Received this in a e-mail.
Quite a few churches have been bring this idea to light and since the topic was brought up at our church recently i thought I would see how you all felt about it.
Perhaps you've never thought of it, but please note how Satan robs the Lord Jesus Christ of His glory by spreading the Santa Claus tradition.
The modern-day Santa Claus is an American version of Saint Nicholas, a fourth century Roman Catholic bishop from Asia Minor who was noted for his good deeds and gift giving. The tradition first spread throughout Europe, and then found its way to America by the early Dutch settlers.
SANTA IS ETERNAL
A child knows nothing of his beginning. To a child, Santa has just always existed.
JESUS CHRIST IS ETERNAL
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Rev. 1:
SANTA LIVES IN THE NORTH
Tradition holds that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, a place ABOVE the rest of us.
JESUS CHRIST LIVES IN THE NORTH
"Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." (Psa. 48:2)
SANTA WEARS RED CLOTHING
Santa wears a red furry suit.
JESUS CHRIST WEARS RED CLOTHING
"And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God." (Rev. 19: 13)
SANTA HAS WHITE HAIR
Santa is always pictured as an old man with white hair like wool.
JESUS CHRIST HAS WHITE HAIR
"His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire." (Rev. 1: 14)
SANTA FLIES AROUND GIVING GIFTS
Santa has the ability to defy the laws of gravity and fly around giving gifts to people.
JESUS CHRIST ASCENDED AND GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN
"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." (Eph. 4: 7-8)
SANTA IS OMNISCIENT
Children are taught that Santa "knows when you've been good, and he knows when you've been bad."
JESUS CHRIST IS OMNISCIENT
"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." (Pro. 15: 3) "And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?" (Mat.9: 4)
SANTA IS OMNIPRESENT
Santa must be omnipresent because he has the ability to visit over a billion homes in a twenty-four hour period. That's over 1100 per second.
JESUS CHRIST IS OMNIPRESENT
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Mat. 18: 20)
SANTA IS OMNIPOTENT
He has the ability to carry presents for over a billion children.
JESUS CHRIST IS OMNIPOTENT
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." (Mat. 28: 18)
SANTA HAS SPIRIT HELPERS CALLED ELVES
Webster, 1828: "ELF...a spirit, the night-mar; a ghost, hag, witch"
JESUS CHRIST HAS SPIRIT HELPERS CALLED ANGELS
"Then the devil leave th him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him." (Mat. 4: 11)
SANTA--SANAT--SATAN?
Sanat Kumara is worshipped by some new age groups as God. H.P. Blavatsky, the mother of the new age movement, said on page 350 of her book, The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 2; "The name isn't important. It is the letters." "Santa" has the same letters as "Satan." According to G.A. Riplinger, "Ole Nick" is listed as the name of a fallen angel in the Dictionary of Fallen Angels.
(New Age Bible Versions, Gail Riplinger, pg. 53)
The argument is that Santa is a counterfeit God and by teaching your children to believe in Santa Claus, you are honoring Satan. And that it is important that Christians teach children about only Jesus Christ.
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