Roll to Disbelieve Winter Super Special! (#3)

Welcome to our Winter Super Special! Happy WinChrisKahSolZaaNewFest Holidays! In keeping with our (new) tradition here at Roll to Disbelieve, I’ve gathered up some thematic posts into a Super Special issue to keep you company today. Whether you’re excited, a little tuckered out from all that winter cheer, or feeling distinctly Grinchy, below you’ll find some reading material from years gone past.

BTW, I thought it’d be fun to show you baby pictures of Bumble and Bother that their first foster mom sent me not long ago! For those who wondered: yes, the mama cat was indeed a dilute orange tabby.

Christmas, the Holiday

I enjoy celebrating Christmas. Always have. So unsurprisingly, I’ve written a fair bit about this holiday.

• The Real Reason for the Season (2014).
• The Reason for the Season (2015).
• Defining Moments: The First Step.
• That Time My Boyfriend Pulled a Sword On My Best Friend During the Christmas Pageant.
• A Christmas Miracle: Speaking in Tongues at the Company Party.

The Supposed War on Christmas

Astonishingly, a whole bunch of Christians out there feel outraged that someone, somewhere doesn’t celebrate Christmas exactly the way they prefer.

• T’is the Season for More Christian Infighting.
• The Real Reason For the “War on Christmas.”
• It’s Everybody’s Holiday. Plus a little more link love!
• The Tantrum on Christmas.

Virginity and virgins

Most of what people know about Mary, the mother of Jesus, is that the Gospels insist that she was a virgin. Hey, I’m just recounting the standard-issue Christian propaganda here. The Gospels’ anonymous writers neglect to develop her much as a character beyond virginity and flashes of submission to male authority and maternal concern here and there. Unsurprisingly, virginity became one of the, like, three points of virtue that women could attain in Christianity.

• O Holy Night, the Stars Are Brightly Shining: Virgin Births.
• T’is the Season: Virgin Births.
• The Curious Case of the Undesirable Virgin.

Criticisms of Christian Beliefs Around Christmas

Obviously, none of these criticisms apply to the religion as a whole, since nothing about the religion could be considered universal. All the same, they apply to a lot of the religion’s flavors.

• A Free Gift That is Neither Free, Nor Really a Gift.
• A Christianity Without Coercion Isn’t Much of a Christianity At All.
• Christmas Services Sure Seem Weird This Year. Last year, I noticed a peculiar trend in my friends’ stories about the Christmas church services they’d attended.
• Jesus, Santa Claus, and the Putting Away of Childish Things.
• High and Low Christianity. An explanation of two main divisions I perceive within Christianity and how they relate to how different Christians practice their religion.

Thank you for spending time with Roll to Disbelieve this year! That’s our Super Special, signing off!

NEXT UP: We’re tackling a Christmas movie on Thursday! Come and bring your holiday tipple—and don’t forget your richest butter! (Is that too obvious a hint?) Seeya next time! <3 <3 <3

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Consider this post an Off-Topic Wonderland 🙂 Didja do anything special lately?