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Santa Claus, Imitation Of Jesus Christ


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Probably because he's...The DARK Knight.  :bleh:Only because he works at night

 

Plus, as a vigilante, he breaks the law.   :scratchchin:   It's never right to do wrong in order to do right.   :makmiday:  The comissioner allows it, hence, he has police approval. No law-breaking. Just jaw-breaking.

 

Plus he lies and wrecks havoc.   :verymad:Well, he never said he WASN'T Bruce Wayne, now did he?

 

Hey...I just described mankind!   :nuts:Indeed, but not as cool as...BATMAN!

:boxing:

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My view is, the modern Santa Claus that everyone recognises today is a marketing theme begun by Coca Cola and now used by pretty much the whole commercial sector to remind us each Christmas that we are expected to buy loads of stuff to prove we love our families. The original history of the character is about as relevant as the pagan origins of the names of the days of the week, i.m.o.

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That's true. These days it's all about the god of commercialism, the idol of materialism, the desire to be given more free stuff and the opportunity to "buy" love and friendship through extravagant gift giving.

 

The vast majority of people have no idea of history that occurred just a few decades ago and no clue at all to anything that happened longer ago than that.

 

If our focus is on Christ, we won't be distracted by Santa or other things and we won't use myths and fairy tales in a way that's damaging to our families or the testimony of Christ.

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My view is, the modern Santa Claus that everyone recognises today is a marketing theme begun by Coca Cola and now used by pretty much the whole commercial sector to remind us each Christmas that we are expected to buy loads of stuff to prove we love our families. The original history of the character is about as relevant as the pagan origins of the names of the days of the week, i.m.o.

And this is why people don't care about the purity of the Bible, because everyone figures that origins aren't important-who cares where Santa Claus or the Ishtar Bunny or Halloween come from-its not important! And so, why should I care about where we get our Bible(s)? Its not important: what's important about anything is how people perceive it today, not back in some old musty, dusty past! It only matter as it is relevant to me today!

 

And this is why there is so much error in modern Christianity-because no one cares about what things really mean. Oh, Rock Music in church? Fine! it doesn't matter what the originators and inventors of rock music intended their music to do, we have changed a few words, so its fully holy and acceptable now! I mean, I like it, so God must!  Who cares if the authors of the Greek New Testament intended to write something new that never existed in heaven or earth when they made the text behind 99% of the new versions of the Bible-their intention and thus, the manuscripts they used are meaningless to me, now, today, and so it doesn't matter.

 

Maybe if we as Christians continued to seek the old paths, if we continued to study to show ourselves approved unto God, maybe if we sought holiness, or in many cases, even understood what holiness meant, American Christianity wouldn't be the mess it is today.

 

But, no, its old, it doesn't matter. Doesnt matter where it came from, why it began, how it became thought of as 'christian'.

 

It DOES matter.

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I would say it's case-by-case, Uke. Sometimes the history of something is relevant and sometimes it isn't. In fact I even gave an example about which I expect most would agree the origins aren't relevant: the days of the week. The etymology of the words 'Monday', 'Tuesday' etc and even 'Sunday' are Pagan. Does this mean we endorse Paganism when we use those words? And should we therefore change them? I think most would say no on the grounds that the original meanings of those words are 'lost in the mists of time' and we're not invoking those meanings when we use the words today. The Bible explicitly refers to its own history, so there is no comparison.
 
It would be different if the figure of Santa Claus pointed to his own past, so that to 'get' Santa you had to understand something of that past. But he doesn't, he just points to whatever products are on sale that Christmas. People only have to 'get' shopping and presents to get Santa.
 
So why try to convince someone that when they cheer for Santa Claus they're actually, in some tenuous way, supporting some 15th century demonic Dutch mythological figure they'd never even heard of before you started talking to them about it, instead of pointing out the much more obvious fact that Santa represents a Christmas that is all about greed, gluttony and covetousness. Isn't that enough to go on?
 
Perhaps what's going on is that because we as Christians are so reluctant to speak up against those sins, we have to find something else to hang Santa Claus on, even if it's an old and long-forgotten association.
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Here is a very good article if you prefer to read. Its very long, as well, so maybe save it and read it in bits. The nice thing about it being in writing, is it also affords opportunity to research the info.  http://www.av1611.org/othpubls/santa.html

 

 

I just read this and I have to say it really gave me some pause. Moreso from the implications of how Santa Claus is put into practice than from the history. There seem to be several assumptions or preconcieved thoughts scattered throughout to make a paticular point, but there are several that warrant some attention. It's definitely made me want to investigate the issue further for myself...before my 2-yr-old starts asking the questions. Thanks for the thought-provoking link.

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I know this post stopped in March but as I was reading trough it I thought I would post my 2 cents. I have a 4 year old boy a 2 year old boy and.a 5 month old girl. They do not believe in Santa clause the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny or any other worldly fairy tales. The Bible tells us that we are a peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). My wife homeschools our children and people consider our family crazy just because we are trying to do right by our Lord in the best way we can. I have had people accuse me of being mentally abussive to my children for not letting them believe in these worldly lies. The Bible also tells us not to be unequally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14). We saved Christians need to start getting on the narrow path and not let the world and satan into our homes. The devil will use things that seem harmless but in the end can plant seeds of doubt in a child's mind. I didn't mean to type this much or take the thread in a different way but people I ask you to step back and look at your life are you a light for the lost or are you trudging through the muck next to them?

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Here's another thing that the devil stole from the Lord so that he could attribute it to his "Santa Claus"...

"Ho Ho"!

Zechariah 2:6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.

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I know this post stopped in March but as I was reading trough it I thought I would post my 2 cents. I have a 4 year old boy a 2 year old boy and.a 5 month old girl. They do not believe in Santa clause the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny or any other worldly fairy tales. The Bible tells us that we are a peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). My wife homeschools our children and people consider our family crazy just because we are trying to do right by our Lord in the best way we can. I have had people accuse me of being mentally abussive to my children for not letting them believe in these worldly lies. The Bible also tells us not to be unequally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14). We saved Christians need to start getting on the narrow path and not let the world and satan into our homes. The devil will use things that seem harmless but in the end can plant seeds of doubt in a child's mind. I didn't mean to type this much or take the thread in a different way but people I ask you to step back and look at your life are you a light for the lost or are you trudging through the muck next to them?

We've encountered similar as we've sought to raise our children biblically rather than based upon the worlds model. We've been accused of depriving our children of fun, ruining their childhood, not letting them be kids, etc.

 

Santa, the tooth fairy and such are fairy tales, works of fiction, fanciful stories. They are not real. Yet many parents, even Christian parents, not only portray them as real in order to manipulate their children or just for "fun", many also tell their children the "boogeyman" is real and use that to scare their children as a means of discipline or getting them to do what the parent says.

 

We need to keep our focus upon Christ and serving Him all year and not be distracted by the various things throughout the year designed to turn peoples thoughts from reality to fantasy and worse.

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Concerning Santa, there is an aspect of approach often (if not always) overlooked or ignored by both saved and lost.

 

Fantasy -- Dickens' Christmas Carol, Anne of Green Gables, kids playing Cops/ROBbers, playing church.

 

The kids playing know they aren't really cops, rOBbers, deacons, song leader, pastor or even actually in a church service.

We read, tell or relate Anne, Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Past, etc as fictional. If the child asks or expresses concern, fear, etc about ghosts or any other aspect of the story or its characters we reassure them it's not a real story.

 

Santa is portrayed as real and doubts are met with mild to firm reassurance of the validity of the child's belief. Have you ever known anyone (some may exist) that begins telling their child about Santa by saying "We are going to play a game about someone not real, but still fun?"

 

And yet, if a child starts seeming to believe too sincerely that their "invisible friends" (of which most every girl has some at some time in their life) are real -- parents get concerned.

 

And yet there are Christians (not all and maybe not even any here, not a pro/con Christmas post -- just the subject of a "harmless" Santa) who will defend Santa being okay for Christian homes.

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Concerning Santa, there is an aspect of approach often (if not always) overlooked or ignored by both saved and lost.
 
Fantasy -- Dickens' Christmas Carol, Anne of Green Gables, kids playing Cops/ROBbers, playing church.
 
The kids playing know they aren't really cops, rOBbers, deacons, song leader, pastor or even actually in a church service.
We read, tell or relate Anne, Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Past, etc as fictional. If the child asks or expresses concern, fear, etc about ghosts or any other aspect of the story or its characters we reassure them it's not a real story.
 
Santa is portrayed as real and doubts are met with mild to firm reassurance of the validity of the child's belief. Have you ever known anyone (some may exist) that begins telling their child about Santa by saying "We are going to play a game about someone not real, but still fun?"
 
And yet, if a child starts seeming to believe too sincerely that their "invisible friends" (of which most every girl has some at some time in their life) are real -- parents get concerned.
 
And yet there are Christians (not all and maybe not even any here, not a pro/con Christmas post -- just the subject of a "harmless" Santa) who will defend Santa being okay for Christian homes.

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Oops messed that up, most people that are critical of my family ( no tv no fairy tales, boogey man and homeschooling) are Christian folk.

I've actually had Christians tell me I take the Bible too literally. They claim some of "that stuff" in the Bible might have been fine and worked "back then" but we can't live like that today. What they are referring to aren't things like OT ceremonial laws either, they are referring to aspects of how Scripture says we are to live our lives, raise our children, not be conformed to the world, allowing Christ to be seen in our lives and that sort of thing.

 

I can't count the number of Christians, including many Christian parents, who say children are different today and must be raised differently. They declare even Christian children can't keep themselves from premarital sex; they 'have to have' things like TV, internet, smart phones; teenage rebellion is natural; we have to let our children sow some wild oats; it deprives children to keep them out of public schools; sports, dating and social interaction in public schools is something our children need; we need to let our children decide for themselves what they want to do; and on and on with the unbiblical nonsense.

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I've been thinking a bot more on this "Christ Mass' thing, and here's another thought I have on it.

 

It is interesting to me that many, (and I will graciously exclude anyone here on the board), believers in Christ, will ignore and wink at the many New Testament commands we are given, which are often received as little more than suggestions, (ie, Present your bodies a reasonable sacrifice..et al), which things would truly honr God, yet they relish the idea of taking a pagan-begun, Catholic-created 'holy-day', something never comanded by God, and think they can honor Him by keeping it. Many ignore and reject the most basic of commands of being a child of God, like being part of a church, the very BODY of Christ, but think that Jesus is going to be honored because they fight to keep an idolatrous 'nativity scene' in the public forum.

 

"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.  And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace."   (Lev 10:1-3)

 

I often hear mush speculation about why the :Lord killed Nadab and Abihu here: was the fire they put on the incense taken from the wrong place? Did they somehow make their offering in the wrong way, make some mistake in the process? Yet the answer is in the text, "Which he commanded them not" And "I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified."

 

The Lord tells us how He will be worshiped-He doesn't have to say, "DON'T do this or that", because if we just DID what He COMMANDED, there would be no need. Nadab and Abihu offered a sacrifice of incense which was not their jOB to do, the Lord never told them to do so, not here and not anywhere else. In fact, what they did was to worship God according to what they had seen in Egypt, as they were big on offering ;lots of incense. It wasn't their JOB, the Lord didn't command it, He didn't WANT it, and they broke His command in doing so, and so, we killed as an example to everyone coming after: we worship the Lord the way HE has required; we honor Him by OBeying what He has told us, not by ignoring that and doing what WE think would be honoring.

 

So back to the case in point: God never commanded Christmas, never asked that Jesus' borth be celebrated at all, and certainly never commaded that we take over a pagan culture's celebrations to offer to Him-it is an offering fuill of spots and blemishes, one which he can't possibly accept, any more than He would have accepted a dead dog on the altar.

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