Although I haven’t always been an atheist all my life, I have always been somewhat of a skeptic. I remember an incident in second grade when I was denying the existence of Santa Claus. I was saying it was all our parents doing. Then, one kid said he had once received a present that none of his relatives could have afforded. I was still skeptical, but what could I do against such an anecdote? I conceded that maybe Santa did exist, but for the majority of people, it was still just their parents.

Now, I’m older, and I know for sure there is no Santa. I know his anecdote is wrong. You know what? Despite what the “where’d this present come from” and “I didn’t hire that Santa” sitcom and cartoon endings may indicate, there are no Christmas miracles due to Santa. Santa is a lie.

I didn’t always think of it as a lie. I used to think of Santa as a metaphor. My cousins still believed in Santa at one point, and my parents didn’t want me to “ruin” it for them. So, my mom taught me that Santa was a metaphor for giving. I went with it.

But why ascribe giving to Santa Claus? What’s wrong with giving by itself? There’s no purpose for Santa Claus if it’s just some metaphor. A Santa that is a metaphor is no Santa at all.

I think about gods the same way I think about Santa Claus. (Well, not as a lie.) People give these anecdotes about miracles, but I’m extremely skeptical. I was already duped once with Santa. I’m not going to get duped again. Okay, I realize this statement could offend people, but I really do see it somewhat the same way.

I also will never believe in God as a metaphor. Some people say God is love. I don’t buy it. Why not just believe in love then? A god that is a metaphor is no god at all.