# Is Santa Claus omniscent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 18, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773 "2009-12-18T19:12:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/21 "2009-12-19T00:54:03Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Oak 4:20–A thread about Santa Claus is not a good place for bible thumping. So don’t take it as bible thumping, and instead look at it as the useful intersection of two myth worlds. Superman and Batman have an ordering, why not Santa and Jesus? I wonder what the Borg’s take on Santa would be? ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/22 "2009-12-19T00:54:35Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I have sometimes heard that Santa, is the spirit of Jesus (which is the Holy Spirit of God) working through the people, but never that Santa is above Jesus. So If Jesus didn’t know everything, how would Santa. Santa would just know what he needed to to do the work God has for him. Just because Jesus didn’t know everything at the time doesn’t really have any bearing on whether Santa can or not. God’s will for the abilities of His different agents may change depending on the circumstances. So far as I know, Jesus couldn’t make His nose glow and I’ve never heard of Him guiding a sleigh, but Rudolph managed to do it. If Santa needs to know everything (Re: Naughty/Nice) in order to do God’s will than it will be so. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/23 "2009-12-19T00:56:38Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > I wonder what the Borg’s take on Santa would be? The Borg tried to assimilate Santa long ago. Where do you think the elves came from? Christmas Magic is some strong mojo… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/24 "2009-12-19T02:25:55Z")
Just because Santa knows about kids’ behavior, how to make reindeer fly, complex Christmas Eve geography, and how to get into people’s living spaces without a key . . . doesn’t necessarily make him omniscient. There are a whole lot of other things that he may or may not know about. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/25 "2009-12-19T02:49:20Z")
Well, there is this one movie with people\* praying\* to Santa, and getting _saved_ by the Spirit of Christmas: [Santa Buddies](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1328875/) ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/26 "2009-12-19T03:56:40Z")
> [@ToeJam](#): > > I would totally play a Santa Pally. Santa wielding a two-handed +5 Holy Avenger puts a whole new face on what the ‘naughty’ children get for christmas.🙂 That’s why he wears the red clothes. To hide the blood of the ‘naughty’. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/27 "2009-12-19T03:59:51Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Now, explain to me, why is the first thing Santa asks you when you meet him ‘Have you been good?’ Just making conversation? What else is he going to do? Bitch about the size of his prostate? It must be huge by now. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/28 "2009-12-19T11:57:44Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > So don’t take it as bible thumping, and instead look at it as the useful intersection of two myth worlds. Superman and Batman have an ordering, why not Santa and Jesus? Come to think of it, Superman lives at the North Pole and can fly around the whole planet in one night… ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/29 "2009-12-20T17:54:12Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I have sometimes heard that Santa, is the spirit of Jesus (which is the Holy Spirit of God) working through the people, but never that Santa is above Jesus. So If Jesus didn’t know everything, how would Santa. Santa would just know what he needed to to do the work God has for him. Santa Claus is sometimes called Kris Kringle, which is a corruption of _Christkind_ (German, “Christ child”). > [@Terraplane](#): > > So far as I know, Jesus couldn’t make His nose glow and I’ve never heard of Him guiding a sleigh, but Rudolph managed to do it. But nothing in the Bible indicates that he _couldn’t_ make his nose glow. For all we know it could have been one of his favorite party tricks, but one the evangelists felt uncomfortable writing about. As for guiding sleighs through dense fog, the need probably never came up in his milieu. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/30 "2009-12-21T05:14:29Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Santa has an innate ability, usable at will–“Detect Naughty, 10’ radius” similar to AD&D Paladins. There are rumors of a certain amulet that would block this ability, but use of that item is itself naughty. What if you don’t use an amulet at all, but roll a natural 20 on your “Block Detect Naughty”? Are you in the clear? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/31 "2009-12-21T05:19:28Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > What if you don’t use an amulet at all, but roll a natural 20 on your “Block Detect Naughty”? Are you in the clear? Nope, you only get half the presents a non-naughty person would get. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773/32 "2009-12-21T05:24:22Z")
Of course Santa knows everything. But he has a lot on his mind, and sometimes he forgets. That’s why he has to ask for a name once in a while. At least that’s what the department store Santa told me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-santa-claus-omniscent/521773.md?page=1)