Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and Tooth Fairy

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But you just said that someone who expresses their opinion is automatically forcing it onto others. And you said you wouldn't post in this thread anymore.

Quote what you perceive in this way. Get's to the heart of what I said. You state things and do not back it up. Back it up. If I did so, I will acknowledge it.

Getting tired of this too. I see that even simple defense is just another way to waste time.

Back up your statements with a quote and how you perceive it, then I will respond as I said.

Is there any evidence for the existence of God? No? Then I guess he doesn't exist.

Because when you tell people their belief is wrong, they get offended and very upset. Religion is a very strong topic. I notice it's the same with Santa Claus. If you tell someone's child Santa isn't real, the parents get very upset and offended.

That's because doing so would take the choice of when and how from the parents.



Who are you to say their belief is wrong. It may be contrary to your belief, but that does not make defacto wrong.

Religion is not the problem. It's what idiots do with it. But, remove religion from the equation, they would still find it within some other excuse to do what they want.

Boiled down to the basics, Religion is really a way to do the following:
1) dietary responses to stay healthy
2) codified laws that ensure (at least attempt to) some sort of consistent set of societal rules
3) contain the spread of disease through ritualistic cleansing rituals and disposal of the dead
4) Create a uniformity for a societal harmony, or at least attempt to

But, as all things, anything can be corrupted.

It may not be for you, but it is for many people. I'm sure there are many of us here who WERE rejected because of a tendency to correct what we perceive as incorrect. This caused others to alienate us as a result. It may be wrong, but that doesn't dictate what happens.

More on topic though, I was the kid who spoiled many other kids of their belief of Santa.

My daughter did the same once, before we told her that she was very smart to realize the myth so young, but it made other people happy, so she should let them believe it. They should get to realize the truth just like she did, even if it takes much longer than it took her.

She realized it at 4 years old. Some of her friends stopped believing in Santa at 10, yes, 10.

My husband, for what it's worth, would agree with you. He doesn't think that those myths are that beneficial to people's lives. He goes along with it for me, because I enjoy the particular tradition we have.

I wish this Santa myth had never existed in the first place. I find it strange that people have to lie to their kids just because society forces them to.

Do you know the story behind it? The man that the entire Santa Clause tale was based on?

No and I don't care.
If I ever have kids, I'll have to find of way of not lying to them without causing any trouble. I'll probably just never tell them about Santa. If the other kids tell them, I'll just say "I don't know what you're talking about, I've never heard of him.".
Also, I'll make sure they don't take religion classes in school.

Public school are not allowed to teach religion. Only special schools do like Catholic. I don't know where you are but that is the way it is here in the states. My school did a play once that took place during WWII and the character in it gets a bible for Christmas and we had to change the present to scarf because we are not allowed to have anything religious in public schools.

That's good.
In Romania, public schools teach religion by default. To withdraw one's child from religion classes, one has to file a request.

I attended two Christian schools (religious, but not Catholic by denomination), but mine will not.
I think being honest with your kids would serve you better. How would lying about Santa in your way be that much better than lying the way society does? It may be better to explain it as a myth, a fairy tale, like all others. After all, Snow White and Cinderella are entertaining tales to many people. If you group Santa in with those, is there any harm left?

I think many of these things are simple concepts, told simply and can, used properly, instill good morals and ideals in children.

You should read the original Grimm versions then. You may change your mind.

The Grimm versions were warnings. They did serve their purpose in that environment and time period. But not all parables and tales are that dire.

Judging things from that long ago by today's standards and not putting them in context is really not going to work.

Take for instance the movie 'Braveheart'. Lauded William Wallace as a virtuous man by today's standards. But, he was actually just as brutal as his opponents going so far at to make a belt out of the skin of an enemy.

citation: BBC History, Scotland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/a ... m_wallace/
"On 11th September Wallace and Murray achieved a stunning victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The English left with 5,000 dead on the field, including their despised treasurer, Hugh Cressingham, whose flayed skin was taken as a trophy of victory and to make a belt for Wallace's sword."

So, things like this are definitely relative.