so was Jack the ripper, that didn't mean he was a horrible person who can only be sated with the blood of a prostitute. When referring to Ruby, I would say web master instead of a prostitute, but then I'd be repeating myself.

http://goo.gl/k07tpC

Just a heads up: The Brits didn't enforce taxes* becasue the colonies not only sustained themselves, the sent back other riches.
The WITC that bitched about the colonies not paying taxes.

*go see the man and pay what you think you owe isn't exactly the gold standard for encouraging people to pay

When my children asked if Santa was real, I asked them to list all the thing he can do, think about it and see what they thought. They quickly realized he can't be real.
Then I explained that Santa was a way of teaching giving without expectation.

our celebration is dressing a lawyer up like a monk and lighting him on fire.

what, too soon?

you assume his wasn't doing it against his will.

" Paganism is a full-on religion, ancient in origin. We don't know nearly as much about its original practice as something like Islam,"
ug. No. Not even close.
Try again, jackass.

winter celebration are older then religion. It's a way for a agriculture based society to survive non productive winter time. Religions have absorbed it into there belief system for ages, even pre-christian.

Study some anthrpology

Normally I don't respond to AC however there is a lot of people who don't know why atheist celebrate Christmas.

There are many reason, but this sums most of them up.
http://www.richarddawkins.net/foundation_articles/2012/12/4/a-very-atheist-christmas

I enjoy celebrating things with people and it helps get through the cold and gray months; which is really why a holiday celebrations exist regardles of it being adopted and absorbed by different religions throughout time.

ans saying non-non-believer makes you look like a douche.

Which is ironic because all you post under this poll are all about the bah' humbug attitude.

Not answering the poll is an option as well.

" If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." -RUSH

The term pagan was historically used as one of several pejorative Christian counterparts to "gentile" ( / ) as used in the Hebrew Bible—comparable to "infidel" or "heretic".

So, yes, calling a Chan Buddhist a pagan is technically correct; which is the best kind of correct.

You can roll you eyes all you want, that doesn't make you right but it does make you look like a nitwit.

Note I didn't say sect. That a whole different ball of wax.

since by every measure, things have gotten better since 2009, I'm not sure why you are lumping Obama in there.

Yeah, that's right, by every measure.

hey look at that, a loud mouth believer thinks he has the only holiday in the winter.

My birthday is in August. Feel free to celebrate. Tradition dictates you drink 1 pint of a well made beer with friends*, enjoy a nice meal in a warm kitchen, and do something nice for someone you don't know. Like Give Blood.

*a nice warm friendly pub will do if you are away from good friends and good family**

**i.e. not family that stresses you or abuses your hospitality.

I forecast hoots of derision heaped upon you for not reading the article and assuming the write up on /. was even close to accurate.