A religions question

[Must_B_Free]

Does Santa get his powers from God or Jesus?

Was there Santa before the time of Christ?

[Bunny]

1. I'm thinking God.

What with the task of having to get to every single house in the entire world in just one night, I think you need help from the really Big Guy.

Santa could have preceded Jesus - they had pagan celebrations and etc. Could be Santa was riding around delivering presents to the pagans long before Jesus came into the world.

[Sirveri]

2. Christian theology is strange.

Christianity is confusing. Basically Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the Father are the holy trinity, and they're all uhhh equal and sort of the same. It's kinda weird how it works out. There was a splinter group of christian who held that Jesus was not equal to God because the son is never the equal of the father. And then they got into it with the church and eventually were slaughtered as heretics and so there we go. So basically, I've always understood it as Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit all being... uhhh... the same entity. So when you're talking to God you're ALSO talking to Jesus.

So basically asking if Santa gets his power from God or Jesus is a irrelevant question since they're the same person. Sort of.

The second question is easier to answer. Santa is a very recent invention coming out sometime during the Victorian era. And he was based on Saint Nicholas, who was of course, Christian. So the answer to your question would be, no, he did not exist before the time of Christ. Hell he's not even a stolen Pagan ritual, though other elements of Christmas most likely are!

Now just don't ask what New Years Day is so special for.

[LWolf]

5. I think Santa has pagan roots as well.

I've heard it discussed among pagans, but can't remember the conversation. Easy to google though; here's one:

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/1956/santa.html

Today's Santa is a folk figure with multicultural roots. He embodies characteristics of Saturn (Roman agricultural god), Cronos (Greek god, also known as Father Time), the Holly King (Celtic god of the dying year), Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (Russian winter god), Odin/Wotan (Scandinavian/Teutonic All-Father who rides the sky on an eight-legged horse), Frey (Norse fertility god), the Tomte (a Norse Land Spirit known for giving gifts to children at this time of year), and Thor (Norse sky god who rides the sky in a chariot drawn by goats). Julbock or Julbukk, the Yule goat, from Sweden and Norway, had his beginnings as carrier for the god Thor. Now he carries the Yule elf when he makes his rounds to deliver presents and receive his offering of porridge.

When Early Christians co-opted the Yule holiday, they replaced the ancient Holly King with religious figures like St. Nicholas, who was said to live in Myra (Turkey) in about 300 A.D. Born an only child of a wealthy family, he was orphaned at an early age when both parents died of the plague. He grew up in a monastery and at the age of 17 became one of the youngest priests ever. Many stories are told of his generosity as he gave his wealth away in the form of gifts to those in need, especially children. Legends tell of him either dropping bags of gold down chimneys or throwing the bags through the windows where they landed in the stockings hung from the fireplace to dry. Some years later Nicholas became a bishop--hence the bishop's hat or miter, long flowing gown, white beard and red cape.

When the Reformation took place, the new Protestants no longer desired St. Nicholas as their gift-giver as he was too closely tied to the Catholic Church. Therefore, each country or region developed their own gift-giver. In France he was known as Pare Noel. In England he was Father Christmas (always depicted with sprigs of holly, ivy, or mistletoe). Germany knew him as Weihnachtsmann (Christmas man). When the communists took over in Russia and outlawed Christianity, the Russians began to call him Grandfather Frost, who wore blue instead of the traditional red. To the Dutch, he was Sinterklaas (which eventually was mispronounced in America and became Santa Claus). La Befana, a kindly witch, rides a broomstick down the chimney to deliver toys into the stockings of Italian children. These Santas were arrayed in every color of the rainbow--sometimes even in black. But they all had long white beards and carried gifts for the children.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

10. I never understood that...

For instance, if God and Jesus are the same, why did Jesus constantly pray to himself? It's confusing.
Duckie

[Sirveri]

13. Cause he didn't joing the holy trilogy until he sacrificied

himself for our sins. At least that's my guess.

You know the really fucked up thing about this, is that, I don't even consider myself to be a christian, if anything I'm agnostic and I lean towards a practioner of Kemetic Orthodoxy. But I know all this stupid theological garbage.

[daveskilt]

3. santa has no powers - the elves are the magic ones who do the work

santa just keeps the little folk under control by limiting their pay and health insurance options through strict noncompete clauses that prevent them from working anywhere else. He keeps them happy by means of his sweet red man love. All elves are serious deviants (what did YOU think the reindeer were for)


same old thing - the little people getting screwed by the fat white man in the suit.

[baldguy]

6. So, Santa is a Republican CEO?

How much d'ya think he gave to the Bush campaign?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Santa is really Krishna

After all, that Hindu god told the gopis (cow maidens) that he would dance with them one night, and he did-all 6000 of them. Since Krishna gave the gopis that gift, it makes sense that the Krishna spirit would be present in the concept of Santa.

[trof]

7. Here's another theory.

Two six year olds walking home from school.
"Do you believe in the Devil?"
"Nah, I think it's like Santa Claus. I think it's your dad."

[ProdigalJunkMail]

8. he gets his power from the same place

the easter bunny and the tooth fairy get theirs: the combined power of a child's innocence and imagination...

theProdigal

[leftofthedial]

9. Not since the Easter Bunny was cast down into the pit of darkness

has someone asked such a blasphemous question.

May 40 times 40 tooth fairies dance on the head of your pin.

[thebaghwan]

11. I got a question, do you think Jesus ever had to take a dump?

n/t

[HuckleB]

12. Origin and history of Santa / St. Nicholas

http://www.religioustolerance.org/santa1.htm

A snippet...

"Most religious historians and experts in folklore believe that there is no valid evidence to indicate that St. Nicholas ever existed as a human. In fact, there are quite a few indicators that his life story was simply recycled from those of Pagan gods. Many other ancient Pagan gods and goddesses were similarly Christianized in the early centuries of the Church. His legends seems to have been mainly created out of myths attributed to the Greek God Poseidon, the Roman God Neptune,and the Teutonic God Hold Nickar.  "In the popular imagination he became the heir of Mikoula, the god of harvest, 'who will replace God, when God becomes too old.' " 8

When the church created the persona of St. Nicholas, they adopted Poseidon's title "the Sailor." They seem to have picked up his last name from Nickar. Various temples of Poseidon became shrines of St. Nicholas. 1 "In medieval England... in tiny sea ports we find the typical little chapel built on an eminence and looking out to sea." 8 St. Nicholas also adopted some of the qualities of "The Grandmother" or Befana from Italy. She was said to have filled children's stockings with gifts. Her shrine at Bari was also converted into a shrine to St. Nicholas.

The Christian church created a fictional life history for St. Nicholas. He was given the name  Hagios Nikolaos (a.k.a. St. Nicholas of Myra)."

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Great website, by the way, for many religious questions.

[smirkymonkey]

14. Satan.

Santa is an anagram for Satan. :evilgrin: