58. Dr. Lois Lee on the Magic of Santa, Secular Rituals and Why Christmas Still Matters
“[Magical beliefs in childhood] serve an important function.” - Dr Lois Lee For our festive special, Dr. Lois Lee, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and one of the world’s leading scholars of non-belief, joins Humanism Now to explore why atheism spreads culturally and what Christmas reveals about humanist meaning in everyday life. Connect with Dr. Lee University of Kent profileExplaining Atheism ProfileExplaining Atheism ProjectTopics we cover ✔︎ Why a...
“[Magical beliefs in childhood] serve an important function.” - Dr Lois Lee
For our festive special, Dr. Lois Lee, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and one of the world’s leading scholars of non-belief, joins Humanism Now to explore why atheism spreads culturally and what Christmas reveals about humanist meaning in everyday life.
Connect with Dr. Lee
Topics we cover
✔︎ Why atheism still needs explaining in the 21st century
✔︎ Why socialisation and cultural visibility matter more than intelligence or education
✔︎ What children’s belief in Santa reveals about evidence, reason, and doubt
✔︎ Magical belief as a bridge between childhood and adult worldviews
✔︎ Christmas as a modern, child-centred ritual with humanist ethics
✔︎ Ritual, meaning, and non-religious culture
✔︎ Humanist privilege, school Christmas, and questions of inclusion
Resources & further reading
- Becoming Non-Believers (childhood research) – Dr. Lee & Dr. Anna Strhan
- Towards a Sociology of Irreligion – Colin Campbell (1971)
- A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
- A Visit from St. Nicholas (“’Twas the Night Before Christmas”)
- The Snowman – Raymond Briggs
- “Father Christmas Executed” – Claude Lévi-Strauss
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