toldailytopic: Santa Claus: harmless holiday tradition, or agent of darkness?
- Thread starter Nathon Detroit
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That might not be a safe place to stand. :Grizzly:
lyngraphics
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I may be a bit late coming in... but Santa is once a year, while Christ is 365. My children can differentiate the two.
7djengo7
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According to Carlos Santana, on a Macy's advertisement which aired during "the holidays", 2008,
Now, must a person, if she or he is to come to Jesus Christ, come to Him through child-like faith? Then, according to what Mr. Santana said in that glitzy commercial, it would seem that, without Santa, there'd be no coming to Jesus Christ.
P.S. Without Santana, there'd be no child-like electric guitar playing.
P.P.S. Don't get me wrong; I still like Santana though.
"Without Santa, there'd be no child-like faith."
Now, must a person, if she or he is to come to Jesus Christ, come to Him through child-like faith? Then, according to what Mr. Santana said in that glitzy commercial, it would seem that, without Santa, there'd be no coming to Jesus Christ.
P.S. Without Santana, there'd be no child-like electric guitar playing.
P.P.S. Don't get me wrong; I still like Santana though.
I don't' know about that. But I don't think stories are a bad thing.
An excerpt from The Power of Myth: Lessons from Joseph Campbell:
"I happened to encounter the book while at Magdalen College in Oxford, home of C. S. Lewis, who was himself fascinated with myth. In fact, it was along Addison's Walk in that college one autumn night in 1931 that Lewis engaged his friend J. R. R. Tolkien in a conversation on myth. Lewis, who had not yet been converted to the Christian faith, experienced that night something of a pre-evangelical conversion to the power of myth. Tolkien had been arguing that the mythic language of silver elves and moon-lit trees carried a far richer truth than Lewis the rationalist had been willing to admit. As they spoke a gust of wind swept the fall leaves around them in a flurry of enchantment, as if to authenticate what had just been said. Lewis never forgot that night and the experience that gave birth to his love of myth, his openness to Christian faith, and his later forays into the land of Narnia." full text: http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=171
C.S. Lewis' son said that his dad considered his works pre-evangelical. The character Aslan, a lion, was written to be a Christ-like figure. I think the Narnia stories are great for kids.
The seven books:
1.1 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
1.2 Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia (1951)
1.3 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
1.4 The Silver Chair (1953)
1.5 The Horse and His Boy (1954)
1.6 The Magician's Nephew (1955)
1.7 The Last Battle (1956)
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Let me get this straight--you don't put cookies out?
Bill O'Reilly seems to try to make an issue of "Merry Christmas" insistence each year. He doesn't talk about Jesus the rest of the year though. He refers to God as "the deity". Maybe he likes to feel spiritual goose bumps during this season. :idunno:
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24-7 and 365! :thumb:
Sozo again
New member
Santana :chuckle:
I agree.
When my grandfather was alive it was a big deal to me, but then I a small boy, then grandpa died in 1949 and the Santa Claus thing just didn't matter; my dad and mom didn't pursue it any longer.
When my grandfather was alive it was a big deal to me, but then I a small boy, then grandpa died in 1949 and the Santa Claus thing just didn't matter; my dad and mom didn't pursue it any longer.
Demon Buster
New member
Santa ia a agent of darkness [ Demon Buster]
Santa ia a agent of darkness [ Demon Buster]
Santa is a agent of darkness.
Along with the tree, the lights the celebration and spirit of Christmas….
In fact the whole Christmas celebration is pagan. Along with birthdays
Blessings
Demon Buster
Never in the Bible I read is a birth day celebrated, in fact a birthday is talked about 3 times......two in the old testament and one in the new.. each time a disaster took place...Our dear Lord never even told us the day he was born...
Demon Buster
Santa ia a agent of darkness [ Demon Buster]
Santa is a agent of darkness.
Along with the tree, the lights the celebration and spirit of Christmas….
In fact the whole Christmas celebration is pagan. Along with birthdays
Blessings
Demon Buster
Never in the Bible I read is a birth day celebrated, in fact a birthday is talked about 3 times......two in the old testament and one in the new.. each time a disaster took place...Our dear Lord never even told us the day he was born...
Demon Buster
Demon Buster
New member
Did my post go through.
Santa is a agent of darkness.
Along with the tree, the lights the celebration and spirit of Christmas….
In fact the whole Christmas celebration is pagan. Along with birthdays
Blessings
Demon Buster
Never in the Bible I read is a birth day celebrated, in fact a birthday is talked about 3 times......two in the old testament and one in the new.. each time a disaster took place...Our dear Lord never even told us the day he was born...
Demon Buster
Santa is a agent of darkness.
Along with the tree, the lights the celebration and spirit of Christmas….
In fact the whole Christmas celebration is pagan. Along with birthdays
Blessings
Demon Buster
Never in the Bible I read is a birth day celebrated, in fact a birthday is talked about 3 times......two in the old testament and one in the new.. each time a disaster took place...Our dear Lord never even told us the day he was born...
Demon Buster
Are you a Jehovah's False Witness?
Christmas:
"Some Christians say that since the world celebrates Christmas—although it is becoming more and more politically correct to refer to it as ‘the holidays’—Christians should avoid it. But that is the same argument made by false religions that deny Christ altogether, as well as cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses who deny His deity. Those Christians who do celebrate Christmas often see the occasion as an opportunity to proclaim Him as ‘the reason for the season’ among the nations and to those trapped in false religions...
...[T]here is no legitimate scriptural reason not to celebrate Christmas. At the same time, there is no biblical mandate to celebrate either." Full text: Should Christians celebrate Christmas http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-Christmas.html
Christmas Trees:
"The modern custom of a Christmas tree does not come from any form of paganism. There is no evidence of any pagan religion decorating a special holiday tree for their mid-winter festivals, although the Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a festival called Saturnalia in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their houses with greens and lights and exchanged gifts. Late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming spring. The first Christmas tree was decorated by Protestant Christians in 16th-century Germany. Our modern Christmas tree evolved from these early German traditions, and the custom most likely came to the United States with Hessian troops during the American Revolution, or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania and Ohio." Full text: Should we have a Christmas Tree? Does the Christmas Tree have its origin in ancient pagan rituals? http://www.gotquestions.org/Christmas-tree.html
Birthdays:
"There is no specific prohibition against celebrating birthdays in Scripture, nor is there anything to indicate we should celebrate them. Scripturally speaking, it is a non-issue. The Bible does mention two individuals celebrating birthdays; the Egyptian Pharaoh in Joseph’s time (Genesis 40:20), and King Herod in the time of Jesus (Matthew 14:6; Mark 6:21). Some point to these non-believing individuals as evidence that celebrating birthdays is wrong, some form of pagan ritual. However, the Bible does not state, or even hint, that it was wrong for Pharaoh or Herod to celebrate their birthdays. Neither does Scripture anywhere discourage anyone from celebrating a birthday..." Full text: Should Christians celebrate birthdays? http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-birthdays.html
Holidays (in general):
"...[T]he Bible does not speak against celebrating holidays. The Bible mentions several “celebrations” that the Israelites observed: Passover, Pentecost, Purim, New Moon, etc. The difference between these holidays and the holidays celebrated today is that some of our modern holidays have pagan or even anti-Christian origins. Christmas and Easter began as attempts to redefine a pagan holiday with a Christian meaning, i.e., the Easter bunny, the Christmas tree, giving gifts, hunting for eggs, etc.
That leaves us with a difficult decision – should we continue a practice that was started as a pagan religious ritual? Here are a few things to consider: (A) Does the holiday in any way promote false doctrine or immorality (Galatians 5:19-23)? (B) Can we thank God for what we observe on a holiday (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)? (C) Will celebrating the holiday detract from your Christian testimony / witness (Philippians 2:15)? This is a decision a Christian family needs to make together. Pray to God, asking Him what He would have you to do (James 1:5)." Full text: Should a Christian celebrate holidays? http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-holidays.html
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lightbringer
TOL Subscriber
OK, then why did you follow up with:
Are you confused?
Is your software broken?
Or did you neglect to read it before making your post?
Are you actually attempting to teach your faith so that others may find salvation?
or
Are just flapping a fanatical mouth?
or
Are you really a pagan in disguise trying to turn others away from Christianity?
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The reader may consider each article. They are written by two different authors. It takes discernment. A good rule of thumb is--don't worship trees.
It is a link on the web not software.
The two writings link to a Christian site (http://www.gotquestions.org).
I would recommend all dirt-worshippers (Enyart) consider their claims. They provide sound biblical teaching.
lightbringer
TOL Subscriber
Still can't answer a question!
It was obvious you hadn't read the link.
You would be at a complete loss without Enyart!
Dirt worshipers :rotfl: that was cute, got any more?
I can't help that your learning curve is flatlining. Not only did I read each link, I highlighted the pertinent portions.
Does it matter? You will be rejecting it anyway. It's for the benefit of the reader.
A Jew defending Santa--you've gotta love America! :jump:
In Defense of Santa by Dennis Prager
Every year, during Christmas week on my radio show, I devote an hour to defending Santa Claus. It may seem odd that I have to, but many parents in homes that celebrate Christmas have misgivings about allowing their children to believe in Santa. Their arguments against Santa go as follows: 1. Christian children should be taught to focus solely on the religious meaning of Christmas, and Santa Claus detracts from that. 2. It is hypocritical, if not dishonest, of parents to allow children to believe in something the parents know to be untrue. 3. Once children realize Santa doesn't exist, they will question everything else they were told to believe in, including God. If Santa turns out to be make-believe, maybe God is, too. 4. By having children give Santa lists of presents they want, children learn to be materialistic. 5. If the gifts they receive are attributed Santa Claus, children will not be grateful to their parents for those gifts. These arguments are all well-intentioned but wrong, as a response to each argument will show. 1. Belief in Santa does not necessarily detract from the sanctity of Christmas. It does so only if Santa is the only thing celebrated on that day. Any family that includes prayer, ideally with co-religionists at a house of prayer, and speaks of the deeper meaning of the holy day, has nothing to worry about. On the contrary, religious homes need to include enormous amounts of joy and fun in order to raise children who will love their religion and love God. 2. Parents are neither dishonest nor hypocritical when they allow their children to believe in Santa. Is a parent who tells a child that the Tooth Fairy left a dollar for the child's tooth dishonest? If a child meets Mickey Mouse at Disneyland, must an honest parent say to the child, "That's not really Mickey, he's just a paid employee in a Mickey Mouse outfit"? Of course not. God forbid parents should eliminate all pretend characters from a child's life. And as for truth, we tell children whole truths when they are old enough to understand them, which usually means once they ask. Otherwise parents would tell young children the anatomical details of sexual intercourse in order to explain how they were conceived. The issue of parental truth-telling only arises if you answer falsely to a question your child asks. If your child directly asks, "Is there really such a man as Santa Claus?" it is wrong to say yes with no further explanation. A parent should come as close to never lying to a child as possible. 3. It is pretty hard to imagine that anyone ever stopped believing in God solely because they discovered Santa Claus is a pretend character. You might as well argue that young people become atheists when they realize Barney isn't really a dinosaur or that no duck talks. Only if you, the parent, believe that God is no more real than Santa will your child ever link the two. 4. If you are worried about your child becoming materialistic, limit the number and price of gifts he or she can request of Santa. As one young woman told me, her mother used to tell her, "Jesus only got three gifts, why should you get more?" Or tell your child that Santa takes the most gifts to poor children who don't have nearly as much as he or she does. 5. No matter whom the gifts come from, kids have to be taught to be grateful for them. If your child is grateful to Santa, then gratitude has been learned, and that is what matters. Needing the gratitude to be directed to you is self-serving. Let your child learn to be grateful to you for all you do on the other 364 days of the year. If your family does not celebrate Christmas, none of this applies. But if it does, let your little children enjoy Santa. It is one more thing that contributes to their innocence. And the longer you enable your children to be innocent, the happier and healthier they will be as adults. They will have a whole lifetime to learn that Santa -- and a lot more -- isn't real. Why rush? http://townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2002/12/24/in_defense_of_santa_claus
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The Graphite
New member
Looking to non-Christians regarding doctrinal issues is very poor judgment, Serpentdove. Prager is a real nice guy, he's fairly conservative, I like a lot of things he says, and he's entertaining.
And he is also in rebellion against God. So, you should not be using him as evidence or reason to hold a position that has to do with right and wrong.
And he is also in rebellion against God. So, you should not be using him as evidence or reason to hold a position that has to do with right and wrong.
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