December 25, 2008
The world's most famous atheist celebrates Christmas
Liz Todd in the Daily Mail:
Scientist and atheist Richard Dawkins has admitted he does celebrate Christmas - and enjoys singing traditional Christmas carols each festive season.
The writer and evolutionary biologist told singer Jarvis Cocker that he happily wishes everyone a Merry Christmas - and used to have a tree when his daughter was younger.
Dawkins, one of the most famous atheists in the world, was interviewed by Sheffield born Cocker when he stepped in as a Christmas guest editor on Radio Four's Today programme.
'I am perfectly happy on Christmas day to say Merry Christmas to everybody,' Dawkins said. 'I might sing Christmas carols - once I was privileged to be invited to Kings College, Cambridge, for their Christmas carols and loved it.
'I actually love most of the genuine Christmas carols. I can't bear Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and you might think from that that I was religious, that I can't bear the ones that make no mention of religion. But I just think they are dreadful tunes and even more dreadful words. I like the traditional Christmas carols.'
More here.
Posted by S. Abbas Raza at 11:20 PM | Permalink
Comments
We are officially entering the age of what was until now thought impossible.
Yes we can!
Posted by: Sign of Saturn | Dec 26, 2008 11:44:17 AM
Me too -- I am an atheist who likes Christmas enough to enjoy singing carols and certainly has no problem wishing people a Merry Christmas.
Posted by: Invigilator | Dec 26, 2008 5:53:47 PM
The wonderful thing about Christmas is how little Christianity there needs to be in it. I think it's only the words of the carols among the things Dawkins mentions, and indeed he might mention a lot more. Still, I can understand the carols too; I've had "Gaudete" (Mediæval Bæbes version) running though my head this past few weeks.
The Christianity in Easter is a little less avoidable, but it's still a festival named in English after a goddess (so says Bede) and traditionally timed by the full moon and the spring equinox (also thanks to Bede).
Posted by: Sagredo | Dec 27, 2008 1:29:34 AM
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