Christmas Trees An Abomination?

[Fledgling]

**Jeremiah 10 (King James Version)
**
Jeremiah 10

1Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

2Thus 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.

3**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.

4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.**

5They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

“Learn not the way of the Heathen”…Heathen being Pagans.

During the Pagan holiday of Yule they decorate Yule Logs.

Obviously God warned us not to take up their traditions of cutting down a tree and decorating it.

Jeremiah 10 makes it pretty clear that Christmas Trees are sin.

 

[ora_pro_nobis]

Context!

 

[Fledgling]

How can you take that out of context?

God said…

“Learn not the way of the heathen”

“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.”

I think that’s pretty clear.

 

[Corki]

Nope, my Christmas tree is not an abomination. It’s quite beautiful, in fact! It was not cut down by a heathen nor hung with decorations by one.

Sorry, no more patience for these anti-Christmas threads.

Christmas trees are not sinful! (although they might be heretical since I think Martin Luther started the tradition)

 

[ConstantineTG]

I deck mine with red and fasten it with screws. And I cut it with a saw and definitely not from a forest

 

[melchesidechpio]

from the Haydock Bible Commentary

Ver. 2. Ways. Religious rites, ver. 3. — Fear. Worship, Leviticus xix. 14. — Signs. They were designed to point out the seasons, Genesis i. 14. (Calmet) — Heathens thought that they had a divine power. (Worthington)

Ver. 4. Asunder. Isaias xliv. 8., Baruch vi. 3., and Wisdom xiii. 11. The pagans themselves laughed at such folly. (Calmet) — If such things were gods, the makers and tools deserved more adoration: Fabri deorum vel parentes numinum, says Prudentius. The vanity of such idols was more easily discerned than that of the stars. (Worthington)

 

[Indyann]

Finally the “evil Christmas tree thread”.

I thought maybe, we were going to escape it this year.

 

[Fledgling]

I am a Christian

If you guys want to ignore something obvious…Go ahead.

I celebrate Christmas and have my tree up in my living room right now but I will no longer put it up after this year.

Jeremiah 10 is very clear.

 

[melchesidechpio]

I am a Christian

If you guys want to ignore something obvious…Go ahead.

I celebrate Christmas and have my tree up in my living room right now but I will no longer put it up after this year.

Jeremiah 10 is very clear.

putting the tree up doesn’t mean that we worship it. That is what those verses were about. Idol worship, not making what is not pagan and paganizing it

 

[juno24]

I am a Christian

If you guys want to ignore something obvious…Go ahead.

I celebrate Christmas and have my tree up in my living room right now but I will no longer put it up after this year.

Jeremiah 10 is very clear.

So tell us, then. Why and when did you start to worship your tree?

 

[Fledgling]

putting the tree up doesn’t mean that we worship it. That is what those verses were about. Idol worship, not making what is not pagan and paganizing it

At least there’s one polite person on this forum

I don’t worship it either.

I’ve considered that interpretation and it makes sense but the way it’s written out in Jeremiah just makes me feel uneasy about it.

 

[jmcrae]

How can you take that out of context?

God said…

“Learn not the way of the heathen”

“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.”

I think that’s pretty clear.

It seems to be talking about totem poles (wooden statues of gods, carved with an axe, from the pole of the tree) - not Christmas trees.

I don’t think the pagans in the time of Jeremiah had Christmas trees (do evergreens even grow in that region? I had always assumed that evergreens grow in alpine regions; not in the desert) - I am also under the impression that Martin Luther is the actual inventor of the Christmas Tree - which means that we stole it from the heretics; not from the heathens - huge difference, as they would be the first to explain to you.

The evergreen tree symbolizes eternal life. The balls and toys hung from the branches symbolize the fruits of the Tree of Life. The string of lights represent Christ the Light of the World. The garland signifies the Angel choir. The star or angel at the top of the tree symbolizes the announcement of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds and to the Magi.

 

[melchesidechpio]

At least there’s one polite person on this forum

I don’t worship it either.

I’ve considered that interpretation and it makes sense but the way it’s written out in Jeremiah just makes me feel uneasy about it.

I would encourage you to pray about it.

 

[Fledgling]

It seems to be talking about totem poles (wooden statues of gods, carved with an axe, from the pole of the tree) - not Christmas trees.

I don’t think the pagans in the time of Jeremiah had Christmas trees (do evergreens even grow in that region? I had always assumed that evergreens grow in alpine regions; not in the desert) - I am also under the impression that Martin Luther is the actual inventor of the Christmas Tree - which means that we stole it from the heretics; not from the heathens - huge difference, as they would be the first to explain to you.

The evergreen tree symbolizes eternal life. The balls and toys hung from the branches symbolize the fruits of the Tree of Life. The string of lights represent Christ the Light of the World. The garland signifies the Angel choir. The star or angel at the top of the tree symbolizes the announcement of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds and to the Magi.

Thank you for your great post.

Makes sense:thumbsup:

 

[Corki]

I am a Christian

If you guys want to ignore something obvious…Go ahead.

I celebrate Christmas and have my tree up in my living room right now but I will no longer put it up after this year.

Jeremiah 10 is very clear.

It’s not obvious that a Christmas tree is sinful.

Do you know the historical context of Jeremiah? It was written as the Isrealites were being shipped off to Babylon. There are strong warnings to hold tight to the tenents of their faith. They did not have books or the internet to go to to answer questions of faith. They did not even have the early scripture readily available since the temple was disrupted. Those that didn’t heed the warnings, intermarried etc., became the Samaritans.

Is your faith being threatened by pagans pushing Christmas trees? Is anyone planning to deport you in order to disrupt the practice of your faith? If not, you need to read this portion of Scripture in the context of the people to whom it was directed.

Advice - stay away from the anti-Christmas fundies at this time of year. This is obviously not a long held belief of yours but something you have been talked into.

 

[Fledgling]

You’re late explaining yourself Corki…Thanks anyways

jmcrae explained it perfectly without jumping on the you’re “anti-Christmas” bandwagon.

That wasn’t my intent.

Yes, I was talked into it by a women who I thought was a Messianic Jew but she just said she wasn’t and when into a bunch of mumbo jumbo.

I personally like a Christmas Tree and was hoping her interpretation was wrong.

Thanks again Corki

 

[ConstantineTG]

It’s not obvious that a Christmas tree is sinful.

Do you know the historical context of Jeremiah? It was written as the Isrealites were being shipped off to Babylon. There are strong warnings to hold tight to the tenents of their faith. They did not have books or the internet to go to to answer questions of faith. They did not even have the early scripture readily available since the temple was disrupted. Those that didn’t heed the warnings, intermarried etc., became the Samaritans.

Is your faith being threatened by pagans pushing Christmas trees? Is anyone planning to deport you in order to disrupt the practice of your faith? If not, you need to read this portion of Scripture in the context of the people to whom it was directed.

Advice - stay away from the anti-Christmas fundies at this time of year. This is obviously not a long held belief of yours but something you have been talked into.

Sorry, a bit off-topic. But aren’t Samaritans those who worship in the mountain instead of in the temple? Because they worshiped in the mountain even before the temple was built. So you can say they were the “traditionalist” Jews who wanted to stick with an older practice. Not necessarily those who inter-married with pagans.

 

[Pax]

IMHO the only Christmas trees that are evil are those made in the fifties and sixties out of aluminum with the multi-colored revolving light. Those things were just awful!:

You can see what I’m talking about by going to the following video link:

il.youtube.com/watch?v=hblJauNF8aE&feature=related

P.S. I don’t think there is any danger of someone worshiping that kind of Christmas tree, but there are some real weirdos out there.

Merry Christmas everyone, and God bless!

 

[Trishie]

[stritasparish.org/Jesse%20Tree.html](http://www.stritasparish.org/Jesse Tree.html)

**The Jesse Tree dates back to the middle ages and came from Europe. Even some ancient cathedrals have Jesse Tree designs in their stained glass windows. The “tree” is usually a branch or sapling and is decorated each week with various symbols that remind us of the purpose and promises of God from Creation to the Birth of Jesus Christ.

Jesse was the father of King David and God promised David that his Kingdom would last forever. Two centuries after the death of King David, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said:

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-2)

Each Jesse Tree ornament usually consists of a symbol or drawing that represents one of the major stories of the Old Testament along with a brief verse of Scripture from that story.**

 

[Trishie]

catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=545

"**Jesse Tree Instructions
A short history of the Jesse Tree, ideas on how to create a tree and ornaments, and suggested Scripture verses for each ornament.

Directions
To make the Jesse Tree ornaments you will need: glue; ribbon or yarn (preferably purple); and crayons, markers, paints or colored pencils, and cardboard stock to create paper background for the ornaments. The ornaments may be decorated with bits and pieces of bright colored paper, cloth, wood, plastic, etc., that you may find around your home. You will also need a Bible.

THE STORY OF THE JESSE TREE Jesse was the father of the great King David of the Old Testament. He is often looked upon as the first person in the genealogy of Jesus.
In Church art a design developed showing the relationship of Jesus with Jesse and other biblical personages. This design showed a branched tree growing from a reclining figure of Jesse. The various branches had pictures of other Old and New Testament figures who were ancestors of Jesus. At the top of the tree were figures of Mary and Jesus. This design was used mostly in stained glass windows in some of the great medieval cathedrals of Europe. The Cathedral of Chartres (which was dedicated in 1260) has a particularly beautiful Jesse Tree window.

Another development in religious art during the Middle Ages was that of Mystery Plays–drama that depicted various Bible stories or lives of Saints and Martyrs. These plays were performed in churches as part of the liturgical celebrations. One such play was based on the Bible account of the fall of Adam and Eve. The “Tree of Life” used during the play was decorated with apples. (Quite possibly this is also the forerunner of our own Christmas tree.)

Combining the two ideas of the stained glass Jesse Tree window and the Tree of Life from the Mystery Play we come up with our Jesse Tree Advent project. This custom has been used for years to help Christians to prepare for Christmas.

YOUR OWN JESSE TREE It will take planning and work from each family member to make your own Jesse Tree. The needed materials are usually found around most homes.
First of all, you will need a Bible. If there are very small children in the family, a Bible picture story book will help them understand the Bible stories used. The tree itself can be one of several types. A small artificial tree works fine, as does a tree branch that is anchored in a bucket or a large can of sand or gravel. The tree branch looks particularly attractive if painted white and sprinkled with silver glitter while the paint is still wet. Another possibility is a large drawing of a tree on cardboard or poster board that can be hung on the wall.

The third thing needed is a set of ornaments to hang on the tree. These are best if they are homemade by various family members.**