Religion is a fairy tale

     Unlike other animals, human babies are told various fairy tales by their parents. Religion is just another fairy tale that doesn't go away.

 All cultures around the world tell fairy tales to their children. I'm using the word fairy tales to include tribal myths, legends, and stories written specifically for children. 

          There are various opinions among educators, child psychologists and others in similar fields as to whether fairy tales are good for children. But there is a consensus that children should not grow into adulthood believing that kissing a frog can turn it into a prince, a tooth left under your pillow will be replaced by a small amount of money by a tooth fairy, or that Santa Claus is real. These childhood beliefs generally fade away by themselves as a child grows.

          But suppose a child’s parents keep warning him that Santa is keeping a list and knows who’s naughty and nice. And suppose when he goes to Sunday school he is taught a special prayer for Santa’s blessing. And suppose every week when he goes to church the choir sings at least one song to Santa Claus and occasionally the minister praises Santa in his sermon and references the Old Testament quoting Zechariah 2:6 “Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord”.   And suppose his parents believe in Santa Claus and all the members of his church believe in Santa Claus. The child is going to continue to believe in Santa Claus even when he grows into an adult.

          If you were to ask him as an adult how Santa can visit every child in the world in one night he would tell you the same thing his minister told the congregation. All things are possible under God.

          A good example would be the fairy tale "Mary's Child" written by the Grim brothers published in 1815.  The only difference between this tale and the tale of Mary and the virgin birth in the New Testament is that it was written later and we know who wrote it.  We don't know who wrote the tale in the Bible.