Click here to go to the Lorain County Free-Net Chapel opening page

Ask a Minister

~ A place to find answers to gnawing spiritual questions ~



Question: Do you think that the people of God shouldn't teach their children about Santa Claus or is it just an innocent Pretend game?

Answer:

This is some information that I have gathered recently about the origin of "Santa Claus."

*A certain young man was born to a bishop, and therefore was expected to follow his father as a bishop. However, he felt called to be a missionary instead, and pursued that calling. While praying one day, God told the young man to return home, and he did so. Upon returning home, he was informed that his father and mother had passed away, and had left him a great sum of money. He was also informed that he must immediately fill his father's position as bishop, and out of obedience he did so.

While walking one day, he overheard a great cry coming from a certain house, and found that a young lady was desiring to be married, but could not because her poor father did not have enough money for a dowry. This touched the heart of the bishop, and that night, while others were sleeping, he placed a bag of gold inside the window of the house of the young woman and her father. To their delight in the morning, they found the gold, and used it as the dowry for the young woman to be married.

Another day, the bishop was walking by the same house, and heard the weeping of the second daughter of the poor man, bemoaning the fact that her older sister was married, but she could not do so because her father had no money for a dowry. The bishop was once again moved with compassion, and that night left a second bag of gold inside the window of the poor man. The second daughter was happy to know that now she, too, could be married.

The bishop happened a third time by the same house, and heard the third daughter crying because of her father's lack of a dowry for her so that she could be married like her sisters. The bishop returned that evening, which happened to be Christmas Eve, with a third bag of gold for the third daughter, but this time the father was sleeping by the window, so as to see who it was that was bringing these gifts to their humble house. The bishop realized that he could not leave the gold at the window as before, and since there were no other windows to the house, he decided to put the bag of money in the only other opening he could think of: the chimney. He climbed the roof and dropped the bag down the chimney. The family had hung some wet stockings by the fire the night before, so they would be dry by morning, and when the bag of gold fell to the fireplace, it landed in one of the socks hanging there. The bishop tried to climb down from the roof as quietly as possible, but the long red cloak he was required to wear as bishop caught on the roof, and the resulting scramble awakened the father. The bishop ended up confessing that he had been the one leaving the gifts, and the father expressed his sincere gratitude for the bishop's generosity . From that time on, it became customary to give gifts, and sometimes leave them in stockings, on Christmas Eve. (source: Focus on the Family's children's program, "Odyssey")

I do believe that to tell children that there is a real Santa is not 'innocent' or a game, but is deception [a form of lying]. This goes also with other unreal characters such as 'the tooth fairy & the Easter Bunny.' Kids need to hear the truth from their parents so they can grow up to trust them and respect them.

It would be good to share the true meaning of Christmas with children and even the true meaning of 'Ole Saint Nick.' There are great principles of giving in the stories.


Additional Resources


Back

Copyright © 2010 - The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel
North Central Ohio, U.S.A.

Home of David Wilkerson's World Challenge Pulpit Series Multilingual Web Site
www.tscpulpitseries.org

TOP OF PAGE

Our Webmaster
This page was last updated August 13, 2010.

Next page

Why Revival Tarries/ "Help!"/ What's Here/ Bookstore/ Statement of Faith/ Bible Study/ Around the Piano/ Bulletin Board/ Library/ Home