Comments on: Happy St. Patrick’s Day http://atheists.org/blog/2008/03/17/happy_st_patrick_s_day A Blog of Atheist Thought Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:11:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: alexatheist http://atheists.org/blog/2008/03/17/happy_st_patrick_s_day/comment-page-1#comment-79171 alexatheist Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-79171 St Patrick's Day is a celebration of the patron saint of Ireland, St Patrick, who is credited with bringing xianity to the Emerald Isle. England has St George, Scotland has St Andrew, and in Wales we have St David whose day is celebrated as a national bank holiday around 1 March with our national symbols of daffodils and leeks and, of course, copious amounts of alcohol. Thanks to the great number of Irish who came to America during the potato famine we now celebrate St Patrick's day, and Halloween, here in the USA.<br /> <br /> Mostly it's just an excuse to get drunk now. <br /> <br /> ?ire go br?ch! (Ireland Forever! in Gaelic)<br /> <br /> Cymru am byth! (Wales forever! in Welsh) <br /> St Patrick’s Day is a celebration of the patron saint of Ireland, St Patrick, who is credited with bringing xianity to the Emerald Isle. England has St George, Scotland has St Andrew, and in Wales we have St David whose day is celebrated as a national bank holiday around 1 March with our national symbols of daffodils and leeks and, of course, copious amounts of alcohol. Thanks to the great number of Irish who came to America during the potato famine we now celebrate St Patrick’s day, and Halloween, here in the USA.

Mostly it’s just an excuse to get drunk now.

?ire go br?ch! (Ireland Forever! in Gaelic)

Cymru am byth! (Wales forever! in Welsh)

]]> By: Rusty Shackleford http://atheists.org/blog/2008/03/17/happy_st_patrick_s_day/comment-page-1#comment-79172 Rusty Shackleford Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-79172 <blockquote>Or is it just some lame excuse to sell green beer?</blockquote>Is there a <i>good</i> excuse to sell green beer?<br /> <br />

Or is it just some lame excuse to sell green beer?

Is there a good excuse to sell green beer?

]]> By: s.mergen http://atheists.org/blog/2008/03/17/happy_st_patrick_s_day/comment-page-1#comment-79173 s.mergen Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-79173 St. Patrick's Day is one of the more secular formerly-religious holidays, as Americans only see it as a celebration of Ireland, but I still am not comfortable with the fact that it was founded to celebrate St. Patrick, the man who drove the "snakes" (Druids) out of Ireland and helped Christianise the country. Basically, he was just another Columbus -- he abolished the Pagan religion and native customs and turned Ireland into another Catholic European country. <br /> <br /> (I know many people -- mostly Neo-Pagans -- who say St. Patrick murdered the Druids, but have found no evidence backing that up.) St. Patrick’s Day is one of the more secular formerly-religious holidays, as Americans only see it as a celebration of Ireland, but I still am not comfortable with the fact that it was founded to celebrate St. Patrick, the man who drove the “snakes” (Druids) out of Ireland and helped Christianise the country. Basically, he was just another Columbus — he abolished the Pagan religion and native customs and turned Ireland into another Catholic European country.

(I know many people — mostly Neo-Pagans — who say St. Patrick murdered the Druids, but have found no evidence backing that up.)

]]> By: karen http://atheists.org/blog/2008/03/17/happy_st_patrick_s_day/comment-page-1#comment-79174 karen Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-79174 This day is celebrated in commemoration of the man who managed to kill so many Druids that Christianity was able to take over as the main religion in Ireland. YAY! The RCC said, "Look what a good Christian Patrick was, killing all those pagans! Let's make him a Saint!" Bloodlust! YAY! Murder of innocents!YAY! More gold for Rome! YAY!<br /> <br /> I just don't know how the world ever got along before the Christian church developed to direct everyone about who should be killed. Imagine all the people we'd have to put up with if the church hadn't relived us of all those bothersome folk. This day is celebrated in commemoration of the man who managed to kill so many Druids that Christianity was able to take over as the main religion in Ireland. YAY! The RCC said, “Look what a good Christian Patrick was, killing all those pagans! Let’s make him a Saint!” Bloodlust! YAY! Murder of innocents!YAY! More gold for Rome! YAY!

I just don’t know how the world ever got along before the Christian church developed to direct everyone about who should be killed. Imagine all the people we’d have to put up with if the church hadn’t relived us of all those bothersome folk.

]]> By: alexatheist http://atheists.org/blog/2008/03/17/happy_st_patrick_s_day/comment-page-1#comment-79175 alexatheist Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-79175 Can you imagine how different the world would be if xianity had never become dominate in Europe, thanks to Emperor Charlemagne, and the old pagan religions had persisted? I don't know if the world would be a better place but certainly a very different one.<br /> Can you imagine how different the world would be if xianity had never become dominate in Europe, thanks to Emperor Charlemagne, and the old pagan religions had persisted? I don’t know if the world would be a better place but certainly a very different one.

]]> By: charlie http://atheists.org/blog/2008/03/17/happy_st_patrick_s_day/comment-page-1#comment-79176 charlie Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-79176 F Culture<br /> <br /> especially when it begins with Saint F Culture

especially when it begins with Saint

]]> By: what http://atheists.org/blog/2008/03/17/happy_st_patrick_s_day/comment-page-1#comment-79178 what Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-79178 I agree with S.Mergen. Patty's just another Columbus. I feel terrible having acknowledged this day by wearing green as a child. Where did the pinch-if-not-wearing-green thing come from? I agree with S.Mergen. Patty’s just another Columbus. I feel terrible having acknowledged this day by wearing green as a child. Where did the pinch-if-not-wearing-green thing come from?

]]> By: Zac Hunter http://atheists.org/blog/2008/03/17/happy_st_patrick_s_day/comment-page-1#comment-79179 Zac Hunter Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-79179 Even when I was a child I refused to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. Being neither Irish, nor Catholic, I see it as wholly silly for me to do so. I will occasionally join a toast in honor of Ireland, but that is about as far as it goes.<br /> <br /> As far as the druid thing goes, I couldn't find much evidence aside from conjecture that A) St. Patrick rid Ireland of snakes (which it never had) and B) therefore, "Snakes" must refer to Druids whom he supposedly killed... <br /> <br /> I mean seriously? The only mention I found on the old intertron came from websites that were either wholly Xtian apologists praising St Patrick, or from lame neo-pagan sites all of whom have the term "crystal" in some conspicuous part of their name. Like I am obliged to believe either...<br /> <br /> Whatever. I guess if it makes the Irish happy, live and let live say I. Even when I was a child I refused to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. Being neither Irish, nor Catholic, I see it as wholly silly for me to do so. I will occasionally join a toast in honor of Ireland, but that is about as far as it goes.

As far as the druid thing goes, I couldn’t find much evidence aside from conjecture that A) St. Patrick rid Ireland of snakes (which it never had) and B) therefore, “Snakes” must refer to Druids whom he supposedly killed…

I mean seriously? The only mention I found on the old intertron came from websites that were either wholly Xtian apologists praising St Patrick, or from lame neo-pagan sites all of whom have the term “crystal” in some conspicuous part of their name. Like I am obliged to believe either…

Whatever. I guess if it makes the Irish happy, live and let live say I.

]]> By: alexatheist http://atheists.org/blog/2008/03/17/happy_st_patrick_s_day/comment-page-1#comment-79180 alexatheist Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-79180 Who is to say that a pagan Europe would have been better than a xian Europe? The Celts practised ritual human sacrifice and tribal warfare and were not the peacful nature worshipping hippies that modern neopagans would like us to believe. Maybe it was a lesser of two evils to have the "snakes" driven from Ireland.<br /> <br /> Who is to say that a pagan Europe would have been better than a xian Europe? The Celts practised ritual human sacrifice and tribal warfare and were not the peacful nature worshipping hippies that modern neopagans would like us to believe. Maybe it was a lesser of two evils to have the “snakes” driven from Ireland.

]]> By: Agnosticat http://atheists.org/blog/2008/03/17/happy_st_patrick_s_day/comment-page-1#comment-79181 Agnosticat Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-79181 While it's true that the Celts were very savage, the druids appear to have been well educated people. I can imagine that the world would have turned out quite similar but everything would have a Celtic flavor rather than a Roman one. While it’s true that the Celts were very savage, the druids appear to have been well educated people. I can imagine that the world would have turned out quite similar but everything would have a Celtic flavor rather than a Roman one.

]]>