Santa syndrome

Santa syndrome is a psychological syndrome causing affected individuals to ultimately accept atheism. Most individuals discover or are told that the supernatural aspects associated with the Christian tradition of Santa Claus, such as him riding a sleigh led by reindeer and giving all good children around the world Christmas presents, are legend and are simply practiced in order to enrich the experience of celebrating the holy day. However, individuals with Santa Syndrome are often abnormally bitter about this finding and as a result, move further to reject the existence of God.

In the book Christian No More, author Jeffrey Mark describes his suffering from Santa Syndrome; a notable Christian apologist who publishes his work under the nom de plume ShockofGod has analyzed Jeffrey Mark's case and presented his findings in a case study available to the public. Jeffrey Mark describes the consternation he underwent when he was told about the supernatural additions to the story of Saint Nicholas:

She broke the unbelievable news that no, there really was no Santa Claus. But how could that be?

This finding led to the author's psychopathological denial of the existence of God:

And interestingly, my feeling that Jesus was real was just as strong as when I was younger and felt that Santa was real. But Santa wasn't real. That gave me something to think about.

See also

• Causes of atheism

External links

• True Freethinker: Santa Syndrome
• The Pyschology of Atheism by Paul C. Vitz, Ph.D., New York University Department of Psychology
• Columbia University: The Psychology of Atheism
• Santa Syndrome Explained
• St. Nicholas Center: Discovering the Truth about Santa Claus
• Santa Syndrome Case Studies