During a Wednesday morning Mass in Santa Fe Springs, California, Rev. Ruben Rocha informed a group of children that Santa Claus didn't really exist. Parents, of course, are outraged that a priest chose to tell them the truth and burst their bubble of deception. The irony of the situation, though, doesn't seem to have occurred to anyone there.
The Pasadena Star reports:
When one child asked who eats the milk and cookies left out for Santa, Rocha told them that was the work of their parents. "I believe they've taken some of the innocence out of her childhood, and I'm very upset,' said parent Rick Martin, whose daughter attends kindergarten. "After she got home, I tried to very gently find out what she was thinking about Christmas, and she said she still believes in it. But she doesn't believe in Santa Claus, as an institution, anymore.' ... "Now my daughter doesn't believe in Santa Claus. She sees him, and she knows it's a costume. What happens when we go to the mall this year? It'll just be a costume to her,' Martin added. "I've just been let down by this whole deal.'
I mention the "irony" of the situation because the entire belief structure built up around Santa Claus has so many unfortunate similarities to the beliefs these same people have built up around their god — and the language they use to express their annoyance only serves to reinforce this. A person who learns that the god of their childhood doesn't really exist may stop believing in religion "as an institution," see all of the pomp in churches as mere "costumes," and their families feel "let down" by the fact that someone no longer finds the same meaning or significance in religious rituals anymore.
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