An Early War On Christmas ? - Not Really

American Atheists have released their new billboard for the upcoming holiday season. I'm sure that many die-hard christians will see this as just an early volley in the "War on Christmas", but it really isn't. Atheists are not stupid enough to believe a billboard will convince any die-hard christian that their beliefs are wrong (and many of us don't really care whether other people have religious beliefs -- as long as they don't try to force those beliefs on us or our children). The billboard is much more of an outreach to other atheists, agnostics, and skeptics to let them know they are not alone.

I am a rather lucky atheist. I'm lucky because I don't come from a super religious family. Not everyone in my family is an atheist, but neither is anyone a die-hard christian who feels the need to force their religious views on other family members. And so for many years now we have perfected the art of having a secular family christmas. We get together, have a great meal, exchange gifts (especially for the children), watch some football, and then argue about sports and politics -- and religion is never mentioned. Everyone has a great time being with loved ones, and no one is made uncomfortable.

But not every atheist is as lucky. Some come from very religious families, and if they are impertinent enough to attend the family gathering, they are made to feel like an outcast. For many atheists, the holiday season can be a very lonely time. A time when it can feel as if the whole world is against them. And that is who these atheist holiday billboards are really aimed at.

The billboards are there to let other atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and plain old doubters that there are people out there just like them -- at least 37 million people like them (and personally, I feel the number is probably larger than that). If you can no longer believe the religious myths, you are not alone. You have lots of friends who believe as you do, and they would love for you to reach out to them (and a great way to do that is by going to the website atheists.org).

That is the real reason for the billboards. There is no war on christmas. That fraud was invented by die-hard christians who feel the need to be treated as victims and spread by the talking heads at Fox News. As an American, you have the right to believe in any religion you want to -- and you also have the right to not believe in any religion. That is not a war on anything. It is just your constitutional right.