Mysteries, Chemtrails, Aerosols :: Mysterious NZ

[Melody Anderson]

Vicki Hyde, spokeswoman for the New Zealand Skeptics recently revealed another no-go area on the Skeptics hit list - Santa Claus. In November 2005, she chose to leave untouched the cultural hot potato the Taniwha, referred to here in this post.

I'm not surprised at her comments. Anyone who's ever raised the subject of home schooling in polite company knows that stepping on the toes of the parental majority risks a rare kind of backlash few people have the inclination to experience a second time. Hyde however, in my opinion, wimps out and exposes her complicity in what is possibly the most widely protected deception of all time - entered into by millions of people the world over on both a personal and public level, supported by the media, parents, schools and other establishment agencies.

In this country, television presenters perpetuate the lie in discussion and comment, news editors delicately word their bulletins to uphold the fantasy, tv channels 'track the progress of Santa's sleigh' on Christmas Eve, parents who have chosen to adopt the lie, expect everyone within their child's sphere of influence to share in keeping the illusion alive and so it goes on. It is generally thought that kids 'figure it out for themselves', some earlier than others, some as late as the age of ten, often despite ardent parental encouragement to continue the deception.

"It would be a hard-hearted parent indeed who frowned upon the innocent joys of our children's cultural heritage," spokeswoman Vicki Hyde said. "We save our bah humbugs for the things that exploit the vulnerable."

Clearly, given these comments, Hyde doesn't really regard children as vulnerable, nor does she regard the Santa Claus delusion as exploitative. The Skeptics state on their web site:

"Where the potential for harm exists - whether physical, mental, emotional or economic - Skeptics consider it unethical not to challenge such claims."

It would be easy to make a case for the Santa Claus myth causing economic harm as help agencies witness a greater and greater demand for their food parcels during the festive season and as more and more people jack up their credit card balances to finance this one over-hyped day of the year. Many people, even those who embrace it, acknowledge that Christmas can help to more deeply entrench children in the cult of consumerism.

Physical harm might be harder to prove, particularly with the new wave of guidelines in place at malls the world over, making sitting on Santa's knee a thing of the past.

Mental and emotional harm though, is still hotly contended. On one side you have the camp that insist the myth of Santa is a wonderful and magical childhood rite, as endorsed by Vicki Hyde. On the other, you have those who say that the deception and subsequent smashing of the delusion instills a sense of betrayal and mistrust in children and lays' traps for the children's developing intellect', 'promoting "unhealthy fear" - and making 'children more selfish and materialistic'. I think that 'potential for harm' could certainly be argued here.

Many experts provide reassurance by suggesting that children's ability for critical thinking and their better than expected grip on reality somehow makes the monumental and systematic lie acceptable. Senior psychology lecturer Tamar Murachver from Otago University concludes that because the Santa myth is embedded in culture, society, rather than parents themselves, is the culprit telling the lie, therefore it's not undermining trust.

"Many of the practices questioned by the Skeptics take advantage of people at their most vulnerable - cancer patients seeking alternative cures, grief-stricken bereaved seeking contact with the dead. They prey upon our trust, our hopes and our fears, and exploit our lack of specialist knowledge."(http://www.skeptics.org.nz/SK:ABOUT)

It would seem, that for sentimental reasons, Vicki Hyde, and by implication, the New Zealand Skeptics, are able to reconcile their part in this gross conspiracy, no matter how unethical it may be not to challenge it. The Santa Claus delusion unquestionably preys upon the trust, the hopes and the fears of vulnerable children and exploits their lack of specialist knowledge - it also, in my opinion, insults their intelligence and their right to the truth from those who are supposed to be their trusted protectors.

[steve clougher]

good on you, Melody

i'm with you, i hated sitting on Santa's knee, i didn't buy that "hail, fellow, well met" plastic bonhomie..........horrible hairy thing.

when i was growing up, short back and sides was the respectable haircut.
the danger of deep psychological schism is obvious, and Santa may well have been promoted, in those days, as part of the communist conspiracy to undermine the moral values of our society

what about Santa's obligatory portliness? what kind of role model is that?

and to compound the confusion, caused to the young mind , by the spectacle of Claus clones all around town, there were the conditional subclauses in the contract................IF YOU ARE GOOD................and then you saw this ridiculous situation, in front of your very eyes, when Santa is wonderfully kind to your little brother, who you know has been exceptionally naughty just that morning

actually, the credulous child is a recent, and urban phenomenon. we moved from Auckland to rural BOP when i was six, and our Santa appeared each year on the weekend preceding christmas, at the dance at the hall.

believe me, before he even put a whisker inside the door, every kid out of nappies knew whose dad Santa was this year

so he had the jump on the down-chimney apparition, who supposedly topped up the pile of presents, and was honoured with biscuits and milk........we'd just a few days ago watched him drinking beer !

those country kids could show the so-called Sceptics one or two things about intellectual integrity

[Deano]

[steve clougher]

that's just it, Deano, they're all fakes

[Deano]

Santa is an anagram for satan isnt it?

A Santa History, or the roots of Santa...

"According to the legend, Santa began as a fourth century Catholic bishop named Saint Nicholas. The cult of St. Nicholas was one of histories most widespread religious movements. According to St. Nicholas historian, Charles W. Jones, ". . . the cult of St. Nicholas was, before the Reformation, the most intensive of any nonbiblical saint in Christendom. . . there were 2,137 ecclesiastical dedications [churches] to Nicholas in France, Germany, and the Low Countries alone before the year 1500." (Jones, Charles. W. "Knickerbocker Santa Claus." The New-York Historical Society Quarterly, October 1954, Volume XXXVIII Number Four, p.357)

The popular book, The Christmas Almanack, states, "By the height of the Middle Ages, St. Nicholas was probably invoked in prayer more than any other figure except the Virgin Mary and Christ Himself" (Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, p. 131)

Miraculous folklore and legend surround the mysterious St. Nicholas. Among the more popular legends of St. Nicholas is the rescue of three poverty-stricken girls destined for prostitution. These girls were poor and did not have the dowry for marriage. St. Nicholas saved them from a life of shame, by providing marriage dowries of gold. They then were able to get properly married.

Another amazing miracle in the life of St. Nicholas is the three young boys who were sadistically murdered by a wicked innkeeper. Their bodies were chopped up and preserved in pickle barrels, with the cannibalistic intent of feeding their flesh to unsuspecting house guests. Of course, the amazing St. Nicholas resurrected the boys and their mutilated bodies. And like Santa, Saint Nicholas gave gifts to poor children, hence, his veneration as Patron Saint of Children. During the Middle Ages, hundreds of plays and paintings told and re-told the amazing feats of St. Nicholas.

Next, according to legend, Santa magically appears in the Netherlands around the seventeenth century. During this time, Sinter Klaas (a.k.a. Santa Claus) was officially born. Dutch children began the tradition of placing their shoes by the fireplace on December 5, for the mystic fourth century Bishop, Saint Nicholas. (Note: In the Dutch language Saint Nicholas is "Sint Nikolass," which was shortened to "Sinter Klaas," of which the anglicized form is "Santa Claus.") The next morning, the gleeful Dutch children quickly awoke to gifts and goodies in their shoes, left by Sinter Klaas. Like today’s Santa, Sinter Klaas, miraculously, traveled from housetop to housetop, and entered through the chimney.

Our next stop on the Santa highway is the year 1626 in the New World called America. Searching for the "American dream," Dutch settlers sailed from the Netherlands and established the Dutch colony called New Amsterdam (today called New York). The Dutch colonists quickly settled into America, bringing their customs, and of course, their beloved Sinter Klaas.

In December 1809, American essayist Washington Irving published a popular satire of the Dutch founding of New York titled A Knickerbocker History of New York. More than any other event, it was Irving’s Knickerbocker History that is credited for creating our modern day Santa Claus. The following history-making words from The Knickerbocker History became the public inauguration of Santa Claus. Who could have possibly imagined the significance these simple words would soon have?

And the sage Oloffe dreamed a dream,–and lo, the good St. Nicholas came riding over the tops of the trees, in that self-same wagon wherein he brings his yearly presents to the children. . . And when St. Nicholas had smoked his pipe, he twisted it in his hatband, and laying his finger beside his nose, gave the astonished Van Kortlandt a very significant look; then, mounting his wagon, he returned over the treetops and disappeared. (Irving, Washington. Knickerbocker’s History of New York)

At this early period was instituted that pious ceremony, still religiously observed in all our ancient families of the right breed, of hanging up a stocking in the chimney on St. Nicholas Eve; which stocking is always found in the morning miraculously filled; for the good St. Nicholas has ever been a great giver of gifts, particularly to children. (Irving, Washington. Knickerbocker’s History of New York, New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1928, p. 68)

Next stop on our investigative journey for Santa, surprisingly, comes from the pen of a New York theology professor named Dr. Clement Clarke Moore. In 1822, inspired by Irving’s popular, Knickerbocker History’s portrayal of jolly St. Nicholas, Dr. Moore quietly wrote a trivial poem titled, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" for his own children as a simple Christmas present. Dr. Moore had no intention of publishing his poem, but in 1823 it was published anonymously, by a friend, in the Troy Sentinel. Moore’s extremely popular poem was the spark that lit the Santa Claus wildfire. Santa quickly began flying through America. Dr. Moore’s poem was later renamed the famous, "Twas’ The Night Before Christmas."

The finishing touches for Santa occurred around 1863 from the artistic hands of cartoonist Thomas Nast. Inspired by Moore’s popular poem, Nast illustrated scores of Santa pictures in Harper’s Weekly and the world was officially baptized with the face of Santa Claus. Nast’s early Santa was burly, stern, gnome-like, and covered with drab fur, much unlike today’s colorful and jolly fellow. But make no mistake – it was Santa."

or maybe this...

"Mythologist Helene Adeline Guerber presents a very convincing case tracing Santa to the Norse god Thor in Myths of Northern Lands:

Thor was the god of the peasants and the common people. He was represented as an elderly man, jovial and friendly, of heavy build, with a long white beard. His element was the fire, his color red. The rumble and roar of thunder were said to be caused by the rolling of his chariot, for he alone among the gods never rode on horseback but drove in a chariot drawn by two white goats (called Cracker and Gnasher). He was fighting the giants of ice and snow, and thus became the Yule-god. He was said to live in the "Northland" where he had his palace among icebergs. By our pagan forefathers he was considered as the cheerful and friendly god, never harming the humans but rather helping and protecting them. The fireplace in every home was especially sacred to him, and he was said to come down through the chimney into his element, the fire. (Guerber, H.A. Myths of Northern Lands. New York: American Book Company, 1895, p. 61)

The unusual and common characteristics of Santa and Thor are too close to ignore.

* An elderly man, jovial and friendly and of heavy build.
* With a long white beard.
* His element was the fire and his color red.
* Drove a chariot drawn by two white goats, named called Cracker and Gnasher.
* He was the Yule-god. (Yule is Christmas time).
* He lived in the Northland (North Pole).
* He was considered the cheerful and friendly god.
* He was benevolent to humans.
* The fireplace was especially sacred to him.
* He came down through the chimney into his element, the fire."

And what about the date 25th of December, was Jesus actually born then?

No I think not and lean towards March as being his actual date of birth.

Somebody else celebrates a birthday on the 25th...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osiris

[steve clougher]

santa is Spanish for saint

Saturn may be more closely related to satan.......?

the original St. Nicholas sounds like a cool dude

the description of Thor sounds a lot like Enki, the god who warned the Sumerian hero, who corresponds to the biblical Noah.......you'd have to wonder if there wasn't a flesh and blood person, with advanced technology, around back then

makes more sense than "personifying the terrifying power of thunder" in the form of a generous and protective old man........there's not a lot of comfort to be had from an arctic storm

[Deano]

[steve clougher]

yes, i'm curious who this other person might be, Deano, who is hinted at in your quote, who has a birthday on the 25th..........any clues?

[Deano]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osiris

[steve clougher]

ok, Deano, i read that twice, no mention of a 25th birthday, however a very wonderful concept, the extremely good idea of the "everlasting beer"

with elements like that in religion, you can see why the working person has plumped for it, through the ages

was Osiris born on the 25th?

my thinking is that all the written and ritualised trditions had atecedants in Sumer, and probably were celebrated in some cultures for millennia before that

any idea who the previous identity was, who became Osiris in Egypt?

that Wiki article seems very good

[info4]

Hi Steve

If you really want to get into this then have a look here.

Expands on the birth-rebirth aspect

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life-death-rebirth_deity

[steve clougher]

that's great, info4, it's amazing what comes out in wiki-p, wonderful confident pronouncements with nary a sniff of reference or corroboration

there are a couple of books by Marija Gimbutas, called Goddesses and Gods of ancient Europe, and Language of the Goddess

these give many pics of votive figurines, dating from around 7000 BC

she has an academic interpretation , highly coloured by a certain particular kind of wishful thinking

nevertheless, these are the main sources of pre-civic urban cultural traces, and their meaning remains an abiding mystery..........totally

i've studied every source i can find, of these and the cave-paintings which preceded them , by up to 30,000- odd years

there are convincing propositions, linking cave art with precessional concerns, and other astronomical themes

two or three people came out with theories along these lines , independently, and at the same time...........another mystery

death-and ressurrection gods, as you have noted , are widespread and the details of their legends are often the same or close

i have noticed, there is a great difference between the work of people who see this , and say, "oh, it all comes from the same place", and the work of those who look for real differences, between different streams, such as the dying god who is reborn, and is associated with cereal crops, the mother goddess, the great spirit, and the creator god, all associated with very divergent cultural impulses

there is cross-pollination between these, but there are vivid differences also

it helps to bear in mind the immortal lines of Khayam:

When young i did most eagerly frequent
Doctor and Saint,
And heard great argument
About it, and about,
But ever more came out
By that same door
As in i went

i don't mean to sound ungrateful, i'm not......and i don't want to be a smartarse, but that's another story, it's just that bunching the names of deities together, who may have had their heydays thousands of years apart, is a bit like saying
"yep, Aldebaran, yep, Antares, about 180 degrees, yep, i know about the stars!

[smashdracs]

When I was 4 years old, confronted with "Santa" sittting on his chair at a shopping mall (1980ish) I embarressed my Mother by stating aloud that the man in the red suit could not possibly be Santa because he had dirt on his boots and not snow.

This brought loud laughter from all those within earshot and the story of that event lives on to this day amongst the family.

I busted Santa out before I made primary school.

I barely remember the event now but am told I did do it......