Many Atheists Have Been Hurt By The Myths Of Santa, The Tooth Fairy...

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Many Atheists Have Been Hurt By The Myths Of Santa, The Tooth Fairy And Easter Bunny. They Believed As Very Young Children And Lost Ability To Trust.

Atheists would benefit from understanding that just like we need microscopes to see microbes, they need to develop spiritual eyes to encounter God. All anyone need do is ask Christ to come into his or her heart and mean it. Then wait and see if He doesn't show up. You'll say how could I have been so blind. What do you have to lose--nothing. But if He is real (and He is) and you don't give Him a chance, you are losing everything. When you ask Christ into your heart and life (over time) something happens.

kkcoyne

03 Dec 2008 14:23

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At first I thought you were comparing Santa and the Tooth Fairy to God. But now I see you were just using an analogy, so I can agree. In the same way that you need child-like innocence to believe in Santa and the Tooth Fairy, you need a spiritual sense to see God. People think that God's just going to spell out his miracles for you, but no: You have to find them within everyday life. They're hidden. I can see how people can take this the wrong way though, and say that Santa and God are two totally different things, but I agree with you in this sense.

However, I don't think these "lies" are the reason atheists are the way they are. I think they're just a little too closed-minded and rely completely on provable information.

bookworm3

04 Dec 2008 03:22

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There’s no Santa?!!? Oh my god why have you forsaken me? That’s it you and your boy Jesus are off my Christmas list!

Seriously what a load.

finsch

04 Dec 2008 17:59

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By "load" I'm sure you're referring to Santa's load of toys. right?

kkcoyne

04 Dec 2008 22:51

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Why just atheists? Surely this should include everyone unless you still believe in Santa and the rest? By this logic god is going to turn out to be your parents.
Develop spiritual eyes? I like to know how you do that. Just another empty phrase unless spiritual eyes means keeping them tight shut.

Evileye

04 Dec 2008 10:13

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Yes, I think that all kids who really believed in Santa were hurt at least a little when they found out the truth. Especially, if they went through the trauama of having older kids make fun of them for believing. However, it might be that this reality was more traumatic for some who generalized this to everything, perhaps God or even love.

kkcoyne

04 Dec 2008 22:58

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Are you attempting to explain an atheist’s lack of belief in religious affairs by claiming that an emotional state was brought about within them that caused distrust in others after realizing Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, or the Easter Bunny aren’t real? Your debate heading just seems strangely worded. Maybe I'm missing something. Also, I think this is the third time I’ve asked you so far, previously to no avail. How do I go about asking this god to make himself known to me? There must be some sort of method for you to keep repeating the concept so much. I’m not an atheist, so it shouldn’t be too difficult right? I’m just curious, since you say something similar in almost every religious debate (two times you told me to do that directly).

Hizashi

04 Dec 2008 07:28

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I did not realize, allow me to explain. Simply, with as open and genuine a heart and mind as you can muster say something like this: God, if you are real, please make yourself known to me. Then just wait. Say it more than once if you like or whenever you like. It is that simple. His timing is His timing and don't close your mind and heart as you wait. He may respond immediately or it may take an unknown amount of time. Anyone who has never done this can honestly say they know there is no god.

kkcoyne

04 Dec 2008 23:08

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I do indeed believe some of the children HAVE been hurt by these childhood stories.
But not in the way you think.
We were raised in a Christian faith that did not celebrate Christmas traditions, including Santa. Instead we were to celebrate the life of Christ everyday!
I never even heard of Santa until I was in kindergarten. The other kids thought I must have been very BAD to never have had Santa bring me gifts. I remember going home in tears. The little Jehova witness kid in my class was in tears as well. So I can see a little child of non Chritstians that had never heard of such a thing being hurt by this as well.
My faith was tested that day as well. Why was I not good enough to get special gifts, too?

Golfelda

04 Dec 2008 05:10

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Sorry for your trauma-another uninteded consequence caused by well meaning parents who think telling their kids a myth like this is good.

kkcoyne

04 Dec 2008 23:14

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I think it's a little demeaning to the christian population to state a correlation between believing in Santa to believing in God. Am I the only one seeing this?

Specter87

03 Dec 2008 18:28

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If anything, I mean to point out that these myths can demean faith by applying where it has no place.

kkcoyne

03 Dec 2008 19:00

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I must have been born an atheist or something, because I never ever believed in Santa.

chaew

03 Dec 2008 17:08

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That's a shame, Santa was top man. I was gutted when I found out it was all smoke and mirrors. Put me right off my A levels.

StBalders

03 Dec 2008 17:15

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You have to remember that a huge percentage of atheists are former Christians who realized that Christianity was rationally bankrupt. There simply is no evidence whatsoever to support the factual existence of any god(s), therefore a rational person should not believe in one. When someone manages to produce objective evidence for one, we'll reconsider, not until.

Cephus

03 Dec 2008 16:47

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Too true Cephus. Bearing in mind that most of us of a certain age in the UK and the US have been brought up to believe in God and did so for a good many years, where was he when he failed to enter our hearts. He had his chance when I truely believed as a kid, he never showed up.

StBalders

03 Dec 2008 16:54

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Santa and the tooth fairy are children's stories, kids learn this and grow out of them. They believe in God in primary school and maybe in high school because teachers and their parents tell them its real. The same goes for this, they question and make a rational decision not to believe in it or they make a decision to carry on believing it. Its not about trust its about learning and becoming an individual, whether they believe in a God or choose to be an atheist.

kddan

03 Dec 2008 16:31

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Firstly many athiests have not been hurt by it and lost trust, what they have learnt is that if you tell a young child something they will believe you until told otherwise. Kids have an inherent trust that is essential for their wellbeing and this has been tapped into. We see the Santa and tooth fairy story as proof of this. That is all.

As for your have faith and truely believe and god will come into your heart business, how long do I have to wait? And how will I know it has happened. Why do you have to fully believe in the first place?

StBalders

03 Dec 2008 15:55

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Allow me to explain what I mean. You don't have to believe first, you just have to have an open mind and heart first. You can start with saying something like this: " God if you are real, please make yourself known to me." God will meet you where you are. After you discover He is real, You can ask Him to make it clear to you that He wants you to acknowledge Christ as being the mediator between all man and Himself. There is no exact time table, it is different for everyone. God will be working to show you Himself. Depending on circumstances, it may take years or it could happen in an instant. What do you have to lose? Acquisiton of all knowledge, whether scientific or spiritual, starts with an open mind that seeks. You will know that it has happened because you will become as sure that God exists as you now are that He doesn't. You will have been on both sides and be able to find truth.

kkcoyne

03 Dec 2008 16:53

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Wow, lots of stuff here.  I'll try.  Yes other religions are wrong as you  and I were about Santa.  Their faith may be sincere, but it is not bestowed in the right way.  I know I sound so judgemental, even ignorant, but I'm not.  Will you entertain the idea that since we were wrong about Santa, Muslims could be wrong about how to worship God.  Let God first show  you He exists.  Then you can ask Him yourself if Jesus is the way to Him.  God is Spirit, as such you will recognize Him with your spirit.  There are 3 big God questions most people have.  1 Does He exist? 2 If He does, which religion, if any, is right?  3 Is He to be trusted?  I recommend you just worry about coming to know He exists, but by the way I have found Christ is the right way and He (God) is so GOOD and TRUSTWORTHY.  I learned this the hard way.   It was very painful. and took 3 years of my life to conclude.  For 3 years I spent every waking hour rolling all these kinds of questions around in my mind.  No matter what I was doing throughout  the course of every day, I simultaneously was processing these kinds of questions.  Know this: faith pleases God.  If you were accused of being a criminal, but your loved one stood by you, wouldn't that feel great.  Wouldn't  that create great intimacy between you and your loved one?  Faith leads to intimacy and intimacy satisfies the heart--God's and humans'.

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Thanks KK.  Yes I am afraid you sound both judgemental and ignorant.   I am sorry to be rude as you sound a decent sort, but I have waited ages for this and it is such rubbish.  Have you considered the possibility that you might be wrong bearing in mind you have absolutely no evidence to back up your belief in god, nevermind that this God is the Christian God.  Do you not think that the Moslim "feels God in their hearts"  and just "knows" that there is a God and he is the Islamic one.  Why are you right and he is wrong.  Why is he right and you are wrong?   There is nothing, nothing at all in your favour for the argument you put forward besides the blind ignorance you call faith.  You are yet to tell me how you know god exists apart from just feeling him and just knowing, by recognising his spirit with yours.  What the hell is a "spirit" do you even know or is it just a word you have heard.  That is very poor evidence to make such sweeping statements.  I get the feeling that you are reluctant to tell me exactly what happened because in your heart of hearts you know it is claptrap and I will explain it away in an instant.  Try me, I am open minded.

By the way faith is a catch all clause in place to explain away the fact that things are just not adding up in your religion.  It is a complete cop out.  Here i an analogy.  If someone you didn't know took your car but said "have faith, I will bring it back" would you let them?  If you say yes you are a mug, but let's be honest you wouldn't.