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    Santa Claus isn't a deity requiring our worship.  He's an Internet
    meme, like pedobear or the lolcats, but from a time before there was
    an Internet.<br>
    <br>
    Paul<br>
    <br>
    On 12/24/2011 11:06 AM, Ralph Nielsen wrote:
    <blockquote
      cite="mid:CE89EACB-CC2F-4AAF-A2BD-C17F13CAD2A5@uidaho.edu"
      type="cite">
      <div><br>
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      <div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:
            pre;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;">DO YOU BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS?</span><span
          class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">For many years millions of people have believed in
          Santa Claus. Today</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">millions more believe in him. Why do so many claim
          Santa as their personal</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">friend? Because they have found that the true way
          to know Santa is to</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">believe in him. And the only way to receive his
          gifts is to become like</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">little children and have complete faith in him.</span><span
          class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">Of course some people - agnostics, atheists,
          freethinkers, liberals, and</span><span
          class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">secular humanists - claim that Santa Claus is a
          mythical being who was</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">invented by humans. But these scoffers and
          doubters will never destroy</span><span
          class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">people's faith in him, for as long as people
          believe in free gifts they</span><span
          class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">will believe in Santa Claus.</span><span
          class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">Human gifts have to be made out of earthly
          materials; Santa creates his</span><span
          class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">gifts out of nothing. Human gifts have to be paid
          for; Santa gives us his</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">gifts for free. Some people think he needs to be
          reminded of what they</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">would like, but Santa already knows what we need.
          All we have to know is</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">that Santa Claus is alive and loves us. All we
          have to do is to make a</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">personal commitment to believe in him. So won't
          you, too, accept Santa's</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">offer of free gifts? Just kneel down, bow your
          head, close your eyes, and</span><span
          class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">reverently say to yourself:</span><span
          class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">"Dear Santa Claus. I truly believe in you and want
          you for my personal</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">friend. Let me humbly accept your gifts, not
          because I deserve them, but</span><span
          class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">because it is your will that I should receive
          them. Let me not doubt, but</span><span
          class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">increase my faith; for the harder I believe in
          you, the more real you</span><span class="Apple-style-span"
          style="font-family: monospace;"><br>
        </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:
          monospace;">become. Amen."</span></div>
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