Teacher defends "Santa" remarks (Full, unedited statement)

Lebanon Daily News ^ | 12/23/05 | Theresa R. Farrisi

[It's me]

You seem to know an awful lot about this teacher. Do you also live in the south central PA region?

I'm willing to bet Conservatrix is the teacher. Interesting how, if true, she is not willing to "come out" and defend herself as the teacher of the unfortunate deed.

[beyond the sea]

Uh, dude, this forum is for adults.

Try to deal with the ignorant post of Santa and the reindeer getting shredded by the plane, dudess.

What is it with you, the 'Howlin Prorection Possy'? Let the woman defend her ill-advised Christmas post herself. OK?

A.D.............. I can see these folks getting stirred up. By my post, I just was trying to tell the original poster that her Christmas morning post of the reindeer getting shredded buy a plane was not such a good idea.

Danke.

[ozarkgirl]

That's funny. Your kid knows. It's just playing along with you. Santa is fun. Even when you know he's a "pretend" character. I still sign Santa on some of the gifts I give my wife, and I promise that she knows where they really came from.

I still sign my kids presents Santa and they are grown. One kid commented Christmas eve, "since you don't have a chimney, does he come in the sliding doors?", a friend commented "he'd better not, your mom would blow him away with her .38 before he made it inside". He's just fun, let the kids have their fun.

[mcg1969]

Try to deal with the ignorant post of Santa and the reindeer getting shredded by the plane, dudess.

Yes, I saw it. I found it funny.

What is it with you, the 'Howlin Prorection Possy'?

I don't really care who Howlin is. You're obviously an uptight little cuss, though.

[freedumb2003]

Read further. The teacher in question is a Conservative Christian.

The teacher in question is a right-wing wacko who the Left will hold as a Typical Representative of Conservative Thinking.

Arrogant, self-important, intolerant, unyielding, sanctimonious -- and MEAN -- this person is everything that is bad about the extreme Right Wing.

[freedumb2003]

You're joking, right?

[beyond the sea]

You let an 8 year old read Free Republic?????

LOL............ I thought it was safe ............ it was supposed to be an innocent thread on Santa's trip. But, the woman who has been here forever decided, in her divine wisdom, to insert her bizarre post on Christmas morning.

Pretty low, imo.

...........Happy New Year to you, bonfire.

Peace and friendship to you.

[demkicker]

You're missing the point. Kids will continue to tell other kids about Santa, and everyone acknowledges that. However, its an entirely different matter for an adult to butt their noses in where they don't belong to assume a role that isn't theirs to begin with.

[bonfire]

The kid will be fine, bts. I had to look really hard to see what you were upset about!

Have a good new year!

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

Fairy tales are not something you lump into reality (that magical wonderful adventure).

Somebody needed to tell that to Michael Jackson who thought he was a black Peter Pan with his Neverland Ranch...

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It is very sad that this woman did not allow children to have that magical wonderful adventure of Santa Claus.

I don't like phantasms pushed off onto my kids at school. I don't think Santa Claus is all that wonderful a thing for my children. I would rather they be taught the Ten Commandments and the Judaic roots of our culture in Mosaic Law.

Of course, I'm an atheist and don't believe in hobgoblins like elves, Santa, astrology or homosexual families...

[Hildy]

You know, I kind of agree with her...although I would not have made as big a deal of it. Why should this poem be read in a public school?

[Hildy]

You know, I kind of agree with her...although I would not have made as big a deal of it. Why should this poem be read in a public school?

[Tijeras_Slim]

You let an 8 year old read Free Republic?????

I hope you keep them away from pissant's threads. :)

[randomnumber]

Bump the funny thread.

Some of you going to out the Tooth Fairy too?

[beyond the sea]

I had to look really hard to see what you were upset about!

LOL. Me too, I'm 59 years old, and my eyes are not what they used to be. But little Joanna saw the picture much more easily than me.

Ugh! I had to take her back into the den and give her the "emergency present" that I was saving for her birthday next week.

;-)

Oh well.

I'm quite sure there was nothing improper meant by the post, but it was somewhat of a shock to a little munchkin on Christmas day.

Take care.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Don't forget the Great Pumpkin.

[silverleaf]

Ah, this brings up an interesting point. Are we lying to our kids when we say that Christmas is the day Jesus was born? I mean, the truth is, we really have no idea what day Jesus was born. The best guess is that it was sometime in the spring, given that the shepherds were watching their flocks by night, which is something they did only when they were "in season" (the spring).

Do we have to tell our children, then, as soon as they can possibly comprehend it, that December 25th was in fact a strategic choice made by the 4th century church to counter interest in pagan Saturnalia celebrations?

You could tell your kids what our priest told ours last Sunday.

That the religious beliefs of societies who ruled the known world before the birth of Christ, were derived from paganism or variations thereof. And that pagan religions from the earliest recorded time, celebrated the winter solstice as a time for celebration, marking the earth's astronomical turn from darkness, back towards the light.

That Christians were a minority for several early centuries after the life of Christ. A minority living in a majority pagan world, and a minority that was threatened with death for its beliefs (read Fox's Book of Martyrs and the stories of the lives of the early saints...read about the deaths of Christ's original disciples..) Christians were a minority that was forced to outwardly conform to pagan societal customs and celebrations, while secretly gathering together to teach, to learn and to worship.

That when the pagan society of Rome and elsewhere was celebrating lights festivals in late December to honor its gods of nature, Christians could secretly celebrate, too......knowing that their participation in festivals of light represented, to them, the light of Christ entering into a dark world. That truly no one knows the date of Christ's birth. But why not have chosen the time of the solstice, the day the earth each year turns away from darkness and to the light?

Puts a far different "spin" on this issue - and perhaps a more historically accurate perspective - than that offered by sneering secular naysayers, and fundamentals of extreme views who regard tradition as a doctrinal antithesis of Scripture rather than an adjunct... and who seem to imply that early Christians merely coopted a pagan festival so they would have an excuse to party.

[redrock]

Ok....and so WHERE does the Easter Bunny fit into all of this??????

redrock

[beyond the sea]

I hope you keep them away from pissant's threads. :)

ROFL ................. and martin_fierro's

;-)

[It's me]

I bet you thought you'd get a load of support here.

Boy have you been surprised.

Lighten up and live a little. Do you think that Jesus will condemn you to hell because your children may believe in Santa?