Often, atheists liken Christianity to believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Admittedly, I don’t actively search news on hate crimes against Santa or Bunny believers, but almost daily I am made aware of Christians being imprisoned, tortured, and murdered for their faith. History indicates that more Christians were martyred in the 20th century than all previous centuries combined. Why such hostility?

Many people deny the existence of Santa Claus, yet there is a whole industry built around the figure. Although many, many people don’t believe in Santa, his images, his portrayal, and stories about him are not only tolerated by non-believers, but promoted and often venerated. Meanwhile, more and more governmental policies are enacted that prohibit Christian expression of any kind. Chinese factories produce tons of Santa Claus merchandise for public consumption, while most of the Christians in that country must meet in secret for fear of imprisonment. What’s with that?

If you really believe in Santa Claus, you may be thought immature or silly, but you are welcome to publicly speak of, sing of, and venerate him in any fashion – usually without reprisal. You can certainly purchase and distribute Santa Claus literature at will.

If you sincerely believe that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that anyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life, you will probably not enjoy such freedoms. Acknowledgement of such is illegal in many countries – even punishable by death. Even in such circumstances, many are coming to faith in Christ – ready to not only live for Him, but to die for Him as well.

So, is believing in Christ like believing in Santa Claus? From purely objective evidence, I think that we have to conclude that they are not the same at all. For subjective evidence, I pray that you will put your trust in Christ.