An Exeter primary school used worksheets to tell children that 'only small children believe in Father Christmas' and that the Post Office replied to thousands of letters sent to Santa. Outraged parents now have letters of apology from the Head teacher and the worksheets have been withdrawn. Since when were teachers obliged to promote myth and apologise for telling the truth? More seriously, what responsibility do parents share for contributing to unbelief in God today by their disproportionate insistence on patently obvious fairy-tales? This is a recent development compared with belief in God. Would you parents think twice about encouraging your children to believe in Santa Claus if you knew that would lead them to be agnostic or atheist at a later stage? Or are most of the parents who go along with this agnostics and atheists themselves?
2006-12-20 06:11:04 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
To teach children fairy tale stories like Santa Claus is to clog up and confuse their young minds. They begin to attach feelings and emotions to this chubby man with a red suit and big fluffy beard. Similarly the tooth fairy is a myth until the child has no more teeth to trade for money or gifts. Once this dream of santa claus/tooth fairy is shattered, they become disheartened and cheated...cheated by whom?...their parents!! what does that do to their trust in them? On the other hand to teach them belief in God, is preparing them for their young adult lives when they begin to realise the truth about life, death, disasters and atrocities, about joy, happiness and life. So they can later use this knowledge to choose their own path - regardless of which religion (or no religion) that maybe. Their trust and respect in their own parents who prepared them will be strengthened, renewed and everlasting.
2006-12-20 06:43:44 · answer #1 · answered by Electric 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Santa is a figure of fun and joy for children.
God is an entity that when they grow up, children will decide whether to live their lives with.
Parents must encourage any beliefs a child has so long as they're not damaging. But then they shouldn't force THEIR beliefs on a child either. When it comes to Santa, this is just part of the childhood experience.
2006-12-20 06:15:27 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Father Christmas is just a bit of fun adopted from the Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) story. A bit like the tooth fairy and lots of others. Children soon grow out of it, but why not let them have a bit of fun while they are young? Any way, they are also told lots of fairy stories about gods and so on (made up by people, just the same)- will they ever grow out of that?
2006-12-20 06:25:51 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Father Christmas or Santa Claus comes from the celebration of St. Nick. A saint, who was a strong worshiper of God. So if you don't believe in the soul of St. Nick, then you might not believe in God. Most atheists don't believe in Santa Claus. If you believed in Santa Claus but not God, then that doesn't make any sense.
2006-12-20 06:17:10 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is no such thing or person as god, there are no gods, goddess's, no Jesus but these are still being foisted on school children during so called religious education in reality religious brainwashing, the sooner all so called religious education is abolished the sooner this country might start becoming somewhere like a modern country, we still live in the dark ages when clowns like Blair can claim to have been told by a non existent god to invade Iraq and we have the insane Ruth Kelly allowed to preach her extreme right wing rubbish.
2006-12-20 06:22:31 · answer #5 · answered by Stephen P 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I pay attention people say each and each of the time that everybody doubts on occasion, even with the undeniable fact that that's no longer authentic. I easily have never doubted His existance, never. I easily have long undergone lots in my life and could inform you, at situations , i did no longer understand why issues surpassed off as they did, yet I never as quickly as ever puzzled His existance. i replaced into seeing issues on an analogous time as an adolescent, visions, yet i did no longer comprehend that then, of what i replaced into seeing. And, I basically have consistently time-honored, and have had information of it extra beneficial than as quickly as in my life. as quickly as, my oldest son replaced into dying of maximum cancers, and it replaced into so undesirable, no you are able to truly desire to end it. THey mentioned he could have awful discomfort that they couldnt touch, because it replaced right into a malignant suggestions tumor. I went residing house and prayed and prayed, and that i mentioned, whether that's His time to pass, for regardless of the reason, will you please no longer enable this little boy have discomfort? He replaced into only 10 on the time. I won an on the spot answer, and that i felt the touch of Yashua, Jesus's hand, tho i could desire to work out no longer something, and heard Him say, there'll be no discomfort. for the period of something of the time, before he surpassed directly to the finished beyond, he did no longer have discomfort. and that i knew he does not , as I have been advised already. there have been many stuff like this in my life, besides as in my acquaintances lives, that basically tutor confident, he's authentic and confident he's often there, even tho we don't consistently understand why issues take place a undeniable way. does not rely if we realize it, for He does. we are to sing our way via the storms of this life, understanding they're only non everlasting, and excitement is accessible interior the morning. Turning our mouning into dancing. Oh confident, he's amazingly authentic. finished Gospel Shirley
2016-10-05 13:25:57 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that it is a good thing for Children to discover, for themselves, that 'Santa' does not exist. This will hopefully, prepare them to make up their own minds regarding Gods existence and will not just believe everything they are told.
Its an early way of building up some healthy scepticism.
2006-12-20 06:39:43 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
God is the figurehead of a religion, which isn't created for the entertainment and joy of children. Many adults believe in God, whereas (I imagine) none believe in Santa.
Santa is a figure who is specifically supposed to bring joy to children - there's no other point to his existence and therefore no point in spoiling the magic for children before you have to. No?
2006-12-20 06:14:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Maybe the parents wanted their children to hear that Santa isn't real from themselves.
2006-12-20 06:21:48 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
God belief can destroy people's sense of self. It is a terrible thing to subject people to that.
Santa Claus doesn't have so much dogma and doesn't attempt to mold someones self identity and sense of morality
You'll never hear a Santa believer justifying the killing of thousand of Egyptian children.
2006-12-20 06:14:00 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋