One of our jobs as parents is to teach our kids to discern between truth and error, between real and pretend. Jesus is real; superman is pretend. God's word is truth; the devil twists God's word. This teaching responsibility is part of our Christian heritage. We also teach about God and his Commandments: Don╒t let anything come between you and God Almighty; don╒t bow down or pray to anything or anybody except God, your heavenly Father; respect and listen to your mom and dad; don╒t kill anybody; don╒t steal anything; don╒t lie to anybody; and don╒t wish you had what belongs to someone else. These are just seven of the ten commandments (Exo.20:3-17), but look closely at them: are we teaching our kids to break seven of the ten commandments by teaching them that Santa Claus is a real man that drives a sleigh delivering toys to girls and boys?
1. Traditionally, children learn about Santa before they learn about God. They can see pictures of Santa and people dress up like Santa, but God is invisible. Those who follow this tradition are making Santa an idol god that their kids give attention to (worship) before they give attention to God Almighty. They are teaching their kids to break the first commandment: THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. Sin is a transgression of the law (1Jo.3:4). They are teaching their kids to sin and the wages of sin is death (Rom.6:23; Eze.18:4).
2. How many times do we see kids on their knees praying to Santa to bring them something special? They write to Santa, wait in long lines to sit on his lap, and watch big parades where Santa is the ╥king╙ and everybody else works for him. The Hebrew ╥children╙ in the book of Daniel said they would rather be thrown into a fiery furnace than to bow down to a false image (Dan.3:17,18). God honored their faith. The image we know as Santa is just a graven image out of a man╒s imagination in the 1930╒s to advertise Coca-cola. When people give their attention, their adoration, or their prayers to Santa, they are breaking the second commandment: THOU SHALT NOT MAKE ANY GRAVEN IMAGE OF ANYTHING TO BOW DOWN THYSELF TO NOR SERVE!! The graven image of Santa has become an idol god that children are taught to bow down to (give their will to) and try to please (serve). Children are being taught to break another commandment, which is adding sin to sin (Isa.30:1).
3. Parents tell their children ╥You listen to me and do what I tell you╙, but should children obey parents that tell them lies? That commandment, HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER, was set up so that the parents could teach the children the laws of God and the children could be blessed by being obedient. Rebellious children were to be killed by the parents to keep the rebellious spirit from infecting others. If parents really want their children to honor them, they should never lie to them, NEVER! Lies can lead to resentment and rebellion. Remember that Jesus said the devil was a liar and the father of it (Joh.8:44). Parents are ignorantly serving the devil when they promote this lie of Santa being real. They are forcing their children to either break the fifth commandment (honour thy father and thy mother) or to believe lies. The devil has the children trapped on that one (2Ti.2:26).
4. THOU SHALT NOT KILL. The world looks at those parents who physically abuse and kill their kids and say, how could they be so cruel? The same question can be asked of any parent or grandparent, teacher or media person, store owner or policeman that promotes the lie that Santa knows when you╘ve been bad or good. How can you be so cruel? Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Pro.18:21). You do not yet realize that you are spiritually killing those children with your traditions and lies. You are forcing the children to break God╒s commandments. That means you are forcing the children to sin. Sin brings forth death, spiritual death to the soul (Jam.5:20). And when those children pass the same lies and traditions on to others, they become the spiritual murderers. A lie is a product of the devil and lies kill. Jesus said the devil was a murderer from the beginning (Joh.8:44). Don╒t force your children to serve the devil; teach them to serve God Almighty by speaking out words of truth.
5. THOU SHALT NOT STEAL. What is being stolen in this case? God╒s glory is being stolen. God said, my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images (Isa.42:8). Don╒t forget, Santa is a graven image. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights (Jam.1:17). What are the children taught? Santa Claus brings the gifts from above. That is a lie!!! That is robbing God of his glory and praise!!! Any gift that is given in love is given by God because God is love (1Jo.4:8), and God deserves the credit for it. Don╒t rob God of his glory!!! Don╒t change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and four-footed beasts (Rom.1:23). If you don╒t get the connection, Santa Claus is made to look like a man and his reindeer are four-footed beasts. This is just one modern-day example of how that scripture can be applied.
6. THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS. Monkey see, monkey do. When our kids are taught that it is okay to lie in certain situations, they will lie in certain situations. They may only be taught by our example, but our example is a powerful teacher. We should never teach our kids to lie, whether by our words or our deeds. Teaching kids to lie is furthering the devil╒s work by teaching our kids to break God╒s commandments and sin.
7. THOU SHALT NOT COVET. Whether we like it or not, we and our kids are plagued with covetous thoughts. I want, I want, I want, I want.... Sound familiar? Advertisers know they can play on our covetousness and they dangle a million-and-one objects out in front of us to entice us. We have been led down the commercial path of ╘covet this╒ and ╘covet that.╒ Our discernment needs to grow so we can recognize when those evil thoughts are at work and then learn to stop them in their tracks.
We can teach our kids to be content with what they have. We do this by our words and our own example. If we have covetous thoughts, we need to discern them and get rid of them; otherwise, they will manifest out and get planted in our children and soon, they will be full of discontent thoughts, always coveting what someone else has. To covet something is to make an idol out of it (Col.3:5). John said, ╥Little children, keep yourselves from idols╙ (1Jo.5:21). When we teach our kids to covet, we are teaching them to break God╒s commandments and sin. Jesus said, ╥If you love me, keep my commandments ╙ (Joh.14:15).
Ezekiel 18 talks about the relationship of a father and son and extends it on to the son becoming a father. God makes it very clear that each individual becomes accountable for their own sins and that each person can change, if they want to. We do not have to carry on evil traditions just because our parents did! They are no longer our excuse. We now know the devil╒s motive when he started all this Santa Claus worship. So, we are no longer ignorant. Our children will believe what we teach them until we teach them to doubt our words because we lied to them.
It is not too late to tell your children the truth about God, about Santa Claus, and about the reason why we are on this earth: to listen to God and keep his commandments. (Ecc.12:13)
Exo.20:1-18
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honour thy father and thy mother.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbors.
_____________________________________________
Have You Ever Wondered...
1. Who am I?
2. Why am I here? What╒s my purpose in life?
3. Why do I do things I don╒t want to do?
4. How did this world we live in get into the awful condition it is presently in?
5. Can I ever really know and understand God? or will he always remain a mystery to me?
6. Why does God let bad things happen? Isn╒t he Almighty?
7. Who should I pray to? Am I really praying to the right person? Should I be praying to God, or Jesus? or are they one and the same person?
8. Why do people have to die? Is this what God intended?
9. What happens to us after death?
10. What happens to good people who die having never heard of Jesus?
11. Is suicide really a solution to anyone╒s problems?
12. What happens to the souls of people who have committed suicide? Are they lost eternally?
The above are common questions that most of us have had at some point in our life. These questions deserve to be answered! If you would like answers to any or all of the above questions, call or write to the address below, or circle any or all of the above questions and fill in your name & address on the back-side of page & mail it to us!
If there is any particular Bible topic that you are interested in please feel free to contact us and we will answer your request. Fill out the form below and drop it in the mail to us:
THE WORD church
Outreach Ministry
Route 2, Box 137
Moberly, MO 65270
Please print your name, address, and a self addressed #10 stamped envelope so that we can send you the answers.
