to be a bit depressed by friend's attitude to Santa?

[hestergraysgarden]

Friend popped in for a coffee after work. We were talking about Xmas shopping, and I mentioned that I'd bought one of those letter to Santa holders (the ones made of felt) for DS, who is too small to realise it is Christmas, but I wanted to write him a letter from Santa telling him all about who he is and what he does and the like. I thought it could be the start of a tradition for as long as he believes in Santa, and then I'll keep the letters and replies to give to him when he's old enough to get some sort of nostalgia pleasure out of them.

Okay, some people may find that vomit-inducing, which is totally fine, but I think it will be nice.

Friend looked a bit sneery at this and said that she didn't agree with lying to small children, and she won't be telling hers about Santa (and will correct them if they do start believing in him). She also expressed concern that Santa is a very disturbing concept (strange man coming down chimney) and that it is putting children at risk of succumbing to 'stranger danger'

AIBU to think that she is pissing in the mulled wine slightly? I felt a bit deflated after she'd gone and had to eat several mince pies

I'm reluctant to get into a religious punch up discussion, but as I understand it, the faith thing isn't about facts/figures, (which are impossible to prove/disprove now anyway).

It doesn't matter whether the day of December 25th was appropriated by the Romans or whoever, or the timeline in the Bible, or whether the events in the Nativity were actually over years rather than lumped together as we do.

Picking holes in the 'facts' is only done by someone looking for evidence and someone spectacularly missing the point of 'the message' of Christianity.

There's always huge long lists of the evil it's brought, but no mention of things like those completely selfless people you hear of/know who give probably more than they can afford (emotionally) because of their faith. Or what the world would be like now if Christianity hadn't come about, and I can't believe it would have been better without a meta-ideology encouraging people to try to be nice.

Yep, totally get that Zigzag. I totally get why people want to believe in the message of Christianity, to demythologise the account, and to value the Kerygma rather than worrying about historical facts.

Except, there are people out there who do preach to others these events from the Bible / nativity as historical facts on the one hand, to be believed literally as truths, whilst at the same time condemning other people for their untruths.

Not saying anyone on here has done that, but as I made reference to in my first post, I know someone in real life who does this. When I've asked this person why do they tell their children there were three wise men, and one was called Balthasar, even though that person knows that bit is a later embellishment, he says the same - it's myth / tradition / story... But still, that person maintains he would never lie to his children about Santa, because that is morally wrong, yet continues to tell stories about the nativity he knows is not true... I just don't get how you can tell other people it is wrong to lie to your children. (Santa) whilst at the same time telling your children something is historical truth / fact, when you know it is not. I really don't get it.

I think the thing I really don't get about it, is that he has told his children Santa is not real, because he tells his children he does not want to lie to them, but then tells them the nativity story as historical fact, but chooses not to tell them about the made up bits. As I said in my first post: Confused face.

I can only think he wants to sound/feel authoritative on the subject, that he actually does want it to seem as though there's historical evidence and that he has access to The Truth.

That he's the one who can weigh up the moral evidence of the situation, and his boundary of lying wrong (FC) and lying right (Balthasar) makes it a bit more concrete/less of a grey area in his mind.

As I mentioned up thread, my mum was verging on fanatical about telling the truth, she prides herself on being truthful, consistent and never hypocritical.

But ironically she's anything but, and in trying to be all those things she'll cut off her nose to spite her face and come across as the most selfish and manipulative person ever. Who will go to almost any lengths to make sure she portrays herself as a selfless family oriented person.

She's definitely made me more relaxed about the concept of truth and what its consequences are.