{"id":1997,"date":"2014-06-05T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-05T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mymerrychristmas.com\/x\/honest-atheists-celebrate-christmas\/"},"modified":"2014-09-08T21:21:43","modified_gmt":"2014-09-08T21:21:43","slug":"honest-atheists-celebrate-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mymerrychristmas.com\/x\/honest-atheists-celebrate-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Honest Atheists Celebrate Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Famed atheist front man Richard Dawkins<\/a> this week claimed that telling children about Santa<\/a> Claus and allowing them Christmas<\/a> fantasies is harmful and bordering on abuse. I don\u2019t know about you but I\u2019m getting sick and tired of atheists hijacking all that is fun about Christmas<\/a>. <\/p>\n

From putting up anti-God billboards in Times Square to complaining about schools packing boxes for Operation Christmas<\/a> Child the anti-Christmas agenda of known atheist propagandists is wearing mighty thin. <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t understand it. I have many friends who are atheist and not a one of them is this rude, this insensitive and this militant in their views of Christmas<\/a> \u2014 or Santa<\/a> Claus, for that matter. <\/p>\n

But talk to just about anyone and you\u2019ll detect real hesitancy to throw Christmas<\/a> out there for fear of inciting atheist rage. <\/p>\n

Up in Canada a vociferous atheist complained about the city buses with a \u201cMerry Christmas\u201d greeting that rotated on the bus message board. In Michigan a little old lady used to tramp through the snow in a city park to display, at her own expense, a nativity scene in an outdoor gazebo. She did this for decades but it was recently forced out by the city when an atheist made a single phone call lodging a complaint of separation of church and state. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s the funny thing. Behind claims of moralistic fairness atheists will wave the flag of the Constitution but rarely do they ever read it. The Constitution never says a word about separation of Church and State. It supports government NOT establishing a religion. But Christmas<\/a>, even in the eyes of the federal government, isn\u2019t religiously acknowledged anyway. In the eyes of the law it is a secular holiday, no matter the symbols some put behind it. <\/p>\n

The Freedom from Religion Foundation famously clings to atheism in their anti-Christmas efforts. Last year the FFRF erected billboards in New Jersey advising \u201cto keep the Saturn in Saturnalia\u201d. That\u2019s pretty funny considering that when ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia it was a\u2026religious holiday. Where does an anti-religious organization get off criticizing religion by claiming a religious observance to replace Christmas<\/a>?<\/p>\n

In lodging their Scrooge-like protests over Christmas<\/a> atheists are making a mockery of the basic freedoms of free speech. That same freedom that makes them so disagreeable they deny to those who wish simply to use the word Christmas<\/a> in their speech or display Christmas<\/a> in their own way. <\/p>\n

The fact of the matter is that honest atheists celebrate Christmas<\/a>, too. Most surveys show that atheists have Christmas<\/a> trees, exchange gifts and decorate their homes with Christmas<\/a> decorations<\/a>. Take a poll of your own atheist friends without ties to known organized atheists groups (most honest atheists shun organized religion, why would they belong to a group of organized atheists?). You will find that just about all of them keep Christmas<\/a> in some way and are, frankly speaking, a bit embarrassed by the atheist hubbub about Christmas<\/a> that surfaces every year. <\/p>\n

And that is because there are a billion ways to celebrate Christmas<\/a>. And short of barbequing Rudolph, hardly any of them are offensive. <\/p>\n

If Richard Dawkins thinks Santa<\/a> is harmful for kids then so too is Spiderman, Superman, and Harry Potter. If atheists think that handing out candy canes in public schools is going to convert any one over to Christianity the Jehovah Witnesses will want the secret to how that\u2019s done. If David Silverman wants to change the channel on Bing Crosby singing \u201cFaith of Our Fathers\u201d, let him. There\u2019s another channel with \u201cChristmas Shoes\u201d playing for him anyway. <\/p>\n

For once I\u2019d love<\/a> a prominent atheist \u2014 Bill Maher, Stephen Hawking, somebody<\/em> \u2014 to just man up and publicly admit that Christmas<\/a>, George Bailey, Frosty, stockings, Santa<\/a>, and mistletoe are all harmless good fun to drag out once a year. They don\u2019t have to get moralistic about it. They don\u2019t have to call anyone any names. They can even sip the eggnog<\/a> with the rest of us, it\u2019s ok. Christmas<\/a> is for everyone. <\/p>\n

But take your religion of unbelief somewhere else. Argue it another time. Leave the festive season alone to be festive. <\/p>\n

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