The rest of Eliezer’s original writing seems to allude to this. If children are trained to take bribes and go for the most convenient excuse (and to commit the fallacy of the false dilemma by teaching-through-example), then they are quickly self-persuaded that it is to their benefit to not apply the principle to religion unless they know they are being abused by this more than they can abuse it and others through it.
We seem to go to pretty dark places pretty fast once we tell ourselves it’s all right to lie to our children.
Also, while most people do grow out of Santa, they don’t seem to grow out of God; so the dress rehearsal apparently doesn’t ever become a performance.
The rest of Eliezer’s original writing seems to allude to this. If children are trained to take bribes and go for the most convenient excuse (and to commit the fallacy of the false dilemma by teaching-through-example), then they are quickly self-persuaded that it is to their benefit to not apply the principle to religion unless they know they are being abused by this more than they can abuse it and others through it.