Christians, is it evil to make-believe in Santa?

Question

This Christian publication dares speak the truth of the dangers of Santa and Tooth Fairy:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1033/1033_01.asp

How many children become serial killers because they were lied to about the tooth fairy?

OK, my 3 questions:

1. Have any Christians here lied to their kids about either of these evil figures?

2. Do you worry that your child, like the one in the story, will probably become a mass-murderer because of those wicked little lies you told them as a child?

3. If not, how could you be so prideful and arrogant, and sure?

maranatha, so you are saying that Christians are wrong to celebrate Christmas?

I thought it was us 'heathens' who are supposed to hate Chrsitmas?

I'm a pantheist, and I celebrate Christmas because it's a cultural norm, stolen from the midwinter festival from olden times.

I find Christian publications like this deplorably mornoic. But I am interested to see how many Christians agree with it, and how many pick and choose what myths they believe are evil or not..

Answer 1

That comic was both funny and horrifying...
I'm not a Christian, but I've always worried that telling my kids about a fat man in a red suit who gives presents would make them serial killers. Now there's proof.

Edit: That kid asking the Easter Bunny if it was Jesus is really funny.

Answer 2

I have never seen a child kill another one because they found out Santa wasn't real. I think that is a load of crap. That kid must have NEVER left his house to be that naive. All christian families that I know celebrate Christmas with Santa. The way my mom and dad put it to me was that Santa was a real man and now people continue his work to help children and keep his memory alive. We were never really big on Easter bunny and they pretty much told me that the tooth fairy wasn't real but when I was little they told me not to spoil Santa and the Easter bunny for my friends because they might still believe. I guess it depends on the parents about how they deal with Santa but that cartoon was a load of crap. I cant believe they let kids read stuff like that!! As far as I'm concerned Santa existence is no more confusing than Gods existence.

Answer 3

Yes, it is true that some Christian organizations oppose any kind of make believe and call it "evil". I for one, was raised in a Christian family where there was also make believe. God was certainly not make believe. Santa and the Toothfairy were, however make believe. yet we still liked to pretend that they really existed, eventhough we really knew they were just people dressed up in costumes at the mall, or mom and dad sneaking presents in our pillows and stocking at night.

Is telling a joke (even a clean one) evil? How about fairy tales or fictional stories? How about the parables that Jesus told to make an illustration? They were not true stories, but they had a point　that Jesus was trying to make. Jesus says our faith should be like little children, children are willing to believe in anything, and we should be willing to believe in Christ despite not being able to see Him with our own eyes. Children may stop believing in the Easter bunny, Santa or the Tooth fairy, but I have a hard time thinking that they will stop believing in Christ if the Holy Spirit is alive and active in their hearts and minds.

I believe this organization is using a make believe illustration to make make believe seem evil. Does that seem evil to you?


Prideful and arrogant? You can make believe whatever you want, but the truth will always exist whether you believe it or not.

Answer 4

I'm sorry, I don't quite understand the leap to murder in that story.

School kids, KIDS - no one in authority, told the main boy that Santa doesn't exist and accused his parents of lying. So the main boy MURDERED another child?!

If that's the leap he made just over a kid trying to goad him, that child had a lot of issues that have nothing to do with Santa, the Tooth Fairy, or the Easter Bunny.

You can see the point the story is trying to make, but I think by making the boy's reactions so extreme it just makes the whole thing laughable and it loses any potency for the lesson it's trying to impart.

Answer 5

Normal children do not become evil when they find out there is no Santa or tooth faerie. They enjoy the fantasy and when it is over, they simply move on. Serial killers have other psychological issues that cause their behaviors.
Many noted serial killers come from dysfunctional backgrounds. Frequently they were physically, sexually, or psychologically abused as children and there is often a correlation between their childhood abuse and their crimes.

They often have feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness, sometimes owing to humiliation and abuse in childhood and/or the pressures of poverty and low socioeconomic status in adulthood, and their crimes compensate for this and provide a sense of potency and often revenge, by giving them a feeling of power, both at the time of the actual killing and afterwards. The knowledge that their actions terrify entire communities and often baffle police adds to this sense of power. This motivational aspect separates them from contract killers and other multiple murderers who are motivated by profit.
Fire starting, or arson invariably for the thrill of destroying things, for gaining attention, or for making the perpetrator feel more powerful. Some characteristics seen if children who turn out to be a serial killer include: Cruelty to animals:many children may be cruel to animals, such as pulling the legs off spiders, but future serial killers often kill larger animals, like dogs and cats, and frequently for their solitary enjoyment rather than to impress peers. Bed wetting beyond the age when children normally grow out of such behavior.

I've never heard of Santa being the root of the problem.

Answer 6

Ah, haven't seen Chick pop up in years! Hehe... My mom tells me that when I was 3 I had figured out that my parents were kidding about Santa and the Easter Bunny, but I knew they weren't joking about their religion.

Mind you, I always did think it was silly to tell kids that Santa and company are real. I liked presents just as well coming from my mom and dad as I would have if they came from Santa, and stories about Santa were still fun even if I didn't think he was real. I think grownups sometimes forget how easy it is for children to play pretend and imagine things. I'm glad nobody ever had to tell me there isn't really a Santa - I doubt it's ever turned anyone into a serial killer, but I know some people who were really disappointed.

And yet, I humour my mother and pretend there's a Santa for my 4 yr old, who still hasn't figured it out yet. Peer pressure!

Answer 7

What??? I'm a Christian. I have 2 boys. We believe in Santa and the Tooth Fairy. My children are taught the real reason for Christmas, but we do play up the belief in Santa. I was raised the same way and don't feel that I want to go out and kill.

And if you are a Christian yourself, how can you sit there in judgement of others and how they chose to raise their children? Isn't judging others supposed to be left to God? Aren't you commiting a sin by judging others? God want's us Christians to spread God's love and help people come to know Jesus through love, not hate and judgment.

Answer 8

What an absolutely ridiculous story! And of all the thousands of people who went to my school I don't know of one who became a serial killer because of being told about santa and the tooth fairy! Get a grip

Answer 9

We don't celebrate Christmas as it is a pagan festival. Our children or us will never participate in any of those things. It does not mean that there is no happiness or enjoyment. We do enjoy in the presence of our Lord Jesus.
Why do we need a festival to enjoy? It is only foolishness. We now await the coming of the LORD. So let us be prepared of it and spread the pure gospel rather than wasting our money and time after a festival.

Answer 10

You could ask my children, and they would tell you that their mom and dad never taught them to believe in Santa Claus.
As for me, I remembered when, as a boy in school, I was humiliated by some cruel kids (there are always cruel kids, just as sure as there are always cruel adults), because of my belief in Santa.

I did not want to teach my kids that crap. Why would I want my children to believe that their parents, that love them and work hard to feed and care for them would not get them things that they wanted, but that some make-believe person that comes once a year would? Is that logical? I WANTED them to know that it was mom and dad, the ones that love them, no matter what, were the ones making the sacrifice to get them the things that they wanted, if we were able.

We taught them the true meaning of Christmas, as it is for us, in our hearts, and that is the birth of the baby Jesus, the Son of God. Likewise for Easter. No easter bunnies here. The sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus from the dead. His love in doing this for us, to save us from sin.

As for Chick publications, their little tract books have led many that never knew Christ to repentance. Who are you to judge?