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Am I wrong/hypocritical to tell my kids that Jesus (as recognized in the religious world) is a myth, but not do the same for santa?
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I believe so. It is hard to go around chastising people for pushing myth as truth and then do the same yourself when you think it is fun to do so. My children have never believe Santa was real, but it has not diminished their joy or wonderment at the holiday season on bit.

I don't think so, sometimes the truth hurts. Although your kid will be the killjoy who tells all his little classmates the bad news.

Offtopic note. Anyone ever notice that you can rearrange the letters in "Santa" to form "Satan"?

Jesus takes Santa down with a TKO in the third round.

The Nehor wrote:Jesus takes Santa down with a TKO in the third round.

Jesus: 41-0-0 in the Octagon.

John Larsen wrote:I believe so. It is hard to go around chastising people for pushing myth as truth and then do the same yourself when you think it is fun to do so. My children have never believe Santa was real, but it has not diminished their joy or wonderment at the holiday season on bit.

I don't have kids yet, but, if I have it my way, I don't think I will teach them Santa is real. I would worry, though, about my kids letting the cat out of the bag and ruining it for other people's children, which I would make me feel horrible. John, have your kids been able to keep it a secret from other kids?

I don't know any parent who uses Santa to scare kids into obeying. It's a very light-hearted thing to say "you better be good if you want santa to bring you something for christmas." There is no real punishment for being on Santa's naughty list. You just get a lump of coal in your stocking. Woopty doo. Most naughty kids can find something interesting to do with the coal anyway. Nothing wrong with letting them think there is a jolly fat guy who brings gifts to good kids once a year. Now, if you start using Santa throughout the year to threaten your kids, such as, "You better clean this room or Santa will come down the chimney and kill you," then you're crossing over into religion territory.

It seems like most people play the Santa game with the full intent that at some point they will divulge the truth about Santa to them, or their children will figure it out. Can the same be said about Jesus? I don't view them as the same type of myth.

Mad Viking wrote:It seems like most people play the Santa game with the full intent that at some point they will divulge the truth about Santa to them, or their children will figure it out. Can the same be said about Jesus? I don't view them as the same type of myth.

That is pretty much my thinking.

Who Knows wrote:Am I wrong/hypocritical to tell my kids that Jesus (as recognized in the religious world) is a myth, but not do the same for santa?
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I don't know. There are a lot of little quandaries like this one. I guess the difference is that kids are usually told that Santa is really mythical before they're even in their young teens, but they aren't told the same thing about Jesus.

ps: not saying that a man named Jesus never existed - however, the Jesus of the Christian personality cult is certainly mythologized beyond recognition, assuming a man Jesus did in fact live and serve as the basis for it.