'Inventing Santa Claus' is focus of free lecture
12/2/2014
 


Santa Claus was not always the plump and cheerful resident of the North Pole, delivering toys via flying reindeer. How did he come to be associated with Christmas, and what does Santa reveal about religion in America today? Learn more at a free lecture offered by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

 

“Inventing Santa Claus,” intended for an adult audience, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, in the Pinery Room of the Portage Country Public Library, 1001 Main Street, Stevens Point. It will be presented by Shanny Luft, associate professor of philosophy, and is the fourth talk in the eight-part College of Letters and Science 2014-2015 Community Lecture Series. The public may attend free of charge.

Luft first considered the origins of Santa Claus when he taught a first-year seminar on Christmas.

“Santa, Christmas trees, Rudolph, gifts – are these myths and rituals religious or secular? And how can we tell the difference?” asked Luft. “Examining Santa Claus can raise interesting questions about how the division between the sacred and the secular is not as clear as it first may seem.”

 

Luft received his master’s degree in religion and culture from Boston University and doctorate in religion in America from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interests focus on American religion, evangelicalism, and popular culture. 

 

For more information on the Community Lecture Series, visit www.uwsp.edu/cols/lectureseries.


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