How does celebrating Christmas make an atheist dishonest? Yes, it has its roots in religion, but an atheist could just as well celebrate it for the pleasure and joys of the activities involved. Being an atheist doesn't mean taking distance from everything related to religion, but simply one who believes that there is no deity. Regardless of whether they are posers or try to push their atheist beliefs, as long as they genuinely believe there is no deity, they are atheists as any other that matches the criterion.