Santa Claus

[Raven]

FWIW my parents always said that the fat guy in the red suit was not real, and it was the same with my wife's family. Not surprisingly we followed the same practice with our own kids, who are doing likewise with theirs. Really didn't think about it much. And truth to tell, in my own memory I cannot remember any of the neighborhood kids who did think he was real.

This reminds me of an old Kinks song:
Father Xmas, give us your money
We've no need for your silly toys
If you've got a job, my father could use one
Save your silly toys
For the little rich boys

That always reminds me of my old Brooklyn 'hood.

[Bad Writer]

Let me guess. You never got that Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas as a kid and laid in wait one Christmas Eve to catch the fat fucker and make him pay. Only to discover your parents putting the presents under the tree.

Am I right, or amirite?

It seems like you're oddly passionate about this Santa thing.

My story is actually closely tied into how I eventually became an Atheist. I was raised in a Mormon family, but I was the first of my siblings to discover that Santa was not real. I was about seven years old at the time when I put the pieces together. This led to a series of questions that I asked my mom, "So is the Easter Bunny real? The Tooth Fairy?" and so on, until I asked, "Is Jesus real?" In a child's mind, finding out that the stories told to him/her are false, will also question other such "myths" as it would seem.

Even though she affirmed the Jesus myth, the damage was done, and I couldn't quite grasp how the story of Christ, as ridiculous as every facet of it seemed, could be more real than a fat guy dressed in red visiting every house in the world. How could the story of Noah's Ark be real, for that matter? How could a talking Snake be real??

I actually remained Mormon because, well, I was forced to be. I would be grounded if I didn't go to Church on Sunday, and my Bishops along the way definitely worked hard to keep me interested in the supposed story of the Book of Mormon. So much work was put to the task, that I even ended up serving a two-year mission to Poland when I was 19.

What I learned as a Missionary sealed the deal for me, and I left the church as soon as I was done with Poland. I couldn't live a lie any longer...in fact, I became very disenchanted with lies altogether.

So yes, it all begins with Santa

[LeoVonFrost]

Nice thread. I always wonder where tradition stops and indoctrination begins, in this case the information has shown the point of change was the 1920s when santa went from a legend to a capitalist god. I see santa as a parallel figure to jesus, it's not hard to see the similarities. My mother does carry on the tradition even though we are all grown up, and I can't say whether my kids will go through it or not. If it were up to me I would say no more christmas altogether, I know it sounds harsh but where do we break the indoctrination and start making our own traditions? If it doesn't happen here with us then when do you assume we will step out of the shadow of this religious holiday that has been mutated into a giant money-grab for corporations that exploit millions children around the world, like some sort of reverse santa claus.

[Whateverist]

My story is actually closely tied into how I eventually became an Atheist. I was raised in a Mormon family, ..

Oh gawd help you! No one deserves that but look at you now! Maybe its true that anything which doesn't destroy you can make you stronger. I'm impressed. Sadly it is also true that the crud eventually settles to the bottom. My older brother actually converted to Mormonism as a depressed older dude.

[Rahul]

So yes, it all begins with Santa

So because your parents taught you that Santa was real as a kid, you no longer believe in god.

Therefore, your reaction is to not teach your kid that Santa is real?

I don't know, man. I'm not even very concerned about what people teach their kids about Santa. Just seems like an odd response to it all.

[Bad Writer]

So yes, it all begins with Santa

So because your parents taught you that Santa was real as a kid, you no longer believe in god.

Therefore, your reaction is to not teach your kid that Santa is real?

I don't know, man. I'm not even very concerned about what people teach their kids about Santa. Just seems like an odd response to it all.

Okay.

---

My story is actually closely tied into how I eventually became an Atheist. I was raised in a Mormon family, ..

Oh gawd help you! No one deserves that but look at you now! Maybe its true that anything which doesn't destroy you can make you stronger. I'm impressed. Sadly it is also true that the crud eventually settles to the bottom. My older brother actually converted to Mormonism as a depressed older dude.

Is he still depressed? My experiences have shown that the depression is most likely still there, but it's been suppressed by the overabundance of Mormon joy that floats around the Church.

That's actually an interesting point. How far can a belief convince someone of what's not true? Mormons convince their members of all sorts of things: that there is a star named Kolob near which God resides, that the Native Americans are of Jewish descent, and that you're actually happy even though you can barely support your 7 kids and stay-at-home wife (while having to pay the Church 10% of your income). If anyone ever asks you why Mormons are so happy all the time, the answer is that they are commanded to be happy, therefore they are.

[Raven]

Let me guess. You never got that Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas as a kid and laid in wait one Christmas Eve to catch the fat fucker and make him pay. Only to discover your parents putting the presents under the tree.

Am I right, or amirite?

It seems like you're oddly passionate about this Santa thing.

My story is actually closely tied into how I eventually became an Atheist. I was raised in a Mormon family, but I was the first of my siblings to discover that Santa was not real. I was about seven years old at the time when I put the pieces together. This led to a series of questions that I asked my mom, "So is the Easter Bunny real? The Tooth Fairy?" and so on, until I asked, "Is Jesus real?" In a child's mind, finding out that the stories told to him/her are false, will also question other such "myths" as it would seem.

Even though she affirmed the Jesus myth, the damage was done, and I couldn't quite grasp how the story of Christ, as ridiculous as every facet of it seemed, could be more real than a fat guy dressed in red visiting every house in the world. How could the story of Noah's Ark be real, for that matter? How could a talking Snake be real??

I actually remained Mormon because, well, I was forced to be. I would be grounded if I didn't go to Church on Sunday, and my Bishops along the way definitely worked hard to keep me interested in the supposed story of the Book of Mormon. So much work was put to the task, that I even ended up serving a two-year mission to Poland when I was 19.

What I learned as a Missionary sealed the deal for me, and I left the church as soon as I was done with Poland. I couldn't live a lie any longer...in fact, I became very disenchanted with lies altogether.

So yes, it all begins with Santa

Well, I can see how that would happen. Makes sense to me. Someone else perhaps would not have had the same doubts when mom insisted that Jesus was real after negating all the other stories. But I am sure that you are not the only one who would have that reaction. Like I said, makes sense to me.

[Rahul]

But I am sure that you are not the only one who would have that reaction.

Therefore if you don't want your kid to believe in god, teach him/her that Santa is real while he or she is little.

When the painful disillusionment of that hits them they hopefully will be innoculated against believing in magical men they can't see.