Because Christmas is a religious holiday for so many people, it's hardly surprising that there are a lot of religious Christmas presents given on Christmas day. When it's a religious person receiving the present, everyone is happy -- but what about atheists who receive religious presents? If you're an atheist, how have you reacted to religious presents in the past? If you haven't received any, how do you think would be the best way to react?
A forum member writes:
How should I react if someone gives me a religious christmas present? I not expecting one, but I want to be prepared if it happens. Most of my family doesn't know that I'm an atheist (it's never comes up). Should I say "No, thanks, I'm not a Christian" in front of everyone (or perhaps in private), or just accept the gift? Is there another way to handle it? Most of my family aren't very religious, but a couple are.
This definitely isn't an easy situation. If you say something, even privately, you risk causing bad feelings (at a time when everyone is supposed to be getting closer to one another) and creating a confrontation that will be remembered for years. On the other hand, if you say nothing, you run the risk of getting such presents over and over, giving people the wrong impression about who you are. So what do you do? The ideal solution is probably to address such issues long before they become problems, but that also requires coming out of the closet about your atheism, or at the very least about religious skepticism, and that's a problem in itself.
Add your thoughts to the comments here or join the ongoing discussion in the forum.
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