@GodisNotReal_

The imaginary war on Christmas that many American Christians have invented as part of their persecution complex is, to me, somewhat comical.  I just wanted to give some of my thoughts on this faux war and describe what Christmas means to me. I celebrate Christmas; in fact, I love Christmas.  Admittedly, it has no religious value to me whatsoever.  I doubt Jesus was ever a historical figure, and if his existence were proven to me I would be uninterested in this revelation because there is no way to convince me he was anything but a charlatan--just an ordinary man who duped people into believing he was a deity.  I genuinely enjoy Christmas music, family get-togethers, good food, and giving/receiving gifts.  I enjoy the way children make-believe in Santa Clause, and the excitement they show when they are given an awesome toy.  My birthday is actually on December 25!  To me, personally, these are the things I like about Christmas and the reason I celebrate it with my family.  It&#

In the last year or so, two different Facebook friends have directed me to this picture: I've also seen it posted online a number of times in contexts where it wasn't specifically directed at me.  Yes, I do think it is funny, but needless to say, I vehemently disagree with the second sentence. I'm a vocal atheist and anti-theist, and I feel like I must make myself clear, briefly, on why I do what I do. First of all, although  I've considered myself an atheist since about the age of 17 or 18, I probably had serious doubts at ages as young as 13 or 14.  Up until the age of about 31, I thought of religious beliefs as silly and unfounded, but also as completely harmless.  I even debated other atheists and defended the Bible; I often said that although people don't need religion to live righteously moral lives, religion certainly helped people behave better.  I was ridiculously wrong about that. The first time I ever had an idea I might be wrong was when I liste