Some of my peers have called my
atheism militant, while others accuse me of being a relativist. I will admit
that it can be difficult to reconcile my disgust for religion with my love of
culture; I constantly battle with Evans-Pritchard’s granary, as it were. While
there are values in religious practice, the most obvious being enculturation, I
must draw the line at extrinsic conflict. It is one thing to say that conflict
within a given culture maybe inherent to the customs and practices of that
culture, and it is another thing entirely to assert the same between two
societies or cultures. Religion seems to be the medium for that clashing of
swords.
Anyway, to completely switch
gears: I do celebrate Christmas. Furthermore, I am more likely to say “Merry
Christmas” than “Happy Holidays,” because that is how I was raised. Despite the
utterance of mere habit, I do actually enjoy Christmas, or at least the
nostalgia of it.
