Since every parent lies to their kids that Santa Claus exists does that mean every Christian lies?

Answer 1

Too GeneralizedFirst of all, not every parent, Christian or not, tells their children that Santa exists. There are some parents who, for one reason or another, do not tell their kids that there is a rolly-polly man in a red suit that lives at the North Pole and brings presents in a sleigh pulled by reindeer on Christmas Eve.

However, for the vast majority of parents who do tell their kids that Santa exists, it is technically a lie if they portray him as described above and say he brings presents on Christmas Eve. That, of course, is not only true for the Christian parents, but non-Christian parents as well.

In a broader sense, though, I would consider it to be a harmless Christmas tradition, except, of course, in very rare cases of children who believe it actually has harmed them for life. In those cases, I believe the probability that other psychological factors exist that have contributed to the harm are extremely probable.

Answer

How do you know every parent tells their kids that Santa Claus exists?

AnswerVery few of the Christians I know tell their children about Santa either. He is a non-existent being, with many of the attributes of the true God, who IS true. We want to promote trust not distrust and to point children to a God who is really there for them. Lump of coal for ChristmasMost kids grow up and gain enough wisdom and sense to tell that there aren't any boogeymen or santa Claus or monster in the closet.

Usually, as he said before, they aren't traumatized by being lied to about those things, for they are bedtime stories that are just as real as Goldilocks and the 3 Bears.

Though, it is better for the parents to become their kid's Santa Claus, so that they know who it is, or they will eventually, who is giving them their presents.

Although, I fault my parents for letting me pick my own presents and forcing me to watch them get wrapped up and get stuck under a tree for a month! That was traumatizing for sure!

Another view

My wife and I spoke about Santa around the kids, but made sure the kids knew the true meaning of CHRISTmas as the celebration of the birth of the Savior Christ.

Christian Christmas

The Christian Christmas is actually the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, not the celebration of Santa Clause. The holiday of Saint Nicholas is a European holiday where presents are left in or around shoes by the Saint who loved children. He was actually of the Christian faith. In America, these traditions have blended into our American Christmas. ( I have yet to see Saint Nicholas portrayed as over weight ) If you would like to know more about Saint Nicholas, try www.stnicholascenter.org for further information.

Answer 2

Before I can answer this question, I should ask whether lying is always a sin. Is telling a lie in order to avoid evil a sin? Supposing a person bent on murder asked where his intended victim is, would you answer truthfully or would you send him to the wrong place? Saint Augustine would say that even in this circumstance, you must tell the truth, but most people would admire the successful liar.

If I have explained that lying need not be wrong (unless the intention is wrong), then I can say that telling a young child that Santa exists is telling a lie to which no guilt is attached. Most Christians I know, as well as millions of non-Christians, do this.