A Texas street preacher is being slammed by the public for dressing as the Grinch and stealing Christmas from little children, telling them that Santa Claus is not coming to town.
The man, who’s disguised as the green Dr. Seuss character, has been parading outside of an elementary school in Texas, with a sign reading “Santa is fake, Jesus is real.”
Despite attracting a police presence, and being “assaulted” by parents accusing him of using “scare tactics,” the man – citing the first amendment of free speech – refuses to back down until he breaks the centuries-old “lie” of Jolly St. Nicholas.
Keep reading to learn more about the real-life Grinch who’s stealing Christmas!
David Grisham is ruining Christmas for the kids at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School in Amarillo, Texas.
Earlier in December, Grisham dressed up as the grouchy Grinch, marching outside of the school holding the sign “Santa is fake, Jesus is real.”
While trying to draw the attention of children excited for Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve, Grisham – a self-proclaimed street preacher – also attracted scores of furious parents and local police, who are familiar with the “pastor.”
In YouTube video mocking the Santa naysayer, Grisham is seen standing on the sidewalk, shouting to children “Hey Kids! There is no Santa Claus!” Next to him is another man, dressed as Santa, who’s holding a sign “I sit on a throne of lies.”
In the video, the man is heard in a conversation with police, where he says, “We’re going to stay away from there, we’re not going to go on school property at all. We have no intentions of doing that.”
In a statement to People, the Amarillo Police Department writes, “We did not make an incident report since Mr. Grisham was lawfully on public property when our police officers encountered him.” It continues, “…He has been around for many years, preaching on the streets. We do get called about him from citizens occasionally.”
Parents were furious.
In another YouTube video, the Grinch is approached by an adult male outside the school and, as the man grabs his sign and throws it to the ground, Grisham can be heard saying, “You shouldn’t lie to children.”
Then, walking down the sidewalk, Grisham continues his merriment by shouting, “Hey kids! Merry Christmas. There is no Santa Claus.”
Re-routing kids
Meanwhile, parents and guardians are seen herding the children to a different entrance, away from the preacher and his “self-righteous” claims.
In a statement given to ABC 7, the school’s principal, Kelsey Williams, said that Grisham was “unwanted and uninvited,” adding: “I’m saddened by the fact that some of our kiddos and families were frightened because of him.”
People reports that Grisham said, “The Grinch costume was to help the preaching not frighten the children. It worked well, as several children smiled and waved, [and] one gave me a high five.”
According to the online community, his approach was quite frightening to the youngsters: “Way to use your scare tactics to try and get your point across!”
One angry cyber user writes: “Where’s the footage of children high fiving you? Oh, wait…there is none. Not a single child gave you a high five.” The post continues, “That’s a lie. There wasn’t a single child near you. They redirected traffic because of you. Nobody wanted you there. This was a selfish act. So not only are you a liar, you’re also greedy and selfish. You make Christians look bad.”
Jolly old Saint Nicholas
On his Facebook page, Grisham describes the incident, claiming “The police showed up in force, I got assaulted by a parent and they tore my sign, and the police did their very best to distract me from my mission and blocked me from exercising my first amendment rights as much as they could. They as much as admitted so. Very unprofessional.”
He adds that “Hundreds of children heard the message and many parents as well. It’s very telling for a society to go this far in protecting a LIE. To go that far in trying to protect kids from hearing the truth. It’s no wonder our country is in trouble.”
Responding to his boastful social media post, netizens said he is “selfish” and an “extreme fundamentalist” who “makes all Christians look bad.”
Another netizen writes, “Mr. Grisham, fellow Christian here. A disgusted Christian that is. Jesus calls us to spread the Gospel in LOVE. Your approach is less than loving.” The user adds, “As a mom who celebrates Christmas and all of its meanings, I don’t see how preaching to children about the truth of Santa is going to draw any one of them to salvation.”
A second, insulted by his representation of her faith, writes, “As a Christian, I can say this is not a tactic the majority of us agree with. These guys are extreme fundamentalists. We don’t agree with this type of stupid behavior.”
A third quips, “They’re never going to believe the grinch. What you’ve done is make kids think Jesus is fake because the grinch is a liar.”
Offering some history, another user shares, “The worst thing is… From a religious perspective, Santa does exist, at least for Catholics. He is Saint Nicholas of Bari! I know Evangelists don’t recognize Saints, but they are Real Theological entities for a Good Portion of the Christian Populus!! So Santa is Freaking real and his kindness is repeated and honored each time Jesus’ Birthday comes around!! That, and could everyone stop messing with kids already??”
But not everyone disagreed with his idea. A handful of online users praised him for his work. “Just be careful out there. You know how insane the truth haters can get,” writes one. A second shares, “It’s a hard truth for many to learn, but might as well. Go all the way with the truth.”
Grisham, undeterred by the online and in-person attacks, shared another Facebook post on December 11, saying “Going to do it again tomorrow morning. Stay tuned!!”
No one, other than parents or guardians, should have influence over what a child believes, and David Grisham is taking it too far. Children deserve to believe in the magic of Christmas until they’re ready to learn the truth!
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