After the very scrooge-like post on Christmas, next up is Santa.
The bearded wonder has never been a feature of my seasonal celebration on the grounds that my Father was against him on principle.
I remember my Dad saying that a friend of his had grouped Santa in with Jesus as well as other fictional characters in a conversation, something like; ‘…like Jesus, Santa, the Easter bunny and all those other made up things…’ and this was partly the reason he did not want to confuse fiction and reality for his children; because if Santa was believed in and then turned out to be not real, the same thing may be considered of God. I have to say I couldn’t agree more, but perhaps for different reasons.
And reading this article the other day I had cause to consider what I really think: Let The Kids Believe In Santa – by Myra Zepf
Myra Zepf is a rationalist but her stance on Santa is that the fun that her and her children get from the charade is worth the deception.
My wife is of a similar ilk, her parents had Santa and supported the story with fabricated evidence as is the custom – reindeer prints in the snow being her most fond memory of this. Her Santa was fairly harmless in comparison to some, he brought one present for each child and the rest of the day was pretty much normal, civilised and with none of the feeding frenzy that sometimes comes with Christmas. Myra Zepf’s experience of a Santa who brings craft materials is similar and thoroughly wholesome.
So what is the problem with this kind of Santa – what is so bad with a little fiction, a touch of magic, to bring the day to life?
I’m going to analyse my own rhetorical question – like a pretentious nob.
- What is so bad..? – so, we all agree that it is bad to some degree to lie to our children, good.
- …fiction, a touch of magic… – there is a difference between having a story that is known to be false and deceit, pretending it is real when you know it to be false. We are talking about the later and to do that we’re having to create actual evidence of the existence of a fictional, superior being. We are fabricating physical proofs, verifying Santa as a legitimate ‘real’ entity with communication (letters), interaction (drunken drinks) signs (footprints) and gifts (presents).
- What is the problem..? – When a child reaches a certain age the expectation is that they will come to their own senses to the existence or not of Santa. Either that, or an unscrupulous family member or friend will drop the bomb at an earlier time at which the child may be quite distraught and need some light-weight run of the mill counselling. The assumption is that it does no lasting damage. And that assumption may well be completely correct in all cases. But there is still a problem; my dad was right.
It creates a fiction that is sustained by consciously falsified evidence which cheapens what is real and true in our lives. It cheapens our authentic experiences of wonder, joy and anticipation because they can be engineered so easily, all it takes is a person in a position of trust to pull the wool over your eyes.
My Dad did not want the same thing to be applied to my understanding of God, I think it applies almost directly*, and for that reason I think it is not good.
* ‘almost directly’: the difference is rather than being supported by consciously falsified evidence religion offers unconsciously falsified evidence.
I am surprised by the Myra Zepf article because the religious parallels with what she says are so thick. For instance she says “For a household that prizes reason, scientific evaluation and critical thinking, we are currently so steeped in magic that the air almost glitters.”
Or, perhaps it should read:
“For a household that prizes reason, scientific evaluation and critical thinking, we just don’t bother when we enjoy making our children believe in a fictional being which they enjoy also.”
But does she not think that Christians (for example) also enjoy being Christians? Christians love the idea of salvation, eternity, of the elect and the chosen ones. The great commission and the revealed truth. The air almost glitters in churches with the apoplectic, energetic praise and wonder focused on the everlasting God and his miraculous power over our mysterious universe.
The children love the stories, it gives them excitement, the teens love the group security, the training for a cause, the adults love the responsibility and purpose that belief gives them.
I mentioned earlier the methods of deception with Santa as:
Communication (letters), interaction (drunken drinks) signs (footprints) and gifts (presents).
With religion it looks like this:
Communication (prayer), interaction (praise, emotional response) signs (healings, miracles) and gifts (answered prayer).
Enjoying something or wishing it to be true does not justify the putting aside of ‘reason, scientific evaluation and critical thinking’ and does not justify deceit at all. Because it cheapens our amazing and wonderfilled reality. Perhaps the willingness to compromise on reason in exchange for pleasure is why people find the everyday so ordinary.
Have a wonderful Christmas celebrating what you love the most and what you truly believe in.
But don’t waste your wonder.
Shones says:
I’ve never thought of it this way before. I feel like I should create some debate. But actually I think you’re right.
But I do think Myra Zepef makes a good point when she talks about the intellectual challenge Santa presents to children. It teaches children to question what they are told by their parents. The parent will hold out on the lie as long as they can, to preserve the child’s innocence, right to imagine, younger siblings. So I remember really thinking it through, the half-eaten mince pie, the chimney with the electric fire in front of it, the sleigh going round the world in a night. As you grow up you realise that this is a fantasy you are supposed to grow out of.
So lets be controversial. You said you felt like you had been the victim of a Great Deception with christianity. And you didn’t have Santa. Lots of non-believers in God had Santa. Do you think your parents not presenting you with a ‘test drive’ fantasy of Santa Claus meant you never questioned the veracity of the stories your parents told you about Jesus? And as a parent yourself would you not want to make sure your children don’t swallow everything you tell them and develop questioning minds of their own (saying ‘I won’t expose them to anything untruthful is not an answer. The truth is subjective)
Dec 04, 2011, 10:21 pm