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So is the belief in Santa Claus harmless fun at Christmastime? Are all those "radical Christians" making a whole lot out of nothing?
The other day, I came across a striking comparison of Santa Claus and Christ's attributes and I was rather struck at how many things they had in common. Is it all by chance that Santa seems to have all of these christ-like attributes?
| JESUS CHRIST: OUR LORD AND SAVIOR ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE
| SANTA CLAUS: THE COUNTERFEIT ACCORDING TO MYTH OF MEN
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| 1. Has white hair like wool (Rev 1:14)
| 1. Has white hair like wool
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| 2. Has a beard (Isaiah 50:6)
| 2. Has a beard
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| 3. Comes in red apparel (Isaiah 63:1-2)
| 3. Comes in red apparel
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| 4. Hour of His coming is a mystery
(Luke 12:40; Mark 13:33)
| 4. Hour of his coming is a mystery
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| 5. Comes from the North where He lives (Ezekiel 1:4; Psalm 48:2)
| 5. Comes from the North where he lives: North Pole
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| 6. Is a carpenter (Mark 6:3)
| 6. Is a toy carpenter
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| 7. Comes as a thief in the night
(Matthew 24:43-44)
| 7. Comes as a thief in the night. Even gains entrance to homes as a thief.
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| 8. Omnipotent -- all powerful (Rev 19:6)
| 8. Omnipotent -- can deliver all the toys of the world in one night
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| 9. Omniscient -- knows all (Hebrews 4:13; 1 John 3:20)
| 9. Omniscient -- knows if you have been good or bad, for the entire year
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| 10. Omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10; Ephesians 4:6; John 3:13)
| 10. Omnipresent -- sees when you wake or sleep. Has to be everywhere at once to be able to deliver all the toys in one short night.
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| 11. Ageless, eternal (Rev 1:8; 21:6)
| 11. Lives forever
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| 12. Lives in men (1 Cor 3:16; 2 Cor 6:16-17)
| 12. Lives in the hearts of children
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| 13. Giver of Gifts (Ephesians 4:8)
| 13. Giver of Gifts
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| 14. Absolute Truth (John 14:6)
| 14. Absolute Fable - (1 Tim 1:4; 4:7;
2 Tim 4:4)
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| 15. Sits on a throne (Rev 5:1; Heb 1:8)
| 15. Sits on a throne
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| 16. We are told to boldly go to the throne of Grace for our needs (Heb 4:16)
| 16. Children are bidden to approach his throne to ask for anything they want
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| 17. Commands children to obey parents
| 17. Tells children to obey parents
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| 18. Wants little children to come to Him (Mark 10:14)
| 18. Bids children to come unto him
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| 19. Judges (Rom 14:10; Rev 20:2)
| 19. Judges whether you were good or bad
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| 20. Everlasting Father (Isa 9:6; Heb 12:2)
| 20. Father Christmas
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| 21. Christ Child (Matt 1:23; Luke 2:11-12)
| 21. Kris Kringle (means christ child)
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| 22. Worthy of Prayers and Worship (Rev 5:14 Hebrews 1:6)
| 22. Prayers and worship to "St. Nick" by children
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| 23. Lord of Hosts (Mal 3:5; Isa 8:13; Psalms 24:10)
| 23. Lord over a host of elves - (In Druidic religion, elves are demons or tree spirits
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| 24. God says, "Ho, ho ... (Zechariah 2:6)
| 24. Santa says, "Ho, ho, ho ..."
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| 25. Prince of Peace, the Image of God (Isa 9:6;
Hebrews 1:3)
| 25. Symbol of World Peace, the image of the Christmas Season |
The first time I saw the above, it became altogether more obvious just how Santa has been molded into a replacement for Christ during this time of year.
Now, I have heard of a few countries and cultures, where Santa Claus is said to be a Saint and that Christ is at the forefront of the Christmas Season (the Philippines for instance). However, most of the Westernized world peddles a story of Santa who lives at the North Pole and flies around in a sleigh, while the birth of Jesus takes the sideline.
Many Christians in the western world seem to think Santa is harmless fun, but as you can see, the Devil has a purpose, even if some don't see it. His purpose is to put the love of materialism and the idol of Santa in your home and your child's heart. Its kind of hard to not have Santa in your home anymore, isn't it? Seeing that every company sticks Santa on their cans, products and packaging. You would be hard pressed to remove Santa completely from your home this time of year. How many pictures of Christ do you have? Is there more Santa and less Christ? Maybe it is not as harmless as we once thought.
The Devil definitely does not want you talking about the "Christ-child" this Christmas. Maybe Kris Kringle, but not the true Christ Child. He wants your nieces, nephews, sons and daughters all blind to the truth of Jesus Christ. He would love for your child to put Santa in her heart this Christmas, instead of Jesus Christ.
We are not to commit fornication with the world. Please put Christ back into Christmas and let your light shine before men. Don't let the world rob you or your family of the truth this season.
Is it possible to view Santa different? Possibly through the eyes of Saint Nick, however, how many talk of him? So, if you take it that route, you could still point to Christ through a Saint.
So, this year, instead of bringing your children to see Santa Claus, bring them to see Jesus and let them peek into the manager. Let them see Christ, who was born to bring peace on Earth and goodwill to all men.
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