Santa Claus: Why parents should not threaten their children with Santa

Many parents have done it. We are talking about using Santa Claus being used by parents as a threat of punishment. The most common form of Santa-threat is Santa leaving nothing but a bucket of coal. In some homes, Santa still delivers the whip. However, Santa-threat is actually prohibited in the Bible.

Punishing a child with Santa, or even threatening to have Santa punish a child, alone, is prohibited in the Bible. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers to damages or offenses, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul, and understood in its original context, as a moral stature prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including, but not limited to, any punishments, reprimands, or other controlling demeanor towards children. In the Old Testament, punitive parents were put to death by way of bloodletting, after punishing their children one last time. Parents who punished their children were charged with kidnapping, with "kidnapping" being defined under the Law as the slightest of damages or offenses stemming from hostage-taking - child punishment was seen in biblical times as holding your child hostage merely for things that they did wrong, thereby treating your child as a quartered slave. Paul here was lifting up the Law in order to convict a group of Greek Christian parents who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his secular writings. Paul may not have gotten along with the women of the church, but he sure loved children, and even took in a few orphaned children in his time. Indeed, Greco-Roman fathers got out the scourge of cords, but NOT the Christians among them - the Early Christians were persecuted largely for being "too soft" on their children.

The most common Santa-threat used by parents in America is coal for Christmas. Another way that children are threatened are with a "whip that cracks" left in the stocking of the child. Most of the time, Santa-threats are feigned threat. That was how I was dealt with by my parents. My parents threatened "coal for Christmas". I only got coal when I asked for it (I was a strange child).

Any punishments, reprimands, or threats towards a child is a moral crime against the child. Child abuse is defined as the slightest of damages or offenses stemming from entitlement. Threatening children with Santa alone is child abuse, as understood under God's Law.

This Christmas Eve, be sure that Santa loves your child unconditionally, and doesn't have a "naughty" or "nice" list. The "naughty" list alone is a form of provoking your child to anger through child abuse. A child should not have to work for Christmas presents. Instead, parents are to give without receiving anything in return.

Another thing parents do is punish children come Christmas Day by sending their presents back. The child may just be having a hard time, but the parent takes it personally, given that it is Christmas morning, and takes the presents back to customer service. 

A child should not be expected to be "good" come Christmas morning. Children's behaviors are, in most cases, are developmentally appropriate given the age and development of a child. If a child doesn't develop in time, contact a child psychiatrist or developmental pediatrician. A slowly developing child may need mental heath supports, but that's all they need. They do not need coal for Christmas.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplice! Let them descend into the abyss which is the Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!