To think parents who do this are hypocrites

[Cazzovuoi]

I'm so sad for all the kids who will miss the magic of Santa because parents don't want to lie to their kids.

It's a bizarre concept to me that you think letting your kids believe in a wonderful magical, mythical person is lying yet, if you are religious, you actively teach them to believe in a malevolent, omnipotent, all powerful, cruel being so controlling that he takes attendance on Sunday.

At least Santa was a real person.

@BlackLambAndGreyFalcon

I personally find it a bit odd that the actual "magic of Christmas" I.e. God incarnate coming as a helpless newborn baby to redeem the world isn't seen as "magical" enough and so parents have to make up the santa story, which obviously we all know isn't real.

But I'd never express that opinion to anyone who "does Santa". Each to their own. Let us all celebrate Christmas in our own way.

You're not letting those of us who don't believe the Bible stories celebrate in our own way with your comment though.

It's a story as much as Santa is.

Either make Christmas magical.

@Pixxie7

I believed in god but still celebrated Christmas an my Children believed in Father Christmas. The only people who don’t traditionally are Jehovah witnesses and the Jews but they have Hanukkah so their children don’t miss out. So not sure which religion you are referring to.

Lol what. Do you know what Hanukah is?!?

I'm not religious but all the evidence points to Jesus being a real person.

I'm so sad for all the kids who will miss the magic of Santa because parents don't want to lie to their kids.

I think your issue isn't so much parents who don't bring their kids up to believe in Santa , but that you have issues with a particular church . And it is one particular church that you are familiar with because most Christian / church going families that I know also went through the Santa thing with their children . Your description of God as taught in this church is also different from the God believed in by Christians that I know .

So I think you are mixing up different issues really .

@RobertaFirmino

I'm not religious but all the evidence points to Jesus being a real person.

I’m an atheist too….

Though I think ‘Jesus’, as an actual person did exist.

He was either an exhibitionist and liked attention, a genuinely good guy that people have created in to a fantasy, or there was something wrong with him psychologically.

Over the generations, Chinese whispers have evolved. We know people talk bollocks and can’t always be trusted so it would turn into ‘I seen him turn water in to wine etc’ and it’s just evolved, like superstition.

Bearing in mind, there were no scientific advances at this point so people that we now know have epilepsy, would have been assumed to have been possessed.

So it’s no surprise that 2000 years ago people we superstitious. I believe that over the generations things evolved and became the different branches of religion we know today.

That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. People were a product of their environment.

To illustrate my point, if there is a god, there surely can’t be 10 different ones…. Going bu the numerous religions, they can’t all be right?…..

Science has evolved so much that without evidence, I am sceptical.

I would live a god to exist, I really would but my brain won’t allow it.

*love+

And my MSM told me when she died she’s let me know that heaven exists…… and I’m still waiting 20 years on……😢

I sincerely hope I’m wrong and that god and heaven do exist 🤞🤞 as I was barely an adult when she died 😢😢

MAM

Table

I've never known anyone tell their kids they'll get more or better gifts if they've been well behaved, tbh.
TBf @GreyhoundG1rl it tends to be the opposite - not getting presents if you're bad. You've seriously never heard "Father Christmas is watching you and if you do that again you won't get ANY presents" shrieked at a kid in December?

I sincerely hope I’m wrong and that god and heaven do exist 🤞🤞 as I was barely an adult when she died 😢😢
Ah...

@SleepingStandingUp

I've never known anyone tell their kids they'll get more or better gifts if they've been well behaved, tbh. TBf *@GreyhoundG1rl* it tends to be the opposite - not getting presents if you're bad. You've seriously never heard "Father Christmas is watching you and if you do that again you won't get ANY presents" shrieked at a kid in December?

Yes, that was exactly the point I made... What I've never heard is any kid being promised lots of extra, better presents commensurate with their good behaviour. Just an acknowledgment that there would be presents, not a sack of coal 😁

I don't think there's any doubt Jesus was real.

But God and heaven...no. just no.

We know that Father Christmas is based on a real person, but absolutely nobody knows if god exists or not. But for somebody that now very few believe in his story and followers have gone on for a very long time.

ODFOD with the Christian bashing.
I'm Catholic and celebrate Christmas as a Catholic.
However, my young children believe in Father Christmas, just as they believe in the fairies and friendly dinosaurs on the walk to school.
We're not all the same, so please bring slightly more original myopia to MN.
Next, please...

Of course there is a Santa Claus.
It's just that no single somebody
Could do all he has to do.
So the Lord has spread the task among us all.
That's why everybody is Santa Claus.
I am.
You are.

Yes, you're being unreasonable in comparing the two. No parent actually believes Santa is real, so every parent who tells their child he's real is intentionally lying to that child. Most parents who tell their child that God is real do in fact believe that God is real, so they're not intentionally lying to that child. Maybe they're right, or maybe they're wrong - it's unprovable either way. But the fact that you disagree with their belief about something unprovable doesn't automatically mean they're wrong, and it certainly doesn't mean that they're lying to their children when they tell them things you disagree with.

theconversation-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/theconversation.com/amp/why-its-ok-for-kids-to-believe-in-santa-128170?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16338966780600&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fwhy-its-ok-for-kids-to-believe-in-santa-128170

@EatYourVegetables

Do you feel sad for the kids who learn at the age of 10 or so that they’ve been lied to their entire lives?

Oh FGS get a grip! There’s hardly millions of traumatised adults walking round who’ve been permanently damaged because they were “lied” to about Santa 🎅

if you are religious, you actively teach them to believe in a malevolent, omnipotent, all powerful, cruel being so controlling that he takes attendance on Sunday I don't think every one has the same idea of the Christian God as you.

if you are religious, you actively teach them to believe in a malevolent, omnipotent, all powerful, cruel being so controlling that he takes attendance on Sunday
You do no such thing. Give over 🙄

I never faked it for too long for our son.

He went to nursery and believed in it till he was 5.

Then he said: 'Daddy (my husband who bought his presents, wrapped them and put them under the Christmas Tree) is Santa!' :).

We never he said he wasn't. :)

*We never said he wasn't

I wouldn't worry about it too much as every family is different in how they do it.

My husband is an atheist, I am just spiritual so it's also up to you who/what you choose to believe in.

Traditionally and historically I used to be an Orthodox Christian.

Since I was 32 10 years ago I stooped believing in the afterlife. It's a nice and comforting fairy tale but just my personal view.

I respect all other views.

I don't believe living together before getting married is a sin.