Do we set our children up for a life of doubt?

Steven Wood said:

I have wondered this for years but lately it has been eating at me. I know of no Christian that is not guilty of telling their children about Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and even the tooth fairy. We think it is harmless but I wonder if by doing this, we are actually hurting our children. I understand that kids that are told about these fairy tales are young, and know no better but I can't help but wonder. If we tell our children that these things are real and they realize later that they aren't, How do we expect them to believe in an invisible creator of this universe who know our every thought, when we've lied to them about 3 other invisible, other wordly creatures. Is it wrong to tell young children the truth about these things while they are so innocent and dash their dreams?

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Well, for what it's worth, my parents never told me Santa, the Easter Bunny, or the tooth fairy were real. I knew they were imaginary, my parents told me they were imaginary, but we still enjoyed these things for their fun value for family festivities. In the case of Santa my parents taught me to understand him as a symbol of the generosity that should reflect the season of Christmas. As I grew into adulthood I've come to appreciate the mythical Santa Claus almost as much as I admire the generosity of the real St. Nicholas which Santa is based off of.

My parents had a policy of being honest with my brother and me, even if that meant answering very uncomfortable questions.

-CryptoLutheran

Hazelelponi said:

My husband and I don't put up a tree or decorate our home for Christmas, but we do give gifts, just not in the name of any Santa. The adult children do put a tree up and decorate their own home, but when the grandkids come here during the holidays and the home is bare of decoration they simply know we believe it's wrong..

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I'm interested that you believe having a tree or decorations is wrong. I have a tree every year, and I love the idea of using a tree that was made by our Creator to celebrate His coming to earth. Can I ask what your objections to it are?

As someone Chinese, I can say most people in Japan and China, the vast majority, view Christmas as either something fashionable to celebrate without much or any knowledge on Christian faith, and it's also a big commercial thing. I don't celebrate Christmas because it is an artificial date commemorating the birth of Christ. We shouldn't be paying attention to Christ's date of birth but pay attention to the fact that His birth marked the beginning of hope for our salvation through Him as Savior. Correct me if I'm wrong theologically.

In Japan many people opt to have Christian style weddings and sometimes white foreigners are even hired to be fake church pastors presiding over marital vows. However, I firmly believe that even if I were white in Japan and given money to act as a pastor I would NOT do it because it is an utter middle finger to God's genuine ministry.

I'd think of Santa Clause, the easter bunny and the tooth fairy not as dangers to your faith, but as stepping stones to it.

Many people also believe in guardian angels or demons or nature spirits or karma. It's just one more belief. Some people shed a few. Some shed all but one. Some shed them all.

AnnaDeborah said:

I'm interested that you believe having a tree or decorations is wrong. I have a tree every year, and I love the idea of using a tree that was made by our Creator to celebrate His coming to earth. Can I ask what your objections to it are?

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Jeremiah 10:1-5.

Allandavid said:

Nothing to do with ‘reasonableness’. Children, in the main, believe what their parents and other adults tell them, up to a certain age.

So, when their parents tell them at a young age that there is a jolly man in a red suit that flies through the sky in a sled pulled by reindeer, they believe them. When they tell their kids that a special rabbit brings chocolate eggs at Easter, they believe them. When they tell them that a fairy will pay them for missing teeth, they believe them.

And when they tell their children that there exists a man in the ‘sky’ looking down on them, they believe them...

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So you still believe in Father Christmas because that is what you were taught or did you work out that it wasn't true?

I take the "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" approach.

messianist said:

Jeremiah 10:1-5.

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This passage clearly applies to the making of an idol/false god to worship - I don't see anything in it that relates to decorating your home with plants.

Steven Wood said:

I have wondered this for years but lately it has been eating at me. I know of no Christian that is not guilty of telling their children about Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and even the tooth fairy. We think it is harmless but I wonder if by doing this, we are actually hurting our children. I understand that kids that are told about these fairy tales are young, and know no better but I can't help but wonder. If we tell our children that these things are real and they realize later that they aren't, How do we expect them to believe in an invisible creator of this universe who know our every thought, when we've lied to them about 3 other invisible, other wordly creatures. Is it wrong to tell young children the truth about these things while they are so innocent and dash their dreams?

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We never set our kids up by telling them these things were real. It's not that we didn't read fairy tales or fantasies, we were just always honest about what it true and what is fiction. They had no trouble understanding that Jesus is real and Santa isn't.

AnnaDeborah said:

I'm interested that you believe having a tree or decorations is wrong. I have a tree every year, and I love the idea of using a tree that was made by our Creator to celebrate His coming to earth. Can I ask what your objections to it are?

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In our area many Christians don't put up a tree. First, part of the reason is that some people see it as being against the verses in Jeremiah 10:3-4

"For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter."

Some people claim Christmas trees arent being referred to in this verse because Christmas trees arent carved, nor are they worshipped as idols.

Of course as we all know, an idol doesn't have to be a carved item or physically bowed down to, in order to be considered an idol. Anything we put before God or in the place of God are things we can be considered to be worshipping whether money, or fame or all the many things people chase after in life instead of God. It is in this vein that the decorations and traditions of many appear to be in the place of God or taking the place of God and therefore seen as idol worship by some, especially as this is on a day or days we are supposedly celebrating what God has done for us.

Not only for the above reasoning, however, but also due to the fact that bringing in of evergreen boughs in mid winter was a pagan practice and celebration, not one born of God, as are many Christmas traditions normally celeberated in the west. So even if you don't think bringing a tree into your home is idolatry, it definitely fails the test of our faith needing to be separate from pagans and not mixing our faith with that of others.

Joshua 24:23 says:

"Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." "

1 Samuel 7:4

"So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only."

There are plenty of examples to show we shouldnt be mixing Christianity with other faiths, and most western Christmas "traditions" are all throwbacks to paganism, easily seen when you research where these ideas originated.

So, everyone makes their own decision of course, but many choose to not have those types of traditions and keep it more about God.

AnnaDeborah said:

This passage clearly applies to the making of an idol/false god to worship - I don't see anything in it that relates to decorating your home with plants.

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It's talking about decorating trees in silver and gold what other occasions to the world put trees up and decorate them?

messianist said:

It's talking about decorating trees in silver and gold what other occasions to the world put trees up and decorate them?

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Actually, I have plants and trees in my house all year round and quite often decorate them too!

I guess this is one thing we will have to agree to differ on - I don't know anyone in my locality who would believe I am taking part in a pagan celebration by having a plant of any kind in my home - and even if they did, God created plants first and I don't believe you can make anything He created to be 'pagan'. Because they are not, they are part of God's creation! And for me, I don't feel a tree is an idol any more than a geranium, an orchid, a poinsettia, an Easter cactus...I just love being surrounded by plants and being able to appreciate them close up! (Probably has something to do with being a very keen gardener!)

Thanks for explaining your reasoning though.

AnnaDeborah said:

Actually, I have plants and trees in my house all year round and quite often decorate them too!

I guess this is one thing we will have to agree to differ on - I don't know anyone in my locality who would believe I am taking part in a pagan celebration by having a plant of any kind in my home - and even if they did, God created plants first and I don't believe you can make anything He created to be 'pagan'. Because they are not, they are part of God's creation! And for me, I don't feel a tree is an idol any more than a geranium, an orchid, a poinsettia, an Easter cactus...I just love being surrounded by plants and being able to appreciate them close up! (Probably has something to do with being a very keen gardener!)

Thanks for explaining your reasoning though.

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Ancient Vikings and Saxons used to worship trees, and many of the ancient people's in western nations used to have their religious practices of bringing in evergreen boughs into their homes and decorate their homes with them in winter.. it was part of their religious faith before Christianity and when they adopted/converted to Christianity they held on to these customs after christianizing them.

Whether or not you realize it, hanging on to such pre-Christian practices can hurt your witness for Christ. My husband is just a simple hillbilly, Baptist - nothing strange or fancy - but part of what made his witness for me trustworthy was that he didn't engage in pagan traditions.

And today I am Christian in large part due to that witness.

Hazelelponi said:

Whether or not you realize it, hanging on to such pre-Christian practices can hurt your witness for Christ. My husband is just a simple hillbilly, Baptist - nothing strange or fancy - but part of what made his witness for me trustworthy was that he didn't engage in pagan traditions.

And today I am Christian in large part due to that witness.

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It only hurts your witness for Christ if greenery in the house is viewed in that way where you live. I guess it depends in part on your location. When I was a child, people in our village had rules about when you could bring evergreen into the house because of the belief that at certain times you brought the devil in on its branches. My parents were questioned as to why they 'broke the rules' - weren't they afraid of the 'bad luck'? They had a great opportunity to share the Gospel which wouldn't have arisen if we had been a greenery free home!

Allandavid said:

Nothing to do with ‘reasonableness’. Children, in the main, believe what their parents and other adults tell them, up to a certain age.

So, when their parents tell them at a young age that there is a jolly man in a red suit that flies through the sky in a sled pulled by reindeer, they believe them. When they tell their kids that a special rabbit brings chocolate eggs at Easter, they believe them. When they tell them that a fairy will pay them for missing teeth, they believe them.

And when they tell their children that there exists a man in the ‘sky’ looking down on them, they believe them...

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My parents never told me these characters were real, and, I didn't believe they were from my earliest recollection.

I believe there is a time span between such beliefs (if one ever believed in them) and when a person is called by God into the truth; so one doesn't affect the other in any meaningful way. We have usually put away childish things by then.

AnnaDeborah said:

It only hurts your witness for Christ if greenery in the house is viewed in that way where you live. I guess it depends in part on your location. When I was a child, people in our village had rules about when you could bring evergreen into the house because of the belief that at certain times you brought the devil in on its branches. My parents were questioned as to why they 'broke the rules' - weren't they afraid of the 'bad luck'? They had a great opportunity to share the Gospel which wouldn't have arisen if we had been a greenery free home!

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Muslims believe that if you have a Christmas tree in your home your not a true Christian, that your not one of the people of the book. Those trees are pointed to as visible proof you all are pagans worshipping three Gods instead of followers of the Christ.

That is the people from the worlds second largest religion..

None of whom think your a Christian, but rather, that your just a pagan. If they think that do you honestly think any of them will ask you about Christ thinking you would know anything trustworthy about Him?

Just something to consider. ..

Hazelelponi said:

Muslims believe that if you have a Christmas tree in your home your not a true Christian, that your not one of the people of the book. Those trees are pointed to as visible proof you all are pagans worshipping three Gods instead of followers of the Christ.

That is the people from the worlds second largest religion..

None of whom think your a Christian, but rather, that your just a pagan. If they think that do you honestly think any of them will ask you about Christ thinking you would know anything trustworthy about Him?

Just something to consider. ..

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Really?!! Why do I get Muslims asking me about my faith then? And telling me that they now realise not all Westerners are Christians because they can see the difference between me and other Westerners who aren't believers. Are they lying when they say they can tell I am a true Christian?

AnnaDeborah said:

Really?!! Why do I get Muslims asking me about my faith then? And telling me that they now realise not all Westerners are Christians because they can see the difference between me and other Westerners who aren't believers. Are they lying when they say they can tell I am a true Christian?

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I don't know them (or you) so I cannot say what they believe about you..

Here is an article written by Muslims, to Muslims in the West calling the practice of celebrating Christmas pagan and not innocent and urging Muslims not to take any part of it, not even office parties, telling them they will go to hell if they do...

https://www.islam21c.com/theology/173-christmas-and-the-paganisation-of-christianity/

I'm not on a main computer so i cant find a good link atm, but when topic of interfaith marriage comes up in Islam and the question of whether a Christian is a polytheist and a pagan the modern Christmas tree is often pointed to...

It was a large factor for me..

Hazelelponi said:

Here is an article written by Muslims, to Muslims in the West calling the practice of celebrating Christmas pagan and not innocent and urging Muslims not to take any part of it, not even office parties, telling them they will go to hell if they do...

https://www.islam21c.com/theology/173-christmas-and-the-paganisation-of-christianity/

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This article, among other areas of concern, claims that the Gospel accounts are inaccurate/false, that Jesus was simply a man and that God is only to be found in the heavens, not present with us - am I meant to ditch believing and proclaiming the deity of Christ, the omnipresence of God and a large chunk of the New Testament because Muslims disapprove of those things also?

AnnaDeborah said:

This article, among other areas of concern, claims that the Gospel accounts are inaccurate/false, that Jesus was simply a man and that God is only to be found in the heavens, not present with us - am I meant to ditch believing and proclaiming the deity of Christ, the omnipresence of God and a large chunk of the New Testament because Muslims disapprove of those things also?

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Just a quick question why do you celebrate Christmas?