# Why should Santa be regarded differently than God? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 9, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442 "2019-01-09T02:20:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/201 "2019-02-01T20:02:36Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > The Bible is a product of the Catholic Church. [Some versions, maybe.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_James_Version) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/202 "2019-02-01T20:08:07Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > The Bible is a product of the Catholic Church. Then you did get your picture of your god from the Bible? 😕 I notice you keep avoiding this question: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’ll put it another way: can your all-powerful god make mistakes? ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/203 "2019-02-01T20:20:30Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Then you did get your picture of your god from the Bible? 😕 The Church came first (33AD). Scripture wasn’t canonized until the 4th century. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’ll put it another way: can your all-powerful god make mistakes? No, I don’t believe God would make a mistake. It’s illogical, because then he would be impefect, and therefore not God. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/204 "2019-02-01T20:25:29Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > The Church came first (33AD). Scripture wasn’t canonized until the 4th century. That is the traditional story, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/205 "2019-02-01T20:26:17Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > No, I don’t believe God would make a mistake. It’s illogical, because then he would be impefect, and therefore not God. Then you agree that everything that happens is what your god wants to happen? ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/206 "2019-02-01T20:32:47Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Then you agree that everything that happens is what your god wants to happen? I guess it depends on what you mean by “want”. Does God actively desire humans to sin and die? No. Does God allow it? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/207 "2019-02-01T20:34:39Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > I guess it depends on what you mean by “want”. Does God actively desire humans to sin and die? No. Does God allow it? Yes. I thought your god was all-powerful. How are things happening that he did not make happen? Didn’t he create everything that exists? Didn’t he create humans? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/208 "2019-02-01T20:36:25Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > I guess it depends on what you mean by “want”. Does God actively desire humans to sin and die? No. Does God allow it? Yes. 1. why does God care if two men have sex? 2. why did God create humans in such a way that they sometimes are attracted to members of their own sex? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/209 "2019-02-01T20:40:08Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Given what I know about **EscAlaMike** , that’s quite possibly what he means, but note that some people use capital-C “Church” to refer to all Christians. ([Cite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Church)) > > How do you know he didn’t? > > It seems to me you’re demanding that God never let anyone (or at least, anyone under a certain age) die in a tsunami. If God saves some, you can always insist that God could have saved at least one of the ones God didn’t save. If the baby drowned he didn’t save her, did he? If no babies were drowned, I’d be impressed. And I specified babies as innocent beings, so you can’t say god got rid of the village pimp or something. I know the standard excuse is that the babies - all of them - would grow up evil. That’s disgusting and immoral. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/210 "2019-02-01T20:42:00Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I thought your god was all-powerful. How are things happening that he did not make happen? Didn’t he create everything that exists? Didn’t he create humans? Christianity is not fatalistic. An all-powerful being is not precluded from creating autonomous creatures with the freedom to make choices. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/211 "2019-02-01T20:43:46Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > 1. why does God care if two men have sex? I would say that he cares what we do with our bodies since our bodies are his gift to us. > [@Babale](#): > > 1. why did God create humans in such a way that they sometimes are attracted to members of their own sex? Why did he create humans in such a way that they are sexually attracted to anyone at all? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/212 "2019-02-01T20:44:38Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Christianity is not fatalistic. An all-powerful being is not precluded from creating autonomous creatures with the freedom to make choices. But he created us with the ability to make choices, and then punishes us when we make choices he doesn’t like? So we have free will, but we can’t exercise it freely? That’s sadistic, IMO. Face it: your god is either responsible for the way _everything_ is, or he is not all-powerful. Do you agree? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/213 "2019-02-01T20:44:42Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Christianity is not fatalistic. Are you speaking for all Christian sects, or just your own? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/214 "2019-02-01T20:46:17Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Why did he create humans in such a way that they are sexually attracted to anyone at all? Back to not directly answering questions again? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/215 "2019-02-01T20:48:30Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I don’t know. But, is this question logically equivalent to “Why wouldn’t God make a world in which it was impossible for innocent children to die?” > > I’m not sure this question makes sense. How do you know that it’s “never any higher”? We have no basis for comparison. What we actually have is either a universe with a God who sometimes intervenes, or one without, and whichever one of these universes we actually live in, I don’t know what the other one would look like. I’m fine with not blaming god if the baby dies directly or indirectly due to actions of people, for instance in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. But if God designed our world he designed it with earthquakes and tidal waves. Is he incapable of designing a safer world? Or doesn’t he give a shit. Given the lack of any clear evidence that god has ever intervened in our world, it sure looks like one without a god. So we have tragedies, but earthquakes have no morals. That’s a lot more supportable moral position than a god who lets these things happen. Or causes them. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/216 "2019-02-01T20:48:55Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > I would say that he cares what we do with our bodies since our bodies are his gift to us. I didn’t mean “why does he care what people do in general”, I meant specifically “why does he disapprove of gay sex?” > [@](#): > > Why did he create humans in such a way that they are sexually attracted to anyone at all? You’re the one who thinks he did, so you should answer that question. I think people evolved to be sexually attracted to other people because if they weren’t we would have died out by now. But my point is, if God doesn’t want gay people to have gay sex, why did he make gay people gay in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/217 "2019-02-01T20:49:36Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > But he created us with the ability to make choices, and then punishes us when we make choices he doesn’t like? Parents punish their children for making bad choices. Are parents sadistic? > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > So we have free will, but we can’t exercise it freely? That’s sadistic, IMO. Who says we can’t exercise it freely? That is exactly the purpose of the sacraments. They enable us to freely choose good. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Face it: your god is either responsible for the way _everything_ is, or he is not all-powerful. Do you agree? I don’t have a problem crediting God with responsibility for the universe. I for one am glad he created it, even with all the terrible things that happen. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/218 "2019-02-01T20:50:59Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are you speaking for all Christian sects, or just your own? Ahh, touche. I guess there are Calvinist sects that tend to be more fatalistic. I’m speaking for what I know of Catholic teaching. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/219 "2019-02-01T20:51:28Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Parents punish their children for making bad choices. Are parents sadistic? if you purposefully raised your kid to really like… let’s say cookies, but also told him that if he ever ate cookies you’d set him on fire for a billion years, you’d be a sadist, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442/220 "2019-02-01T21:00:16Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Parents punish their children for making bad choices. Are parents sadistic? Parents don’t create their children’s ability make choices: your god did. > [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Who says we can’t exercise it freely? That is exactly the purpose of the sacraments. They enable us to freely choose good. That’s coerced, not free. > [@EscAlaMike](#): > > I don’t have a problem crediting God with responsibility for the universe. I for one am glad he created it, even with all the terrible things that happen. Then you agree that all the terrible things that happen are your god’s fault? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-santa-be-regarded-differently-than-god/827442.md?page=12)