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I visited my sister for Christmas this year. My niece started asking questions about Santa Claus. She’s almost 12 so she’s a little behind. My sister said that homeschooled kids in small towns find out much later because they are in a bubble. She told her daughter that it was up to her if she believed or not, that if it makes her feel good and she likes it, it’s fine. I couldn’t help but notice the religious parallels in this conversation and how the rural areas are much more conservative and religiously fundamental. I wonder how much I am like my little niece, opening up to the possibility that my faith may not be what I imagined it to be. My sister may be right though, if you like it and it makes you feel good, why not? Although I imagine that my niece, like me, will probably ask, if it’s not true, what’s the point? If it’s not true but still produces these feelings, is it not the case that these feelings come from within myself? Cannot I then create my own faith and personalized religion that grants me just as much fulfillment? I think that is what I am trying to do.
I realize that my sister’s interpretation of the Gospel is still much more literal and includes culture and opinions of the leaders as being doctrine, whereas I still very much love the Gospel, but am looking at it from a new light. Less literal and much more symbolic, kind of like Santa Claus. I find that lds dogma is rich in symbolism, even that which is considered to be most literal, not just scriptural accounts, but things like the plan of salvation, eternal marriage, and the restoration. I started reading some Max Skousen last year and that’s when I really began to find symbolism and meaning in the doctrine.
I love the scripture stories and if any of them are literal, I still feel the only real value they have are the symbolic teachings they provide. I also feel a connection to my anscestors knowing that they read the same stories and sang the same hymns. I don’t know that that is enough to justify full activity, but it is a factor.
So I’m still building the bridge to the middle way, sort of like the millions of parents that continue the tradition of Santa Claus.
That’s a good parallel, Unknown. In truth, belief in Santa and belief in God are not all that much different. While we eventually learn that most presents really come from Mom & Dad, we also learn that the vast majority of religious teaching also come from humans. I was just thinking about this recently because I believed in Santa Claus. . . . for about 24 hours when I was four or five. When I realized it didn’t add up, I was done. And, here’s my point, I loved that my parents didn’t foist Santa onto our Christmas. They didn’t bad-mouth him or ban him or laugh at anyone else for getting into him, but he wasn’t part of our Christmas. I thought it showed a lot of respect for us, young though we were, and that honesty led me to trust them. The Santa/parents-Gospel/church parallels have been on my mind. Me, personally, I would never, even on so small a point as Santa, purposely lead a child to a literalbelief in something that I know to be notliterally true. We explained to our kids (individually, when they seemed ready for the conversation) that there really was a Saint Nicholas and that Santa Claus is based on that original person – but that the concept has been commercialized over time to the point where they now are two very different images. (That’s an excellent intro for a discussion of apostasy, by the way – and how views of God have changed radically over time to the point where some modern images are very different than previous ones, both for good and bad.) We talked about the symbolism that still can be powerful, even with such a mutated Santa image – like allowing them to be our elves after the younger kids went to sleep and help us put the presents under the tree and fill the stockings. Since we stressed the symbolic early on in their lives, most of them (with one unique exception) are not literalists, in general. One daughter sees lots of things a lot more literally than the others, and we have told her that we respect and accept that fully.
Old-Timer wrote:We explained to our kids (individually, when they seemed ready for the conversation) that there really was a Saint Nicholas and that Santa Claus is based on that original person – but that the concept has been commercialized over time to the point where they now are two very different images.
(That’s an excellent intro for a discussion of apostasy, by the way – and how views of God have changed radically over time to the point where some modern images are very different than previous ones, both for good and bad.) We talked about the symbolism that still can be powerful, even with such a mutated Santa image – like allowing them to be our elves after the younger kids went to sleep and help us put the presents under the tree and fill the stockings.Since we stressed the symbolic early on in their lives, most of them (with one unique exception) are not literalists, in general. One daughter sees lots of things a lot more literally than the others, and we have told her that we respect and accept that fully.
Nice. I just asked my daughter who’s nearby in the house if she ever believed in Santa and she said, “No, but I was kind of a snob about it back then. I took pride not believing.” I’m 99% sure we never did anything to encourage that, but it just goes to show how easy it is for a person to think that his/hers is the only way.
There is actually a big difference between Santa and religion. We are all expected to grow up and leave Santa behind aa we gain knowledge. Not so with religion. We are expected to hang onto it until we die. Cadence wrote:There is actually a big difference between Santa and religion. We are all expected to grow up and leave Santa behind aa we gain knowledge. Not so with religion. We are expected to hang onto it until we die.
Irony?
I actually think a good religion will prepare one to leave it eventually. I think Mormonism does this…and when it actually happens the way it is designed and suppose to happen, all hell breaks lose.
Quote:cwald wrote:I actually think a good religion will prepare one to leave it eventually. I think Mormonism does this…and when it actually happens the way it is designed and suppose to happen, all hell breaks lose.
Intriguing thought, care to elaborate?
My six year old son and I have had a great conversation on how nobody has really seen santa and all the depictions that we have of him are just people’s best guess. He told this to me! We had lots of fun exploring different possibilities. Maybe Santa is a green skinned alien. Maybe he is a circus performer. Maybe he is puss in boots. Maybe he is Superman.
DS wanted to set up a camera to catch Santa in the act. We would then have the only true picture of what he looked like.
This was all in fun, but I hope that the larger lesson shines through. Just because eveyone else does things a certain way doesn’t mean that is the right or only way to do things.
My kids are young and believe in Santa Claus. I try not to make a big deal about it, but others, like their aunts especially, make a huge deal about Santa to them. They have received phone calls, letter, e-mails, pictures, and of course presents from Santa. I don’t actively oppose this childhood belief in him, I myself believed until I was about eight, and I have no resentment, I actually enjoyed the time with him. However, I am looking forward to moving on from Santa in our Christmases and hope to someday have a great discussion with them as some of the posters above have. I’m also worried about how far it’s gone in our house so far 
Quote:They have received phone calls, letters, e-mails, pictures, and of course presents from Santa.
Seriously?! Phone calls, letters and e-mails from Santa?!
Wow. I’ll never understand the energy some people put into some things.
Yes, it is a little sickening. Although I don’t know the nature of the reasons behind the Santa obsession by certain members of the family, some of the main ones involved are non-members who grew up in a member family. I can’t help but wonder if there is some clinging to the good old innocent way things used to be. But that is probably oversimplifying things.
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