-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">
</A> -Cui Bono?-
I know that you aren't trying to convert me; knowing that, I appreciate the
time you have taken to sit and type what you did. When you said that telling
a child that he/she will burn in hell for doing wrong is a lie, I agree,
that isn't what Christians are suppose to teach. But it happens. I was
Christian for 20 years, no one threatened me with hell, no one had to - I
put two and two together. Maybe I just wish there was some type of
"religion school" instead of Sunday school. Then kids could learn about all
beliefs and not just one, after all...most religions teach the same morals,
many have a similar storyline.
You must agree that most children follow a certian religion because their
parents are doing the same thing. And, to me, it's sad that most parents
tell their children that 'Santa isn't real but the stories in the bible
are'. Here is and interesting article that touches on that issue:
Does Santa Harm Children?
by Gary C Grassl
Just who is Santa Claus?
Children are taught that he is the person who performs miracles and wonders
every Christmas Eve. He is able to create and deliver virtually any present
any child can imagine. He can fly through the sky and deliver these gifts to
billions of children all over the world - all during one night. And not just
any old presents but exactly the ones desired by each individual child.
To accomplish this mission, he must have the ability to be present almost
everywhere at once. Theologians call this the power of omni-presence - an
attribute of their deity.
But Santa Claus is not just omnipresent, he is also all-seeing and
all-knowing. He has the divine power of omniscience, and this not only on
Christmas Eve but all through the year.
He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're awake,
He knows if you're been bad or good,
So be good for goodness sake ...
People imagine similar powers for their god:
You see me, whether I am
working or resting;
you know all my actions (Psalm 139)
In addition, children are taught that Santa Claus is all-good and all-just;
He rewards the good children and leaves the bad ones empty handed. Perfect
goodness and justice are also attributes of deity. In other words, Santa is
really a god who performs miracles by his own powers. To be sure, he is a
kind of childish god. He is concerned only about children, and he brings
childish presents. But that's the only sort of god who could have any
meaning for the young child.
Adults think of their deity as the creator of all things visible and
invisible, but such an entity is beyond a child's comprehension. What
children can relate to is a creator of toys and goodies. While grownups
characterize their god as all-holy, all merciful, all-just, all-powerful,
omnipresent and infinitely perfect, this conception is too vast, nebulous
and remote to have any meaning for a little child. Children from 2 to 8 -
the Santa Claus years - cannot grasp such a transcendent abstraction; they
can only relate to a material being. Santa is such a god-in-the-flesh - a
deity tailor-made for children.
All children are born atheists (since they have to be taught to believe),
but Santa Claus can make god believers out of them for life. Teaching
children to believe in Santa at a time when they believe everything their
parents tell them prepares their minds to accept the adult god when they are
a little older. Thus, faith in Santa Claus serves as a spring board for
religious belief. Once children have fallen for Santa - the junior god -
their mind is in the god-mode, and they can be more easily persuaded to
believe in the big GOD.
When they are older, they can then be told, "No, dear, Santa is just a fairy
tale, but GOD is real."
Is belief in Santa Claus harmful to children?
Yes, if you think that predisposing children to the irrational belief system
of adults is harmful.
_____
Santa is one of my favorite topics but I don't think it's approprate for
this list...so I'll quit here.
Peace-
andy
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