When
Christmas displays are erected on public grounds across the nation, they
typically must include a secular element in order to achieve legal
requirements. In effect, a manger scene
must include a depiction of Santa Claus or Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer before
it passes constitutional muster. While I
believe this is a nonsensical requirement, it is where the seemingly unending
ACLU lawsuits against public religious displays have brought us in terms of
social policy.
However,
Christians can utilize this regulation to bring about a positive result. I encourage parents and grandparents to tell
children the true story of Saint Nicholas - Santa's namesake - whenever they
see a manger scene that includes a portrayal of Santa in the setting.
Saint
Nicholas was born into a wealthy family about 350 miles northwest of Bethlehem
in the fourth century. He was a man who
loved children and his neighbors; he spent his life privately giving gifts to
the unfortunate. These acts of Christian
charity - usually made secretly - probably led to the policy of exchanging
gifts during the Christmas season.
The
history of Nicholas is blurry but there are many legends associated with the
man. Apparently after his parents died,
he inherited their fortune and chose to distribute it to the needy. Most famously, he lobbed bags of gold through
the windows and down the chimneys of three sisters who had no dowry to allow
them to marry.
Soon,
Nicholas became Bishop of Myra, the city where he preached.
Ted
Olsen, assistant editor of Christian History at Christianity Today, wrote that
"it wasn't long before Diocletian and Maximian began their persecutions of
Christians, and the new bishop was imprisoned." However, when Constantine assumed
emperorship, Nicholas was released with many other persecuted believers and he
returned to preaching.
After
his release, Nicholas became a defender of the faith against Arianism, a
heretical doctrine which asserted that Christ was not the Son of God, but a
being nurtured by God the Father to the position of Son of God. Saint Nicholas reportedly traveled to the
Council of Nicea and actually slapped Arius in the face in defense of the
Gospel of Christ.
There
are also dubious and debated elements to the ambiguous legend of Nicholas, but
it appears to be quite clear that this was a man who attempted to convey the
love of Christ in his life.
Mr.
Olsen added, "When the Reformation came along, his following disappeared
in all the Protestant countries except Holland, where his legend continued as
Sinterklass. Martin Luther, for example,
replaced this bearer of gifts with the Christ Child, or, in German,
Christkindl. Over the years, that became repronounced Kriss Kringle, and
ironically is now considered another name for Santa Claus."
This
Christmas, if you see a public crèche that includes a depiction of Santa, I
encourage parents and grandparents to share the story of Saint Nicholas with
young children. This is a way in which
to use a disagreeable situation for good.
And
you can rest assured that if enough people start recounting the story of Saint
Nicholas, the ACLU will probably panic and start bringing cases to ban Santa
from the public square.
