Down With Santa Claus!

[walrus]

I have discussed abortion in roomfulls of feminists. I have discussed religion and politics in roomfulls of hostile leftists. No opinion I hold seems to provoke such unexpectedly violent outrage as my opinion on Santa. Here goes:

Why do we keep Santa around? What is the point in telling your kids that a mythical fat man magically visits your house on Christmas just so in a few years you can tell them it wasn't true? I have a few points of view on this -

For Christians: Why do you want to confuse your child's beliefs about a very holy day? You are going to teach your child about an invisible being who created all things, and also about a jolly fat man. In a few years you are going to admit that the jolly fat man doesn't exist. Where does that leave the invisible man in the sky? For that matter, why divide the celebration of the birth of the Saviour with a totally unrelated secular holiday?

For the Non-Christian religious: Aside from "why are you celebrating Christmas in the first place?", I would simply ask you the same question - why confuse your child with a myth that you fully intend to destroy as the child gets older?

For Atheists/Agnostics: If you choose to celebrate Christmas as a secular gift-giving occasion, why muddy it up with this myth? If you are going to teach your children to be secular, why start them off by teaching them popular myths?

And don't give me this crap about, "it's for the kids". Bullcrap! It's for the parents. The kids would be just as happy if you gave them presents with their full knowledge. It is simply fun for parents to watch their kid's eyes get wide and run around excitedly because they believe the story that their parents tell them. Santa Claus is an entirely self-serving ritual that parents press on their children for their own gratification. It teaches no moral story, and has no religious significance for any religion on Earth.

Bah Humbug!

 

[liberal1]

Ever think that not everything has to hold moral values, or present religious "significance".

 

[walrus]

Ever think that not everything has to hold moral values, or present religious "significance".

Not at all. I do think, however, that you should have a pretty valid reason before you encourage your children to believe a myth in which you yourself do not believe simply for the gratification their belief brings you.

 

[jallman]

There is absolutely no harm in indulging the Santa Clause myth. Beside the fact that the Santa Clause myth has historical basis, it is a fun time for everyone whether you believe in it or not. Children are creatures of imagination and wonderment and the Santa Clause myth fosters feelings of warmth and generosity and happiness. You know the answer to your own trolling thread as well as anyone else. It is merry little story that brings joy and a smile to all but the most assininely miserable of people.

I dont see you saying this about halloween. You do know that halloween has a religious significance too, right? The secular holiday almost completely overshadows this holy day, but I didnt see this kind of trolling then. I find your attempt at raising ire amusing and cute at best. Merry Christmas!!!

 

[Old and wise]

Not at all. I do think, however, that you should have a pretty valid reason before you encourage your children to believe a myth in which you yourself do not believe simply for the gratification their belief brings you.

People encourage their children to believe in God who is a mythical being and whose existance has never been proven by anyone.

 

[FinnMacCool]

Santa Claus has nothing to do with religion anymore really. I'm an atheist but if I ever had children, I would still celebrate christmas so they could have a chance to experience something like that. I also would freely give my children the option of actually trying to follow christianity.

 

[ddoyle00]

I see Mithras, err I mean Christmas as a way to exercise a childs imagination and abstract thinking abilities. Children who believe in Santa are at a level in their mental development where they are beginning to associate things with right and wrong, good and bad. By encouraging this behavior, you can help a child develop necessary thinking skills that will benefit him/her later on down the road.