What Does Santa Claus Have To Do With Christianity?

[MarcATL]

Plus he was a really nice Greek dude who did a lot for the poor, and for children.

He was GREEK you say?

WoW.....sounds like you're condemning Megyn Kelly for being absolutely wrong for saying that Megyn Kelly: Jesus and Santa were white.

Maybe you need to make a thread about that in media.

Yes, he was Greek.

No, no, no...that won't be necessary. You bashing her here is good enough.

 

[MarcATL]

I don't think that he's "bashing Christmas". He seems to have a sincere question. And Christians sometimes wonder why their evangelism, is rejected. People are going to have questions, and doubts. Just answer them without arrogance. It's that simple.

Precisely.

So-called and self-proclaimed Christians are Christianity's worst enemy.

 

[mskafka]

I agree/agreed with Phil Robertson, when he said: "We all came from the same dude, and I don't know what color He was!" I would say that the same goes for St. Nicholas.

 

[koshergrl]

Looks like another thread for the rubber room.

You guys are doing great!

 

[mskafka]

Marc, are you irritated about the chick from Fox, who proclaimed that Santa is white?

I really can't imagine what her motive or incentive was for saying that.

 

[koshergrl]

I thought he was upset that Santa Claus was included in the Christian Christmas tradition.

He needs to make up his mind.

In the meantime, a musical interlude:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MDX5Z7rInc]Jolly Old St Nick vocals - YouTube[/ame]

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Is Santa Claus a Christian symbol?

If so, please break it down for me by showing me how.

As it stands, I don't see how a mythical character is a symbol for Christianity.

In fact, I believe it distorts it, certainly if and/or when it's used as symbol for Christianity.

I look forward to your responses.

WTF do you do??
Sit around and think this shit up?
What the hell...

 

[koshergrl]

He's a nut, there are about a round dozen of them who go nuts at Christmas with this shit.

 

[koshergrl]

Every year.

And about 3 of them are mods.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

He's a nut, there are about a round dozen of them who go nuts at Christmas with this shit.

Apparently...you gotta be pretty strange to ask a trollish question like this.
MarcATL: "Okay...now what can I do to upset someone today...hmm...it is almost Christmas...Christmas...Santa Claus...hmm...Santa Claus, now what can I say about Santa that would get people going...

Damn...he needs a woman or something, or maybe he swings the other way.

 

[Intense]

Is Santa Claus a Christian symbol?

If so, please break it down for me by showing me how.

As it stands, I don't see how a mythical character is a symbol for Christianity.

In fact, I believe it distorts it, certainly if and/or when it's used as symbol for Christianity.

I look forward to your responses.

(Also called NICHOLAS OF BARI).

Bishop of Myra in Lycia; died 6 December, 345 or 352. Though he is one of the most popular saints in the Greek as well as the Latin Church, there is scarcely anything historically certain about him except that he was Bishop of Myra in the fourth century.

Some of the main points in his legend are as follows: He was born at Parara, a city of Lycia in Asia Minor; in his youth he made a pilgrimage to Egypt and Palestine; shortly after his return he became Bishop of Myra; cast into prison during the persecution of Diocletian, he was released after the accession of Constantine, and was present at the Council of Nicaea. In 1087 Italian merchants stole his body at Myra, bringing it to Bari in Italy.

The numerous miracles St. Nicholas is said to have wrought, both before and after his death, are outgrowths of a long tradition. There is reason to doubt his presence at Nicaea, since his name is not mentioned in any of the old lists of bishops that attended this council. His cult in the Greek Church is old and especially popular in Russia. As early as the sixth century Emperor Justinian I built a church in his honour at Constantinople, and his name occurs in the liturgy ascribed to St. Chrysostom. In Italy his cult seems to have begun with the translation of his relics to Bari, but in Germany it began already under Otto II, probably because his wife Theophano was a Grecian. Bishop Reginald of Eichstaedt (d. 991) is known to have written a metric, "Vita S. Nicholai." The course of centuries has not lessened his popularity. The following places honour him as patron: Greece, Russia, the Kingdom of Naples, Sicily, Lorraine, the Diocese of Liège; many cities in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Belgium; Campen in the Netherlands; Corfu in Greece; Freiburg in Switzerland; and Moscow in Russia. He is patron of mariners, merchants, bakers, travellers, children, etc. His representations in art are as various as his alleged miracles. In Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, they have the custom of making him the secret purveyor of gifts to children on 6 December, the day on which the Church celebrates his feast; in the United States and some other countries St. Nicholas has become identified with Santa Claus who distributes gifts to children on Christmas eve. His relics are still preserved in the church of San Nicola in Bari; up to the present day an oily substance, known as Manna di S. Nicola, which is highly valued for its medicinal powers, is said to flow from them.



Sources

The traditional legends of St. Nicholas were first collected and written in Greek by Metaphrastes in the tenth century. They are printed in P.G. 116 sq.
About this page

APA citation. Ott, M. (1911). St. Nicholas of Myra. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved December 13, 2013 from New Advent: CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Nicholas of Myra

MLA citation. Ott, Michael. "St. Nicholas of Myra." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 13 Dec. 2013 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11063b.htm>.

Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Fr. Rick Losch.

Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.

Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback &#8212; especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Nicholas of Myra

 

[koshergrl]

So.."scarcely anything historically certain" means there is some historical certainty?

Interesting.

 

[Gracie]

Didn't Santa bring you anything when you were a kid, Marc?

 

[Chuckt]

Is the Santa Claus that's currently displayed to the world the Christian Saint from the 4th Century?

Wasn't that guy from what it today Turkey?

Isn't the current incarnation of Santa Clause a big fat jolly white guy that lives in the North Pole and flies around the world on Reindeers on a sled that delivers toys to children based on whether they are naughty or nice?

What part of Christianity is that?
@Chuckt, if you seriously are pushing that post you just posted, then you've just confirmed your kookiness. Are you suggesting that Santa Claus was foretold in Scripture?!?!? Say it ain't so.

Marc,

Jesus' birthday is celebrated. How was it celebrated? The wise men came and gave gifts. What did Jesus bring? He brought the gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Different people try to adorn or ornament the doctrine of God. How do they adorn the doctrine of God? By bringing along anything beautiful that resembles what they are adorning in scripture.

Titus 2:10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

St. Nicholas represents the Christian. I can use the title "saint" because we're all saints if we are Christian. This isn't a Catholic thing. This is a Christian thing because "to be" is not in the original Greek and everyone was called Saints (Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2) because the words "to be" are in italics which represents it isn't in the Greek. St. Nicholas was a learner or follower of Christ in that he emulated Jesus by giving gifts so our part of discipleship is to copy others emulating Jesus Christ because each one know a little more than the other one.

Revelation 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

The Christmas tree is symbolism for the tree of life and we adorn it by decorating it with ornaments. And we celebrate the gift giver by giving expressions of love through gifts.

What did God give for us to celebrate?

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God gave us a gift of His son so that we could have a gift which is eternal life.

By emulating God, this Santa figure took on attributes of God even though Santa isn't real but it represents in a like figure of God who is real.

Chuck

Aside from the original three wisemen and others who brought gifts to the baby Jesus, can you cite any Scripture that shows a celebration of Jesus' birth?

Secondly, what about the original Pagan celebration of the sun during that time that The Church co-opted for political and social reasons? Were you even aware of that?

Here are some verses.

Christmas Bible Verses - Scripture to Celebrate Jesus Birth

Jesus told us to occupy till he comes. If we live for Him, we can claim any holiday or day for Him.

Do you think Saturnalia day will be observed in heaven? No.

 

[Gracie]

Trix are for ki.....er...um....I mean, Santa is for kids.

 

[koshergrl]

He's a major saint of the Eastern Orthodox church, has translated through the years and over the miles into what we now call Santa Claus in the US.

Big whoop. Not a major sticking point for anyone except curmudgeons.

 

[MaryL]

Somebody with Malcolm X as their avatar… Can’t understand the symbolism of Santa ? Ummm, right. People REALY believe Mohamed was god’s messenger ...WHY? For what as proof? Yeah, let’s question Santa.

 

[mskafka]

Guys!!!! Seriously???

 

[Pogo]

Christ Child (Matt 1:23; Luke 2:11-12)


Kris Kringle (means christ child)

Nope. Kris Kringle is commonly conflated with the central European Christkindl (kind is the actual German word for child; see Kindergarten, "garden of children"). Also called christkindl, krischkind, krischkinnl or krischkindl in the various dialects. Possibly the similarity of kindl with Kringle, but they're two different words.


"Kris Kringle" is more at "Christ of the Wheel". It's not southern German, but Norse. A kringle (common pastry) actually looks like this:

In seasonal mythology Kris Kringle is a born-again sun god associated with the winter solstice. He lives on the "wheel" of the year.

 

[koshergrl]

Poor poopoo.

"

Kris Kringle (sometimes given as Kriss Kringle) is a name used in the United States and may refer to:

• Christkind or Christkindl, the Austrian and German Christmas gift-bringer, the Christ Child
• Santa Claus, by assimilation in the United States of the separate German tradition
• Secret Santa, a gift exchange deriving from the Christkindl tradition
• Kris Kringle, the lead character in Miracle on 34th Street "

Kris Kringle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia