[Conservatrix]

"Six year olds? How many six year olds do you suppose still believe that Santa Claus is a real figure?
I hope the vast majority."


Pathetic. If you are a Christian, why do you want you children to believe in a falsehood? Why not teach them about Jesus who is the REAL person who is all-knowing, all-seeing, and rewards their good deeds?

[Cagey]

Pathetic.

You sound so terribly threatened and to me, that is "pathetic".

[demkicker]

Pathetic. If you are a Christian, why do you want you children to believe in a falsehood? Why not teach them about Jesus who is the REAL person who is all-knowing, all-seeing, and rewards their good deeds?

People who get their knickers in a wad over Santa seriously need to get a life, and most certainly shouldn't preach to fellow Christians. MYOB.

[Cagey]

Why not teach them about Jesus who is the REAL person who is all-knowing, all-seeing, and rewards their good deeds?

I have no idea if you have children or not. If so, make sure you never take them to watch a magician or, to a puppet show. To a child a penny vanishing from a person's hand is real. A puppet on strings dancing on a stage is real. How awful is that? My children believed in Santa, magic, tooth fairys and puppets. And best of all, they enjoyed every minute of it.

They still believe in Jesus.

[Egon]

Pathetic. If you are a Christian, why do you want you children to believe in a falsehood? Why not teach them about Jesus who is the REAL person who is all-knowing, all-seeing, and rewards their good deeds?

It's unfortunate that you lack the imagination to encompass both the fantasy and the reality-- especially as they have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

My child believes in both. In the end, he will only believe in the important one. In the meantime, he may be slightly happier than your children.

...unless you and Mr. Martin have your way.

[mcg1969]

You might be interested in reading an article in the December 2005 Touchstone magazine, in which one of the authors gives a defense of allowing children to believe in Santa Claus as children. It's intelligently written, and interestingly enough includes some references to practices of the early church fathers which have some parallel.

I'm not saying you would end up changing your mind as a result of the article. But you might back off your pathetically holier-than-thou attitude about the contrary view.

[mcg1969]

As luck would have it it is online.
http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=18-10-011-v

[It's me]

Pathetic. If you are a Christian, why do you want you children to believe in a falsehood?

So, I as a Catholic, can not let my children read fairy tales? No more Little Red Riding Hood? No more Three Little Pigs?

Should I throw away all my Grimms Fairy tales books? How about Hans Christian Anderson?

When I read these as a child, I absolutely loved fairy tales. Good always prevailed. I believed that was they way the world was in the "olden days."

Are you saying that I should not let my children and, in a few years, grandchildren read these books?

You are a sad woman/man. Very sad.