Did you know the Bible features Santa Claus and that he made an appearance at the manger in Bethlehem?
No?
To be clear, the writers of the Bible didn't know it, either.
But that doesn't mean people won't believe such statements about Christmas, including that Jesus never cried as a baby and that his birthday is Dec. 25.
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The results come from a poll on which the London Telegraph reported.
The survey found that one in 10 young adults in Britain believes Santa Claus, or Father Christmas as he is often known in the U.K., makes an appearance in the Bible. Significant numbers also think that Mary and Joseph might have "brightened up the stable with a Christmas tree."
The report said more than one third of the polled population thinks that the Bible records Dec. 25 as the date of the Jesus' birth. And, the Telegraph said a quarter appear to have confused the lyrics of "Away in a Manger" with the Gospels by believing that the Bible states Jesus didn't cry when he was born.
According to the Christian Institute, which had ComRes do the survey of some 2,000 people, "A whopping 84 percent of the public believes that three kings visited Jesus, despite the Gospels only mentioning 'wise men from the East.'"
"Unsurprisingly perhaps, it is the older generation who fare better in their knowledge of the biblical Christmas story, given that almost half of those over 65 said they were taught 'a lot' about the Bible, while only 21 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds said the same," the Christian Institute reported. "Seven percent of the public think Christmas trees – introduced in Britain's Victorian era – are in the Bible, a proportion which nearly doubles among 18 to 35-year-olds."
The poll, said the Christian Institute Director Colin Hart, "shows a worrying lack of knowledge about our country's Christian heritage that has shaped our history, institutions and laws, even who we are and our values."
It found 12 percent of Londoners believe the Bible features Father Christmas. A full 1 in 10 of the government workers say Santa Claus made an appearance at Jesus' birth.
Hart said Christianity has been marginalized from schools.
"It's not just about giving it more space on the timetable. It's also about the way it’s taught," he said.
Debunking many of the common myths about the Bible is the book "Shocked By the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told," by WND Executive News Editor Joe Kovacs.
"When people actually crack open the pages of their own Bible and see the words on its pages, the ultimate destiny for believers is far more glorious than what most people have been told for centuries," said Kovacs.
Kovacs said his aim is "to educate people about the solid truth of Scripture and to stop the spread of erroneous information."
"I want people to crack open their Bibles and see with their own eyes what's actually printed on the pages, and what's not. It's shocking!"
According to Scripture, you won't find "Three Wise Men" mentioned anywhere in the story of Jesus' birth. For that matter, no wise men are said to have shown up at the manger in Bethlehem. An unspecified number of wise men first met Jesus as a "young child" in a "house," not a babe in a manger, and it might have been more than a year after He was born.
Kovacs notes that the word "Christmas" is not even mentioned in the Bible.