Theos-Talk Archives (December 2002 Message tt00299)

dalval14@earthlink.net wrote:
> In Europe it is St. Nicholas who brings gifts to children and on quite
> another day Was it November 6th ?

Just the Netherlands. Since Nicholas is a Saint and a figure of
respect, his assistant, Piet, is the figure that actually goes out to
the kids and has fun with them, as Sinter Klaas looks regally on. 

> America and American festivals are virtually unknown elsewhere Who
> ever heard outside of the US and its close neighbors, of
> "thanksgiving" and immolating the Great Turkey?

When they burn Bush in effigy? (for conservatives, if this had been 3
years ago, I would have said "Clinton"). 

> Why tell children lies at any time? They have a bad enough time
> realizing that their elders including parents frequently don't mean
> what they say.

It is my theory that the student revolt in American during the 60's
was, at least in part, due to the fact that, during WWII, the dark side
of America was no longer shown to adolescents, but only in colleges. The
profusion of drugs on college campuses was due, at least in part,
because 90% of the anti-drug campaigns were a pack of lies, and
therefore the 10% that was truth was not believed, either. I have noted
that the evangelical Christian literature about things like the New Age
Movement, neo-paganism, and, for that matter, Theosophy has become MUCH
more accurate; they too have realized that if you need lies to bolster
your arguments, then you don't have much of an argument to begin with.

Bart