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Three undeniable facts:

1. No sane, rational adult truly believes that the figure "Santa Claus," as described in contemporary culture, actually, ontologically, exists. None, zero, not one. NOBODY believes in a figure living in the North Pole, working with elves and flying reindeer, monitoring the works of all children omnisciently, creeping down chimneys each 12/25 to reward the good. Nobody, not one person.

2. Yet countless adults assure naive, innocent children that they should actually accept this untruth as truth, should actually believe in the actual existence of such a being, should structure their lives and hopes and expectations and joys in part on that premise (which they know to be false) -- and they go to great lengths to fool these helpless children into believing this lie.

3. If anyone suggests that children should not be misled, hordes of conservatives -- conservatives, mind you, who pride themselves for their rationality and superior grasp of facts, and their eschewing of deception and misinformation -- will swarm that person with countless groundless accusations against the person who suggests that deliberately deceiving a child isn't a good thing.

These facts are undeniable, and this thread already bears them out. It is the juxtaposition of them which honestly, sincerely, absolutely baffles me.

Prediction: unless the presence of this prediction discourages it, my undeniable observations will make me the target of #3 above, and this targeting will wander far from any of the points I actually made, dwelling largely instead on insinuations not in evidence.

Dan
To Tell the Truth, Virginia...

We agree rarely, but this time we agree. For all the hoopla raised this year about Christmas and the lack of interest by many in the real reason for that celebration, it seems odd that so many want to perpetuate the silly fairly tale of Santa Claus.

A lot of conservative Christians oppose the entire Santa Claus myth specifically because it masks the true meaning of Christmas.

This teacher, apparently, is one of those who consider the Santa Claus story, as it is told to children, is not consistent with Christmas.

So, she explained the origins of Santa Claus to the students. And related it to Christmas as celebrated by Christians.

So, what do we have here: A bunch of the same people who were decrying the "War on Christmas" slandering a woman who is pointing out that Santa is not a deity, nor is Santa real.

"Twas the Night before Christmas" makes no mention of Jesus' birth. It doesn't mention the reason Christmas is celebrated at all. It's a strictly secular poem. It's about gifts and that sort of thing, and venerates a mythical character that distracts from the real story of Christmas.

I'm an atheist, and don't believe in the divinity of Jesus in the first place, but I'd like to see some consistency from those who do. Santa and this poem are purely secular, as presented here.

You want the "War on Christmas?" The commercial use of Santa Claus is at the heart of it. "The Night before Christmas" has nothing to do with Christianity, nor with the reason Christmas is celebrated.

Of all your arguments, this is the one that I think destroys your point...

So, I guess the result of all this deception is exactly what it's meant to be: a harmless fantasy that makes millions of children happy every year, and is eventually replaced by reality-- in all cases.

So, what again is your problem with the myth?

When your children first asked where babies came from, did you immediately fill their heads with the complex and wonderful concept that is sex? ...or did you do what the majority of parents do, and simply say that they come from Mommy's tummy?

When trying to make them careful to not talk to strangers, did you immediately launch into a dissertation on the varieties and symptoms of mental illness, sexual deviancy, and social constructs, or did you simply do what the majority of parents do, and simply say that there are "bogeymen" out there?

I don't suppose your children get small coins under their pillows in exchange for a wrapped-up tooth either, do they?

I prefer to allow children to have their fantasies, both positive and, where appropriate, negative until they're better able to handle the real world.

All I ask is that, if someone has a problem with my method of child-raising, they either come to me or keep their mouths shut. I'd prefer they not circumvent me and take it to my kids directly.

It's that simple.

Your post 47:

I believe in Santa.

It's much easier to believe in Santa than it is to believe that all men are created equal, or believe that our government should balance the budget, or believe that government should be a servant of the people, not the other way around.

Of course, to your point, I have never claimed to be sane, or rational, or an adult.

3. If anyone suggests that children should not be misled, hordes of conservatives -- conservatives, mind you, who pride themselves for their rationality and superior grasp of facts, and their eschewing of deception and misinformation -- will swarm that person with countless groundless accusations against the person who suggests that deliberately deceiving a child isn't a good thing.

Decepticon (age 7) to Mother, a conversation that was never forgotten......"Mom, is Santa Claus real?"......."Son, Santa Clause lives in your heart".........

Instead, they opt for signs bearing the ghastly "Xmas" (as if we are celebrating the birth of "X," the man whose name is too dreadful to pronounce!) . . .

With all due respect for you and your Master of Divinity degree, but didn't the early Christian church use "X" for Christ? And the term "Xmas" is not some new marketing term...it has been used for a long time by Christians.

In fact, maybe this points to a different problem...perhaps people are not learning enough about the Church's history when they're in Sunday School or woshipping (and yes, learning is appropriate in worship, IMHO). Otherwise, they might be wearing "'X' Marks the Spot" t-shirts and everyone would give a knowing nod to a fellow Christian. Or do you favor allowing anti-Christian atheists to co-opt the term Xian, like they have?

Santa Claus pervades our culture--in advertising, songs, and those wonderful Rankin-Bass Christmas specials we all grew up on. Our country is also a predominately Christian culture.

This doesn't mean everyone has to practice the tradition of Santa Claus in their families--non Christians do not, and some Christians who seek to keep Christmas "pure" do not either.

This is a family decision and I have no problem with you no matter which way you come down on it.

But this "teacher" is imposing her religious beliefs on children in a public school. This is wrong, even if you agree with those beliefs. You would not want a Jewish or Muslim or even atheist teacher disabusing the children of the "myth" in their own personal view, of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Nor do we need "teachers" like this woman disabusing the children of the "myth" of Santa Claus. Simply put, it's none of her business!

My family celebrates the birth of Christ. We concentrate during Advent on the coming of our Lord. We do more Christmas celebrating between Christmas and Epiphany than before Christmas like the rest of society does.

But yes, Santa Claus does visit our home. I have never directly insisted to my children that Santa is a "real person", but the belief in Santa is the belief in unselfish and anonymous giving. We teach that Santa brings presents and we exchange gifts because Jesus is so special and important that His is the only birthday on which everyone receives gifts (as mere humans, we receive gifts on our birthday but no one else does). That is my decision and while I know there are children as young as five or six who revel in letting the other kids in on the secret that "Santa is your parents", they do not need to hear it from a so-called "authority figure" in a classroom setting.

This is a poem, for goodness' sake, not a history textbook! I would have been livid, had my child been in this class.

2. Yet countless adults assure naive, innocent children that they should actually accept this untruth as truth, should actually believe in the actual existence of such a being, should structure their lives and hopes and expectations and joys in part on that premise (which they know to be false) -- and they go to great lengths to fool these helpless children into believing this lie. ( BibChr)

BibChr,

You are completely correct. In raising my children, we told them that Santa was a "pretend" character. They believed in him anyway. We did not make a fuss about this, but assured them on occasion that it was parents, family, and friends who delivered the gifts.

When my daughter was about 5, she discovered wrapped presents in our closet. She stood in the hall, arms akimbo, and said," Mommy, you are RIGHT! There is no Santa Claus. You have NEVER lied to me!"

This became a family joke. When I wanted to impress in them the truthfulness of a moral principal, I would laughing say, " Did I lie about Santa? Have I ever lied to you?"

They are adults now, and they too plan to be truthful about the myth of Santa.

So....if it is wrong to FORCE child into a school that supported my philosophy regarding Santa, why is it OK to force child of families who believe as I do into an environment that lies to them about Santa?

The real heart of the problem is that government schools are NOT and never have been politically, culturally, or religiously neutral in content or consequences. Therefore, government schools are unconstitutional.