“He knows when you are sleeping, He knows when you’re awake, He knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake…” One danger in teaching this is that being all-knowing is an attribute of Almighty God Jehovah, and to teach children this about Santa is elevating Santa to a god-like level in their young and impressionable minds. In short, it is blasphemy against God!

A second danger when children are taught about Santa Claus as if he really exists, and also the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, then, when they learn that Santa is just a nice fun story, they frequently expect that some day they will also find out that the story of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is also fiction. Instead of concentrating all our worship and adoration on the One whose birthday we are supposedly celebrating, we spend much time thinking of and in fact worshipping Santa Claus. God says, “I am the Lord: that is my name: and My glory will I not give to another…” (Isaiah 42:8).

A third problem about telling children about Santa Claus is that that story being a lie, told as truth repeatedly by many people, backed up by all the hype and fanfare of the media at Christmas time and for a month or so before, tells the child that sometimes telling a lie is OK. And of course this is not the message that responsible parents want to convey, but many do not see this danger.

The person who always tells the truth may not always be popular in the crowd that thinks truth is relative and can be bent to fit what the teller wants people to think. But he or she will come to be known as someone who can be depended on for honesty and telling the truth, and this attribute can be the most valuable asset a person can own, The reputation that “He (or she) always tells the truth,” is worth far more than a fat bank account!

Everyone argues that telling chilldren about Santa Claus is a harmless and cute story that adds to the good feeling and joy of the season, then cannot understand when their children begin telling “little’ lies and move on into other forms of deception, all too often reaching to the point of actual criminal fraud. Then these parents ask so innocently, “Where did we go wrong? We always went to church and raised him (or her) in church.” They wring their hands and cannot see that their own deception of their children in seemingly innocent and unimportant things like teaching Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny has taught their children at an early age that deception is acceptable.

With this background, is it any wonder that even fairly young children who have watched certain violent Saturday cartoons on TV have been known to kill their playmates, perhaps with just a push or shove or perhaps with a knife or gun, expecting them to jump right back up, totally unharmed like the coyote, the rabbit or the road-runner in the cartoons do. They never suspect that death is really permanent! If Jesus rose from the dead and the cartoon animals jump right back up and go on unharmed, why does their friend stay so still and lifeless?

Truth is not bending the facts to suit our own purposes, whether our purposes are good or bad. Truth is stating things as factually and honestly as you know it. If you do not know something, truth says to admit that you do not know, don’t try to make up something so you seem to know all the answers.

God does not distinguish between big lies and little lies, seemingly harmless ones or those that destroy someone’s reputation or life. Notice the select company liars keep and where they will end up in the following scripture: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers,and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death,” (Revelation 21:8).

 If you have been telling any of these lies, or if there is other sin in your life, please come to our Lord Jesus Christ in repentance right now. If you are already a born-again Christian, then “If we confess our sins  He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” (1 John 1:9). If you have never been born again, then “Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38).