I don’t believe that Jesus lied, though I may interpret some things He said differently than you do.
What bothers me most about the fundamentalist rigidity displayed here over Santa, is that it turns a lot of people away from Jesus, instead of toward Him. People don’t have to believe exactly as you or your sect to benefit from the promise of Jesus. I think Jesus and God can handle their own business in that regard.
Some people seem to find arrogance and self-satisfaction in their beliefs and in criticizing those who don’t fully accept them. I don’t consider that to be religion or spirituality or even faithfulness. It’s a form of ego.
I wasn’t speaking of “Santa”; I was speaking of your comments about Jonah and whether or not Jesus also considered the Jonah tale Myth or true history. The scripture I gave in contect indicates that Jesus considered Jonah’s “fish tale”, real history. I was asking you to square your own belief that the Jonah tale was a myth when Jesus considered Jonah real history, real history enough that Jesus used Jonah’s experience as a simile for his own coming death and resurrection. The argument was modiefied in asking then as to the sorts of miracles that Mr Jamestown1630 will accept as being true as described in the Bible.
People will turn away from Jesus for all sorts of excuses, the blame for which they’ll try to lay at the feet of Christians. Some of the blame may be justified but most blame arises from the “yes but...”, “what about this...” goal post moving mentality people will use to avoid the serious claims of Christ and his call for their repentance. Thus in encountering that sort of resistance, no Christian can ever be reasonable enough, or nice enough, nor even “scientific enough” to suit that soul who simply will not confront their own sin and confess Christ.
Christ said, when he spoke of the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus, that even if a person who rose from the dead to give testimony of their experience, most unbelievers, comfortble enough in their own darkness, still wouldn’t believe it.
I have no official opinions of Satan save to say the “current model” is an unhelpful muddying of the the real story of St. Nicholas. Christmas should be decommercialized but I don’t feel so strongly about it that i would wish to lead protests and parades!