I never really loved Santa Claus.
I once believed in Santa Claus. I thought I loved Santa Claus.
“You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out
Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!”
It seems hard to truly love that Santa Claus, but easy as hell to fear that Santa Claus.
Truthfully, Santa was a big dude with a white beard who watched your every move; he looked nice but you certainly better not piss him off. If you piss him off, you don't receive a present. Santa loves you, but if you don't get any gifts its because you are bad.
Sadly, for many the "theology" of the nature of Santa and the natue of God are the same.
I guess I never really loved Santa Claus;
I feared Santa Claus.
I just wanted the gifts,
"Dude, I'll sit on your knee and smile and hope that I can convince you that I'm a good kid and deserve the Hot Wheels Racing Set that the brainwashing gurus at Mattel have
hypnotized me into believing I wanted on Saturday morning cartoons."
That feels fear-based, shaming and stifiling to one's soul, yet it's much of the theology that is being preached all over the world.
Perhaps when one no longer fears hell (or missing out on all the presents one gets for being good), only then can he/she come to a place where one can truly experience the love God that sets him/her free.
Perhaps, where God’s love for me and my love for God intersect is the true-self-- Christmas-- the child is born.
I mean, if I had a child, I wouldn’t want him/her to fear me; I wouldn’t want it fear my punishment. How is it possible for me to truly love and be loved by someone who I fear will punish me? If my motivation is to avoid punishment, I am not doing it out of love; I’m acting out of fear, and I am already living in hell. It seems that perfect love casts out fear—and isn’t it Love that casts us all out of hell?
And I was thinking about Jesus. I don’t mean, the mild-mannered Super-Jesus with the magical, wondrous power robe who dodges crosses and is faster than a speeding nail; I am talking about the fully-human who lived the way; lived the truth; lived the life and in doing so realized, recognized, and experienced God by living from the core of his true-self which was, is, and will always be Divine.
9 Comments:
Hey Rock, I read your blog this morning and it is so right on the Money. Sunshine just this morning was saying she was speaking to a friend about how Jesus loves us no matter what our sins, you just ask for forgiveness with a true heart and it is yours. Her friend stated that Jesus will never forgive us if we do something wrong and I feel horrible at how many people feel that way, or think that I guess I should say. Your right Santa does come off as a Dictator if you will, of sorts, scaring you to do the right things or punishment will insue, and that IS sad. I never thought of it that way. For instance growing up I did the right thing out of fear of the consequences if I did not, where now I do the right thing because it IS the right thing to do. Funny enough I relate to my childhood as a living hell and this was the reason, you stated it so well here, living in fear!!! You hit it right on the head. I am tempted to tell my children the truth now when they ask if Santa is real, which they are doing a lot! Maybe for them too it would be a relief??? I wonder.......
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Rick, I think for me I am so unsure of everything that I often look to others to tell me "the truth". I know what I want the truth to be - that God is love, that He loves not only me, but everyone, and that there is no such place as hell. But I don't trust my own thoughts or beliefs enough to really live like that - although I try. I do listen to what others say and the "hell" thing has hung over my head all my life like a dark cloud ready to strike me down with painful bolts of lightening. Its a lot more complex than I can communicate in a comment.
As for Santa - I never let my son believe in him. I felt it was wrong to lie to a child even if it was in the name of "fun" and I think he enjoyed Christmas just as much or more knowing we got presents because of Jesus and we didn't have to do a damn thing to earn them or fear that they would be withheld from us.
I miss your writing.
Hi Rick,
I think you could leave the name as it is. It is a new life constantly emerging as your perspective changes. Either way is good because you are still sharing your light.
As far as forgiveness from Jesus or God, there can never be forgiveness because forgiveness first requires that something be held against us. With unconditional love that is not possible. God allows us to make all the mistakes we need in order to learn. The only true mistake we can ever make is refusing to learn from what we call mistakes. If we use them to do things differently, they will have just been a part of our learning and growing process. And to my understanding, since love and change (growth) are the only two constants there are in truth, how could we ever be judged?
Judging is a man-made way of being because of the ego we souls traveling this path of life have created. Those souls traveling a path of growth were the ego was not created know nothing about judgment. They do all their growing through love.
I think Jesus was trying to help us find that other way that is why he told us not to judge.
Anyway, that is my way of living closer to my best friend, God, who never judges me.
Peace and love to you Rick and your readers.
Namaste.
matt
rick, if changing your blog name was simply a rhetorical question, i reply: a rose by any other name would smell as sweet :)
Perhaps when one no longer fears hell (or missing out on all the presents one gets for being good), only then can he/she come to a place where one can truly experience the love God that sets him/her free.
if one is exposed to the Gospel of Christ and rejects it, should we believe there is no consequence to said rejection? God is a loving God, but He is a just God. as a Christian, to say there would be no retribution for denying Jesus as the Christ would mean i could go on in my life of sin and hedonism without fear of anything happening to me in the afterlife - is that not what non-believers do?
I mean, if I had a child, I wouldn’t want him/her to fear me; I wouldn’t want it fear my punishment. How is it possible for me to truly love and be loved by someone who I fear will punish me?
and as a parent, i don't go around threatening my children with punishment, but rick, if there were no consequences for bad behavior or bad decision-making, what kind of a parent would i be if there were no consequences for same? should the defiant child be allowed to continue in his or her defiance without any fear of punishment for their behavior? is that not how criminals are born? boundaries are needed and necessary.
i am not trying to be argumentative, but to say there is only Heaven would be contrary to scripture - for every good, there is an otherness that is not so good (putting it mildly). to deprive our children of such information would be punitive in and of itself.
peace, my brother who i miss.
by the way - i don't want my children to *fear* me - i love them with all my heart and soul. however, it is my vocation as a parent to be responsible for their deliverance, and i take that responsibility very seriously (it is not without its ups and downs, however...my daughter who is my sunshine is also my biggest challenge thus far...)
p
Thanks Penni,
I value your comments etc. Thanks for being here and for your love and support.
I don't think "non-believers" go off and do whatever they want anymore than "believers" do. Who are we kidding.
What does it mean to be Christian? Is it what I say I believe? That makes me a follower of Jesus? Heck, the "devil" believes...
But, the point I was attempting to make is that motivation by fear isn't motivation by love. I suspect many are motivated by fear.
As far as my understanding of Jesus, I can't see anywhere (based on the limited evidence of his life written by those who believed) that his teachings had anything to do with being afraid or scared of God or fearing pissing God off. Despite what many theologians teach, Jesus, as best as I can understand Jesus, was about love. I am not talking about oooey gooey love but profound love. I don't think I can fully experience the Kingdom within if I fear being punished for not possessing the "right" beliefs. For my very fear limits me from an experience of love.
As far as denying Jesus the CHrist, I do it every single day of my life. Every day. For every time I fail to do for the "least of these"; every time I deny the least of these I deny Christ. If I believe that Jesus really is the CHrist; if I truly claim to follow him or to be one of his disciples, then my belief will be lived out by how I serve humanity. Santa will know what I believe by how I serve.
To me, God isn't ego.
I don't know much about heaven and hell. I DO know that I am here now.
And perhaps I will never fully experience heaven, whatever that is, while I fear living in hell. Perhaps, I say perhaps, it is the fear of burning in hell, of pissing Santa Claus off that keeps me in hell.
But I am way off the topic. :)
Great seeing you here!!! Love you!!!
i'm so glad that growing up my parents didnt bother with the whole santa claus crap. ur right, it just gives wrong ideas. another thing i dont get is christian parents who tell their kids about santa, and then dont understand why their kids then doubt God's existence, i mean come on, you've already lied to them once, who's to say this whole God thing's a lie too? satan claus is closer to the truth!
http://nonprofitprophet.blogspot.com/2007/04/santa-claus-jesus.html
My little story on Santa Claus Jesus.
~nonprofitprophet
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