Thankfully for free-thinkers and humanity in general, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, you can make a case that Christmas is God's gift to skeptics. Read Luke 2:9-20 and then consider the following:

In the concreteness of their content, it is crucial to realize that the angels could have been wrong.

Their announcement [about the birth of a savior] was an invitation to verify. It contained specific details related to the external world that could be checked out.

From the point of view of a human observer on the way to locate a manger, the possibility existed that things might not be “as it had been told them” by apparently reliable sources.

We understand this. If you are in a strange city and ask for directions, the information you are given may or may not be accurate.

Let’s say you have understood what a person has told you and have carefully written down the names of streets, which way to turn, and so on. You then follow the directions and soon learn whether the words of that person describe the reality of the street. 

The Creator has placed human beings in a physical environment where asking questions, gathering information, and seeking wisdom are not fruitless wastes of time.

It is a universe where journalism and science can flourish, where individuals can advance knowledge by discovering data and following the evidence wherever it leads.

The Creator knows humans can be purposely or inadvertently misdirected.

In either case, we are challenged to correct mistaken information. We analyze, experiment, and review results, as often as necessary.

In the world are pretend gods and false prophets, inadequate philosophy and harmful worldview.

In politics, ministry, business, and science, there are wolves in sheep’s clothing we are to unmask and expose to protect our children.

But there are also those who know what they’re talking about and speak truthfully.

Their words can be verified and may help others find the right path.

That path may lead to a store for that perfect Christmas gift for a loved one. Or it may lead to a manger in a town in Judea.  

That’s fine, you say. But what if the angels were wrong?

If that case, the answer is clear: If the angels were wrong, they should not be believed.

Christmas is about liberating people from “faith” or from “believing in” something apart from evidence.

“Religion” defined as “faith” or belief in what you know is not true or as a special phenomenon that operates in a realm alienated from life in the created order is not recommended in the data of the Bible.

That kind of believism seems more at home in fascist cults, political messiahs, celebrity worship, certain kinds of social activism, and the manipulation of theological symbols.

The Biblical respect for reality is much more concrete. It concerns evidence for a human baby, a perfect life, a humane approach, a public death, and an empirical resurrection.

If there’s no child in a manger in Bethlehem, don’t “believe in” the angels.

If Jesus is a sinner, then he can’t be a savior. If he died and stayed dead, well, that’s it. Eat, drink, and vote whatever. For further instructions, see 1 Cor. 15.

The above is excerpted from "Christmas Spirit in Space and Time." If you would like to read the entire article, go here.