tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post1445528302015796784..comments2024-03-22T06:22:08.010+00:00Comments on Stephen Law: Lying about SantaStephen Lawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02167317543994731177noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-79112694694449795912008-12-29T17:47:00.000+00:002008-12-29T17:47:00.000+00:00I have to say, I actively resented the whole lying...I have to say, I actively resented the whole lying about Santa thing when I was a child. I resented having been told a flat lie with a straight face, over a period of years - I resented having been fooled. I also remember once engaging in a little theological reasoning by analogy: Santa Claus seems just as weird and unlikely as God but Santa Claus is real so God could be real too. I think this fact (the fact that I'd had the thought) augmented my resentment later.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-73596931583058438582008-12-25T05:13:00.000+00:002008-12-25T05:13:00.000+00:00I must say, my previous comment is unintelligible....I must say, my previous comment is unintelligible. I wrote it while being sober no less. <BR/><BR/> To restate, to believe that someone who has died, hasn't died (i.e. they've gone to heaven, Valhalla, nirvana, etc) is to put a difficulty in the grieving process. I don't mean the false, anger, denial, la de la, process of 5 stages that the media propagates. I mean we all grieve differently, but it is the process by which we deal with the obvious fact that humans die. They don't later undie which we know. So to say someone has died, but hasn't is a big impasse to a normal process.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12256953909644408214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-6511986386831041702008-12-24T23:09:00.000+00:002008-12-24T23:09:00.000+00:00Stephen, I think one reason for being honest about...Stephen, I think one reason for being honest about it is that believe someone who has not died, but is still alive at some other place and is awaiting is that it subverts the greiving process.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12256953909644408214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-8469740932096547732008-12-24T19:53:00.000+00:002008-12-24T19:53:00.000+00:00As a theist, with a 3 1/2 and a 6 year old, I must...As a theist, with a 3 1/2 and a 6 year old, I must say I do keep God-talk away from them. Neiher of them are baptised, and I don't plan on putting them in church while they're young. <BR/><BR/>I took me years to purge out all the fundie bullsht, and a few more to gain a new understanding of it back. I don't want my kids to have to go through that. Essentially, I don't want them dogmatized as I was for many years.Andrew Louishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18204999524677028033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-57901596200707311512008-12-24T17:22:00.000+00:002008-12-24T17:22:00.000+00:00I think about this too and find it a very useful p...I think about this too and find it a very useful parallel. I also would not lie if asked about my own beliefs (would probably say I don't believe in heaven or god, but would not comment on her idea that her father is somewhere safe and happy.)<BR/>I also would not lie about Santa, though, but would rather ask questions about what she believes to be true. <BR/>Obviously, the difference is, as you pointed out, that the Santa bubble bursts during teen age. Were it not to, I would absolutely not lie about it. If her mother still believed in Santa, I would try to distance myself from that kind of thinking just as much as I would from the belief in God and heavens.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-79506998855720904262008-12-24T16:33:00.000+00:002008-12-24T16:33:00.000+00:00I remember as a child being rather confused about ...I remember as a child being rather confused about the whole Father Christmas thing (the presents were under the tree, then they were at the North Pole, then they came back again - all seemed somewhat inefficient!). No desire to similarly confuse my own children. I'll keep saying "it's a very nice story" till the penny drops.<BR/><BR/>When they're older, I might explain to them that "God" might refer to something useful (depending on how you define it) but will give anticant's comment on heaven above.Sallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09057418203345788048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-46050226170954947182008-12-24T13:21:00.000+00:002008-12-24T13:21:00.000+00:00surely one thing you could say to the little girl ...surely one thing you could say to the little girl is "Some people believe there is a God and a Heaven, and some people don't. I am one of those who don't, but I could be wrong."anticanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18135207107619114891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-73636672390980084862008-12-24T11:55:00.000+00:002008-12-24T11:55:00.000+00:00No I missed those - thanks for pointing them out. ...No I missed those - thanks for pointing them out. Also the sesond one seems to think I am endorsing all the args for, which I wasn't, just listing them as popular arguments....<BR/><BR/>Happy holidays!Stephen Lawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02167317543994731177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1905686568472747305.post-75998975206919713802008-12-24T11:40:00.000+00:002008-12-24T11:40:00.000+00:00Stephen, have you seen this"Pants on Fire Parentin...Stephen, have you seen this<BR/><BR/>"Pants on Fire Parenting"<BR/>http://parentingbeyondbelief.com/blog/?p=1450<BR/><BR/>and this<BR/>"More Lying"<BR/>http://philosophydad.blogspot.com/2008/12/more-lying.html ?<BR/><BR/>Merry Christmas!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com