Humanism Now | Secular Ethics, Curiosity and Compassionate Change 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
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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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.