Did Santa start you on the road to atheism?

Sam Vimes

Santa doesn't exist kids

When we're kids our lives are filled with stories of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Jesus and we believe in all of them totally because we're kids and kids are stupid. Our parents tell us that Santa exists and that's the end of it.

Once as a kid someone told me that Santa didn't exist and I remember to this day having a screaming row with him that ended with me shouting "he just doesn't come to you because you're bold" and storming off.:D
Yes, I was a hardened Santaist

Of course by the time my mother said it to me though I already knew and I just said "oh right, do I still get presents?" and when I found out that I did it was happy days

But anyway, as we get older all these mythical figures that we totally accepted in our lives gradually drop off as we find out they're made up but we're still expected to believe in this one mythical figure who has nothing better to do than listen to my prayers and then.....not answer them because it's not his will. He likes to **** with people you see and only answers enough prayers to make it look like sh!t just happens and he didn't actually do anything

So did the revelation of the fraud that is Saint Nicolas damage your faith and start you on the road to the evil path we all now follow?

coffee_cake

No, I was quite young when I knew about santa

I don't remember when I started questioning christianity, but I suppose I would have been about 11. Though before that in primary school I remember we heard about these greek and roman myths etc and me asking "so what's the difference between theirs and christianity then" cue shocked look from a fellow pupil and "uh... it just is!" :pac:

Sam Vimes

bluewolf wrote: »

"uh... it just is!"

And that wasn't convincing enough!? Heathen :mad:

liah

I stopped believing in a god before I stopped believing in santa.

To be honest I don't think I ever bought into the idea of god, even as a kid.

Mickeroo

At least Santa gave me stuff.

Overblood

So did the revelation of the fraud that is Saint Nicolas damage your faith and start you on the road to the evil path we all now follow?

Well I don't think I ever had any faith to begin with.

Santa is just a thing for kids, my parents never had any qualms about playing along with the whole sham. I figured it out when I found my present (an awesome BMX bike) and other assorted trinkets hidden in the local farmers shed up the road.

Finding out there was no Santa had zero impact on my belief in god because I never really believed in him/it/her anyways!

My parents being atheists surely factored into it! They didn't "brainwash" me though.

I'm not sure what age I was when i officially classed myself as an atheist/anti-theist; mid teens I'd say. But as far back as I can remember, I'm pretty sure I never believed in god or even thought twice about it's possibility. Religion, god, jesus and his 12 homies meant absolutely nothing to me. It was just a half hour segment of the school day where I got to play tin whistle, sing a few songs, and take the piss. I never took it seriously. During the rare occasions I'd find myself at mass, my parents would stay seated for the holy bread communion bit, and I'd go up to get it for myself because it tasted nice. They were like Skips, the way they melted on ones tongue.

Yummy.

Communion and Confirmation was just a "thing", and to my parents it was more a community tradition than a serious ceremony. In 90s rural Ireland it would have been a hassle to exclude me from these on purely atheistic grounds so they just went ahead with it. Anyways, my parents got to parade their lovely son around in a top notch suit, and I got lots of money to buy toys & music & games & books.

When I was but a youg lad I remember telling my step-dad that a bishop was coming to visit our school, and he sat me down and gave me a stern warning: "DO NOT kiss the bishops ring!!! If he asks, refuse to the last!! Never bow down or grovel to the clergy!" That was many many years ago and I still remember it clearly, the great piece of advice it was.

My step dad never beat atheism into me, but he did make me aware of it's "alternate teachings" if you will.

At a parent-teacher meeting when I was in senior infants, my religion teacher solemnly told my parents that I had disagreed with her in class, and told her that "it wasn't god who made everything, my daddy said it was a big bang". I don't remember saying this, and I'm pretty sure I didn't have a clue what I was talking about!

So... what was the original question?... Oh yeah, Santa. No. He had naer an impact on my religious beliefs.

Galvasean

liah wrote: »

I stopped believing in a god before I stopped believing in santa.

I stopped believng in both around the same time. However, I did 'on the record' start saying I didn't really believe in God before Santa.

Presents > Salvation

rainbow kirby

liah wrote: »

I stopped believing in a god before I stopped believing in santa.

To be honest I don't think I ever bought into the idea of god, even as a kid.

Similar here.

Valmont

My first words were "I'm an anti-theist mommy", I think I was about 18 months old. Also, I was an atheist before it became cool.

It's not a competition fellows.

Orion

It was before I found out about Santa that I started questioning the superstitions that my parents dragged me to listen to every Sunday. Santa is a fairy tale - saying that it set me on the road to heresy is like saying finding out that Cinderella was real either therefore you're doomed.

I think what really set me on the way to Atheism was the church itself. :pac:

studiorat

I sold my sole to Santa.


...coat!

Dave!

Valmont wrote: »

My first words were "I'm an anti-theist mommy", I think I was about 18 months old. Also, I was an atheist before it became cool.

It's not a competition fellows.

You're only saying that cos you're losing

Personally I still believe in Santa. Without Santa life is meaningless.

Besides, it's irrational to not believe in Santa!

gaynorvader

Dave! wrote: »

You're only saying that cos you're losing

Personally I still believe in Santa. Without Santa life is meaningless.

Besides, it's irrational to not believe in Santa!

Indeed, it's as the great book says;

...All through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...

Stercus Accidit

Valmont wrote: »

My first words were "I'm an anti-theist mommy", I think I was about 18 months old. Also, I was an atheist before it became cool.

It's not a competition fellows.

Pfft, I gestured it to the doctor via the ultra sound in the womb!, and challenged him to debate me, he didn't take me on, ha ha.

ChocolateSauce

No, although I stopped believing in both at exactly the same moment. The difference is that I always doubted god, but for years I was sure Santa existed as I got presents addressed from him!

TheInquisitor

I honestly cannot remember ever believing in God. My parents are the usual type , brought me to mass every saturday/ sunday but nothing of it ever sunk in. By thirteen id say i started to properly question the whole thing and complete non believer by 15.

Santa had no bearing on my beliefs!! Think i found out the truth around eleven couldn't believe he wasn't real i was so disappointed. It was nice to see all the effort your parents go to though. Hiding all the presents in the boot of the car or back of the attic, leaving half drank glasses of milk and soot on the ground coming out of the fireplace.

I plan on having maybe 3-5 kids. Im still thinkin of having them baptised, confirmed etc because i think there's no point in having my kids ostracised for my beliefs and i would prefer them to come to their own conclusions. From this you might believe im agnostic but i am 100% atheist. I'm sure ill get a bollacking off any the die-hard atheists though

Edit: Sorry for my rant got a tad off topic ;P

sink

TheInquisitor wrote: »

I plan on having maybe 3-5 kids. Im still thinkin of having them baptised, confirmed etc because i think there's no point in having my kids ostracised for my beliefs and i would prefer them to come to their own conclusions. From this you might believe im agnostic but i am 100% atheist. I'm sure ill get a bollacking off any the die-hard atheists though

Edit: Sorry for my rant got a tad off topic ;P

TBH I think I'd do the same. When it comes to round to confirmation time I wouldn't want my kids feeling left out. At that age it's more about fitting in with the crowd rather than any theological position. I mean I was confirmed even though I didn't believe in god, I was just after the money and going along with my mates.

Malari

sink wrote: »

TBH I think I'd do the same. When it comes to round to confirmation time I wouldn't want my kids feeling left out. At that age it's more about fitting in with the crowd rather than any theological position. I mean I was confirmed even though I didn't believe in god, I was just after the money and going along with my mates.

Are we talking cultural catholicism here? Like Jewish people who are atheist but still eat kosher food and observe the sabbath out of some heritage value rather than a religious connection?

Interesting.

TheInquisitor

Malari wrote: »

Are we talking cultural catholicism here? Like Jewish people who are atheist but still eat kosher food and observe the sabbath out of some heritage value rather than a religious connection?

Interesting.

I suppose just not to that degree. Im not going to force them to fast during lent or not eat meat on good friday etc. Catholism in name only....

mewso

Your parents (and society to a degree) really engage in convincing you that Santa exists. You write a letter to him and you often get what you wanted (if you were good), once my dad pretended to be Santa when were in our bedrooms and were completely fooled by it.

Just got me thinking it would be amusing if parents engaged in convincing us of the existence of God. Burning a bush in the back garden for example if we are misbehaving. Pouring loaves of bread and fish over us. Attaching themselves to crosses screaming "God isn't happy with you son". Could be quite effective.

Overblood

musician wrote: »

Just got me thinking it would be amusing if parents engaged in convincing us of the existence of God. Burning a bush in the back garden for example if we are misbehaving. Pouring loaves of bread and fish over us. Attaching themselves to crosses screaming "God isn't happy with you son". Could be quite effective.

Don't forget to give them the aul bit of plague!

Mena

We never did the whole Santa thing at all, so my answer would have to be nope.

Ickle Magoo

I've never believed there was a God but I used to believe in Santa.

Gambler

Like Mena my family never celebrated christmas at all growing up so that had nothing to do with my Atheism.

marti8

Somehow Santa just morphed into the parents, lol. Don't know how it happened it just did, lol. I guess I started questioning the Catholic church, the church I was raised in, when I was about 10. I can't put my finger on why, it just happened. It just seemed the most natural thing to do.

Firstly I thought I wanted to be a communist, lol (although these days, many years later I do consider myself a socialst) I was sent to confession and told by the priest that I'd have to kill priests (em, yeah, and whats the downside?:D...lol) Then I was sent to join the Legion of Mary, weird. One day while selling some Catholic paper outside a church I did a runner (literally!,lol) to a Protestant church (a very small denomination called The Bretheren) Was quite happy attending their services for a while until my mum was informed that it wasn't "good" for me....lol I guess it was after that that I totally rebelled against all religion. I was probably 11.

I was in subsequent years dragged along by one of my folks to some "Charismatic Renewal" services or whatever you'd call them, speaking in tongues, people fainting and all that weird stuff. Another time I stood in a f*cking field looking at a f*cking statue with thousands of others and being told "oh my god, did you see that, she moved!" Yeah, whatever. :rolleyes:

Was shipped off to a Catholic boarding school that I absolutely hated, lol, and once went room to room taking down all the crosses, lol And enjoyed wearing a USSR lapel to religion class.......:eek:

Many years later I looked into the Bahai faith, was interested but backed out, my reason and logic saved me! I put it down to temporary insanity.
I think it is always easier to believe than to question or not believe.

Lol, I've just realised that this thread is about atheism! But I'm agnostic! Ooops, lol, well, sharing is caring! But no, Santa had nothing to do with my rejection of religion. Ho, ho, ho.....;)