The Westender, Brisbane
29th December 2008
Raelians launch world-wide campaign to destroy the Santa Myth
29th December 2008
Raelians launch world-wide campaign to destroy the Santa Myth
The International Raelian Movement plans to launch an anti-Santa Claus campaign with a dedicated Web site and the distribution of stickers announcing "There is no Santa!"
Father Dino Bottino, parish priest of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Novara, Italy, met with a storm of criticism earlier this month for telling children the truth about Father Christmas [another imaginary seasonal figure celebrated by many cultures who, despite different historical roots, has somewhat merged with Santa Claus.
Rael, founder and leader of the International Raelian Movement, expressed support for the clergyman's disclosure and announced that Raelians will work to counter the myth of Santa Claus.
"This Italian priest is absolutely right," Rael commented in a statement released today. "Teaching children inventions like Father Christmas or Santa Claus only serves to mislead them. It's giving them a bad education by showing that their own parents, who should be reliable and honest, are liars."
Bottino told the press he considered it his duty to reveal that Father Christmas is nothing more than a fairy-tale figure comparable to Snow White, and that such fantasy figures have nothing to do with Jesus or the traditional Christian meaning of Christmas. But Rael went further, saying that merry end-of-the-year celebrations existed thousands of years before Christianity even existed, and that their zest and vitality has been lost.
"People forget that the original celebrations at this time of year weren't even Christian," he said. "Ancient Romans knew them as Saturnalia, wonderful pagan events at which people partied and had fun by dancing in the nude and really letting loose. So the early Catholic Church did all it could to make people feel guilty about enjoying themselves that way. It pre-empted the Saturnalia celebrations by Christianizing them."
"In a sense, exchanging gifts for Christmas is like returning to the pagan origins of the winter solstice celebrations, and this is encouraged by Rael," added Brigitte Boisselier, spokesperson of the Raelian Movement. "However, to disguise it under another fairytale like the one about Santa Claus is a way to prepare children's brains to accept all the other fairytales that surround us like the god fairytale and the evolution fairytale. Surely our children deserve more trust and respect."
She said Raelians around the world exchanged "Merry Saturnalia" wishes on Christmas day.
In today's statement, Rael said it's time to reject the Christian version of the holiday along with Santa Claus. He reminded the Raelians celebrating with him that these celebrations have nothing to do with Jesus, who wasn't even born on the day the church says he was.
"People should do all they can to bring these annual festivities back to their origins by adopting the pre-Christian, fun-loving mindset and most importantly, removing all mysticism, whether it's related to the birth of a god in a barn or to the mysterious Santa Claus or Father Christmas," he said.
Father Dino Bottino, parish priest of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Novara, Italy, met with a storm of criticism earlier this month for telling children the truth about Father Christmas [another imaginary seasonal figure celebrated by many cultures who, despite different historical roots, has somewhat merged with Santa Claus.
Rael, founder and leader of the International Raelian Movement, expressed support for the clergyman's disclosure and announced that Raelians will work to counter the myth of Santa Claus.
"This Italian priest is absolutely right," Rael commented in a statement released today. "Teaching children inventions like Father Christmas or Santa Claus only serves to mislead them. It's giving them a bad education by showing that their own parents, who should be reliable and honest, are liars."
Bottino told the press he considered it his duty to reveal that Father Christmas is nothing more than a fairy-tale figure comparable to Snow White, and that such fantasy figures have nothing to do with Jesus or the traditional Christian meaning of Christmas. But Rael went further, saying that merry end-of-the-year celebrations existed thousands of years before Christianity even existed, and that their zest and vitality has been lost.
"People forget that the original celebrations at this time of year weren't even Christian," he said. "Ancient Romans knew them as Saturnalia, wonderful pagan events at which people partied and had fun by dancing in the nude and really letting loose. So the early Catholic Church did all it could to make people feel guilty about enjoying themselves that way. It pre-empted the Saturnalia celebrations by Christianizing them."
"In a sense, exchanging gifts for Christmas is like returning to the pagan origins of the winter solstice celebrations, and this is encouraged by Rael," added Brigitte Boisselier, spokesperson of the Raelian Movement. "However, to disguise it under another fairytale like the one about Santa Claus is a way to prepare children's brains to accept all the other fairytales that surround us like the god fairytale and the evolution fairytale. Surely our children deserve more trust and respect."
She said Raelians around the world exchanged "Merry Saturnalia" wishes on Christmas day.
In today's statement, Rael said it's time to reject the Christian version of the holiday along with Santa Claus. He reminded the Raelians celebrating with him that these celebrations have nothing to do with Jesus, who wasn't even born on the day the church says he was.
"People should do all they can to bring these annual festivities back to their origins by adopting the pre-Christian, fun-loving mindset and most importantly, removing all mysticism, whether it's related to the birth of a god in a barn or to the mysterious Santa Claus or Father Christmas," he said.
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