Is it wrong to lie to your kids, Father Christmas, Tooth Fairy, God?

If you start by lieing to your kids by telling them of santa leaving presents, tooth fairy coming at night and leaving money under thier pilow for a tooth, easter bunny, sand man, there's a lod of them, when it comes time for the child to believe in god it makes it difficult because the things they have grown up with have been proven to be lies, why should they believe that we havent lied about god, and it is becomming more and more difficult to get young people involved in the church is this why, other religions who dont practice this form of misleading information can maybe seem to bring young people into accepting thier god.

Is it wrong to lie to your kids, Father Christmas, Tooth Fairy, God?
You seem to be missing the entire point of your argument - parents tell "lies" to their children in order to either explain things or modify their behaviour, like Santa, the tooth fairy etc.





The god lie is just another one of the same sequence - you're nearly there, pal, think about it.
Reply:God is real, all those others are not.
Reply:I grew up believing in all of those things..but i never once thought that God wasnt real...i never even had that thought until you said it...
Reply:There's nothing wrong with teaching children to have imagination.


That's what leads to creativity, inventions, technology, and other things


that make our material world easier to deal with!
Reply:Yes.
Reply:i agree. we say lying is wrong but then tell and innocent child who doesn't understand things that aren't trure. why is lying to children ok but not to adults.
Reply:Santa, Tooth Fairy are some things kids love, and once you grow up, things change and you are aware what reality is





God, people believe in their whole lives... That is a waste. They look to God for Comfort while Children look to Santa for toys. That is just creepy that grown adults can't reach into themselves for their own strength and must look to something that is not real
Reply:I think it is very disappointing to them when they find out the truth, but my parents did it theirs did and sadly I did, although I never was very serious about Santa and the others always I would throw in implications that said this is just for fun, I think it is ok if they somehow know that its fantasy
Reply:I think that ppl tell their kids these things so that the world doesn't seem so bad. So in the child's eye, yeah there are bad ppl but there are also really good beings that bring presents on Christmas and give money when they lose a tooth. but at some point the child is going to realize that none of that is real. I think that we should just be honest about it from the beginning.
Reply:No because they are fake God is real,I watched God perform miracles when i was a child.
Reply:No, it's not wrong to lie. Childhood is gone before you know it. Let them be kids for as long as they can. It has nothing to do with them not accepting the church
Reply:Hmmmm I dont think you can blame father christmas, tooth fairy and the easter bunny for children not beliving in God.


I do kind of see you point. But do any kids belive in those things any more? Also when they find out are they truly devestated? I really didnt care that santa was not real I still got my presents! In fact its better that they came from my parents.


I have to say santa %26amp; the tooth fairy are probally more fun for the adults to do as little pranks to freak out their kids!
Reply:well i think that when my father and mother told me about all of the things i tied them into my religion and that made me believe in g-d more. I mean santa is real in a way. there was saint nicholas and he was a man that did great things ( he is being shown in the christian religion) i am not so sure about the easter bunny though. The tooth fairy is made to make one feel better about the loosing of their teeth but it also means to them that they are slowly moving into adulthood because they are one tooth closer to their 'big tooth'. the lieng leads to the building of their character. theyll get over the fact that there is no santa or toothe fairy.
Reply:Interesting. But I doubt if that's the reason it's harder to get young folks involved in church. I tend to blame liberalism. Liberals want to convince the world that it's OK to kill unborn babies, to be gay, etc., etc. Liberals try to convince the world that there's something wrong with being conservative, to holding to traditional values laid down by God and our forefathers.
Reply:Yes, to lie is a sin no matter what the occasion is and remember that Satan is the father of the lie.
Reply:The Bible says that liars will go to hell, and yet parents purposely lie to their children at an early age -- and that includes religious people who teach their kids about Santa, etc. And then they wonder why kids will lie later on in life!





Attached in online Bible info regarding lying.
Reply:i dont encorage santa as christmas is about jesus, but there is no harm in the tooth fairy. easter is also about jesus so there is a ring of truth about the bunny as it represents new life.
Reply:father christmas tooth fairy easter bunny they are all buffers to reality kids when they reach a certain age usually 6 ish realise who is who and what is what .tell me do you tell a 3 year old that santa doesn't exist but is a commercial night mare for parents and relatives and friends alike .whereas god and there religious beliefs are what they base life upon and not a commercial boom time for shopsanyway isn't christmas supposed to be a celebration of christs birth although historically this date has found to be in accurate so is chritianity lying to us ?if so why should we believe in something that lies to us?
Reply:Nothing wrong in bringing a little joy, fun and excitement into a childs world. They are children for a very short time, let them enjoy santa, the tooth fairy, easter bunny.





You can still teach them about God, take them to church and let the Spirit of the Lord lead them.





It's called balance, which this world is lacking more and more everyday.
Reply:Im thankful God has reviealed a great truth to you as well...lies as you do know r allways wrong and plant wrong seeds inside our babies.this is how it all begins....you listen to God well,press on, great job
Reply:If you want your children to be honest with you then you should try and tell the truth about everything-always. It's not as hard as it seams and it is of great importance. Children are very clever and once they realise that you lied to them or anyone else no matter how trivial it was, they will do the same.


So, about Santa, Easter bunny...tell them the truth: they are not real but you can play and act like they are. I know few people who did it and children loved those things, but they saw them like games and God they took seriously.
Reply:It depends on how you define lying. If you spend a lot of time on the Santa story (or the Easter Bunny story, etc.), describing how Santa lives and all the stuff that's built up around the basic idea, maybe you're setting the kids up for a fall. But simply acknowledging the legend or letting them use their own imaginations isn't the same thing as true lying. It's done to entertain not to escape punishment or make oneself look better than one is.


As for God, depending on your beliefs, you can start talking about Him as soon as possible and make it clear that there's a difference - God is real love, where Santa is a fun story.


Both my daughters remember Santa stuff with fondness and it didn't affect their relationships with God. They continue the tradition.
Reply:Why should they believe in a god any more than the other fairy tales.


Besides Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Sand Man, and so on, were never ever the cause of war.


No it is not wrong, and if you take away a childs fanatacies you take away a childs hope. I remember my mother telling me about Mr Sand man coming as I was dropping off to sleep, oh that I could bring those times back. I suppose you don`t agree with pantomime either.
Reply:No, I think it's okay for a young child to believe in Santa. I think they find it exciting and I doubt they'll hold it against you when they grow up. As far as God goes, if you want, make sure the child learns that a belief God is different from the others, and should be taken much more seriously. Explain to them that God is about more than fun and presents. Let them know that God is about love and will be a big part of how they will live their entire life, etc. JMHO
Reply:so where is your prove that god does not exist, everyone and i mean everyone has sum kind of religious background, Christianity teaches right from wrong is that a bad thing, i take it you dont have kids, what make's you think its all misleading, i take it you believe in evolution whats make you think that evoution is not misleading





am a non believer
Reply:In this day and age....I think it is very important to teach kids the truth from the start. Santa is fake....Saint Nicolas was REAL. If St. Nick found a child that was bad...he actually put a piece of coal in their stocking. As far as ALL the holidays...they have become nothing more than huge gift giving times to keep the retailer in business. God is VERY real!!!!! And none of the holidays have any real christanity beginnings.
Reply:I understand that you have a dilemma because Santa (and tooth fairy) is a lie. But when they grow up you'll children won't call you a liar because of it. They will understand that you just wanted them to enjoy the magic of Christmas while they were young. Take them to church so that they know the true meaning (and I suppose the true magic) of Christmas. When they are a bit older tell them the origins of the legend of Father Christmas but let them have that magic while they are Little. They grow up so quickly!


If you tell them Father Christmas isn't real they will miss out on the excitement and if they tell their friends what you've said it will be spoilt for them.


Wishing you a lovely Christmas
Reply:Religion is the art of lying to children and not catching yourself doing it because you are also lying to yourself.
Reply:No I don't think it's wrong. I'm a Christian and I do everything at Christmas to let my 4 children believe in Santa - even as far as getting my dad to dress up as Santa on Christmas Eve, walk round the block then come down the garden path with some 'early' pressies for them. I think it's absolutely magical to look forward to Santa coming on Christmas eve and putting out the whisky and mince pies for him and carrots for Rudolph!





The only problem is that my youngest son is only 3 and is absolutely terrified of Santa and throws an absolute screaming fit if he sees him!!





My oldest son is 12 now and stopped believing in Santa when he was about 8. He has never, ever stopped believing in Jesus because he knows He is totally real, loves Him to bits and has changed his life forever. That's something that 'Santa' could never give him!!





Another thing to remember, every night before they go to sleep, my children say their prayers and they always start off with 'Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for....' They know how much Jesus loves them and how special they are to Him but never once have they prayed to Santa, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy!!





Let the children enjoy the innocent wonder of being children for as long as they can! They have to grow up so quickly these days.
Reply:So-called "Christians" do many disgusting things under the guise of "holidays", when these clearly displease God!





Neither Christmas nor Easter have any connection with Christianity. So-called "Christmas" celebrates the pagan Saturnalia and the appropriately-named "Easter" celebrates the pagan goddess Eostre.





Jesus was not even born in December. Nearly all so-called Christmas customs dishonor Christ.





http://watchtower.org/e/19981215/article...


http://watchtower.org/e/20001215/


http://watchtower.org/e/20041215/article...


http://watchtower.org/e/19981215/


http://watchtower.org/e/rq/article_11.ht...





Christendom adopts "Easter" from pagan worship of the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre (or Oestre). Most Easter traditions merely repackage pagan fertility festivals and concentrate on eating, decorating, and frivolity. Christ certainly never wanted that.





By contrast, it's tragic that the one holiday Christ actually *DID* ask Christians to commemorate is entirely ignored by almost all of Christendom. It is, of course, the Memorial of Christ's death, sometimes called "the Last Supper" or "the Lord's Evening Meal".





(1 Corinthians 11:23-25, NWT) The Lord Jesus in the night in which he was going to be handed over took a loaf... Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” 25 He did likewise respecting the cup.. Keep doing this... in remembrance of me.”





(1 Cor 11:24, 25, NEB) "Do this as a memorial of me.”








Christ Jesus himself personally celebrated and explained the significance of that Last Supper to his followers (see Matthew 26:26-29). Christians who commemorate the Last Supper have done so on the same Jewish calendar date as Jesus did, Nisan 14, which generally falls between late March and mid-April. Interestingly, Christians in the centuries immediately after Christ's impalement were sometimes called "Quartodecimans" which literally mean "Fourteen-ers", because the early Christians were well-known for this true holy day.





How would Jesus feel to learn that the holiday he commanded was widely ignored, while his so-called followers chose to celebrate a pagan false god and their own traditions of men? We don't need to wonder.





(Matthew 15:6-9) You have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about you when he said, 8 ‘This people honors me with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from me. 9 It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.’”





Learn more:


http://watchtower.org/e/lmn/article_08.h...


http://watchtower.org/e/rq/article_11.ht...


http://watchtower.org/e/20041215/article...


http://watchtower.org/e/20011115/article...


http://watchtower.org/e/20050101a/


http://watchtower.org/e/jt/
Reply:Santa and the tooth fairy are harmless. god is false hope and instills fear through religion. BIG difference..