Is the christmas tree evil?

[tabcom]

those verses are talking about idols. So long as you don’t worship your Christmas tree, you’re fine.

Would you be so kind as to define idols and worship?

That’s odd… in all my life I have never ever seen a Catholic worship a tree.

You mean you didn’t realize that in putting those earmuffs for Aunt Maude and the those cigars for Uncle Hiram under the Christmas tree you were really offering them to Baal??!!

I’ve never seen a Christmas tree that looked like any of those things described or pictured.

If you are toting your Christmas tree around and worshipping it as an idol, cease and desist and once.

No one can accidentally worship something. It can’t be done.

Only when you can’t get them to stand up straight

Did someone see me offering a sacrifice before I cut down my Christmas tree last year?.

Unless one really thinks there is an actual God in the tree worthy of worship, there is no danger of idolatry. No one accidently worships a false god. Scott

I once had a tree so evil I was still picking needles out of the carpet in July…

Gosh, my family pretty much all have plastic Christmas trees. Does this mean we’re not EVEN worshipping wood! :bigyikes:

I guess it means that you won’t make it into pagan, Christmas tree heaven.

**

IMHO, if a catholic can quickly dismiss the suggestion that the tree represents pagan idolatry as non-sense; that person would have a difficult time explaining to a non-catholic that the eucharist is nothing more than eating crackers and drinking grape juice.**

 

[mercygate]

Would you be so kind as to define idols and worship?

IMHO, if a catholic can quickly dismiss the suggestion that the tree represents pagan idolatry as non-sense; that person would have a difficult time explaining to a non-catholic that the eucharist is nothing more than eating crackers and drinking grape juice.

Is this really what you meant to say?

The most salient observation I can make about the original post is that this is what happens when people suddenly “discover” Sacred Scripture and read it outside the context of solid Church teaching.

Heck! Why hit Catholics with this passage? I’ve heard Protestants give strong arguments against the use of this passage to tree-bash. We Catholics have enough unique issues you can try to smack us with.

 

[estesbob]

**The old testament was a shadow, the new testament is the very image (Col. 2:17). What was once literal is now spiritual. Before Christ, only the descendants of Abraham received the blessing. It was with Christ that the gospels was given to the gentiles. No longer was God restricted to blood relatives alone. It became spiritual. **

The bible teaches that Christ is the husband (Ephesians 5:21-33) and that God is the Father (Mat. 6:9). A widow is one without a husband. An orphan is one without father. Metaphorically speaking, we believers are to look out for those that don’t know Christ and God and lead them to righeousness.

You are the Spiritual Widow. You walked away from the Church Christ founded to join a designer Church you created for yourself.

The religion you founded also engages in idol worship. You have taken Holy Scripture and turned it into you own personal idol. An idol that makes personal revelations to you and amazingly enough validates whatever it is you want to believe in.! i guess it is called th “CHURCH OF ME”

I think that it would be far better for you to stop celebrating yourself than it is to stop celebrating Christmas.

 

[deb1]

Would you be so kind as to define idols and worship?

IMHO, if a catholic can quickly dismiss the suggestion that the tree represents pagan idolatry as non-sense; that person would have a difficult time explaining to a non-catholic that the eucharist is nothing more than eating crackers and drinking grape juice.

We’ve given you many reasons why a Christmas tree is not a pagan symbol. You’ve just chosen to ignore all the reasons.

Why would I tell a non Catholic that the Eucharist is only a symbol? That would be going against my beliefs. Communion is the actual body and blood of Christ!

 

[tabcom]

Your post is proof positive of the danger of . . .

** There is much to discuss on the subject of what the christmas tree represents. For the benefit of all that are lurking in to this post, I humbly ask, ‘please stay on topic.’**

 

[deb1]

Metaphorically speaking, we believers are to look out for those that don’t know Christ and God and lead them to righeousness.

So, a spiritual widow is a woman who isn’t a Christian?

Sorry to get off topic, just making certain that I understand you.

 

[jmcrae]

You are the Spiitual Widow. You walked away from the Church Christ founded to join a designer Church you created for yourself.

He is not a spiritual widow, since his “husband” (Christ) is not dead.

He is a spiritual divorcée.

 

[estesbob]

He is not a spiritual widow, since his “husband” (Christ) is not dead.

He is a spiritual divorcée.

Good point!

 

[tabcom]

We’ve given you many reasons why a Christmas tree is not a pagan symbol.

**
In your own words, whould you be so kind as to explain to me why the christmas tree is not a symbol of paganism?

I would be most interested in reading it and replying back to it.**

 

[estesbob]

** There is much to discuss on the subject of what the christmas tree represents. For the benefit of all that are lurking in to this post, I humbly ask, ‘please stay on topic.’**

We are on topic.You have pulled a couple of verses out of Scripture and use them to condemn hundreds of millions of people. This “Church of Me” you have created is very strange.

 

[jmcrae]

Would you be so kind as to define idols and worship?

An idol is anything that is put in the place of God. For example, a common idol in Western society today is financial prosperity - many people today place their trust in financial prosperity to save them from their troubles, rather than in God.

Another common idol is personal opinion. Many people place their personal opinions in the place of God, and even if God Himself disagrees with them, they would say that He is wrong, and they are right, because He disagrees with their personal opinions.

Pagan idolotry is typified by the making of objects that are somehow thought to contain the spirit of a god, and somehow have the ability to answer prayers, or to protect property, etc. (A relative of mine who is a pagan has a protection idol in his home; he believes that this little stone object, made for him by a shaman, has the power to protect his possessions from theft, vandalism, and natural disasters.)

The object itself is nothing but a piece of stone - there isn’t actually any protective spirit inhabiting it - it is what my relative believes about it that makes it an idol. If he were to stop believing that it had these powers, then it would stop being an idol - it would then become just a piece of stone. It is not a sin to own a piece of stone ( or to pay a lot of money for it) but it is a sin to treat it as a god, and to believe that it has protective powers.

“Worship” is to make a sacrifice to one’s God or god.

In the Catholic Mass, we offer bread and wine on the altar, which is then changed into Christ’s Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity - our sacrifice is exchanged for Christ’s Sacrifice, and we partake of Christ’s Sacrifice in Holy Communion.

** IMHO, if a catholic can quickly dismiss the suggestion that the tree represents pagan idolatry as non-sense; that person would have a difficult time explaining to a non-catholic that the eucharist is nothing more than eating crackers and drinking grape juice.**

If someone puts a tree in their house as a decoration, without believing that it has magical powers, then what is the harm in that? Because in fact, it doesn’t have any magical powers - it’s just a tree.

 

[deb1]

In your own words, whould you be so kind as to explain to me why the christmas tree is not a symbol of paganism?

I would be most interested in reading it and replying back to it.

The biblical passages that you were referring to in your first post describe the fact that trees were cut and carved into idols. Other people have posted this and it lines up with my own reading on the subject.

By the way, I agree with everything that Jmcrae just wrote.

 

[tabcom]

You have pulled a couple of verses out of Scripture and use them to condemn hundreds of millions of people

** I have tried very hard to present a topic in a non-threatening way by asking questions, not condeming anyone’s belief. For the life of me, I don’t understand you hostility towards me.
**

 

[mercygate]

** I have tried very hard to present a topic in a non-threatening way by asking questions, not condeming anyone’s belief. For the life of me, I don’t understand you hostility towards me. **

Maybe we owe you an apology since you’ve been out of Catholic circles for a while. This passage is one that is frequently dragged up and waved in our faces as “proof” that we Catholics are all idolaters. It comes right before they tell us the Pope is the Antichrist and the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon.

The reaction you are getting may not be personally directed toward you but may represent an accumulation of frustration at people who have no idea what they are talking about presenting something like this as if it were an exciting revelation.

As I mention in an earlier post, you can get really good answers about Christmas trees from non-Catholics, so feel free to spread the warning further afield. A good Southern Baptist, Lutheran, or Presbyterian will probably give you the same kinds of answers you will get here – and some of them DO believe the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon. Kind of puts this issue in perspective.

 

[Sam88]

In all fairness however, there isn’t all that much about a Christmas tree that I’d get excited defending. I’m not attacking those many people who display Christmas trees without idolatry, but I wouldn’t miss the practice much. I’d rather see a manger scene for example. Is a tree worth that much effort & money, (especially when it’s probably fake anyway), might there be something better you could put in its place?

 

[deb1]

In all fairness however, there isn’t all that much about a Christmas tree that I’d get excited defending. I’m not attacking those many people who display Christmas trees without idolatry, but I wouldn’t miss the practice much. I’d rather see a manger scene for example. Is a tree worth that much effort & money, (especially when it’s probably fake anyway), might there be something better you could put in its place?

WHen I lived in the Northwest the Christmas trees were very cheap to go cut down. THey were beautiful also.

Here in the southeast, I don’t really care either way about a Christmas tree. I put one up for my younger children. But I have gone without a tree before.

Whether trees are worth putting up is a different topic then whether they are evil.

I, too, hate plastic trees but I know many, many women who love them. Probably has something to do with the needles in the carpet.

 

[jmcrae]

In all fairness however, there isn’t all that much about a Christmas tree that I’d get excited defending. I’m not attacking those many people who display Christmas trees without idolatry, but I wouldn’t miss the practice much. I’d rather see a manger scene for example. Is a tree worth that much effort & money, (especially when it’s probably fake anyway), might there be something better you could put in its place?

We don’t have one every year, either. Sometimes Christmas is so stressful for us that we just skip the whole thing, other than going to Midnight Mass. Other times we get right into it. It just depends on how we’re doing, at the time.

 

[estesbob]

** I have tried very hard to present a topic in a non-threatening way by asking questions, not condeming anyone’s belief. For the life of me, I don’t understand you hostility towards me. **

I am pretty much hostile to everyone.

Why would I not take offense when you leave my Church, tell how worng we are and how you, on your own, have figured everything out on your own and BTW we are all idol worshippers.

So who am i going to listen. Augustine? Aquinas? Jerome? or some guy on the internet who thinks Chrimas trees are Idols.

 

[tabcom]

Maybe we owe you an apology since you’ve been out of Catholic circles for a while. This passage is one that is frequently dragged up and waved in our faces as “proof” that we Catholics are all idolaters.

**Thank you.

I have been out of the catholic circle for sometime now. My intent is to shed some light as to why those catholic haters believe the tree is pagan idolatry, not to stir-up hatred, point fingers or proselyte anyone.

Time permitting from work and family, there is much that I would like to discuss on this subject.
**

 

[Rolltide]

In all fairness however, there isn’t all that much about a Christmas tree that I’d get excited defending. I’m not attacking those many people who display Christmas trees without idolatry, but I wouldn’t miss the practice much. I’d rather see a manger scene for example. Is a tree worth that much effort & money, (especially when it’s probably fake anyway), might there be something better you could put in its place?

In many parts of Latin America, the center of the home Christmas decor is the nativity scene, rather than the Christmas tree. Even the gifts are placed around the nativity… but not until Epiphany! (No one’s gettin’ presents before Jesus does! )