[split] Santa is Satan

[fr0d0]

[theVOID]

That's lame frodo, Santa is more likely to be based on truth than either God, Satan or Jesus. I also find it hilarious that Satan is described as committing crimes against Christianity when we all know that your imaginary friend was the one that supposedly created him.

Crimes against rationality? That applies most appropriately to the artist who created the poster.

[leo-rcc]

I also find it hilarious that Satan is described as committing crimes against Christianity when we all know that your imaginary friend was the one that supposedly created him.

Well no we don't actually.

The figure of Santa is derived from various pagan gods like Odin and became "Christenized" with St. Nicholas of Myra (a city in Turkey).

Santa has long been criticized as being not Christian and rightly so. Too bad they still put a tree in the room (even though the bible specifically states not to), hang balls in the tree (which were hollowed out eggs as fertility symbols in pagan traditions), They still sing songs about Yule.

As for the devil aspect: In various St. Nick celebrations he has a helper known as Krampus or Rupprecht. This is what he looks like:



http://hubpages.com/hub/KrampusandKnechtRuprecht

[Autumnlicious]

Krampus terrifies bad children while Nikolas rewards the good ones.

Gotta love Germany's Krampus parade in Bayern. Linked slideshow.
REF: http://www.thelocal.de/gallery/travel/341/

[fr0d0]

Santa has long been criticized as being not Christian and rightly so.

Saint Nicholas was a Christian who liked giving presents to kids. Not unprecedented in human history, but irrefutably the source of the Santa story.

Too bad they still put a tree in the room (even though the bible specifically states not to), hang balls in the tree (which were hollowed out eggs as fertility symbols in pagan traditions), They still sing songs about Yule.

Who's 'they'? It's a secular festival where a little bit about the birth of Jesus remains. Not the other way around.

[Northerner]

I think it is fair to say that Christmas has been hijacked by consumerism and is no longer a quaint Christian festival! And I guess it started with Coca-Cola branding Santa Clause in their own colours through a massive advertisement campaign. Since then, all good parents have had to pony up the money to buy the latest goodies for Christmas.

Hardly the season of goodwill!

Perhaps I am just a cynic, but now that I have given up on religion I don't want to take up a new one. And consumerism seems to me like a Religion. Work all day to earn money, so I can buy crap I don't want and don't need... All to be a good citizen and keep the economy moving??

So in that respect I can see how devout Christians see Santa like Satan, but it is not the image of Santa that is the "Satan". It is the system of consumerism itself (hypothetically speaking)..

[leo-rcc]

Santa has long been criticized as being not Christian and rightly so.

Saint Nicholas was a Christian who liked giving presents to kids. Not unprecedented in human history, but irrefutably the source of the Santa story.

If you think that Saint Nicholas is the origin of Santa Claus man are you in for a surprise. Santa Claus is the culmination of various other traditions all rolled into one. Saint Nicholas has since been put in place by Christians to make the celebration a Christian one. Check into the stories of Basil of Caesarea, Odin, and the celebrations of Yule, and you will find that many of these stories, traditions and celebrations can be traced back to pre-christian ones.

As for liking to give presents to kids, what Saint Nicholas allegedly did was provide poor parents of daughters with a dowry so their daughters would not have to be become prostitutes.

Who's 'they'? It's a secular festival where a little bit about the birth of Jesus remains. Not the other way around.

Bullshit. Christmas is pagan in origins, there is nothing secular about it. That others have secularized it doesn't make the feast itself secular.

[fr0d0]

Well the promenant explanation of Santa is St Nicholas the "bringer of gifts". Like I said it's hardly an original concept.

I don't deny Christmas is pagan in origin, with many of those symbols, some of which you pointed out, observed today. My point was that Christians in pandering to these traditions along with the general populous are not enacting pagan ritual just going alomg with the obscene commercialism just like everyone else.

[Edwardo Piet]

Santa is Satan? It all makes sense now!!! Hurrah!!!!

EvF

[Autumnlicious]

Shame Christianity both absorbs and destroys local traditions that have been part of a culture for hundreds of years.