Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: st0o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Steven Timm) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Santa Claus Message-ID: Date: 18 Jan 90 04:54:44 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 23 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Kevin Whitley writes: (Jan 15, #3255) > I sort of wonder >whether Santa Claus is part of a kind of secular cultural religion that > is just assummed by everybody . In fact, has Santa Claus become part of our own Christian religion? I find that many Christians ascribe many of the attributes of Santa Claus to God. In our secular cultural tradition, God has unfortunately followed the lead of Santa Claus in becoming the one who is constantly checking to reward us if we're good, and give us coal if we're bad. Santa Claus is the symbol by which we teach our children to want to learn how to get, rather than to give to others as Christ did. In Allegheny County vs. ACLU this summer, the menorah was ruled only a cultural symbol , as was the Christmas scene. Will the nativity scene and the cross of Christ be far behind? Indeed, Santa Claus has great significance to the religion of materialism; he's as close to a god as they have. Soon everyone may think we are celebrating the birthday of X, and easter will degenerate into the celebration of the unselfish bunny which rose up in the morning and laid eggs for everyone.