is booming.

He's been featured in the American and UK press and even on Russian television.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: I think it's a great idea. I know a lot of people who don't practice.. who like receiving cards of a non-religious meaning, since they celebrate the commercial side of Christmas. Let's face it... christmas, like every other "religious holiday", has been taken over by commerciality. Santa rules over Jesus. It seems only natural that someone whould make cards like this at some point.... It's not like atheists don't put the tree up and give/get presents...most do celebrate christmas, they just get stuck with images of Christ's birth and what not.

I don't think i've received one card with religious symbolism on it this year, it's all been santa, reindeer, scenery with decorations.. what's a little humor added to that.. then again, I pick cards to give to people based on what I think they would like, not what I believe or don't believe in. I have to say that I'd probably buy those, some are pretty funny.

A&A'smommy replied: I'm offended and confused as to why anyone who is an atheist would want to celebrate christmas... does anyone NOT get CHRISTmas JMO

jcc64 replied: ITA with Rocky. The artist said he mocks the secular aspects of Christmas, not the religious ones. It seems to me to be much more a commentary about the over-commercialization/crass-consumerism that surrounds Christmas, rather than a dig at Christianity.
Btw, I'm a kinda, sorta atheist (still sorting it all out in my head, probably always will be), and I celebrate Christmas. For us, it's a reminder about the importance of giving and family, though I'm constantly telling my kids who Jesus was, how he cared for the poor and the unwanted, how he urged his followers to treat others with kindness and compassion, despite their differences, etc...

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
ITA. If you don't celebrate Christmas, fine. But would people please stop trying to take Christ out of Christmas?! You can't make it mean something else or leave him out, there wouldn't have been any Christmas in the first place without Jesus.

cameragirl21 replied: I haven't seen the cards so Idk if I can truly comment but I do think the idea of the Great Depression cards is in very poor taste given that people really suffered through those times.
As for religion, interestingly, every year during this time, I'd find people in the stores, the checkout clerks saying "Merry Christmas" to me and I'd always respond with, "happy holidays" but this year, not one clerk has said MC to me, not one. Obviously, it's a slower retail season due to the economy and perhaps there's not so much cheer to go around but I'm noticing that Christmas has by and large become a retail holiday more than anything else. Obviously this is not the case for everyone but it seems to be the common idea so of course it opens the door for ideas like this one to come out. Anytime there's an opportunity to make money, someone will come up with an idea and it may be offensive to some.
I think holding strong to any belief system opens the door to someone mocking you. Not just religion but even in my case, as a vegetarian, I recall seeing Jessica Simpson wearing a shirt that said, "real women eat meat" and I wasn't offended but in all fairness, it WAS a jab at vegetarians and those of us who don't eat meat for ethical reasons hold very strong to those beliefs, as strong as any religious beliefs, really. Same thing with those of us who see ghosts and/or read tarot cards...plenty of people chuckled at me...till I read their cards and was dead on with very detailed info and/or came to their house and saw ghosts.
Pagans will tell you that Christmas is just a copy of their holiday, Yule, also known as Winter Solstice. They will say that a Christmas tree is a Yule log and that Yule colors are green and red, etc, there is no doubt there ARE similarities but obviously that is a Pagan opinion and not likely to be shared by all.
Bottom line, if you have strong beliefs about anything, someone is always going to offend you if you let them. Hold tightly to your beliefs and be proud of them and step over it. All this publicity and potentially offended outcry is what makes people like this Shaffer guy rich.

Brias3 replied: I think those are in poor taste, and I'd be offended receiving one. I see plenty of "sending winter greetings" cards available during this time of year, and I always take care to send one of those to friends I have who do not celebrate Christmas, in lieu of our Merry Christmas card.

Danalana replied: I have to admit that I didn't read it all, but I do agree with the fact that commercialism has almost taken over the meaning of Christmas.
As far as true atheist Christmas cards...that's kinda dumb. Whether you are religious or not, Christmas IS and always will be about Jesus. I've seen a gradual attempt to take Christ out of Christmas....such as "Happy Holidays" or "Merry X-mas!" It's not because the word is so long that it has to be replaced with an X. Halloween has just as many letters, but you don't see anybody changing "Happy Halloween!" to "Happy Holidays" or "Happy X-ween!" Nope, it's just Christmas that it's done to. LOL< as you can see, it kinda irks me. And now I am off my soapbox...

msoulz replied:

DING DING DING!!!

Nina J replied: I still do not understand why an athiest would want to send a Christmas card? I don't get it. I like to think these cards would only be sent to like-minded individuals, not someone who they know holds the reason of Christmas close to their heart.

For me, Christmas has always been about the birth of Jesus. I know some people do not even think of that during the holiday season, but I always have and in all honesty, if I did not believe I do not know if I would celebrate the holiday. Maybe I'd just have Festivus

msoulz replied:

IMHO it is because Christmas has become an national holiday and a season to wish each other well. While Jesus would likely shake his head at all of the commercialism, I like to believe He would be OK with wishing everyone, no matter what his or her beliefs, a nice day!

TheOaf66 replied: if you take out the religion, you're not celebrating CHRISTmas, you are celebrating "the holidays".

Swood75 replied:
Amen!!! ITA..

lisar replied: I am atheist and I do send out Christmas cards, however none of them say anything about god on them. All they say is something like Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas. I might not believe but my dh does, and so does Lexi. Raygen is not old enough to make up her own mind yet. I have always sent out cards though. And its hard to explain in words why I do it though. Christmas to me is just a holiday to where I spoil my kids rotten. I know of a few people who do not celebrate it all because they are atheist but I am not like that. My kids and my family believe so I am not going to take it away from them.
As far as the atheist Christmas cards I think its stupid. They make them that say Happy Holidays they can use those. And I am not offended if someone says Merry Christmas to me at all. I do not go around telling people about my religion and my beliefs so it doesn't bother me. I will tell people Merry Christmas.

And for the whole tree thing I know they wanted to call it a holiday tree instead of a Christmas tree, well I might not be religious but its still a darn Christmas tree no matter what.

jcc64 replied:

ITA, well said!

Hillbilly Housewife replied: I wouldn't get all huffy about Chrstimas being a time about Jesus... December 25th is a worldwide celebrated date, with the birth date of many a "son of god". Besides, I can bet that a great deal of Christians on here have a Christmas tree, send cards, receive cards, have dinner with their family...etc....

You might say you don't celebrate the comercial side of it... but the tree, cards etc isn't even a religious symbol - it's germanic, from the pagan solstice. How may of you freak at not having their cards and gifts mailed out in time? The tree, the big family dinner, the cards, the carolling, the multiple presents.. that's not Christmas. It's commercial. There are many different traditions, in different parts of the world.. so to debate as to whether one is "christian" or not is pointless, and actually just invalidates the christianity portion of things, ebcause it just shows how judgemental and hyprocritical people can be towards each other rather than loving and accepting..

So really - if I have to choose to listen to a Christian being hypocritical and judgemental, or see a card from a guy who's not pretending to be anything but what he's perceived to be, I'll go with the cards, thank you very much. They're real.

Nina J replied: Well I was not trying to be hypocritical, I was just trying to understand someone else's point of view. Yes, Christmas is commercialised. But it has been like this since I was a child, therefore I do not know Christmas any other way. And I enjoy it like this. But I do not get worked up over Christmas cards, I sent 4 this year. I can not be stuffed writing them out, so I send them to some immediate family.

It doesn't matter anyway, no one is debating. I was not trying too, I was just trying to understand something I did not.

Happy Holidays, I hope everyone enjoys the week and has a wonderful 2009

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
Sorry, I should have specified that "you" was general. I wasn't pointing the finger, just speaking in general terms.

I don't like Christmas very much.

redchief replied: Actually, Christmas, despite it's pagan origins, has been celebrated as a "national holiday" for as long as there has been a nation. It has become the day in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus, even though the Vatican acknowledges that December 25th was almost certainly not His birthday. That December was chosen goes back to the pre-modern calendar pagan holiday festival called Saturnalia. The Christians stole it as a tool to peacefully convert pagans to Christianity. For the most part it worked.

So, I suppose Christmas' jaded history gives that idiot the right to produce a non-Christian greeting card. Freedom of speech gives him the right to poke fun at both the observance of Christmas and his tongue-in-cheek jabs at the suffering that occurred during the Great Depression. Only society's collective decision to accept his garbage as "art" and actually spend money on it keep the "comedy writer" in business.

TheOaf66 replied:
Ed I gotta say I love your well worded and articulate "slaps in the face" to ridiculous ideas


Merry Christmas and Happy "Birth of Jesus Day"

A&A'smommy replied:
THANK YOU!!!!!

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
I don't disagree with you, Ed - I'm just trying to say that a traditional Christmas as we all know it did not originate within Christianity... and so to get upset about it not being about Jesus is useless, as it really isn't, at least not anymore, for the majority of the world. It's about Santa, and to celebrate it purely as the day of Christ's birth would strip away just about everything about Christmas as we know it.

"you" can say Christmas is about Jesus all you want.. and part of it is.. but not Christmas as the commercial nation-wide Holiday we have all become accustomed to. That is, and will remain, purely a seasonal cash-grab for commercial companies. Proof of this is the strip of any religious connotations in stores, tv, the way you address people.. nobody in a position to lose dares to say merry Christmas anymore for risk of offending someone. Is Christmas about Jesus? maybe to Christians... but not to the ones selling it.

AND - the X-mas thing.. it's not taking Christ out of Christmas. It comes from the greek word ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, which means Christos, their name for Christ. X-mas is a lot easier than ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣmas.

PrairieMom replied:
I'm not surprised at all. When I look around Christmas clearly has nothing to do with Christ for many people. If it did, Walmart wouldn't be doing such great business.
Its sad.
But, really when you look at history, Christmas wasn't always celebrated as a religious holiday.