[MD] subject/object: pragmatism

[Arlo Bensinger]

[Krimel]
I for one celebrate Christmas in a manner in keeping with the customs 
of my family and friends. As a rule I oppose any attempt to shut down 
a holiday and support every effort to create new ones.

[Arlo]
Speaking as a "secular progressive", I find the pagan rituals modern 
Christians use to mark the Winter Solstice quite enjoyable. Aside 
from any particular monomythical allegory, it seems that wo/man is 
born with a seemingly innate desire to mark astronomical (and hence 
calendrical) events with ritual.

Like you, rather than shun this, I embrace it. What we need are MORE 
holidays, more festivals, more celebrations! We mark the four main 
solar events (solstices and equinoxes), but I think we should have a 
monthly "new moon" and "full moon" holiday. If it makes the 
"religious traditionalists" feel better, we could invent some Jesus 
story like "every new moon Jesus took a bath". Then we could find 
some really cool Celtic or Norse pagan custom, combine it with the 
quaffing of mead, and call it "an American Christian tradition".