Duped by Santa?
I was just asked this question on my own blog. Wondered if anybody had any insights or words of wisdom to share.
Pastor Dan, do you feel that folklore detracts from religion? Specifically, do you think if we weren't fed stories about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, et al. in our formative years that as adults we wouldn't be waiting for the "other shoe to drop," so to speak, on our religion? Maybe by the time we're 9, we've become accustomed to being duped, which builds up our skepticism as a culture at an early age; the result of having the rug pulled out from under us so many times.
posted by dan at 2:54 PM
2 Comments:
Santa and I have a long and tumultuous history. In fact it may be hard to tell which one of us is older now. But I am not sure I have any great insights about your question--just that I have heard it before.
Fair warning: Kids under twelve may not want to read this.
I grew up in an AntiSanta home. We weren't just neutral we were anti, one could almost say evangelistic in the anti Santa message. We got points for debunking the Santa myth in the neighborhood. "Did you hear that my son told the kid next door there was no Santa?" Anyway, you get the picture.
Then I married one of Santa elves. I have had to live with Santa for many years now when he comes to visit just after Thanksgiving.
I have come to appreciate him in the past few years.
I think kids have an imagination that has room for Santa for a few years, just like their imaginary friends, and they can let go of him while holding tightly to Jesus.
My big gripe is that when Santa gives a kid a present, Santa is thanked for that present but I know where it really came from.
I used to worry about it a bit. May have written a sermon of the sort, but now I think kids can figure out the difference and that we are doing no damage. It probably has a lot more to do with how seriously the parents take the reality of Jesus. Many parents may give more reality in their homes to Santa than Jesus.
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