Nowadays we are not supposed to spank our children. We are supposed to raise our kids in a way that let�s them know that they are being heard and that their opinions matter. Kids are even being sexualized more and more and doing �grown up� things, like dating and dressing/behaving seductively, younger and younger. But even though kids are being allowed these �advancements�, thousands, maybe millions of parents indulge their children with fantasies of an imaginary man named Santa Claus every year.
What do the people of the CDFF forums think about Santa Claus, and parents who create the fantasy of Santa Claus for their children? Is he an idol? Is it right to mislead children this way? Or is it cute, innocent fun?
Disagreeing is one thing and my mind would begin to �shrink� if I called anyone that disagreed with me as having a �small� mind.
No�it is those that cannot comprehend that �allowing� a three year old to �believe� that there is a Santa Claus and wanting to �Obliterate� the myth and any reference to it is not only �small minded� but plain dangerous and is similar to what the Nazis used to �obliterate� the Jews. T
�My final thought on Santa Claus: Saint Nicholas: good man; Jesus: the reason for Christmas; Santa Claus: completely made-up story character for fun.�
I agree with that statement! The problem I have is what your Thread is about and I am not trying to �Trip� or �trap� you or �insult� you or �mock the Christian faith� and I know that it is ��almost impossible to respond to you (me) without some kind of negative feeling.�
Yet, your initial thread says that
�What do the people of the CDFF forums think about Santa Claus, and parents who create the fantasy of Santa Claus for their children? Is he an idol? Is it right to mislead children this way? Or is it cute, innocent fun?�
�Is he an idol? Is it right to mislead children this way?�
These were your own words. This seems to imply that you feel this way. I am simply addressing this aspect of your thread.
Mobs start out as just one or two people with Ardent Beliefs that grows and Grows and GROWS into a Mob with Torches (or a keyboard).
You ask for opinions on if we had our way would we do away with the Santa myth? So people gave their opinions. Now you have likened us to Nazis? ....lol...Santa nazis!
Where does your logic come from? ....No one said they would censor free speech or outlaw teaching kids that Santa is real. We merely answered your question.
Be careful, with logic like that a fellow could convince himself that just about anything is true.
I really don't know what you're talking about, Arch. I don't see anyone on this thread that wants to censor fairy tales and burn books. All I'm seeing are people that don't want to lie, or deceive, or tell half-truths, or lead children on to believe that Santa is a real thing when he isn't.
If I got married and have children they will not be told about Santa. because I choose to be that way.I believe in telling them that Jesus is the reason. I would not keep santa away as they would see him. But it would not come in to my teachings as a parent. If somebody else feels differnent that is ok with me. You wak into a store and see him but my kids would not sit on his lap and no pics. I was told ay the age of 6 that Santa was not real.
What a parent decides about Santa Claus is up to that parent. I don�t think that a child is going to be changed because he was not allowed to believe in Santa.
But, conversely allowing that child those two or three years of Fantasy is in the long run better for his growing mind. And yes�I very much get the feeling that if given the opportunity or power�some of us here would �Outlaw� Santa and any related material.
When you read your child a �fairy tale� do you begin with �now this is not true��? You read the story and allow the child to fantasize and dream of things that might be. It will be soon enough when that child is introduced to �Reality�.
When we start calling Santa �the Anti-Christ� and demonizing Peter Rabbit�we are telling the secular world that we are a �Fearful Religion�.
Dennis, you have every right to tell your child whatever you feel is appropriate for him or her. I also know that you would never condemn anyone that did not go out of their way to �destroy� the beliefs of a little child.
Question�what if that child tells you that they believe in Unicorns? Or Leprechauns? Or Fairys? None of those are Real. Do you tell them that�No�they do not exist or do you say��you know, I�ve never seen one�but��. What harm will befall a four year old little girl that believes in Unicorns?
Chuck, not really meaning to �trip� you up but I asked if:
"�you could do away with the Santa Claus story...never happened...will never be heard again...would you?�
And your answer was:
�Yes, I would excommunicate Santa from Christmas in a heart beat!�
How else am I to take that? If that does not sound like �censorship� I do not know what does? How close away is censoring other mythical characters or stories? Margo believes that Jesus �disapproves� of Santa. What is stopping me from saying that Jesus disapproves of the Easter Bunny? Where can I go from there?
Christianity is being attacked by evil forces. We are not going to appeal to any secular people if we come off as �Puritanical Fanatics� wanting to �do away� with Santa!
If your child comes to you and asks �Mommy�Daddy�is Santa REAL?� Don�t tell them �Of course not�Santa is something made up by men to sell toys and diminish Christ�s Birthday�.
Tell them the truth �you know honey�I don�t believe in him, but I have no PROOF that he does not exist. How about we see in a couple of years what we can find out? In the meantime�what do you think?�
However and whichever�Jesus will still be Lord and Savior and children will overcome (except for a few that will have a �Scar� for life).
It is like telling somebody the barn is red, and they say no it isn't, it is green. You immediately find yourself at a impasse.
Nobody is talking about outlawing Santa except for you. You build straw men and push them over, exclaiming. "See..I'm right" *sigh*
Yeah, you got me sighing again..lol
Should people smoke?...No. Should smoking be outlawed?....No.
Should Santa be the focus of Christmas?....No. Should Santa be outlawed...No.
Understand now?
Archimedes,
By pure definition, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are 'types' of antichrists for children. I am sorry you can't seem to wrap you huge mind around that one.
"When you read your child a �fairy tale� do you begin with �now this is not true��?"
My parents told us what was real and what wasn't, but they still read them to me and I still loved the stories. If anything, it opened my mind up to even more creativity because I knew that I could make up my own stuff, just like the people that wrote fairy tales did. The possibilities were endless, and my brother and I spent many late nights creating our own stories to tell each other. I think that it's only when we allow undue emphasis on "unreal" things that it turns into something that it shouldn't.
Question though...what do you remember between the ages of 2 and 6 years old? That is the �age� I am talking about.
Chuck,
You are deflecting again. You are �bobbing and weaving� more than a prizefighter! Are you now changing your answer? Are you now agreeing with me? You first said (and I�ll just copy and paste)
Chuck, not really meaning to �trip� you up but I asked if:
"�you could do away with the Santa Claus story...never happened...will never be heard again...would you?�
And your answer was:
�Yes, I would excommunicate Santa from Christmas in a heart beat!�
Chuck, you can �bob� and �weave� all you want to but your answer is very Clear. Now you are saying that you did not say that.
It seems to me that you cannot keep your �answers� straight. Either you are being disingenuous or you are �addled�. I doubt the latter. Say what you mean Chuck�and then �Live by it�.
By the way�Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are the arch-enemies of Christ? Are you serious? You know�you may have stumbled across something there. In Revelations it is talked about a �jolly fat man in a red outfit that goes Ho Ho HO!�.
Archimedes, it seems sometimes you refuse to apply understanding to the simplest of truths, such as my last answer, what puzzles me, is how you came to quit believing in santa claus?
