Articles of Clausian Faith
1. We believe in Santa Claus, the kind gift giver, and all his elves.
2. We believe that Santa wants us to be nice at all times, and never naughty.
3. We believe that all behaviors good or bad will be addressed in the form of gifts, or reminders yearly.
4. We believe that by constant reinforcement we can become nicer with every passing day.
5. We believe that a man must be chosen by Santa, or clergy of the church to wear the red suit, and represent him in the holiday festivities.
6. We believe the organization of the church consists of helpers, gift-givers, toy-makers, story-tellers and so on.
7. We believe in Santa's far reaching vision, clear moral sense, affinity with elves, gift of tongues, mastery of space & time, and flying immortal reindeer.
8. We believe in the holy scriptures, The Night Before Christmas, Deck the Halls, How the Grince Stole Christmas, and other songs and stories that create the living tapestry of Clausian belief.
9. We believe that Santa continues to create and inspire new works of literature and music to continue to inspire and direct us.
10. We believe no other supernatural entities exist, other than those Santa has created, but that all men should be able to believe as they choose.
11. We believe in the holy holidays of Christmas and Easter and Halloween.
12. We believe that we should all be giving, loving, kind, true, loyal, honest, and benevolent, as Santa would like us to be.
On Naughtiness:
One of the central questions of Clausian faith is that of the nature of the Naughty. The scriptures clearly point the way with regards to that which is Naughty. For example, the hymn "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." (SCCT) indicates that one should not cry or pout. Since this hymn is directed at children we come to understand that Santa wishes us to not become overwhelmed with negative emotion. Similar thought can be applied to all the scriptures to paint a clear picture of what constitutes Naughtiness. Put simply, adults are naughty when they lie, cheat, exhibit undue anger, and so on. In short, if you do something to another person that you would NOT like done to yourself, you've been naughty. Children, being in their formative years, are also considered naughty if they do not show proper respect to their elders, primarily in the form of compliance to their parents rules.
On Niceness:
With the case for Naughtiness having been made, one might assume that anything that isn't Naughty is Nice. This is hardly the case. Certainly, children who show respect for their elders are being Nice, but for the more general case, the matter is less clear. A Nice individual is expected to engage in acts of charity in the fashion of Santa Claus. Giving is truly the Nicest thing we can do. And we must be giving in all things, not just physical objects. We must give of our hearts and minds. We must provide service and shelter to truly be considered Nice. And for parents, they must provide guidance, and support to their children. It is quite possible to live in the margins, neither Naughty, nor Nice, and be completely out of the light of Santa's love. This is to be avoided.
The Holy Days:
The Clausian faith observes three primary Holy Days (or Holidays). Christmas, Easter, and Halloween.
The first and most important Holiday is Christmas. On this date, Santa Claus makes the rounds to the homes of all people. At each home, he will leave either a reward for Nice behavior, or a punishment for Naughty behavior. Those who are neither Nice, nor Naughty receive nothing. Members of the faith are required to do very little for this Holiday. Adherents should leave out a snack to sustain Santa Claus. In the United States, this is traditionally co0kies and milk, but any snack will do. Adherents will also leave out a stocking or sock in which Santa will place some of his gifts. Children must be asleep when Santa arrives, as is stated in the Holy film "Elf", The Christmas spirit is about believing, not seeing."
The second Clausian Holiday is Easter. On this day, Santa's elves prepare and deliver small baskets of goodies and distribute them freely without regard to the Nice/Naughty list. The purpose of Easter is to remind all people of the wonderful rewards that await them next December should they choose to be Nice. Adherents are not required to do anything to observe the Holiday, but many choose to dye and hide eggs. Those who hide eggs believe that finding the eggs reminds us to find the Nice within ourselves.
The third Clausian Holiday is Halloween. Adherents have the largest burden to carry during the Halloween celebration. Since the elves are very busy gearing up for Christmas, Adherents give candy to children to celebrate the spirit of giving. Children dress in colorful costumes to bring joy to those who choose to give. The phrase "Trick or Treat", while often misinterpreted as a threat from the children to be Naughty if denied, is a verbal reinforcement. Nice children should be given a treat, naughty children should be tricked.
No other official Clausian are recognized by the church. However, many feel that Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and other holidays of giving can be observed by the faithful to constantly remind themselves of the spirit of giving.
2. We believe that Santa wants us to be nice at all times, and never naughty.
3. We believe that all behaviors good or bad will be addressed in the form of gifts, or reminders yearly.
4. We believe that by constant reinforcement we can become nicer with every passing day.
5. We believe that a man must be chosen by Santa, or clergy of the church to wear the red suit, and represent him in the holiday festivities.
6. We believe the organization of the church consists of helpers, gift-givers, toy-makers, story-tellers and so on.
7. We believe in Santa's far reaching vision, clear moral sense, affinity with elves, gift of tongues, mastery of space & time, and flying immortal reindeer.
8. We believe in the holy scriptures, The Night Before Christmas, Deck the Halls, How the Grince Stole Christmas, and other songs and stories that create the living tapestry of Clausian belief.
9. We believe that Santa continues to create and inspire new works of literature and music to continue to inspire and direct us.
10. We believe no other supernatural entities exist, other than those Santa has created, but that all men should be able to believe as they choose.
11. We believe in the holy holidays of Christmas and Easter and Halloween.
12. We believe that we should all be giving, loving, kind, true, loyal, honest, and benevolent, as Santa would like us to be.
On Naughtiness:
One of the central questions of Clausian faith is that of the nature of the Naughty. The scriptures clearly point the way with regards to that which is Naughty. For example, the hymn "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." (SCCT) indicates that one should not cry or pout. Since this hymn is directed at children we come to understand that Santa wishes us to not become overwhelmed with negative emotion. Similar thought can be applied to all the scriptures to paint a clear picture of what constitutes Naughtiness. Put simply, adults are naughty when they lie, cheat, exhibit undue anger, and so on. In short, if you do something to another person that you would NOT like done to yourself, you've been naughty. Children, being in their formative years, are also considered naughty if they do not show proper respect to their elders, primarily in the form of compliance to their parents rules.
On Niceness:
With the case for Naughtiness having been made, one might assume that anything that isn't Naughty is Nice. This is hardly the case. Certainly, children who show respect for their elders are being Nice, but for the more general case, the matter is less clear. A Nice individual is expected to engage in acts of charity in the fashion of Santa Claus. Giving is truly the Nicest thing we can do. And we must be giving in all things, not just physical objects. We must give of our hearts and minds. We must provide service and shelter to truly be considered Nice. And for parents, they must provide guidance, and support to their children. It is quite possible to live in the margins, neither Naughty, nor Nice, and be completely out of the light of Santa's love. This is to be avoided.
The Holy Days:
The Clausian faith observes three primary Holy Days (or Holidays). Christmas, Easter, and Halloween.
The first and most important Holiday is Christmas. On this date, Santa Claus makes the rounds to the homes of all people. At each home, he will leave either a reward for Nice behavior, or a punishment for Naughty behavior. Those who are neither Nice, nor Naughty receive nothing. Members of the faith are required to do very little for this Holiday. Adherents should leave out a snack to sustain Santa Claus. In the United States, this is traditionally co0kies and milk, but any snack will do. Adherents will also leave out a stocking or sock in which Santa will place some of his gifts. Children must be asleep when Santa arrives, as is stated in the Holy film "Elf", The Christmas spirit is about believing, not seeing."
The second Clausian Holiday is Easter. On this day, Santa's elves prepare and deliver small baskets of goodies and distribute them freely without regard to the Nice/Naughty list. The purpose of Easter is to remind all people of the wonderful rewards that await them next December should they choose to be Nice. Adherents are not required to do anything to observe the Holiday, but many choose to dye and hide eggs. Those who hide eggs believe that finding the eggs reminds us to find the Nice within ourselves.
The third Clausian Holiday is Halloween. Adherents have the largest burden to carry during the Halloween celebration. Since the elves are very busy gearing up for Christmas, Adherents give candy to children to celebrate the spirit of giving. Children dress in colorful costumes to bring joy to those who choose to give. The phrase "Trick or Treat", while often misinterpreted as a threat from the children to be Naughty if denied, is a verbal reinforcement. Nice children should be given a treat, naughty children should be tricked.
No other official Clausian are recognized by the church. However, many feel that Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and other holidays of giving can be observed by the faithful to constantly remind themselves of the spirit of giving.
9/2/05: Add Naughty & Nice.
9/13/05: Added Holy Days.
Glintir |
8/24/2005 12:16:00 PM |
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