Meh, we're atheists, but the Santa Claus thing is such a good, cool memory, that we can't fathom leaving them without it. We don't celebrate jesus, but santa is pretty cool and secular enough for our taste.
i will not tell my kids there is a santat but that doesnt mean that they cant sing christmas carols or enjoy the idea of it. I will decorate my apartment and put up a christmas tree and give presents and all of that but i am an atheist.
I've been a fan of Penn Jillete for a few years now and try to keep up. But holy fuck, this guys wife sounds like a massive cunt. So, Penn and fam are out of town, yet the school who wants to partake in Christmas festivites (and presumably the other children and their parents do too) have to get permission from this guys bitch of a wife? Explain to me how this woman is any different than an extreme fundamentalist Christian?
Penn The passion you describe your wife having is great. But, have you considered how hard it would be for any school to do or accomplish anything if all viewpoints were held this strongly. what if the religious, aniti and pro sex-ed etc... subscribers insisted that the school subscribe only to their viewpoint? I think you have to be flexible on the small issues and then discuss where your ideals differ at home. Frosty and Santa are surely small issues.
I think it's funny that Thai food is considered yuppie or fancy. Considering how poor Thailand is. A lot of things are fancy in America that aren't supposed to be. If we could get those poor people living in huts to cook for us here, man they'd be set.
I actually think that the idea of Santa Clause is good for teaching kids critical thinking skills. For them to have a belief that they grow up with believing as true, having people they trust tell them it is true, only later to realize it is false under the weight of the evidence can teach them to re-evaluate their beliefs periodically. It is a good safe medium to teach that lesson.
It can also teach them about trust and betrayal, that no matter how close you are to someone or how much you trust them, they may still be lying to your face in a patronizing fashion. Guess it depends on individual interpretation. I personally am against the idea. It's fun for kids, yes, and there's no reason to abolish the whole Santa concept entirely, but at least be honest about it. Present it for what it is, a little modern mythology.
America is the only nation is the history of the world where by official and legal declaration, its citizens' rights and liberties are NOT granted by men, but by God. Our "under God" model of Government ensures that tyranny can not take hold and enslave the people. For if men were the deciders and granters of our rights & liberties, they would surely be gone. Secular "under man" models of Government (Russia, China) are proof . In the time we have had ONE Constitution, France has had almost 20.
No, when they mention God, they mean God. However, I think that we are more diverse and are able to understand that though the founding fathers seem to all have believed in God in some form or fasion, they knew that religion had no place in government. So while our natural rights, as they believed, were granted by God, it was not the governments place to impede on them. I think today we are wise enough to know that "endowed by our creator" doesn't necessitate God in such a literal sense.
seriously the final word on abortion is this: you cant blame someone for being personally against abortion as their own moral viewpoint... it's when they want to enact their viewpoint into a law where they cross the line. abortion should never be funded by the government, but it should always be legal for the safety of our people. or else they'll do it themselves with a clotheshanger in their basement.
"we're not gonna lie to our kids about Santa Claus" Fuckin' eh. I don't (and never will) lie to my kids about Santa either. I just think it's wrong to violate such an innocent trust just for the sake of fake happiness. I blame shit like Santa Claus for everybody who prefers a happy lie over an unpleasant truth and then tries to say that they prefer the truth (when they really just prefer to believe that the truth is whatever makes them happy). But most people prefer to believe that's not true...
LoL...churches generally don't like Santa Clause because they think that Christmas being about Santa Clause takes it away from being about the birth of Christ. So...Christians don't like Santa & hardcore Atheists don't like Santa...wtf. Santa is still an Ace in my book. I love the whole idea & the Christmas stories...I'm a grown man and I still theoretically believe in Santa....hey he's as real as Jesus :P
To me the reason Christmas receives such little riffing is because it was (and is, thanks) secular, and a funny story about a jolly fat man giving presents to those less fortunate, is no more dangerous than mother goose! But when you take the momentum behind a moving car, and put your bumper sticker on it, then demand control of the wheel, you're in the wrong.
I'm an atheist, but I'm totally ok with Santa and Christmas. For a start, I don't think there's very much religious left in it anyhow, but also think that Christmas is a 'good' thing. It brings families together, it's at the end of the year, it's just a nice celebration time.
I just happen to not belief in the 'source' material (though that's also open to debate.
I think Santa Claus has as much to do with the birth of Christ as the Easter Bunny does with the resurrection of Christ. Nothing. They are (bizarre, when you really think about it) pagan archetypes that have become a large part of our society and western culture. Yet, all archetypes have importance and embedded learning. Kids need freedom to believe in amazing things. Children (and most adults) have a desire to belong to the tribe and fit in to tribal customs. Let the kids have Santa.
Our school choirs sing religious songs of several faiths, because they are of beautiful composition and represent cultures. What the heck is wrong with people??? Why are they so afraid?
The "Abortion" video was removed because in it Penn Jillette lied at length about his Cato Institute co-propagandist whore Sigrid Fry-Revere's credentials. He went on and on about her supposed "medical degree" when she has none.
Penn's "Slumdog Millionaire" review was removed because it was incredibly racist, from laughing about the Indians killed in the Mumbai terrorist attack, to stupidly repeating over and over that the US equivalent of a Mumbai slum kid would be a black kid in Harlem.
I see no problem with connecting the kid growing up in a slum in India to a black kid growing up in Harlem. Both could easily see the death of their parents and both could easily have to grow up stealing and possibly murdering in order to get by.
Ok here is my problem. Santa is not Christian at all. I am a Christian, but I abhor Santa so much. Please get to know a Christian before you speak for those zombies that consume my faith.
Saint Nicholas, which Santa is derived from, is a fairly important Catholic figure. Catholic is as Christian as it gets so how is Santa Claus *not* Christian?
its gotten bad when a school has to ok a christmas song or a play with an idiot likethis. if you dont like christmas plays thenkeep your screwed up opions and your screwed up views and your screwed up kids at home.how about these goofs offending people that love christmas.
It would be illegal to keep his kids at home for that long, I know in my school xmas was essentially all if December. There is no school they can send their kids that they won't be subjected to Christ, the virgin Mary, the manger... you get my point. People need a safe place away from that crap and you want to deny them that.
how about the 90some percent that like that crap are they suppose to quit celebrating christmas because of a few?
seems to me theres alot of that going around lately. the crap going on is not the christmas programs.its the atheists.thats the real crap.let them open there own schools.people are sick of giving up there rights because of offending some nut thats afraid of baby jesus. A SAFE PLACE GIVE ME A BREAK.haaaaaa
When did I say quit celebrating it? Just don't make me pray at the dinner and listen to stories of Christ, or anyone else for that matter. I don't force Atheism on anyone but Christians don't feel they should give the same respect and for the same reason you used.... because they out number us.
I am not asking you to give up your rights, just keep it to yourself.
santa claus is a corruption of saint nicholaus...just like dracula....the real st. nick was a born to a wealthy fisher family in anatolia and decided to become a preist....he spent his early life eluding the romans and after christianity was legalized he wound up becoming bishop...he was a saint because he was so generous with his fish after he took over the business. (course he also led the mob that bunt down the last temple of artimis...but other than that he was pretty noble)
Screw Santa, what about Krampus! Krampus will steal your children and intimidate hot young girls and whip them with switches if they disappoint "Father Christmas".
I think to go so far as to try to shelter a child from Santa or Christianity is to be just a loony as Christians. I would just encourage them to draw their own conclusions. If anything, I am against the gift thing. There is nothing wrong with giving gifts, but do it because you want to, not because the calender says that's what your supposed to on a certain day.
You cannot leave a kid to draw his own conclusion about Santa. Especially at that age! The question is do you want your kids to believe in a thing you know is false and imaginary or not. And I think that question is valid to theists and atheists alike. As a religious person, you put a lot of doubt into the mind of a child when they find out there is no Santa. "So you've told me to believe in Santa when you knew it was a lie and you still expect me to believe in God?"
yeah, i was really bummed when i found out my grampa wasn't santa. then again i thought people were robots because i took the phrase word machines used to be describe the human body's harmony a bit too far. terminator 2 didn't help much either.
anyhow, i love Jesus but santa isn't real. well, im pretty sure, anyhow.
If I had kids, I'd have Santa and all that stuff, but I'd leave out Jesus and probably angels. Kids don't give a shit about Jesus anyway, SANTA is our lord and saviour!
It's funny that you say that,their are some christians who because of Santa's popularity at christmas time (thus taking credit and respect away from Jesus) believe him to be the anti-christ.
Honestly, I'd rather worship Santa. For one thing, we know a man named St. Nicholas existed. Jesus also had a few belligerent and scary episodes, whereas Santa is generally harmless. Jesus was a bigger "sinner" than Santa. Hail Santa!
Well, I feel that the whole concept of Santa means well, but winds up instilling greed and materialism in children at an early age. Plus, it's not exactly fun to find out your family's been lying to you the entire time.
ff you wanna do the whole Christmas thing, why can't your children have fun knowing that YOU'VE supplied them with love, and toys and games? You can reward your children for good, intelligent behavior without deceiving them and breaking their heart. . .right?
Our parents told us that Santa Claus is basically a make-believe game. We pretend that somebody dressed funny is actually Santa, and that he's the one who makes the presents and brings them to children, but everyone knows it's just a game and not real. And as children we loved it as a way of playing together with the adults. So it's possible for Santa Claus to be a part of christmas without the deception.
I like Penn's idea for Santa to a degree. I think if it's an atheist family, and the child shows interest, that it'd be best to let the child decide what they want to believe when they get to that point.
Imagination and creativity cannot not taught, it is only experienced through those fables of impressionable youth.
By censoring that joy, that ability to suspend disbelief, you are not only preventing your children from enjoying fictional works of art, you are preventing them from ever being able to create them.
Imagination is more important than knowledge. - Albert Einstein
I don't remember that Santa feeling. And Santa's not so far removed from got, it's like god for kids to a degree. If you're a good little kid you get rewarded. (heaven) If you're an evil little kid, well enjoy your coal fucker. (hell)
Nobody should lie to their kids, but that doesn't exclude enjoying giftmas.
"Daddy, is Santa real?"
Well Son, the STORY goes that he makes toys and delivers them all in one night. But that seems imposible to me, so I prefer to think it's just a fun story. We put out giftmas lights for the same reason we carve Pumpkins at Halloween or plant a tree on arbor day. It's just a fun tradition. And you can't argue with presents, right?
Well, don't forget to include that the "presents from benefactors" lie starts as a way for parents to give excessively to their kids with out the kids feeling guilty about the parents' sacrifice.
Santa is a beautiful thing/story, even if he forgets to give presents to the bottom 2/3 of the socio-economic spectrum.
wow, xmas is a PAGAN holiday!! everything about it is pagan. Do some reading people. The discovery or history channel has a show out, its on youtube in parts called "the history of christmas"
and my 7 year old son knows there is no santa. But we celibate the winter solstice. and the summer solstice.
but we are pantheists, with a touch of Buddhist meditation and inner reflection added in.
Ive studied all major religions and Buddhism is the only on that makes ANY seance.
Frosty the Snowman is Jesus. How do you think Jesus walked on water? Because ice is less dense than water and it floats? How do you think he rose from the dead? "There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found..."
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Why do we care what this guy has to say about anything? He can't even decide if he's a "hippie" or a "yuppie". I much prefer his magic. Just shut up and grab a deck of cards.
Santa I'd say was ok. Isn't the name Santa Claus just derived from the Christian "Saint Nicholas" who was born in December (the 6th) 280AD. Although now much diluted the tales of Saint Nicholas's gift giving go back to about 300AD I think. So for me Santa at Christmas is ok. If you're really religious do the Jesus thing failing that go buy presents for each other in memory of good old Saint Nicholas, smiles all round!
The image of the red-suited Santa pre-dates Coca-Cola's version, but Coke sure had a lot to do with the popularization of that image. But I'm not entirely sure why anyone should care one way or the other. I'm not a fan of Coke or Santa.
Santa I'd say was ok. Isn't the name Santa Claus just derived from the Christian "Saint Nicholas" who was born in December (the 6th) 280AD. Although now much diluted the tales of Saint Nicholas's gift giving go back to about 300AD I think. So for me Santa at Christmas is ok. If you're really religious do the Jesus thing failing that go buy presents for each other in memory of good old Saint Nicholas, smiles all round!
My mother told me straight up Sanata was a myth when I was 6 and I was in denial for the rest of the day but eventually accepted it. I went to daycare the next day ranting on about how he is fake and not reality and the complaints to my parents came in. But personally as some others had said in here, I think Satan is a symbolic essence of the holidays and how giving and sharing with love empowers and unites us.
Though the whole Santa thing is not religion per se, it does seem like a starter-religion. That is, getting kids used to believing lies on faith or on the word of their parents (who might also or later be pushing some mythical religious character, e.g., Christ).
For me the whole Santa thing caused me to start questioning things. When I found out the Santa wasn't real and how easily I was tricked into thinking he was I started to think what else am I tricked into believing.
I had the same experience as lambedan(That just fucked me up in the head as a kid).So I would like my kid not to ever question what I say, like I did with my parents. My kid doesnt see Christmas and other holidays as religious, just days we learn or celebrate different cultures.
My kid never believed in Santa, Santa is a character just like Sponge Bob, Jesus, and God.
I dont see the need to blur the line between fairy-tale and reality.
well santa claus was a real person at one time. he certainly isnt geeting drunk somewhere or mugging someone,or posing with mall customers in pictures with props. we do however seem to continue this idea of him in this perpetual fantasyland why im not sure.he was a saint that much is valid and did wonderful things for children etc...
Yeah but I do not think children are interested in a a history lesson.You think they would teach their children that the deceased corps of saint Nick comes over?
I feel that we can separate the idea of the theological aspect of christmas and Santa. All the idea of santa does is promote a symbol of kindness and goodwill between us once a year. What harm is that in a society that is constantly forcing our youth to grow old and bitter far before their time. Later on, as they get older, sure teach your children the realities and harshness of the world. When they are young and pure, just let them be kids.
Teach your children there is no such thing as spirituality. Why? So they can believe Federal Reserve private "banking" crime syndicate wortless paper money is the real power?
So they can believe in the word of high school graduate dancing monkey TV shills like Penn Jillette, paid by higher echelon shills like Sumner Redstone to read propaganda off of teleprompters?
By all means, keep children's minds clear so they can be filled with pop culture.
"There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found, for when they put it on his head he began to dance around."
As long as you treat it as a fable, it is not so bad, but some kid believe that magical thinking, and it leads to the kinds of things that James Randi fights against: the occult, spoon-bending, horoscopes, ghosts, etc.
Christmas trees are symbols of new life after the winter solstice. They can be treated as secular celebration of life; which in my opinion as an atheist is the most valuable gift regardless of its origin. I have a Christmas tree in my living room right now. Its beautiful. You can't let Christians poison you to emotion.
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Santa Claus is more believable than the Warren Commission and 911 Commission, yet Mr. Jillette claims to believe in them, or at least he takes millions of dollars to claim on TV that he believes in them.
wait... what? I had a hard time extracting the point of this one? Is he saying he's NOT doing the Santa thing with his kids or that he doesn't really care? And did he say he's married to a christian?
.....because Christmas explicitly honors the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Why do you need a special holiday at one time in the year to justify charity to those you love and others? Shouldn't we possess those human qualities all the time?
Ok ok... I didn't know that's what you meant. You're absolutely right. I meant in terms of Christmas' current western societal perception, it's the celebration of Jesus' birth. But obviously, not many people actually celebrate that aspect of it.
Well, look at any dipiction of Christ in most churches, he is shown as being white, which is wrong also.
About the only people that still may have the real spirit of X-mas in them is the kids & select people, not about Christ, not about gifts, it's about the human condition.
the term christmas is a christian term. we borrow letters from the latin alphabet, does that mean the letter A is not an english character, because it was created previous to current usage. you probably think you're a bright person.
I not only think I am a bright person, I happen to know it for a fact.
Letters have nothing to do with Christmas so stop trying to confuse the topic, as once again, Xmas is a pagan holiday celebrating the Winter Solstice on which, the Romans ( recall them ? ) would hold mandatory drunken orgys.
LOL!!!, you couldn't follow my analogy! Thanks for proving my point.
The Christian's created a religion. They chose December 25 as the date their savior was to have been born. Whether or not they stole the idea or date doesn't matter, because in the Christian religion it is Jesus who is the icon being lauded on that day. It doesn't matter that earlier religions happened to have also celebrated that day.
It ridiculous to try to say that Christmas has nothing to do with the Christian Religion.
My hild may be only 5, but he know where the presents come from, gandma, grandpap, aunts, uncles, mom & dad, so no, I have not destroyed anything with my child.
Another point is that the vast majority of people commonly believe in ghosts, aliens, psychics, astrology & other foolishness, but mention religion & people spaz out, lol
wow, Penn Jillete speaking to us about how he will deal with santa and his kids. If your an atheist,why do you even care ? Christmas would have no meaning to you.
Looks like your building a cult following. The magic business must be slow
When I have kids, they definitely will not be lied to about Santa.
It is not just harmless fun, when your child does eventually find out they will be deeply wounded and will have a lesser opinion about their fellow man.
It is only "fun" for adults (how one could have fun deceiving their children is beyond me). For children it is a very serious matter.
it is just fun. as with anything in life, it only has meaning if you give it meaning. i'm atheist, but i put up a tree. to me, it's just a pretty tree. it means nothing more, nothing less. by denouncing santa, you are immediately giving santa some sort of meaning. it only has meaning if you think it does.
the santa thing made me closer to my mum & dad later on and is what i do with my partner we even do rudolfs unconvincing footprints from the front door to the milk and cookie crumbs its just fun that brings the family closer and its special for the kids especially later on well was for me
There is so little time in a life when you can,or should, get away with believing bulls**t that the Santa thing is no big deal. It's the tooth fairy I want banned. That bastard is costing me a fortune.
Damn, your wife is fanatical. I mean, I am with you on the whole Santa crap but I don't think people should infringe on others' rights to believe in nonsense. So if someone wants to sing crappy songs, then let'em but I think it's wrong for a person to have that type of control over an entire school where OTHER kids may differ from yours. Yeah, that's like PETA-extreme there. I guess I'm a "vegetarian" but dictating over others like that is wrong and Christian-like lol.
We, Wife and I, have decided that we are going to tell our daughter that Santa is a fun thing to pretend about, he is not real and that some families believe it is ok to teach their children he is real and it is not our place to tell them he is not.
I've been pleased to find there was someone whose views closely align with mine. I never knew there were others who didn't classify themselves as red/blue state, rep/dem. I thought I was alone in my opposition of gun control yet acceptance of gay marriage. Who distrusted the inefficiencies (and corruption)of government run programs and yet despised the patriot act,etc but, enjoying Christmas as an atheist is OK. Its part of Americana, nothing more. I don't get why some are so militant about it.
Because Christmas needs to be reformed anyway. Things change over time. What was once seen as holy men are now cult leaders and nutjobs. Same with Christmas, which would be believable if Christians celebrated it in Feb, not Dec as the star which Christ supposedly was born under came out in Feb, not Dec. Honestly, do any Christian celebrate it B/C of Christ and not b/c of family and gift-giving? Rarely. But most of the things in this world has irony in it anyway.
Reformed? Why? Who cares? I'm atheist but I don't understand militant atheists. They're more annoying than fundamentalists. Drink some apple cider, put on some holiday tunes, go a riding in a one horse slay. Every holiday is based off some obsolete judaeo-christian or pagan belief. You could even make the arguments birthdays shouldn't be celebrated because they revolve around a Christian 12 month calendar. If we followed the Egyptian calendar our birthday wouldn't even be the same day or date.
I'm with ya. I'm not a militant atheist but I do think Christmas should be what it is really is - gift-giving without any association with Christ or whatever. It should be seen as it really is. Christians should be celebrating in Feb, even though they don't actually know when Christ was born. As for birthdays, that's pagan too but it changed.
Uhhhh... Im pretty sure the purpose of Christmas was to celebrate Christ's birth not to say that it occured durning December. I don't ever remember hearing that December was the definitive month of his birth.
OMFG a real player that doesnt take forever to load cuz of so many Ads! thank u!!!!
tyrantenvoy 1 month ago
Meh, we're atheists, but the Santa Claus thing is such a good, cool memory, that we can't fathom leaving them without it. We don't celebrate jesus, but santa is pretty cool and secular enough for our taste.
gargamel6699 1 year ago
sssssssstttttttttuuuuuuuuppppiiiiddddd!!!!!
Rikki02100 1 year ago
i will not tell my kids there is a santat but that doesnt mean that they cant sing christmas carols or enjoy the idea of it. I will decorate my apartment and put up a christmas tree and give presents and all of that but i am an atheist.
Godlim17 1 year ago
frosty the snowman uses magic
bwddwb 1 year ago
Oh please. Thai food is just Chinese food with an attitude.
WytZox1 1 year ago
I've been a fan of Penn Jillete for a few years now and try to keep up. But holy fuck, this guys wife sounds like a massive cunt. So, Penn and fam are out of town, yet the school who wants to partake in Christmas festivites (and presumably the other children and their parents do too) have to get permission from this guys bitch of a wife? Explain to me how this woman is any different than an extreme fundamentalist Christian?
FartConsumption 1 year ago 3
Wait a minute...
So you are a hardcore atheist, making fun of the bible and mocking it saying it's bullshit
But then you turn around and your wife is hardcore at religious and your kids go to a monastory....
WTF?!?
Boss5414 1 year ago
@Boss5414 I think you think he said monastary, but he actually said montassori. They're different things.
missygirllikespain 1 month ago
The commercial says "ten feet from a body cast, and it's for Toyota".
VALsacount2 1 year ago
Penn The passion you describe your wife having is great. But, have you considered how hard it would be for any school to do or accomplish anything if all viewpoints were held this strongly. what if the religious, aniti and pro sex-ed etc... subscribers insisted that the school subscribe only to their viewpoint? I think you have to be flexible on the small issues and then discuss where your ideals differ at home. Frosty and Santa are surely small issues.
finerbiner 2 years ago
Lol, why does the title say Abortion?
DanielRI02 2 years ago
@DanielRI02 All fixed now.
pennsays 1 year ago
I think it's funny that Thai food is considered yuppie or fancy. Considering how poor Thailand is. A lot of things are fancy in America that aren't supposed to be. If we could get those poor people living in huts to cook for us here, man they'd be set.
TheTrueHappy 2 years ago
umm that had nothing to do with abortion !!!!!!
CCCrrrTTT 2 years ago 2
will you people learn how to spell!!!
joe47771 2 years ago
this is the interwebs dere Is noo rom 4 ur /fail
abaconator2662 2 years ago
In all other schools they teach the kids to sing a variety of holiday and winter songs so they respect all religeons
gut197 2 years ago
@gut197 Maybe religions shouldn't be respected.
mkamaryn 2 years ago
I actually think that the idea of Santa Clause is good for teaching kids critical thinking skills. For them to have a belief that they grow up with believing as true, having people they trust tell them it is true, only later to realize it is false under the weight of the evidence can teach them to re-evaluate their beliefs periodically. It is a good safe medium to teach that lesson.
DanCityDesperado 2 years ago 4
It can also teach them about trust and betrayal, that no matter how close you are to someone or how much you trust them, they may still be lying to your face in a patronizing fashion. Guess it depends on individual interpretation. I personally am against the idea. It's fun for kids, yes, and there's no reason to abolish the whole Santa concept entirely, but at least be honest about it. Present it for what it is, a little modern mythology.
lemonyjesusF 2 years ago
Nature, huh? Let me guess. You failed American history didn't you.
Mr88playmaker 2 years ago
America is the only nation is the history of the world where by official and legal declaration, its citizens' rights and liberties are NOT granted by men, but by God. Our "under God" model of Government ensures that tyranny can not take hold and enslave the people. For if men were the deciders and granters of our rights & liberties, they would surely be gone. Secular "under man" models of Government (Russia, China) are proof . In the time we have had ONE Constitution, France has had almost 20.
Mr88playmaker 2 years ago
When the founding fathers mention God they mean it in the sense of Nature.
Rights are natural.
RobsMemoryLane 2 years ago
No, when they mention God, they mean God. However, I think that we are more diverse and are able to understand that though the founding fathers seem to all have believed in God in some form or fasion, they knew that religion had no place in government. So while our natural rights, as they believed, were granted by God, it was not the governments place to impede on them. I think today we are wise enough to know that "endowed by our creator" doesn't necessitate God in such a literal sense.
pyrobryan 2 years ago
seriously the final word on abortion is this: you cant blame someone for being personally against abortion as their own moral viewpoint... it's when they want to enact their viewpoint into a law where they cross the line. abortion should never be funded by the government, but it should always be legal for the safety of our people. or else they'll do it themselves with a clotheshanger in their basement.
s0undtribe 2 years ago
his wife sounds like a terror... wow.
mrwilson35 2 years ago
"we're not gonna lie to our kids about Santa Claus" Fuckin' eh. I don't (and never will) lie to my kids about Santa either. I just think it's wrong to violate such an innocent trust just for the sake of fake happiness. I blame shit like Santa Claus for everybody who prefers a happy lie over an unpleasant truth and then tries to say that they prefer the truth (when they really just prefer to believe that the truth is whatever makes them happy). But most people prefer to believe that's not true...
RawIronMan 2 years ago
pull the stick out of ur ass... let ppl live there lives
sn66sean 2 years ago
Frosty the Snowman is a gateway drug.
xTRUExHATEx 2 years ago 8
lol
mattdauph 2 years ago
LoL...churches generally don't like Santa Clause because they think that Christmas being about Santa Clause takes it away from being about the birth of Christ. So...Christians don't like Santa & hardcore Atheists don't like Santa...wtf. Santa is still an Ace in my book. I love the whole idea & the Christmas stories...I'm a grown man and I still theoretically believe in Santa....hey he's as real as Jesus :P
andyrooney11 2 years ago
To me the reason Christmas receives such little riffing is because it was (and is, thanks) secular, and a funny story about a jolly fat man giving presents to those less fortunate, is no more dangerous than mother goose! But when you take the momentum behind a moving car, and put your bumper sticker on it, then demand control of the wheel, you're in the wrong.
kablamman2007 2 years ago
I'm an atheist, but I'm totally ok with Santa and Christmas. For a start, I don't think there's very much religious left in it anyhow, but also think that Christmas is a 'good' thing. It brings families together, it's at the end of the year, it's just a nice celebration time.
I just happen to not belief in the 'source' material (though that's also open to debate.
bersaba 2 years ago 4
WHAT DO U MEAN LIE ABOUT SANTA CLAUS HES NOT REAL dammit
apathythenewblack 2 years ago
I think Santa Claus has as much to do with the birth of Christ as the Easter Bunny does with the resurrection of Christ. Nothing. They are (bizarre, when you really think about it) pagan archetypes that have become a large part of our society and western culture. Yet, all archetypes have importance and embedded learning. Kids need freedom to believe in amazing things. Children (and most adults) have a desire to belong to the tribe and fit in to tribal customs. Let the kids have Santa.
ZigZagRodent 2 years ago 2
Our school choirs sing religious songs of several faiths, because they are of beautiful composition and represent cultures. What the heck is wrong with people??? Why are they so afraid?
truvelocity 2 years ago
These two videos were removed but it was made to appear as if it were some technical issue that caused them to disappear.
mmmrazor 2 years ago
The "Abortion" video was removed because in it Penn Jillette lied at length about his Cato Institute co-propagandist whore Sigrid Fry-Revere's credentials. He went on and on about her supposed "medical degree" when she has none.
Penn's "Slumdog Millionaire" review was removed because it was incredibly racist, from laughing about the Indians killed in the Mumbai terrorist attack, to stupidly repeating over and over that the US equivalent of a Mumbai slum kid would be a black kid in Harlem.
mmmrazor 2 years ago
I see no problem with connecting the kid growing up in a slum in India to a black kid growing up in Harlem. Both could easily see the death of their parents and both could easily have to grow up stealing and possibly murdering in order to get by.
kasurumai 2 years ago 2
The title says Abortion....but the subject matter is about Christmas...Ironic.
bernsber 2 years ago
Youtube comments are like mind bleach most of the time, lol.
princesstamika 2 years ago
Ok here is my problem. Santa is not Christian at all. I am a Christian, but I abhor Santa so much. Please get to know a Christian before you speak for those zombies that consume my faith.
wildthunder009 2 years ago
Saint Nicholas, which Santa is derived from, is a fairly important Catholic figure. Catholic is as Christian as it gets so how is Santa Claus *not* Christian?
ACallos 2 years ago
Actually its not. They worship Jabulon in their higher ranks. They serve evil.
wildthunder009 2 years ago
What's the big deal about x-mas trees? Trees with lights on them are beautiful, so put them up, have fun. Give gifts, sing songs, by all means.
But I'm right with you on not pretending there's a Santa Claus.
GBanville 2 years ago
OOOHH ok NVM I missunderstood My apologies.
upplsuckimcool16 2 years ago
Wait... Penns wife is religious? and not only that but HARDCORE religious?
upplsuckimcool16 2 years ago
No she is hardcore atheist.
NyelaniousTour 2 years ago
What kind of crazy commie monster is Penn's wife? Gotta be an "atheist" jew.
SMGrawks 2 years ago
its gotten bad when a school has to ok a christmas song or a play with an idiot likethis. if you dont like christmas plays thenkeep your screwed up opions and your screwed up views and your screwed up kids at home.how about these goofs offending people that love christmas.
sanddmann3 2 years ago
It would be illegal to keep his kids at home for that long, I know in my school xmas was essentially all if December. There is no school they can send their kids that they won't be subjected to Christ, the virgin Mary, the manger... you get my point. People need a safe place away from that crap and you want to deny them that.
ZakAdelman 2 years ago
how about the 90some percent that like that crap are they suppose to quit celebrating christmas because of a few?
seems to me theres alot of that going around lately. the crap going on is not the christmas programs.its the atheists.thats the real crap.let them open there own schools.people are sick of giving up there rights because of offending some nut thats afraid of baby jesus. A SAFE PLACE GIVE ME A BREAK.haaaaaa
sanddmann3 2 years ago
When did I say quit celebrating it? Just don't make me pray at the dinner and listen to stories of Christ, or anyone else for that matter. I don't force Atheism on anyone but Christians don't feel they should give the same respect and for the same reason you used.... because they out number us.
I am not asking you to give up your rights, just keep it to yourself.
ZakAdelman 2 years ago
Again...LEARN TO SPELL!!!!!!!!
michaelsiewert 2 years ago
learn to read fag
sanddmann3 2 years ago
I might be a fag, but you are one bitter mother fucker. How sad asshole.
michaelsiewert 2 years ago 2
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaq your killin me
sanddmann3 2 years ago
there aint know might about it haaaaaaaaaa
sanddmann3 2 years ago
Nigger there is a HUGE might that you MIGHT have a real job and a kind heart and decent parents....but I MIGHT HIGHLY doubt it.
michaelsiewert 2 years ago
you sound like a racist. again im shocked. your very mean spirited.
sanddmann3 2 years ago
Actually believe it or not santa claus is real. (I mean he's dead now but he was a living breathing person at one time.) look up st. nicholas
Limejello10512 2 years ago
St. Nicholas was real. Santa Claus is a fictitious character based off a real person. There is quite a difference between the two.
ScaryGuy255 2 years ago 3
santa claus is a corruption of saint nicholaus...just like dracula....the real st. nick was a born to a wealthy fisher family in anatolia and decided to become a preist....he spent his early life eluding the romans and after christianity was legalized he wound up becoming bishop...he was a saint because he was so generous with his fish after he took over the business. (course he also led the mob that bunt down the last temple of artimis...but other than that he was pretty noble)
Limejello10512 2 years ago
yuppiesaurs
orcaran 2 years ago
Screw Santa, what about Krampus! Krampus will steal your children and intimidate hot young girls and whip them with switches if they disappoint "Father Christmas".
Serpent257 2 years ago
Wow dude, your wife sounds totally hot.
solt3x 2 years ago 2
I think to go so far as to try to shelter a child from Santa or Christianity is to be just a loony as Christians. I would just encourage them to draw their own conclusions. If anything, I am against the gift thing. There is nothing wrong with giving gifts, but do it because you want to, not because the calender says that's what your supposed to on a certain day.
ViceJesusChrist 2 years ago
You cannot leave a kid to draw his own conclusion about Santa. Especially at that age! The question is do you want your kids to believe in a thing you know is false and imaginary or not. And I think that question is valid to theists and atheists alike. As a religious person, you put a lot of doubt into the mind of a child when they find out there is no Santa. "So you've told me to believe in Santa when you knew it was a lie and you still expect me to believe in God?"
Think about it.
petknitter 2 years ago 3
yeah, i was really bummed when i found out my grampa wasn't santa. then again i thought people were robots because i took the phrase word machines used to be describe the human body's harmony a bit too far. terminator 2 didn't help much either.
anyhow, i love Jesus but santa isn't real. well, im pretty sure, anyhow.
anonazero 2 years ago
I agree. Let them choose for themselves.
Havenscope 2 years ago
Trust me people still use Yuppy in Australia.
If I had kids, I'd have Santa and all that stuff, but I'd leave out Jesus and probably angels. Kids don't give a shit about Jesus anyway, SANTA is our lord and saviour!
dechha1981 2 years ago 8
It's funny that you say that,their are some christians who because of Santa's popularity at christmas time (thus taking credit and respect away from Jesus) believe him to be the anti-christ.
Google it for a good laugh.
rpm2004 2 years ago
Honestly, I'd rather worship Santa. For one thing, we know a man named St. Nicholas existed. Jesus also had a few belligerent and scary episodes, whereas Santa is generally harmless. Jesus was a bigger "sinner" than Santa. Hail Santa!
FuzzyDuck 2 years ago 3
I ♥ Adam Carolla
SpiralOut11235 2 years ago
Well, I feel that the whole concept of Santa means well, but winds up instilling greed and materialism in children at an early age. Plus, it's not exactly fun to find out your family's been lying to you the entire time.
ff you wanna do the whole Christmas thing, why can't your children have fun knowing that YOU'VE supplied them with love, and toys and games? You can reward your children for good, intelligent behavior without deceiving them and breaking their heart. . .right?
. . .right?
amadeus2490 2 years ago
Right.
rpm2004 2 years ago
Our parents told us that Santa Claus is basically a make-believe game. We pretend that somebody dressed funny is actually Santa, and that he's the one who makes the presents and brings them to children, but everyone knows it's just a game and not real. And as children we loved it as a way of playing together with the adults. So it's possible for Santa Claus to be a part of christmas without the deception.
ObakeOnna 2 years ago
ill let my kids decide for themsleves. i wont even mention it but if they ask about him ill talk to them and see what they feel.
splein23 2 years ago
I like Penn's idea for Santa to a degree. I think if it's an atheist family, and the child shows interest, that it'd be best to let the child decide what they want to believe when they get to that point.
GregorytheImpaler 2 years ago
Imagination and creativity cannot not taught, it is only experienced through those fables of impressionable youth.
By censoring that joy, that ability to suspend disbelief, you are not only preventing your children from enjoying fictional works of art, you are preventing them from ever being able to create them.
Imagination is more important than knowledge. - Albert Einstein
Joey93N1U5 2 years ago 2
I can't think of anything I would want to exist more than zombies and Santa.
The spirit of Santa alone makes me love him. He doesn't kill you if you don't follow his beliefs or insult you and call you unworthy.
Why not lie to them? Let them dream while they can and enjoy the fantasy before the world crushes them.
The world is a cruel place that will eventually crush your spirit but you will always remember that special feeling that santa can bring.
Might prevent some future pricks.
hinro 2 years ago 4
I don't remember that Santa feeling. And Santa's not so far removed from got, it's like god for kids to a degree. If you're a good little kid you get rewarded. (heaven) If you're an evil little kid, well enjoy your coal fucker. (hell)
Shanus17 2 years ago
I believed and then found out the truth. I'm a bigger prick now because of it.
ScaryGuy255 2 years ago
Nobody should lie to their kids, but that doesn't exclude enjoying giftmas.
"Daddy, is Santa real?"
Well Son, the STORY goes that he makes toys and delivers them all in one night. But that seems imposible to me, so I prefer to think it's just a fun story. We put out giftmas lights for the same reason we carve Pumpkins at Halloween or plant a tree on arbor day. It's just a fun tradition. And you can't argue with presents, right?
TLCTugger 3 years ago 5
that's so great. I'm gonna explain it that way to my future children.
virginnocence 3 years ago
Well, don't forget to include that the "presents from benefactors" lie starts as a way for parents to give excessively to their kids with out the kids feeling guilty about the parents' sacrifice.
Santa is a beautiful thing/story, even if he forgets to give presents to the bottom 2/3 of the socio-economic spectrum.
TLCTugger 3 years ago
Speaking of imaginery bearded dudes;
I LOVE the fact that Google has sold ads that appear on Penn's YouTube pages for stuff like "God has a plan for you" and "Find a bible buddy."
Good luck with that...
TLCTugger 3 years ago
im no gonna tell my kids that there is a santa clause
cosmicterror 3 years ago
"but we are pantheists, with a touch of Buddhist meditation and inner reflection added in." lol...
pathtoyirah 3 years ago
Holy crap, if you dont lie to your kids about Santa Claus how the hell do you explain him?
hoomelemele 3 years ago
By explaining that all of the other parents are lying to their children. :)
neuronmage 2 years ago
For me and my family we play PRETEND that Santa is real. We get all the fun but without the lies and trickery.
debaser71 3 years ago
wow, xmas is a PAGAN holiday!! everything about it is pagan. Do some reading people. The discovery or history channel has a show out, its on youtube in parts called "the history of christmas"
and my 7 year old son knows there is no santa. But we celibate the winter solstice. and the summer solstice.
but we are pantheists, with a touch of Buddhist meditation and inner reflection added in.
Ive studied all major religions and Buddhism is the only on that makes ANY seance.
hotmercedes 3 years ago
Isn't christmas derived from roman and mithras traditions?
I guess that would be pagan and arabian.
I celibate the solstice too.
Jcolinsol 3 years ago
Santa Clause is real. You can actually go see saint Nick's burial site. Just the myth around him is fake.
terramortim 3 years ago
Frosty the Snowman is Jesus. How do you think Jesus walked on water? Because ice is less dense than water and it floats? How do you think he rose from the dead? "There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found..."
UJS8X 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Why do we care what this guy has to say about anything? He can't even decide if he's a "hippie" or a "yuppie". I much prefer his magic. Just shut up and grab a deck of cards.
Watthiman 3 years ago
Santa I'd say was ok. Isn't the name Santa Claus just derived from the Christian "Saint Nicholas" who was born in December (the 6th) 280AD. Although now much diluted the tales of Saint Nicholas's gift giving go back to about 300AD I think. So for me Santa at Christmas is ok. If you're really religious do the Jesus thing failing that go buy presents for each other in memory of good old Saint Nicholas, smiles all round!
gtg894y 3 years ago
what's wrong with santa?
santa and jesus don't have anything to do with eachother, except for the fact that they're celebrated at the same time
d4m4s74 3 years ago
Your a dumbass Santa comes from st. Nick oh shit a catholic Saint
Penn you and your family suck if you want atheist kids
home school or private atheist school or public school or Tom Cruise school for little shits
gtg894y 3 years ago
Santa is based on "Sinterklaas" a dutch festifify where kids get presents, when people went to the US they copied it to be combined with christmas
d4m4s74 3 years ago 2
yep coca cola introduced himin the usa
phatjesus008 3 years ago
Coca Cola did NOT introduce santa, dumbass.
dradfromthebu 2 years ago
His current image (red suit,big white beard) was invented by a coca cola add campaign.
rpm2004 2 years ago
No it wasn't, that is a common myth, look it up on Snopes.
dradfromthebu 2 years ago 2
The image of the red-suited Santa pre-dates Coca-Cola's version, but Coke sure had a lot to do with the popularization of that image. But I'm not entirely sure why anyone should care one way or the other. I'm not a fan of Coke or Santa.
wenchellbogum 2 years ago
NO Santa, Father Christmas and St Nicolas all have different origins five minutes on wikipedia can tell you that.
Oh and Christmas (and Easter) have pagan origins but like most people you probably all ready know that.
411JAH 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Santa I'd say was ok. Isn't the name Santa Claus just derived from the Christian "Saint Nicholas" who was born in December (the 6th) 280AD. Although now much diluted the tales of Saint Nicholas's gift giving go back to about 300AD I think. So for me Santa at Christmas is ok. If you're really religious do the Jesus thing failing that go buy presents for each other in memory of good old Saint Nicholas, smiles all round!
gtg894y 3 years ago
I think I would tell my kids (if they asked) that we celebrate Christmas in memory of Santa Claus and was when Jesus was born.
And we give each of gifts like he did kids.
Dall5000 3 years ago
Love the show. even though its Bullshit xD
OnlineSkill 3 years ago
My mother told me straight up Sanata was a myth when I was 6 and I was in denial for the rest of the day but eventually accepted it. I went to daycare the next day ranting on about how he is fake and not reality and the complaints to my parents came in. But personally as some others had said in here, I think Satan is a symbolic essence of the holidays and how giving and sharing with love empowers and unites us.
Cyclonus21 3 years ago
Though the whole Santa thing is not religion per se, it does seem like a starter-religion. That is, getting kids used to believing lies on faith or on the word of their parents (who might also or later be pushing some mythical religious character, e.g., Christ).
ckgarman 3 years ago
For me the whole Santa thing caused me to start questioning things. When I found out the Santa wasn't real and how easily I was tricked into thinking he was I started to think what else am I tricked into believing.
lambedan 3 years ago
I had the same experience as lambedan(That just fucked me up in the head as a kid).So I would like my kid not to ever question what I say, like I did with my parents. My kid doesnt see Christmas and other holidays as religious, just days we learn or celebrate different cultures.
My kid never believed in Santa, Santa is a character just like Sponge Bob, Jesus, and God.
I dont see the need to blur the line between fairy-tale and reality.
Take Care.
djtony12inch 3 years ago
I swear ... you crack me up!
sagewoman1 3 years ago
Beware the Krampus!!!!!!!
ghola32 3 years ago
LMAO. Shameless fame whores RULE!
>>> "Are your kids' names Cody and Cassidy? Kathy Lee grew a (small) dick."
tonzimala 3 years ago
well santa claus was a real person at one time. he certainly isnt geeting drunk somewhere or mugging someone,or posing with mall customers in pictures with props. we do however seem to continue this idea of him in this perpetual fantasyland why im not sure.he was a saint that much is valid and did wonderful things for children etc...
nukecat 3 years ago
Yeah but I do not think children are interested in a a history lesson.You think they would teach their children that the deceased corps of saint Nick comes over?
Hamhark98 3 years ago
Why not? Christians tell their children the deceased corpse of Jesus arose from the grave and that he loves them.
Jnmcda0 3 years ago
So ummmm...who won?
weeeezzll 3 years ago
I feel that we can separate the idea of the theological aspect of christmas and Santa. All the idea of santa does is promote a symbol of kindness and goodwill between us once a year. What harm is that in a society that is constantly forcing our youth to grow old and bitter far before their time. Later on, as they get older, sure teach your children the realities and harshness of the world. When they are young and pure, just let them be kids.
jester105 3 years ago
Stand for nothing, fall for anything.
Teach your children there is no such thing as spirituality. Why? So they can believe Federal Reserve private "banking" crime syndicate wortless paper money is the real power?
So they can believe in the word of high school graduate dancing monkey TV shills like Penn Jillette, paid by higher echelon shills like Sumner Redstone to read propaganda off of teleprompters?
By all means, keep children's minds clear so they can be filled with pop culture.
zooooooperdooooooper 3 years ago
Santa is a training god.
We must not lie to our kids.
Frosty the snowman promotes magical thinking.
"There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found, for when they put it on his head he began to dance around."
As long as you treat it as a fable, it is not so bad, but some kid believe that magical thinking, and it leads to the kinds of things that James Randi fights against: the occult, spoon-bending, horoscopes, ghosts, etc.
freesk8 3 years ago
Are your kids' names Cody and Cassidy? Kathy Lee grew a (small) dick.
walterglanz 3 years ago 2
Christmas trees are symbols of new life after the winter solstice. They can be treated as secular celebration of life; which in my opinion as an atheist is the most valuable gift regardless of its origin. I have a Christmas tree in my living room right now. Its beautiful. You can't let Christians poison you to emotion.
cheetah100 3 years ago
Adam Corolla a dj? Um... never heard him spin a record. He has a radio chat show.
gruelin1 3 years ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Santa Claus is more believable than the Warren Commission and 911 Commission, yet Mr. Jillette claims to believe in them, or at least he takes millions of dollars to claim on TV that he believes in them.
tonzimala 3 years ago
Wow, Jillette on youtube, i was told i look like a young version of Jilette
johannb92 3 years ago
did you by any chance post a picture of yourself on facepunch? i remember a guy who looked A LOT like Penn Jillette and looked really young aswell
VCMPBautista 3 years ago
Nah, a subscriber of mine told me so on one of my videos
johannb92 3 years ago
"Yuppie" isn't a term anyone uses these days?? Then where do you get "Hippie"?? Talk about a term nobody uses any more...
StuPadazzo 3 years ago
I've Been Shot!!!
NOoooo Crrraaackle!
Seriously that intro Kicks Ur Ass is it necessary to fire a cannon at us? =p
IloveJesusYesId0 3 years ago
wait... what? I had a hard time extracting the point of this one? Is he saying he's NOT doing the Santa thing with his kids or that he doesn't really care? And did he say he's married to a christian?
AwdreeHpburn 3 years ago
no, he said his wife is even more atheist then Penn. you can find the Mp3s of his radio show online where they talk about it.
JuggaloJohn 3 years ago
Well, since X-mas really is not about the birth of Christ, I do not see why a athiest would have a real problem with celbrating it.
X-mas does not have to be religious, as it's about giving from yourself to others, be it kindness, gifts, or whatever, very human qualities.
What's religious about getting together for a good time, letting the kids having fun, stuff like that ?
sphinxrising58 3 years ago
.....because Christmas explicitly honors the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Why do you need a special holiday at one time in the year to justify charity to those you love and others? Shouldn't we possess those human qualities all the time?
bloodrocuted 3 years ago
Christmas is a pagan holiday, as Christ wsa not born in December, as read the bible, shepards was out in the fields with the sheep.
December 25 is a roman pagan holiday that celebrates the Winter soltice, in which mandatory drunken orgys was held.
Now, show me where that celebrates the biirth of Christ.
As far as your closing statement, no aurguement from me there.
sphinxrising58 3 years ago 2
Ok ok... I didn't know that's what you meant. You're absolutely right. I meant in terms of Christmas' current western societal perception, it's the celebration of Jesus' birth. But obviously, not many people actually celebrate that aspect of it.
bloodrocuted 3 years ago
Well, look at any dipiction of Christ in most churches, he is shown as being white, which is wrong also.
About the only people that still may have the real spirit of X-mas in them is the kids & select people, not about Christ, not about gifts, it's about the human condition.
sphinxrising58 3 years ago
the term christmas is a christian term. we borrow letters from the latin alphabet, does that mean the letter A is not an english character, because it was created previous to current usage. you probably think you're a bright person.
boseffis 3 years ago
I not only think I am a bright person, I happen to know it for a fact.
Letters have nothing to do with Christmas so stop trying to confuse the topic, as once again, Xmas is a pagan holiday celebrating the Winter Solstice on which, the Romans ( recall them ? ) would hold mandatory drunken orgys.
Easter is also pagan in origion, BTW
Learn your history young man, lol
sphinxrising58 3 years ago
LOL!!!, you couldn't follow my analogy! Thanks for proving my point.
The Christian's created a religion. They chose December 25 as the date their savior was to have been born. Whether or not they stole the idea or date doesn't matter, because in the Christian religion it is Jesus who is the icon being lauded on that day. It doesn't matter that earlier religions happened to have also celebrated that day.
It ridiculous to try to say that Christmas has nothing to do with the Christian Religion.
boseffis 3 years ago
I understood about the letters, just did not see why you used it, as it is not the same thing.
Xmas is pagan, and whatever meaning it may have once had to do with religion has long since passed.
Xmas is now devoted to buying, selling, getting, or getting, shit like that.
OK, so us adults have ruined it, but that does not mean we have to be complete shit headd & ruin it for the kids also.
So what if a kid believes in Santa for a year or two, eventually they wise up.
sphinxrising58 3 years ago
hahaha, ok.
ya, i actually think i agree with you on the rest.
boseffis 3 years ago
And in the process you have destroyed your credibility with your kids by lying to them.
Why not just say that Santa is a symbol for family love as expressed by giving presents to each other?
You don't have to lie to them and tell them he is real. He's just a fable. Just a cute story. But what he symbolizes is real: family love.
freesk8 3 years ago
My hild may be only 5, but he know where the presents come from, gandma, grandpap, aunts, uncles, mom & dad, so no, I have not destroyed anything with my child.
sphinxrising58 3 years ago
Another point is that the vast majority of people commonly believe in ghosts, aliens, psychics, astrology & other foolishness, but mention religion & people spaz out, lol
sphinxrising58 3 years ago
wow, Penn Jillete speaking to us about how he will deal with santa and his kids. If your an atheist,why do you even care ? Christmas would have no meaning to you.
Looks like your building a cult following. The magic business must be slow
kerasea 3 years ago
One of Santa's many names is Kris Kringle, which is a variation on the german word "kristkindl," which means "Christ Child."
reichmarshall 3 years ago
Well, if you think Santa is "unfit" for kids, we in Sweden used to have a guy dressed as a goat (pagan tradition) giving out gifts.
FredMalm 3 years ago
Goat = Satan, which is Santa misspelled!
I told you Santa was the harbinger of evilness and greed!
FlowCell 3 years ago
When I have kids, they definitely will not be lied to about Santa.
It is not just harmless fun, when your child does eventually find out they will be deeply wounded and will have a lesser opinion about their fellow man.
It is only "fun" for adults (how one could have fun deceiving their children is beyond me). For children it is a very serious matter.
Cailwyn 3 years ago
o_O Santa scared me as a kid...all the pictures of me as a kid with him-I'm screaming or running away!
Horseinthefog 3 years ago
it is just fun. as with anything in life, it only has meaning if you give it meaning. i'm atheist, but i put up a tree. to me, it's just a pretty tree. it means nothing more, nothing less. by denouncing santa, you are immediately giving santa some sort of meaning. it only has meaning if you think it does.
vtaij 3 years ago
the santa thing made me closer to my mum & dad later on and is what i do with my partner we even do rudolfs unconvincing footprints from the front door to the milk and cookie crumbs its just fun that brings the family closer and its special for the kids especially later on well was for me
TammyCore 3 years ago
The name of a guy in a Red Suit. Santa!
Just shift the T one place left and shift the N to the last position.
The name of a guy in a Red Suit. Satan!!
Do ya think?
Santa is a lie told to children. Satan is the father of the lie.
SnakeOilSam1 3 years ago
You're silly if you believe in either as an adult.
PerfectAgent 3 years ago 2
isn't much of the modern Christmas tradition taken from ancient pagan rituals? Does anyone know more about this?
MoreAnimalThanMan 3 years ago
There is so little time in a life when you can,or should, get away with believing bulls**t that the Santa thing is no big deal. It's the tooth fairy I want banned. That bastard is costing me a fortune.
banoboman 3 years ago
Is there a way I can listen to Penn's radio show online? I live in NYC and I really want to hear his show :(
IAbortionsTickleI 3 years ago
The show ended in March of last year but you can go to Pennfans(.)net and download the shows from the archives.
ctastrophe 3 years ago
Dude, thanks a bunch :D
IAbortionsTickleI 3 years ago
Damn, your wife is fanatical. I mean, I am with you on the whole Santa crap but I don't think people should infringe on others' rights to believe in nonsense. So if someone wants to sing crappy songs, then let'em but I think it's wrong for a person to have that type of control over an entire school where OTHER kids may differ from yours. Yeah, that's like PETA-extreme there. I guess I'm a "vegetarian" but dictating over others like that is wrong and Christian-like lol.
HammandClov 3 years ago
We, Wife and I, have decided that we are going to tell our daughter that Santa is a fun thing to pretend about, he is not real and that some families believe it is ok to teach their children he is real and it is not our place to tell them he is not.
chrishopkinsjr 3 years ago
I've been pleased to find there was someone whose views closely align with mine. I never knew there were others who didn't classify themselves as red/blue state, rep/dem. I thought I was alone in my opposition of gun control yet acceptance of gay marriage. Who distrusted the inefficiencies (and corruption)of government run programs and yet despised the patriot act,etc but, enjoying Christmas as an atheist is OK. Its part of Americana, nothing more. I don't get why some are so militant about it.
steve29h 3 years ago
Because Christmas needs to be reformed anyway. Things change over time. What was once seen as holy men are now cult leaders and nutjobs. Same with Christmas, which would be believable if Christians celebrated it in Feb, not Dec as the star which Christ supposedly was born under came out in Feb, not Dec. Honestly, do any Christian celebrate it B/C of Christ and not b/c of family and gift-giving? Rarely. But most of the things in this world has irony in it anyway.
HammandClov 3 years ago
Reformed? Why? Who cares? I'm atheist but I don't understand militant atheists. They're more annoying than fundamentalists. Drink some apple cider, put on some holiday tunes, go a riding in a one horse slay. Every holiday is based off some obsolete judaeo-christian or pagan belief. You could even make the arguments birthdays shouldn't be celebrated because they revolve around a Christian 12 month calendar. If we followed the Egyptian calendar our birthday wouldn't even be the same day or date.
steve29h 3 years ago
I'm with ya. I'm not a militant atheist but I do think Christmas should be what it is really is - gift-giving without any association with Christ or whatever. It should be seen as it really is. Christians should be celebrating in Feb, even though they don't actually know when Christ was born. As for birthdays, that's pagan too but it changed.
HammandClov 3 years ago
Penn, you're the sanest person on YouTube. :-)
legendre007 3 years ago
My wife and I raised three kids. All adults now.
To my knowledge, I have never lied to my kids.
That includes Santa Claus.
That also includes the lie that Jesus was born any time near the winter solstice.
If you believe the bible he was likely born around harvest time. Either Rosh Hashanah or more likely around Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is the most likely time as they went to Bethlehem for the census and to pay the harvest tax associated with the census.
So christmas is a lie.
harryogre 3 years ago
Actually, most of christmas is pagan. :)
lordcheetah 3 years ago 2
lordcheetah said:
"Actually, most of christmas is pagan. :)"
Very true.
harryogre 3 years ago
Uhhhh... Im pretty sure the purpose of Christmas was to celebrate Christ's birth not to say that it occured durning December. I don't ever remember hearing that December was the definitive month of his birth.
technoextreme 3 years ago