Fantasy Marks

We goof up in life. Bad situations happen. Tragedy strikes. But we also have good times. We can dance, sing, and celebrate joyous things. But here's one question to ponder: Why Santa?

There was a day several years ago, in spite of all my education and works, I failed to know anything. Suddenly, everything had grasped the potential of being a falsehood. It was a real-life Matrix. Had all the world I had known been a lie to myself and everyone else?

Basically, it amounted to me feeling the tragic horror that Santa Claus may be the maximum extent of the miraculous. I contemplated that faith in anything was merely a falsehood, a puppet show, a manipulation. It was just like parents and commercialism pulling the Santa Claus puppet strings, deluding children. It is that concept upon which I will focus here.

So, why Santa, parents? I can understand the unfortunate reasons commercialism would be perpetuating it, but parents? This question is especially magnified when referring to believers in Yeshua Ha Mashiach ~ Messiah Jesus and their handling of Christmas. There is nothing magical about Santa. Unless you call it a magic trick. Sleight of hand. At http://www.merriam-webster.com, sleight of hand is defined as “a cleverly executed trick or deception... a conjuring trick requiring manual dexterity... a skill and dexterity in conjuring tricks... adroitness in deception.”

This mass delusion upon children occurs during a holiday which is supposedly representing the birthday of the the fulfillment of the biblically promised Messiah. This would be the ultimate opposite time to be deliberately be lying to our children. Lying is generally a terrible thing to which expose kids and adults. In fact, we typically demand honesty and obedience from children and their world view develops due to how we teach them and what we teach them. It hurts when we are lied to. It hurts our hearts, minds, and spirits. It also makes us feel stupid to have believed the 'lies' were real. We wouldn't lie and tell our children fire tastes like cotton candy. We wouldn't lie and make them believe they, or someone else, can fly off the top of Burj Dubai and paint smiley faces on the clouds. Also, when they be hungry, we wouldn't offer them a stone in place of bread (Luke 11:11).

Perpetuating this grand falsehood shows that the whole world has gone all out to make them believe a lie for at least 5-8 years of their lives. In fact, if a parent uses the Santa crutch to make their children behave, they are told 'Santa's watching' all year long. So it is their 'God'. Eventually, this god,who can fly, know everything, and dish out gifts for millions, (even that meanie who beat you up twice at school who you thought should have been on the naughty list and gotten coal), and also eat one massive load of cookies and milk, is exposed as a big fat lie.

This Santa 'god' has set them up to believing in good works getting you the goodies. Plus, all kids do unkind and bad things at some time, so they have this nebulous idea of what is 'good enough' for Santa to still give them what they want. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of the one who later would die for us and rise up alive again to make us right with God. Just believe in me, Jesus said. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father and anyone who believed in Him, believed in the Father. He said, "I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life." (John 8:12) He claimed attributes belonging only to God. He is able to forgive people of their sin, free them from the bondage of sin, give people a more abundant life and give them eternal life in heaven. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me." Because of who He is, we already have everything! We then often desire for teshuva ~ repentance. Santa, on the other hand is a cruel dead end.

So please, consider telling your children that Santa is a fictional character. Please consider not giving them a false god and focus on understanding as a family why you're celebrating Christmas. We can enjoy silly tales of characters like Santa, Rudolph, Frosty and such because they are, well, not real, and silly! They're just like Sponge Bob and Bugs Bunny! It's pretend play, really. But, we don't want to be rampantly lying! We don't want to set them up to shrug off eternally vital beliefs in God as silly tales and manipulations to get you to 'be good'.

~ Rhiannon

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Rhiannon

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