Santa Claus
Every year we celebrate Christmas. Christmas without Santa Claus is almost unthinkable. His picture hangs everywhere, he walks the streets during this festive season and he is invited into our homes to bring gifts to our children.. En fin, he is everywhere, in homes, in the streets, on TV etc. Sad to say that he is even more famous than Jesus Christ. As Christians we should be aware that the celebration of Christmas with Santa Claus who gives us gifts is utterly pagan. My purpose of this newsletter is however,not to tell you how to celebrate your Christmas, but to inform you, as to what lies behind this legend of Santa Claus. So please join me and remember: "keep an open and discernful mind while you are reading."
The legend starts in the third century in Turkey, in a town called Patara, where a devout Christian named Nicholas lived. He was born on December 6th, and was raised by his parents in the Christian faith, and from them he learned the Christian values of giving alms to the poor, the sick and the needy. Early in life he became an orphan, and being well-instructed in the Christian faith, he used his entire inheritance to give to the poor. He became bishop of the Christian Church in Myra (Turkey) when he was a young man. It is said that he became bishop by coincidence. The former bishop had died and the deacons of that particular Church voted that the next person to enter the Church would be the one who would be chosen to become a bishop. Well, guess who was the next person!
His fame for helping those in need was notorious. He was not only blessed with kindness but he was also blessed with a bold nature, fearlessly confronting those who abused their positions and power. It is said that he slapped one bishop in the face at the council of Nicaea. The discussion prior leading to his action, was the a discussion about the Holy Trinity. Arias, one of the Church bishops of Egypt, thought that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was not equal to God and that He was therefore not to be counted as part of the Holy Trinity. This arose Nicholas' anger and he ended up slapping Arias in the face. For this action he was stripped out of his position by the emperor Constantine and consequently imprisoned. Legend has it that during that night, Jesus along with His mother Mary appeared to him with the Book of the Gospels and with his bishopric tunic, and returned these to him in order to reinstall him in his office of Bishop again.
We do not know if this really happened or not, but one thing we do know. During the reign of Diocletian, Nicholas, along with all Christians suffered severe persecution from this Roman Emperor who hated the Christians. Diocletian was emperor before Constantine. Nicholas suffered imprisonment and exile during his reign. Persecution finally ended when Constantine became emperor. Constantine was positively disposed towards Christianity; it is said that his own mother was a devout Christian. Nicolas could now freely return to Myra to his Church again. It is said that upon his return to Myra he destroyed many pagan temples and shrines over there, which had been erected by the pagans during the Christian persecutions. One of the most prominent temples erected in Myra was the temple of goddess Arthemis. Nicholas believed that pagan worship induced demons to places and areas who would then afflict people, and had therefore all pagan worship places and temples completely destroyed. It is said that not one stone was left standing.
During his lifetime, he performed many acts of kindness and showed true Christian piety. Myra fell prey to famine in AD 311, and again in 333. Legend has it that Nicolas went to the harbors and begged the sailors to spare him some food (grain and wheat) from their cargo’s to feed the hungry. In this way he spared many lives from dying of hunger. Legend goes further on to tell us that when the sailors arrived at their destination, the missing food was already miraculously replaced. This made him the protector of the sailors during and after his life.
Other outstanding stories about his kindness during his lifetime is the story of when he provided a poor family which had three daughters who where in the marrying age but had no dowry to give them. The father was so desperate that he could not pay his daughter’s dowries, that he was seriously considering to send his daughters to work as prostitutes. Nicholas heard of this family and their tragedy, and at night when nobody saw him, left the money necessary for his daughters dowries at the front door.In this way he provided for good marriages for these women and kept them from becoming prostitutes. Another story is that of three theological students who where traveling to Athens and on their way stopped at an Inn, when they were robbed and consequently killed by the innkeeper of that Inn. As it happens, Nicholas was also traveling on the same road and found shelter at the same lodging.
The innkeeper had already disposed of the bodies and had cleansed the whole murder scene, when Nicholas arrived later on that night. That night, while he was sleeping, Nicholas was given a dream by God, in which God revealed to him what had happened there in that Inn, earlier that day. Next day, Nicholas confronted the innkeeper who confessed to the hideous murder. Nicholas started to pray vigorously to God to revive those murdered young man, which God did as an act of mercy. Stories such as these, thrived during his lifetime. They became even more famous during his death.
Not much is known about his death,the only thing being known, that he was buried in the Church in Myra, and that not long after his death, a pleasant smell came out the tomb. People became curious about this smell and opened his tomb, to find that his body was not only smelling pleasantly but also it was emanating a liquid fluid. People immediately knew that this was Nicholas who even in his death was providing in a special way for his people. This fluid that emanated from his body was thought to heal the sick. Needless to say that soon after this discovery, this water was baptized as miracle water. It is said that one drink of this bodily fluid could heal you completely. This new miracle water soon became highly sought after. His shrine became a place of pilgrimage for Christians and pagans alike. Even the Crusaders, on their way to Jerusalem stopped at his shrine to get a bottle of the miracle water. It was also believed to protect one from harm.
In 1087 the Catholic Church was in serious trouble, partly due to the lavish lifestyle of its Popes, partly due to the tremendous loss of money which the Church had invested in the Crusades. The Catholic Church found itself thus in serious monetary trouble and was searching for a miracle that would provide them with necessary money they so desperately needed. It is therefore not strange that when they heard about what was going on in Myra, that they decided this was the answer to their problems. They carefully planned to obstruct and steal the body of Nicholas.This happened in 1087. Sailors and monks where sent to Turkey to steal his body and take it to Bari, Italy. They succeeded and from that time on, his body lies deep in a cove under the Church of Bari in Bari. It is said that his bones still emanate that miraculous fluid. Once a year this fluid is tapped into bottles which are consequently sold for money or are used by the Catholic Church itself. His birthday is still celebrated today, on December the 6th. Although in the Netherlands and in Belgium the dates have been changed into December 5th.
This is In short, the story of the life of a true Christian saint who lived in Turkey. But let’s get real folks about the following issue: "It is not obvious that the story of Nicholas is modified to legendary proportions by the Catholic Church? Let me explain what I mean by this. First of all the story has many connotations that are simply impossible to believe. First of all, I do not believe that Jesus needs his mother to appear before a saint in need to give him the Gospel in a book and a bishopric tunic, of which he was stripped off by the Emperor Constantine. I do believe that Jesus does appear to saint; - indeed many stories corroborate this. However,I do not think that Jesus needs His mother to help him. This is simply not biblical. This part of the life of Nicolas is too Catholic in origin. Second of all, the story of a body that spreads wondrous fluids that might heal or keep a person from harm is not only superstitious and pagan, but it goes utterly against God and His Word. I simply refuse to believe that a dead body, which has been dead for so many years emanates a fluid that will heal. The Bible tells us that only God can heal (read the four Gospels to prove my point) and only He will keep us from harm and will protect us (see Ps.91;27 etc). Thus healing that comes from a liquid emanating from a DEAD body is not from God at all! God does not need a dead body to heal the living.
We do not need holy water that emanates from a dead body to heal us nor to protect us! We have a living God who can do all that for us, and who can do much more (Mt 19:26) We are thus in no need to put our trust in other things other than than God, especially not in a dead body and its emanating fluids!! You need to also be aware that the Catholic Church has been known to create stories about miracles emanating from mere bones of dead humans as well as they are known to do illegal practices such as the sell of indulgences. An indulgence is a pardon for sins given by the Catholic Church to avoid purgatory. No mere human can decide whether a person goes to hell or not. That is utterly God’s decision! This legend of Nicolas came in very handy, for the Church was in need of funds to fund their battles and lavish lifestyles. The selling of this water provided them with the funds. This Church would almost do anything to get their hands on money! Even creating stories like this. People that do not know the Bible for themselves are easily deceived in their hunger to obtain a blessing from God. The Catholic Church has made use of this hunger very easily by making people believe that this water is holy and can do miracles, when we all know that only Jesus is the Truth, the Way and the Life (Jn 14:6), and that only He can perform any miracle.
This worship of Nicholas as Santa Claus is thus paganism and thus idolatrous, and has nothing to do with Christianity nor with the truthful spirit of what is the birth of Christ. In fact, celebrating and giving honor to Santa Claus, goes against the First and Second Commandments of God. Furthermore, if you worship Nicolaus as your patron saint you come under a curse of God (Jer 17:5). We are not to worship anyone rather than God; this means we are not to worship any person other than God, and foremost er are not to worship any dead person! Nicholas has been named a saint and a patron saint by the Catholic Church of children, sailors, Clerks, Judges, Boats, Fishermen etc etc. This is not good friends. This is mere paganism and idolatry. He was a human and he was a saint but to worship him as some sort of god is utterly pagan.
On the other hand, and this needs to be said, I do think and honestly believe that Nicholas truly lived and did much good. He was a good example of Christian piety and faith. That is the lesson we should draw from his life, not to worship him nor believe this rubbish about healing water.
I do believe that God performed miracles such as the reinstallment of the grain and wheat for the sailors during his lifetime. I also believe that these miracles gave him the fame. God is known to work miracles, but you need to know that when God works miracles it is only for the sole purpose to show us His glory. The miracles God wrought through Nicholas should bring glory to God and not to Nicholas. Remember no human being can wring miracles by himself, only through the help of God he can do it. Of course Satan can counterfeit miracles too, but that is not the issue here. Whenever Satan counterfeits miracles he does it for the purpose of getting us from giving glory to God and from getting us to worship God. Thus in some way Satan has gotten what he wants, for instead of seeing what God has done through the life of a saint, the world now worships this saint during the Christmas season.
So try be a good discerner and try to discern the lies in this story. Nicholas truly lived, that is a fact. Fact is also that he was a good Christian who was mightily used by God, but to worship this Christian as somebody who gives gifts during the Christmas season is truly wrong and against God. Here is something else you should give your utmost consideration. Do you know what the word “mass” as in Christmas means? In Catholic liturgy, the mass is performed to commemorate death. Thus Christmas means nothing else than death to Christ. This is why for example Martin Luther, Calvin and some early American Christian Pilgrims for example, refused to celebrate Christmas.
Nowadays we we do not give any consideration nor thought to what the birth of Christ really meant for us and for the world. Instead, we have chosen to celebrate and commemorate a saint named Santa Claus (Nicholaus) who is the giver of gifts. But what about the One, who gave us such a gift that will last throughout eternity? What about Jesus Christ? What about this marvelous gift which is nothing less than eternal life? Do we consider this while we are celebrating and indulging ourselves on food and gifts? Hardly.
Christmas is not about Santa Claus. It is about Jesus Christ, his birth and what He means to us. It is a time in which we should meditate on God and His gifts to men. Maybe a good lesson out of this legend should be, not so much the distribution of gifts to family and friends, but to the needy, the poor and the hungry. That would be the true Christian spirit.
