Response
Children reject belief in Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy when they grow older, but belief in God is often the opposite. Many people believe in God later in life, while earlier in life they rejected or ignored God. 1 Thus, an analogy to Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny is not at all appropriate.
On another note, however, Jesus Christ does teach us that we need to “receive the kingdom of God as a little child” or we will never enter into it. 2 Our trust in God needs to be absolute, like that of a little child. Atheists often scorn child-like faith, claiming that it is based in no evidence whatsoever, just like belief in Santa Clause. However, this is completely false. Hebrews gives us the correct definition:
Hebrews 11:1
Notice that faith is “substance” and “evidence.” It is not silly or blind faith, like belief in Santa Clause. However, it’s not tentative, wishy-washy, or dry intellectualism either. Rather, our faith is “substance” and “evidence,” firmly grounded upon our experiences both physical and spiritual, the result of which is total and unwavering, like that of a child–in short, a relationship with Christ. If you seek Christ with a pure heart, He will reveal Himself to you, and you can begin your “faith journey” with Him today.
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Sources
McGrath, A. E., & McGrath, J. C. (2007). The Dawkins Delusion: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.
Notes
- McGrath, 2007, p. 20: In response to Dawkins’s claim similar to the one above, McGrath writes: “How many people do you now who began to believe in Santa Clause in adulthood? Or who found belief in the Tooth Fairy consoling in old age?” ↩
- Luke 18:17: “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” ↩