A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days (Revelation 12:1-6, NIV).

Eighty-five percent of Americans endorse public display of nativity scenes, while only 9 percent disagree.

But to that 9 percent, the site of a baby savior in a manger is enough to make them lose their eggnog. Dan Barker of the Freedom From Religion Foundation told RELEVANT, "Did it ever occur to you that many of us do not rejoice at the sight of the nativity? We are deeply and morally offended by the implication that we are all corrupt sinners deserving eternal torment, needing a savior. The baby in the manger suggests that we have wounded the unstable vanity of a megalomaniacal Creator and that our only hope is to submit to this vindictive Master. This is rudeness of the highest degree!"

There is a theological contradiction in many of the responses. Historically, the Winter Solstice, also known as Saturnalia, celebrated the longest night of winter, after which each of the days grow increasingly longer until the Summer Solstice. The contradiction is found in the key aspect of the traditional worship of multiple deities around the Winter Solstice time: Saturn, God of Agriculture; merged with the Greek Cronos, Ops, Goddess of Plenty; Mother Earth; partner to Saturn and Consus, Sol Invicta, Sun God; connected with the Persian Mithra, honored by Roman soldiers, Consus, God of Storebin of Harvested Grain, Juventas, Goddess of Young Manhood; related to Greek Hebe of Youthful Beauty, and Janus, God of Beginnings and Gates; Solar God of Daybreak; Creator God. Not just one god, but six! It is therefore, doctrinally impossible to confess yourself as an atheist (one who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods), and subscribe to participating in the Winter Solstice at Christmas.

But hold on to your judgment seats, Christians. If you trace the history of Christmas, you'll find that this cultural celebration isn't just about a Savior in a manger. It's a celebration just as filled with superstition and folklore as Halloween.

During the first three centuries after Jesus' birth, Christmas wasn't in December. It wasn't even on the calendar at all! The birth of Jesus was originally celebrated along with Epiphany, one of the earliest established feasts. However, many church leaders opposed the idea of a birthday celebration at all because the culture celebrated birthdays of pagan gods and rulers like Pharaoh and Herod.

It was only after Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the empire's favored religion that Christmas was celebrated on Dec. 25, in the year 336, according to www.ChristianityToday.com. That date also played host to two festivals surrounding the worship of the sun, including the winter solstice.

The winter solstice was seen as an especially evil time, so as centuries passed, people would gather in one another's homes for protection, according to www.snopes.com. Folklore and superstition would develop over the years, as people would participate in a number of charms and rituals thought to ward away evil spirits, including bringing in holly and mistletoe, which were protection against witches and lightning.