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Archive
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| A Year in Religion News, the Historical Santa Claus, and How to Be Jewish on Christmas |
| December 20, 2012 |
Summary: The religion news stories that mattered in 2012, Nicholas of Myra: the real Santa Claus, and the Jewish December dilemma. |
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| The Stories That Mattered in 2012 |
December 20, 2012 |
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In our annual tradition, two of our favorite analysts take us back through the year in religion news. And it's been quite a year: it was the first Presidential election without a white Protestant nominee. One in five Americans now describe themselves as non-religious. And the Connecticut school shooting left us grasping for answers about the nature of evil, and the moral responsibility of the media.
Kim Lawton, Managing Editor of Religion and Ethics Newsweekly
Kevin Eckstrom, Editor-in-Chief of Religion News Service |
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| Nicholas of Myra: The Real Santa Claus |
December 20, 2012 |
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He’s known for having magical elves, compiling a naughty and nice list, and dropping presents down chimneys. And there's actually some truth to all the folklore – though not so much with the elves. The real Santa Claus was actually Nicholas of Myra, a humble man born around the third century who left anonymous gifts in the night.
Adam English, author of The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus: The True Life and Trials of Nicholas of Myra
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| The Jewish December Dilemma |
December 20, 2012 |
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When Rabbi Joshua Eli Plaut was a boy, his mother took him to sit on Santa Claus’ lap. It’s what every American kid did. That was the beginning of his interest in how Jews cope with Christmas - and how they make the season their own.
Pictured: Joshua Plaut, age 7, on Santa's lap in 1964.
Rabbi Joshua Eli Plaut, author of A Kosher Christmas: ’Tis the Season to be Jewish
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