Children should be lied to

The basic premise of my argument is that knowledge is to be preferred to ignorance. "How many children are actually hurt and affected by it? The children eventually figure out on their own, and are not offended or question." -An exact number of how many are hurt I cannot give. As for how many are affected, I would venture to say that all involved are in one way or another. The point is that if the children not lied to in the first place, they wouldn't have to "figure it out for themselves." As I mentioned in my opening, the children see the double-standard, even if they are not vocal about it. Their parents and others who perpetuate these lies automatically turn into liars and hypocrites - a great example for the young. "But there are ways to not directly answer the child's question while still not lying. For, the child may be too young to actually understand and could become worried or change their mood or behavior." -If the child is old enough to ask the question, he or she is old enough to be told the truth. I am not saying that the answer won't require nuance on the part of the parent or guardian. "The real only acceptable time to lie to a child is about Santa Claus and other mythical characters." -I must admit I find it amusing, but not surprising, that a Christian would write this. What were you thinking when you wrote that sentence? It is NEVER "acceptable" to lie to a child - and I would think that since one of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not lie" that a Christian would, especially for the context of a debate, avoid such a disastrous line of thought. That aside, I must ask: Why is it "acceptable" to lie to a child in this context but not others? Where do you draw the line, and by what criteria? "Again, I ask what is the harm? We are not teaching them to lie." -Actually, you are teaching them to lie, by example. Children don't learn only what they are taught directly - they are like a sponge that soaks up everything around them. A lie is a lie, children recognize that. They might not recognize what are called "white lies," which are told in everyday conversation between adults for the sake of politeness or some other social convention, but lying about mythical characters cannot even be construed as this - it is an intentional deception of young children. "Also, it improves a child's life morally." -I suppose, if you consider placing your child's morality on an inevitable slippery slope an improvement. "Why should I not lie like my parents told me to when they obviously lie?" easily enough becomes "Why should I believe anything my parents tell me?" easily enough becomes "Why should I believe anything anyone tells me?" I am not saying that individuals should not question their morality - I fully think that they should. However, there should at least be a morality to question, a foundation. When children are lied to from the get-go for no good reason about something so trivial, any moral foundation becomes eroded, and instead of a healthy and reasonable skepticism toward moral convention, all morality can be thrown out as equally burdensome. "The child learns from Santa that it is good to give to others." -The child doesn't learn anything from Santa because Santa does not exist. And again, why create a lie when you could simply tell the truth about Christmas? You would avoid a potential moral quagmire, and gain true admiration and affection from your children instead of eroding their trust. Imagine - children could learn the value of charity/compassion/goodwill from their parents, actual real human beings. What a travesty that would be! I also do not think that children would enjoy Christmas any less because they know that there is no Santa Claus - the gifts are still there. You asked me what the harm was in lying in this manner to children; I ask you: What is the value of lying in this manner to children? What is the reason for it? "These ideas originated hundreds of years ago, and are traditions which children continue when they grow up and have kids also." -My point exactly. The lie keeps on being perpetuated, leading to more and more ignorance. On a different note, perhaps you should investigate the actual origins of Christmas (I don't mean a baby was born in a barn) sometime since you think continuing these "traditions" is so important. You might be surprised. Back to you.