Should Christians Tell Their Children About Santa Claus? While this may seem somewhat trivial, there is actually quite a bit of debate on the subject. But how does this relate to apologetics?
The decision on whether or not to tell your children about Santa is a personal one. This subject is obviously not addressed in scripture specifically. But let’s look at some common concerns about this subject and see what we can come up with.
Should we lie to our Children?
One of the concerns people often have about telling children about Santa is that we are lying to them. The fear is that this can create distrust between a child and their parent. While I think we should be as honest with our kids as possible, I don’t see an issue here. Santa, the Easter bunny, leprechauns and other fairy tales have not been shown to do any phycological damage to children. If there are trust issues in the relationship, they usually are not related to these types of things.
Will Children Then Think That Jesus Is Like Santa?
I think this is perhaps the greatest fear when telling children about Santa. Will our kids come to see Jesus in the same way they see Santa? Not if we are relaying an appropriate view of what God is like. If we present Jesus as just an imaginary friend that grants wishes, then the comparisons to Santa will come. But that is not an accurate view of God.
Having conversations with our children on what God is like, what His attributes are and how He works will draw a distinction between Him and Santa.
I think the best way to explain the difference between Santa and God to our children is simply this. We don’t believe in Santa because there is no evidence to support his existence. In fact, we have evidence to the contrary. We know the roll of Santa is fulfilled by adults. But we have evidence that God exists. We can argue from the beginning of the universe, the existence of true morals laws, and the resurrection of Jesus.
Tell Them About The Real Santa Claus
St. Nicholas was a real person in history. He was a third century bishop most famous for slapping Arias at the council of Nicaea for heresy (ok, maybe not the best story about Santa for young ones!). Nicholas was also known for his generosity and helping the poor in his community. These are attributes we should hope to develop in our young people.
Lastly, Santa is just plain fun! Its ok to develop and enjoy a sense of wonder and excitement in our kids. Sometimes we, and especially those of us in the apologetic community, can overthink things. We make things harder than they have to be. Enjoy your kids excitement, and have fun!
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