There are also considerable similarities between Santa and the Devil.

Names: S-A-N-T-A v. S-A-T-A-N

Favorite color: Red.

M.O.: Manipulating the behavior of humans through promises of material goods.

Residence: Inaccessible locations with extreme temperatures.

Reflections on God and Santa: Does ol' Nick Undermine God? Considering the origins, "Does God undermine Santa?" would be a fair question too.

All 3 of my kids grew up knowing that Santa wasn't a real person. They still received presents, but they knew they were from us. Likewise, we didn't have the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. My reasoning was much the same as the blog - when they find out that they had been 'lied to' they would have a valid reason to doubt God exists too. Sometimes I can't believe the extreme lengths people go to to continue the myth in their children's lives. A caller to a local radio program needed help with her son's request to get an elf for Christmas. My first suggestion (after the obvious one of elves don't exist) was to tell the kid that slavery has been outlawed for quite some time. No one suggested that though. Most were something along the lines of 'get a small person to dress up and then when the son opens the package, explain to him that the elf is his but has to go back and help Santa.' What a travesty.

"My reasoning was much the same as the blog - when they find out that they had been 'lied to' they would have a valid reason to doubt God exists too."

Which then also means that these children don't have a valid reason to believe that God exists either. On it's own, 'because my parents said so' is no more a valid reason to believe in God than it is Santa. Children who are of an age that they are able to believe in Santa very likely have, as Josh put it, "a deeply flawed and inaccurate" image of God regardless, and that image is likely as fictional as Santa.

Hang on a second. Saint Nicholas, who the stories of Santa are based on, was an actual person who lived and performed charitable acts in what is now Turkey. He may not have been the jovial fat man of the modern consumer driven era but his tale is well worth the retelling.

Do some background reading on Saint Nicholas and understand his character and intentions before slating him. As an example of humanitarianism and charity he should be applauded. By all means seek to correct the mythology of flying reindeer, elves and magic sacks but if you don't believe in Santa then I challenge you to prove that he isn't exist.

"Children are taught to believe in both, and when the non-existence of Santa becomes a reality in adolescence, God will likewise get scrutinized. The blatant lying to children about a figure they already associate with God cannot yield beneficial results."

Careful scrutiny of God is not a beneficial result?

Wow that's funny because my wife and I both grew up believing in Santa and she was and is a Christian, never doubting in God's existence...and I became a Christian in 2003...

Children learn about the non-existence of Santa around age 7/8. Do you really think at 8 they then have the cognitive ability to turn that thought to God?

Let's not let our children watch Elmo (not real), Mister Rogers (dead but if seen not dead), or or anything else that is based on creativity and imagination.

Why do we have such little faith in a) an all-powerful, all-amazing God or b) family influence on children...does God need defending? Most children of believers (in God, Jesus, etc.) fall away from faith in high school/college...they learn about Santa years before - there is little/no correlation.

Thanks!

My wife and I debated this exact issue a while back, and came to the same conclusion that Joshua Claybourn does - I don't want my kids asking me why they should believe in Jesus if Santa was a crock. I don't KNOW it'd hurt later on, but I make them tell the truth, so... Anyway, we tell them that that Saint Nicholas was a kind man who helped people, and we remember him today to honour his memory. But, we also tell them "some of your friends may think he actually goes to their house today to give them presents - that's okay, you don't need to correct them..." I guess we're just craven that way.

Children are born with no opinions or faith in Santa, Satan or God (by any name). They are taught about these things by their parents and peers. Why shouldn't they question the existence of God if they discover that the existence of Santa is a lie? The point being that you shouldn't lie to your children in the first place.