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Christmas Tree Humbugs
By Kyle Sanders
12-15-9
 
The following Old Testament scripture is oft trotted out by various Christian/Pseudo-christian sects, groups and humbugs of variant degrees of claimed spiritual and biblical "purity" to convince many that celebrating Christmas by dragging a tree into ones home and decorating it is somehow service to demonic entities or an act of paganism...
 
Jeremiah 10:2-4: "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not." (KJV)
 
Par for the course, these same often conveniently leave off the next few sentences in the passage that makes it abundantly clear that it is speaking of pagans fashioning and embellishing a wooden IDOL, not merely decorating a tree ...
 
"They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne (carried around), because they cannot go (walk). Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good."
 
It should be rather evident that it's a far, far cry from decorating a tree to fashioning an idol to be worshiped! Last I checked, no one bowed down to a Christmas tree to worship it, nor regarded it as anything sacred or holy (most wind up rotting away on the curbside a week after Christmas waiting for the disposal trucks) and the presents placed beneath its piney balms were for the people, not the idol, which is the usual "service" an idolater would be expected to perform. See how bassackwards religious Pharisaism can turn things? And sadly, powerfully convincing to many. One would think common sense would prevail, but in religion, very little common sense exists.
 
The idol is mounted to a board or some form of platform and carried about, because it cannot walk, and to keep it from feebly tipping over and breaking. The only reason Christmas trees are placed in 'stands' is to keep it from falling over and wrecking the living room or swooping down and poking out Aunt Martha's one good eye, it's not to present the illusion that the tree is a living being standing on its own! That is the essential element of the Old Testament passage, the foolishness of the heathen making a god of mere wood and fashioned silver or gold or other precious coverings, which cannot see, nor hear, nor talk, much less DO anything, be it good or evil.
 
I suppose we could let Christmas trees just lay there on the floor and decorate them that way, but then we'd really just have a Christmas "shrub" and the effect is entirely lost. Christmas trees are not an act of paganism or idolatry, they are no different from the tradition of dressing in your best Sunday duds or making any other external display to represent something wonderful or cherished. In this case, it is the celebration of the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ. For some it might be the old Winter Solstice, entirely removed from anything 'Christian.' Ultimately, for the Christian, the Apostles left us with good teachings regarding our place in this world, "in the world, but not of it," and while here we have certain liberties which are not to be trampled or judged:
 
"Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a FESTIVAL or a new moon (feast) or a Sabbath day -- things which are a mere shadow (symbol) of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ." Col. 2:16-17
 
It should be noted that Paul, above, was writing to almost entirely gentile believers for whom many 'pagan' festivals and feasts would have been commonplace, and the Apostles had already drafted the clarifying one-accord letter to gentile believers, freeing them from any constricts of Jewish religious traditions (Acts 15).
 
So, enjoy your Christmas, tree and all, make merry and give generously to those without, remembering the great gift that was given to us all in Christ Jesus...
 
"God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." 1 Timothy 3:16
 
 
 
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