The Dangers of Santa Clause

Well we’re in that time of year again when pretty well everyone’s attention, at least here in North America, is directed to things of Christmas. Of course the problem is, from a Christian perspective, that the biggest majority of those about to enter into this joyous time of year have very little idea of what it is that they are really celebrating. For most of the population it is simply a holiday in which people spend a great deal of money for any one of a variety of purposes such as decorations, food, alcoholic beverages and of course gifts. There may be sundry other reasons for the expenditure of hard earned money, but these are those that most think of. And if you were to ask the average “shopper” a great many would say, that it’s just a time for children though of course adults enter into the festivities every bit as much as the little ones. Then too thinking of the little ones who are supposed to be the key subjects of the fun, we see countless parents not only buying a myriad of gifts intended for their children, they have also included what we might refer to as a “go-between” that has been classically referred to as, in the vernacular, “Old St. Nick” or “Father Christmas” or the ever popular “Santa Clause” which is the common appellation in our culture.

As I was thinking about all of this the other day I was rambling through all of the material that I glean from the net from time to time, and right in the middle of it I came across not so much an article on Christmas as a rather key point in a sermon delivered by John MacArthur back in 1990. The article of course is on the net, but I was so taken with the points that he was making, I decided that it would make a very good reminder to all of the Christian brethren out there, many of whom have all gotten caught up not so much in what Christmas is, but what it has become here in North America in the past two hundred or so years. For in subscribing to the dear old fat man known as “Santa” the attributes that are so often ascribed to him we are in fact making him a very real anti-Christ. I am sure some will read this with much skepticism, but I feel confident as well that despite the “bubble” that it may burst for some little ones, some parents will accept this and perhaps even decide to turn aside from the raw commercialism that has made the wondrous event of Christ’s birth a mere time of personal wants. Please, read it carefully and consider what it says:

“What a false, fake substitute the world puts forth at this time [Christmas 1990] for that true message. Do you remember these words?

‘You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why; Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list and he's checking it twice; gonna find out whose naughty and nice. Santa Claus is coming to town. He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sakes. You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why; Santa Claus is coming to town.’

“Now does that threaten you? That is a very threatening poem. That is intended to scare children. Now listen, if you look at the letters of Santa, you will see that Satan is hidden in Santa. When we teach a child to sing this song, we are teaching him a false theology. We are teaching him a false set of doctrine. Let me see if I can explain it to you.

“First, that song teaches that Santa is a transcendent being. He lives on a higher plane. He lives on another level. He transcends time and space. He has powers equal to whom? God! Not only that, he knows everything. He's omniscient. ‘He knows when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows when you're naughty. He knows when you're nice.’ He knows everything.

“Not only that, he's everywhere. ‘He sees you when you're sleeping.’ He's not only omniscient, he's omnipresent. And he is watching to see whether you have been good or bad. And not only that, but he bestows favors. Now on what basis does Santa give his favors? What must I do to receive good things from this transcendent being, called Santa. Well it is very simple, I have to be what? Good. I can ‘earn’ Santa's favor. If I am good, Santa will give me gifts. After all, he's making a list and he is checking it twice to make sure that we've been either naughty of nice. And on the basis on how we've been, he'll deal with us.

“And if I'm not nice and good, I won't get any gifts. So I better be good for goodness sake, not to mention for my own sake or anybody else's sake. But do you want to know something about Santa? He may be transcendent, and he may be omniscient, and he may be omnipotent, and he may be omnipresent. He may be dispensing all of the good things, but you know what? You can't trust him. You can't trust him. You say, ‘What do you mean by that?’

“It says, ‘He's checking to see if you are naughty or nice.’ And you better be good for goodness sake, because if you aren't good, you won't what? You won't get anything. You want to know something? That's not true. Plenty of times I haven't been good and I get something anyway. Every year I get something. And you want to know the truth of it? There are a lot of naughty people that get a lot and there are a lot of nice people that don't get anything.

“Do you know what about Santa Claus? You can't trust him. He doesn't even stay true to his own word. He's blustering around and warning everybody to mind your manners and be good all the time; be nice and not naughty and good and not bad. And then you know what? When Christmas comes he caves in, and even when we have been naughty he gives us all that stuff. And sometimes he overlooks people that are nice. He really can't be trusted. His threats are meaningless and so are his promises. But that's good because it takes the sting out of him.

“And there is another good thing about Santa; you only have to worry about him once a year. He only shows up once and you know when it is; it's always on Dec 25th, so you can get your act together just a few days before. You say, ‘Well where is he the rest of the time?’ Oh, he's in the North Pole. Could that be heaven in Satan's little scheme? ‘What's he doing?’ Oh, he has all these elfs around him. ‘What are they doing?’ Whatever he tells them. Mostly, meaningless things like make toys. He is sort of inane isn't he? He threatens but never fulfills his threats. He promises but doesn't always fulfill his promises.

“Is it any wonder that if I believe all that as a child, when I come to be an adult, I might have a hard time believing in a Transcendent God who does know everything, who is everywhere, who does have all power, who does keep his promises and his threats, and who does not save me and give me good gifts on the basis of my works but on the basis of His grace. If Santa has been my understanding of God, then I am in trouble. That's why I say, hidden in the letters of Santa is Satan.

“I am glad for a God who is absolutely dependable. I can trust His promises. I can trust His threats. He is everywhere at all times and He doesn't just show up once a year. He is here all of the time. And He gives His great gift, not on the basis of our works but on the basis of His grace through faith.”

Neither John MacArthur or I enjoy tearing down the so-called “dreams” of small children just so that we can make sure everyone’s theology is just right. But then neither do we take any joy in building into little ones the falseness of humanism that has been so thoroughly ensconced into our cultural mindset that often small children have difficulty distinguishing truth from error in everyday life. The Lord Jesus once spoke to His disciples as He was ministering with children in the crowds, and He stated this very poignant truth, and all we as parents and grandparents who know and love the Savior who came at Christmas need to heed this very well –

“whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea”

Surely the greatest gift that we can give to our precious little ones is the gift of His love through the Truth of His Word. Have a very joyous Christmas!!!