First published Christmas 2009; newly updated for Quivering Daughters.
I think I finally figured out what Christmas trees are really about.
A while ago I found a blog article on the subject of our friend Mr. Tannenbaum. Apparently (the author observed) some folks believe that Christmas trees are pagan symbols that the church has adopted in sinful syncretism. They appeal to Scriptures such as Jeremiah 10 to support the idea: the passage describes trees being chopped down, decorated with precious metals, and worshiped by pagans (“A-ha!” chorus the neo-Scrooges).
Knowing a bit about interpreting Scripture in context, I smelled an opportunity to cry “Humbug!” True, Jeremiah describes pagans chopping down trees for idolatrous worship. But it also mentions the trees being “shaped by chisels” into images of false gods like these. Those don’t look much like Christmas trees to me. Anyone for some eisegesis?
The underlying logic is even more significant. Follow it through: Idolaters once used decorative trees to worship false gods. Therefore, anyone else who uses a tree for decoration ever again must only be pagan.
Bah. Humbug.
I explained in another article in more detail exactly why this genre of anti-Christmas rhetoric is so absurd. Pagans didn’t make trees; God did. So even if pine trees were once misused in pagan worship, it hardly follows that they must always and for all time be unacceptable to people who believe that “only God can make a tree.”
But when a few outspoken commenters started chiming in to quarrel in favor of that phony interpretation of the Bible, my Spiritual-Abuse-Survivor Sense started tingling. Some people seem inordinately concerned with proving that the majority of Christians are sinful pagan syncretists. Not that I’m in favor of bringing paganism into the church, but somehow that obsession struck me as suspiciously like a warning sign of Spiritual Abuse.
Next time you hear one of these Scrooges, pay close attention to the subtext:
- Everyone who doesn't believe precisely what we believe is unbiblical and pagan! (Exclusivity, dogmatism, spiritual pride.)
- The vast majority of Christians are evil pagans, so you had better stick with us if you want to please God! (Legalism, elitism, manipulation.)
- We have standards that you have to follow if you want to be holy, and if you don't follow them you're an ungodly pagan! (Superiority, shame.)
- Your external actions and displays–whether or not you put up a Christmas tree–are very important. (No mention of the grace of Christ.)
I could go on, but if you know about Spiritual Abuse, you've heard all this stuff before. It's the classic, archetypal sign of abuse, and they're taking the occasion of the birth of Christ to pull it out on us. Forget "Happy Holidays"; here's the real war on Christmas.
But, spiritual abuse awareness aside, what these sorts of people say about the poor pine tree turns out to show the real message of the Gospel better than they know….
The pagans used trees to sinfully honor their false gods instead of the Creator. The devil influenced me to sinfully honor myself above my Creator.
The spiritual abusers say that, since the trees were used sinfully, they can only ever be regarded as sinful. They said that about me too.
God says, "It may have been used sinfully, but I made it in the first place. Don't you go calling anything I made unclean (Acts 10). If I made it good in the first place, that means I can make it good again."
At one time the pagans chopped down a tree, cut it into pieces, and hung it with metal to worship their false gods.
But another time some pagans chopped down a tree, cut it into pieces, and with metal, hung something on it that redeemed our souls.
Jesus came into the world at Christmas to be hung on a tree.
Jesus was hung on a tree for the sins of the world, including idolatry.
Because of what happened with that chopped-down, metal-adorned tree, we are free from the rules that say we can only ever be sinful.
Because of what happened with that chopped-down, metal-adorned tree, nobody can ever say that God is about anything other than grace and forgiveness.
Because of what happened with that chopped-down, metal-adorned tree, anyone who looks at a tree now can see not a symbol of idolatry, but an outward and visible sign of the infinite grace of God.
Because of what happened with that chopped-down, metal-adorned tree, anyone who looks at you now can see not a sinner, but someone who has been cleansed and made new by the infinite grace of God.
The devil intended to use that tree for evil. The spiritual abusers say it could only ever be evil. But God used that tree for the greatest good that has ever happened.
The devil intended to use you for evil. The spiritual abusers say you can only ever be evil. But God intends to use you for a greater good than you can imagine.
The Christmas tree reminds us that everything God created is good.
The Christmas tree shows us that everything God does is gracious.
The Christmas tree tells us that you don't have to accept the label that you're only a sinner.
And as for me, anything that makes legalists and abusers that upset is something I'm glad to decorate my house with. The other reason Jesus came into the world, of course, was to annoy the heck out of legalists.
“Everyone who doesn’t believe precisely what we believe is unbiblical and pagan!” Well, duh! Everyone knows that. That’s why I go to the Church of the One. Not one true God, but me all by myself beause I’m the only one who believes the right way.
Sorry, I should have resisted. Thank you for this post. Second article of yours I’ve read and I find myself agreeing with your.
@Dawson L: Thanks; I’m glad you stopped by!
Oh, another good one I would like to print out to put in my binder! Boy am I aware of spiritual abuse! Yikes! There are so many who are misled and deceived. They mean well…they really do…many of them. They just don’t see the irony of what they are doing out of their love for our Lord. And then there are some who are just plain abusers…they have their own agenda.
I agree that those who are opposed to Christmas trees are believing a wacky interpretation of the Scriptures.
However, I think you have to be careful about the litmus test you propose by which you can identify spiritual abusers.
In point number 1, you condemn exclusivity and dogmatism.
Yet, Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets were exclusive and dogmatic – at least on the fundamentals of the faith. True, many dogmatic people are prideful and arrogant. But to condemn dogmatism and exclusivity across the board – without any qualification – would require you to condemn Christ Himself in order to be internally consistent.
Jesus is the only way of salvation. No one can be saved outside of Christ.
On point number 2, you have to be aware of the nature of the times in which we live. The Bible warns us about a great apostasy that would happen in the end times. Again, God condemns pride and arrogance, but it is not necessarily prideful to recognize that those who are proudly “broadly evangelical” are oxymoronic. The way is narrow. Jesus said so.
Point number 3 is a good one. The only standard is the cross of Jesus Christ. Galatians makes this quite clear.
However, when people get into Paul/Barnabas type of disagreements, believing Galatians does not require us to condemn those who – like Paul – do not believe that traitors should be easily let off the hook and allowed to take part in leadership roles.
God bless.
@Dan Hillman: You have valid points. However, I’m not proposing a “litmus test” so much as identifying a few common characteristics– a spiritual abuser will often say dogmatically and arrogantly, not that Jesus is the only way to God, but that their particular religious practices are the only way to Jesus. The danger, as you rightly point out, is in making anything other than Jesus the dogmatic center of your spiritual life. I’d recommend you check out the Pure Provender website for links to some more detailed “litmus tests” if that interests you. Thanks for your comment!
I found this while doing some searching for things to do with the tree rather than throwing it out to the curb, and could not stop reading. It sounds like something that I have always taken for granted as being one of the many commercial driven activities of our society is being associated with an anti-christian tradition. My personal beliefs are honored from my home as I have been very disappointed by the organized worship that I have tried in my earlier years. Is this spiritual abuse that you speak of really that prominent?
@Michael: I’ve seen a few religious groups– usually small but vocal ones– that try to cast Christmas trees in an evil light for whatever reasons. Usually it stems from a desire to see oneself as superior or more holy than other Christians, which is often a symptom of Spiritual Abuse. I’m not sure how widespread the bit about the Christmas trees is overall; I had just seen it pop up in a few online forums I visit. But Spiritual Abuse itself is alarmingly common throughout a wide variety of cults and churches. Provender (mentioned above) has the best collection of resources online if you’re interested in reading more about it, which I highly recommend (the site and the reading more about it). Thanks for your comment!
They just don’t see the irony of what they are doing out of their love for our Lord. And then there are some who are just plain abusers. Thank you for the idea that you share.
I’m sure legalists would be more upset if you worship your tree a little. Should try that too.
The problem with legalists is that they often can’t tell the difference between an actual sin (such as idolatry) and something that isn’t sinful at all (such as decorating with a tree).
Thanks for the comment, though!
You make a really good point about the redemption of the tree with Christ, and I like that. I think it’s important to also honor the fact that there are some sincere believers out there who are really trying to make sense of some of the origins of our practices in the church. Jesus wasn’t even born during the Christmas season: it is a time that for centuries the birth of pagan gods was celebrated, and the tree was a phallic symbol used in that worship. This is stuff I’m just discovering, and I certainly want to ensure that my worship is pure. I am hoping we can get to a place as a Christian community where we can have honest discussions about these things and not have to label the other side. It’s about balance – our world could certainly use a Christianity that is distinct and full of life and God’s power and we should be receptive to anything God tries to bring up that He wants to change in our lives or our practices. My thoughts right now anyway.
April – For the bit about Christmas supposedly being a pagan holiday, see the other article I linked above: Is Christmas Pagan? The “facts” about historical practices (both pagan and Christian) that are often put forward have some very significant holes. For instance, to steal a thought from G. K. Chesterton: So if it hadn’t been for phallic worship, would the trees be growing upside down with their roots in the air? As they say about Freudianism, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
That said, I certainly agree that Christians’ dialogue all around should always be respectful and honest. (Romans 14 even specifically names “special days” as something about which believers can agree to follow their own consciences.) I certainly like to hope I’m accomplishing that! Thanks for the reminder.
Jesus was not born on December 25 and to think anyone would think it is ok to use deception to convert pagans is in err…only one deals in deception…God doesn’t need anyone to use deception…the only true conversion comes by His Spirit and His Spirit alone.
I think it’s fairly common knowledge that we don’t know the actual date of the Nativity. So, if we want to have a yearly celebration of it (or a liturgical calendar), we have to pick *some* date! The early church chose 25 December because it was nine months after the date they celebrated the Annunciation (March 25). It’s not deceptive to say “Today is when we celebrate the truth that Jesus was born for us.”
Look Jeremiah 10 is really simple let’s start with verse 2 its says to be not dismayed by the “signs in the heavens” which refers to the winter solstice. Then it describes the cutting down of a tree. Look at it
“For one cutteth a tree out of the forest, THE WORK OF THE HANDS OF THE WORKMAN WITH THE AXE.”
To me this is describing the man who chopped down the tree with an axe and not some chiseling into the tree. Where did chisel come from? Modern translations added that word to the text. If you look at older translations of the Bible they unanimously translate it as “axe.” There is no chisel in older translations of the Bible. Modern translations try to hide the real meaning of this verse. They are deceiving you.
“They deck it with silver and with gold”
This is another way of saying,”They decorate the tree”
“They fasten it with nails and with hammers that it move not”
Why would an idol need to be fastened as it could be made to be steadied on its own?
I could be wrong, though. if I am, then be critical of where I am wrong. Thanks for your time.
Hi NoRocketScience,
Thanks for your comment. There is more about Jeremiah 10 to consider, however. I think “winter solstice” is a poor reading for “signs in the heavens,” but even if we interpreted it that way, notice that the message is “Do not be dismayed” about it. The winter solstice is just the way God created the earth to move, nothing to be alarmed about or to think of as inherently pagan and evil. Also, the original Hebrew in verse 2 doesn’t mention an axe or a chisel; the word literally translated would be “a cutting.” (By extension, presumably, any tool that you use for cutting.) I recently addressed this more in a comment on another post here, if I may quote myself:
I hope that explains a bit more why I’m critical! Thanks for taking the time to write.
Hi NoRocketScience,
Thanks for your comment. There is more about Jeremiah 10 to consider, however. I think “winter solstice” is a poor reading for “signs in the heavens,” but even if we interpreted it that way, notice that the message is “Do not be dismayed” about it. The winter solstice is just the way God created the earth to move, nothing to be alarmed about or to think of as inherently pagan and evil. Also, the original Hebrew in verse 2 doesn’t mention an axe or a chisel; the word literally translated would be “a cutting.” (By extension, presumably, any tool that you use for cutting.) I recently addressed this more in a comment on another post here, if I may quote myself:
I hope that explains a bit more why I’m critical! Thanks for taking the time to write.
Thanks Eric but I’m only partly convinced. I still have questions.
(1) Is there any possibility that “workman” could ever be translated as “lumberjack” or “woodcutter?”
(2) Doesn’t the phrase “the work of the hands of the workman” merely refer to the swinging of the axe?
A quick glance at the dictionary shows that the Hebrew word there is “charash,” which is defined as “a craftsman, carpenter, smith, or engraver.” That is, someone who takes raw material and shapes it into an object. In context, this would be the person who carves the wood, not the one who cuts down the tree. Thus “work of the hands of the workman” in this case is carving the wood into an idol. Christmas trees aren’t carved. Also, nobody worships them.
And again, notice in v.5 that even if this was referring to Christmas trees (which is not supported by the context), the conclusion Jeremiah gives is not “Anything matching any part of this description is evil!” but “Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”
Thanks Eric, I really do appreciate your input. I honestly want to believe you and be beyond certain that Jeremiah is not talking about Christmas trees. I finally got the part of the workman being a craftsman. I see your point about verse 5 but from the start of Jeremiah, God did say,”Learn not the way of the heathen.” Does this mean we can’t decorate trees as pagans do? What exactly is the way of the heathen? Is it using things that pagans may have used? Or is there something more to it? By the way are Christmas Trees, Asherah poles? Thanks for your time.
You’re welcome!
The answer is that we need to look at the context. “Learn not the way of the heathen…” correlates in this passage with two other negative commandments: “…and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them” (v.2) and “be not afraid of them [idols], for they cannot do evil.” (v.5) The “way of the heathen,” then, is to be dismayed and fearful about things God made, thinking that inanimate objects are evil. Heathenism is a very fear-centered mentality, the dismaying belief that if you don’t acknowledge all the false gods and evil spirits they might get you. There’s some huge irony here: The anti-Christmas-tree doctrine requires us to see trees and seasons as intrinsically evil pagan spiritual objects that we should be afraid of and dismayed about, but that view of them is itself the heathen way of looking at the world, not the Christian one. The way of the heathen is to see the tree as a god; the way of the Christian is to see that God made the tree.
Asherah poles were idols made specifically to be worshiped as a fertility goddess. Nobody worships Christmas trees.
Um Eric, sorry to bother you again, there is a website that says that “to connect the “THEY” from verse 5 to the “IT” in verse 4 would violate the grammatical context.” I met one particular site that says to connect verse 5 to verses 3 and 4, is incorrect. Is there any merit to this? Is there any evidence that Jeremiah is changing the topic after verse 4? Why do almost all older translations say “IT” with respect to 3 and 4 whereas verse 5 says “THEY?” Does that mean that verse 3 and 4 are talking about one thing and verse 5 another? What is you take on this. Thanks again.
No bother! Admittedly I’m not much of an authority on Hebrew, but my understanding is that their pronouns function quite differently from English ones. So my guess is that that site’s reading is, best-case scenario, superimposing English grammar on the original text. (If any actual Hebraists are reading this, feel free to chime in….)
In any event, to say “Jeremiah is changing the topic” seems like a big stretch to me. What else could he be talking about in context but the futility of idols? Notice that the opening of verse 5, “They are upright as the palm tree” (or “like a scarecrow in a cucumber patch”) is a direct callback to verse 3, “He cuts a tree from the forest.” I’d take that as a good indication that Jeremiah is still on the same subject. If “they” refers to anything else, then in context it would have to be the idolaters (cf. “they deck it with silver,” v. 4). I suppose someone could make that case, but that would make some extremely odd points out of the rest of the verse, such as “they must be carried” and “neither is it in them to do evil.” If we’re talking about idols that makes a lot of sense; if we’re talking about idol-worshipers, not so much.
Either way, though, the subject wouldn’t change– the topic, namely, that idols are powerless neutral objects, nothing for those who trust God to be afraid of.
Thanks Eric, one more thing: Would God ever do something that violates His principles? For example, would God say,”Do not tell lies,” and then then turn around and lie to believers? There are those persons that use the instance of God killing humans, i.e. entire cities, to assert that God indeed violates one of His commandments (Thou shalt not kill.) Is this valid? Thanks again.
No problem!
That question can be a bit tricky, but I look at it like this: If I tore up a painting, said it wasn’t good, and threw it away, I’d be arrested for vandalism. But if the painter tore up his own painting and threw it away, that would be fine– he made it, so it’s his right to decide what to do with it. Now compare Romans 12:19: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'” As in the principle in the commandments. we shalt not kill or seek vengeance. But the reason for that is it is God’s job to reward people for their deeds, evil or good. As well as being the Creator, God has the added advantages of being omniscient and infinitely wise. Thus He is incomprehensibly better-qualified than any of us to judge anyone. If there’s any judging going on, only God gets to do it.
The point is not that God gets to break whatever laws He likes just because He’s omnipotent, but that whatever rules God gives us are rooted in His own nature. By contrast, for instance, we are told that we should not lie because God is the truth and always keeps His word (Numbers 23:19). In each case, the goal is for us to recognize who God is and stay duly humble about it while loving Him and our neighbors.
I understand but as I think about it, anti Christmas Christians will use that fact that since God decorates His trees during the winter with ice crystals and snowflakes, it is not not sinful when He does it but it is a sin when humans do it. In other words, the anti-Christmas Christians may say that it is okay for God to decorate His trees but sinful for humans to to so, therefore, Christians should not place objects on trees. Then the anti-Christmas Christian will claim absolute victory over me 🙁
Has anybody actually used that argument?! That’s a terrible argument.
Let me put a finer point on my comment above: In Scripture, “the law” is summed up in two commandments: love God and love your neighbor (see Romans 13:10, Galatians 5:14, etc.). Obviously it would be very unloving of me to kill my neighbor, since (unlike God) I’m not the one with authority over my neighbor’s life and death. And lying would betray my neighbor’s trust, and so on and so on.
Maybe in a certain context I’d need to avoid exercising my freedom (cf. Romans 14) to be more loving to my neighbor– if, say, my neighbors happened to be tree-worshiping Pagans who had never heard of Christmas trees, it wouldn’t be good to give them the wrong idea. But, as I said in my article, and as Jeremiah says too, to say that makes it always and completely evil is simply nonsense.
What is unloving toward God or my neighbor about making something beautiful in appreciation of God’s creation? Far from such a thing being condemned as sinful, the Bible says “God… richly gives us all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Nowhere does Scripture say that making decorations is inherently a sin. Quite the contrary — read Exodus 35 thru 37 for an account of ministers who were specifically commanded and anointed by God to make decorations out of wood and gold for His tabernacle. Likewise, in our culture, seeing a decorated pine tree will certainly remind many people of the fact that Christ was born for us. That’s why we call it a Christmas tree, after all, not “Piney the Pine God.”
The anti-Christmas crusader I spoke with, used that argument. I wonder if placing birdhouses, flower baskets and bird feeders are also a sin but such would be seen as decorating a tree. Exactly what constitutes tree decorating is the placement of foreign objects on a tree and since birdhouses are “foreign objects” that are “placed on a tree, they must be sinful too. By the same logic, we cannot hang swings on trees because it would be a case of placing a foreign object on trees, isn’t that so? Eric thanks for the help, will talk to you later 🙂
Yes, well spotted; it is indeed a pretty clear case of special pleading. Glad to be of help! I may have to steal some of the comments here and make a new post out of them. 🙂
In Deut 12:29-32 our Father tells us not to worship or serve him the way the other nations served their gods. They would erect man made objects to honor or please their gods. Father tells us not to copy these practices when we worship or serve him. Any man made object, decorated tree, crosses,idols or any other object. He tells us not to take on these custom or traditions in serving him shalom.
If you read those verses in context, however, it goes on to explain we should not do this because “…they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.” Surely there’s a difference between the practice of human sacrifice and the practice of putting up a seasonal decoration. Elsewhere in the Torah God specifically directed His people to put up “man-made objects” to honor and please Him; see Exodus 35-37. For Deuteronomy 12 to apply to this case, we would have to say that a tree God made is a “detestable thing,” yet the New Testament tells us not to call anything unclean that the Lord has made clean (Acts 10). God Himself decorates his pine trees every winter with snow and icicles, after all.
Yes at his instructions. But nowhere do we find the Father telling us to celebrate to birth of HIs son, nor do we see the early church practicing this. I guess we could go round and round on issues like this anyway we are all still learning and its nice to discuss things like this in a peaceful setting. Shalom.
There are several responses to that, some of which are in the post I linked above. It might almost be sufficient to say that the Father does in fact celebrate the birth of His Son: “”I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'” (Psalm 2:7).
It’s also worth noting that Jesus himself celebrated Hanukkah (the feast of dedication, see John 10:22-23), although that is nowhere commanded in Scripture. And the book of Esther records approvingly that the Jews turned the events of Purim into “a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other” (Esther 9:17-19), despite not having any direction from God to do that. So perhaps a better question would be not “Did the Father specifically tell us to do this?” but “Does this strengthen our love for God and our neighbors?”
I appreciate the peaceful tone of these comments too. Thanks!
God Himself decorates evergreens during winter. Don’t those snow laden trees look beautiful? If this passage is saying that Christians must keep their hands off pine trees, why is God doing what Deut 12:29-31 is forbidding? Why does He decorate pine trees with shimmering blankets of snow? If you look at Deuteronomy 12 in context it has nothing to do with “mere adoption” of pagan practices. It mainly was about location of worship, not days in which pagan gods were worshipped. To say that because a pagan uses something in a pagan ritual, that it becomes forbidden to a believer in future is absurd. For example pagans use evergreens in their worship right? Yet God Himself uses fir (an evergreen) in Isaiah 60:13 to beautify the place of His worship. In Hosea 14:8 God even analogises Himself to a fir tree. Why is God analogising Himself to what is a detestable tree? Not once does God speak against fir trees. The Hebrew word for fir, ber.o.wos, is nowhere to be found in Jeremiah 10:3. Only ets, wood, is used there. As for your comment on “where does God say to celebrate the birth of His Son?” Let me answer that question with a question,”Where does God say to ignore the birth of Christ?” Commonsense should tell you that every single word of the New Testament is to be read as a form of worship. Where did God give instructions to celebrate the Feast of Dedication? Does that mean God opposes it? No.
What you also have to consider Eric…is the fact that egypt worshipped the palm tree as baal tamar and rome worshipped the fir tree as baal berith, jeremiah 10 was clearly speaking of a tree as an idol and not a tree shaped into an idol.
I think you’re a bit misinformed; if my source is correct then Baal Berith was a Canaanite god, not a Roman one, and his idol had the form of an insect. Also the text in Jeremiah 10 specifically describes the idols as the “work of the hands of the workman.” But (as I’ve said in my other articles in this series and in comments above) even if it was the case that ancient pagans worshiped trees, it simply would not follow that this is the only possible symbolism trees can ever have, even for people in a different culture thousands of years later. As the poet said, “Only God can make a tree!” Thus when Christians look at a tree, they should see it as the work of the Creator, not as a false god they even don’t believe in. I expand this argument a bit more fully in this post. Thanks for commenting, though!
Hi NoRocketScience,
Thanks for your comment. There is more about Jeremiah 10 to consider, however. I think “winter solstice” is a poor reading for “signs in the heavens,” but even if we interpreted it that way, notice that the message is “Do not be dismayed” about it. The winter solstice is just the way God created the earth to move, nothing to be alarmed about or to think of as inherently pagan and evil. Also, the original Hebrew in verse 2 doesn’t mention an axe or a chisel; the word literally translated would be “a cutting.” (By extension, presumably, any tool that you use for cutting.) I recently addressed this more in a comment on another post here, if I may quote myself:
I hope that explains a bit more why I’m critical! Thanks for taking the time to write.
I’m glad for the person who brought up Romans 14….
There are some of us….outside of any church influence that feel a conviction not to partake in that tradition. I’ve personally dreaded it every year. So this will be my first year of not celebrating Christmas….however that looks….freedom.
I do agree , however, that each person has to be fully convinced of these things for themselves and that we respect one another and not enforced or own personal convictions on each other. 🙂
Thanks for your comment, Shana!
and if You believe everything you have written you are stupid maybe you should go back and research what a TRUE PAGAN is you dumbass Christian I am a Pagan and at least I see my Goddess everyday All I got to do is walk outside and see she exists more then I can say for your sorry Jesus Christ. NO WHERE can anyone Prove that the dude walked this earth there is NO HARD CORE evidence of it GIVE ME A BREAK!
You worship the garden; I worship the Gardener.
You are correct. Baal Berith was in fact a Canaanite god. But Jeremiah still refers to the custom in which they worshipped those trees. The Most high God also made swine but called them an abomination. It’s not a matter of what The most high God made…the bible says, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John1:3. Does it make it right that people in india worship a cow because the Most high God made it? No. The bible says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3. Jeremiah was speaking and teaching about the custom in which they used to worship false gods and the truth of the matter is Christmas and all its customs (e.g. the tree, decorations, etc.) go against what the Most high God says.
What you have here is a category error: You’re conflating the thing itself with a custom that was once attached to the thing. Some Hindus may worship a cow; does it follow that a Christian farmer who owns a cow is practicing Hindu worship? Of course it doesn’t. Just as you can take care of a cow without worshiping the cow, so you can decorate your house with a tree without worshiping the tree. As I said in another comment here: “Symbols aren’t idolatrous; idolaters are idolatrous.”
In Exodus 35-37, we read that God himself specifically commanded and anointed His people to chop down trees and cover them with gold and other ornaments in order to decorate His tabernacle. What’s the difference between that and what you describe from your reading of Jeremiah? The only real difference is the attitude of the worshipers and the God they’re choosing to worship.
Simply put: Nobody worships Christmas trees. When non-Christians today see a pine tree, they don’t think “That’s a pagan god,” they think, “That’s what people decorate to celebrate the birth of Christ and give gifts to people they love.” Neither of those goes against anything God commands. To say the tree is inherently a false god is a heathen worldview. I prefer the Christian belief that the tree is a good thing made by God for us to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17).
What it seems you’re trying to do is generalize the content of scripture and make what Jeremiah says just another misunderstanding of reading. Why do we have try and mix things up and turn them around. Just as the bible speaks against worshipping the queen mother of heaven in regards to pagan easter customs, the bible speaks against the wicked customs (which is mentioned in verse 3 before it goes into the tree) of Christmas…the custom of decorating the tree being one of them. Have you ever asked yourself why no person in the bible celebrated christmas, or why its never mentioned of someone decorating a tree? This was a demonic worship that started long ago and the Most high God spoke to Jeremiah to prophesy against it.
Quite the contrary, I’m trying to take away the misunderstanding of reading what Jeremiah says. A few simple points to consider:
– It is the circular fallacy to read what the Bible says about “wicked customs” and say “see, the Bible says Christmas is a wicked custom!” It doesn’t; it only works if we start by assuming it is wicked and then read that into the text. This is eisegesis, something not found in the verses themselves; that is, mixing the verses up and turning them around.
– As I pointed out above, we could even more accurately make the case that customs similar to Christmas trees are being described in Exodus 35-37. Decorating trees with gold was specifically commanded by God for His people to use in worshiping Him. If decorating trees can only be demonic worship, then why did God anoint His people to decorate trees with gold and other ornamentation for His tabernacle?
– The point of Jeremiah 10 is specifically not “these are wicked customs,” but “Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good” (v. 5). The lesson he wants us to learn is not “If you do this, it is evil” but “They are neutral objects, don’t be afraid of them.” If decorating trees was inherently demonic or evil, then why did God say “they can do no harm”?
– Plenty of people in the Bible celebrate Christmas: The wise men, the shepherds, Simeon, Anna the prophetess, the archangel Gabriel, a “great multitude of the heavenly host.” The wise men celebrated Christ’s birth by bringing gifts— including gold! Have you ever asked yourself why God would include the celebration of the birth of Jesus in the Bible (twice!) if he wanted us not to commemorate it?
Of course we shouldn’t worship God with demonic practices. But decorating trees isn’t demonic; it’s using our enjoyment of God’s good creation to celebrate the truth that Jesus was born for us.
Maybe I’m confused as to what you are actually referring to. Are you under the impression that I’m talking about the use of trees or the actual custom of the christmas tree? I’m definitely referring to the custom that Jeremiah talks about in Jeremiah 10:2-5. There is no mixing up of any verses here. You used the example of the building of the tabernacle in Exodus 35-37, but that has no reference to Jeremiah. In Exodus, God commanded them to USE WOOD for the building of the tabernacle as well as some other pieces (ex: ark, table of showbread etc.). They used the wood as would a person building a house. They didn’t use the tree for any type of worship. Jeremiah clearly points out a CUSTOM of using the tree for worship. The customs of christmas were long before Christ came into the world which is why it was prophsied by Jeremiah. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m a believer in Christ, but when you research history you find that a lot of what we practice is pure paganism.
You also said that “plenty of people in the celebrate Christmas.” When you read the bible and study the scriptures, there is a celebration of Christ, but it wasn’t a celebration of christmas. You can also point out that there was no recurring act of that particular celebration.
You asked the question, “If decorating trees was inherently demonic or evil, then why did God say “they can do no harm”?
1.) You also have to look at what was said after they can do no harm, “for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”
2.) Another thing we have to look at is verse 2 Learn no the way of the heathen…God knows that this practice was apart of a pagan ritual so he didn’t want us to adopt it.
3.) God then points out one the CUSTOMS (Nothing like in Exodus 35-37) Why do we have to generalize the bible just to have the freedom to do what our flesh desires, not even taking the time to find out if what we’re doing is really a worship to our heavenly father.
By the way, i must say that this is great dialogue. It’s not often you can have conversation about this particular content without an argument.
I appreciate the dialogue as well! I’m pleased with how much constructive commenting there has been on this article.
“Jeremiah clearly points out a CUSTOM of using the tree for worship.” This is exactly why I am convinced that the custom Jeremiah is pointing out is not at all the same as our custom of decorating with Christmas trees. Nobody worships Christmas trees. Nobody believes they are gods. Instead, as I’ve observed, by our customs today they are seasonal decorations that remind many people of the birth of Christ— no more, no less. If our culture was full of pine-worshiping pagans that might be another story! But it’s not.
“for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.” Exactly. Trees are neutral objects; they symbolize only what we choose them to mean. If people worship the tree as a god, that would be idolatry; if people decorate the tree to celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ, that would not be idolatry. In either case, the good or evil being done has nothing to do with the tree itself.
“Learn not the way of the heathen” is explained in verse 2 as “…and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them”, which corresponds in verse 5 to “be not afraid of them [idols].” The heathen worldview is that certain objects and customs should be feared as evil spirits or false gods; God does not want us to believe that. Jeremiah’s point is: if we were heathens we would believe the trees are evil (or good) spirits and be dismayed about customs to please them; since we believe in the Creator we know that the heathen customs are meaningless and their gods aren’t real, so there is nothing to fear.
“Why do we have to generalize the bible just to have the freedom to do what our flesh desires…” Actually, if you read through Galatians and many other epistles, Paul is much more concerned about those who generalize the Bible to take away the freedom that Christ gives us. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal. 5:1). Of course (as he explains) that doesn’t give us license to sin— but I don’t see any convincing biblical reason to conclude that putting up a seasonal decoration (as opposed to, say, intentionally worshiping a false god) is sinful or fleshly.
I very much appreciate the comments here, as I am struggling with the decision of having a Christmas tree after never not having one in all my previous 56 Christmases on this earth. I have a son who attends a Pentecostal church, and although the people there are wonderful and loving, their beliefs do not jibe with mine in some cases. He is encouraging me to forsake the setting up of a tree, as it is to him really a pagan symbol. I mildly disagreed, since I do not worship pagan gods, but the one true God, and the Christmas tree is to me a wonderful symbol that augments the wonderful experience of the Christmas celebration. The fact that it does bother some people disturbs me. He encouraged me to pray about it.
I also just survived reading another post from the World Church denouncing in detail anyone who harbors even the thought of using an evergreen tree to celebrate Christmas, as they would then instantly be participating in the worship of foreign gods. Even if they were not aware of it!!!
Finally, I have to point out that your choice of Acts chapter 10 as a support of your argument may be missing the mark a bit. God was using food in the vision to convince Peter that he must no longer consider the Gentiles unclean.
But thank you for restoring some peace!!!
Sorry, some clarification there. I said that I am struggling with the decision of having a Christmas tree after “never not having one” in all my previous 56 Christmases. Poor wording. I have always had a Christmas tree!
Thanks for your comments, Jeffry. I think a relevant question in your situation is the one Paul raised in 1 Corinthians 10:29-30— “…why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?” In other words, the fact that somebody else objects to the Christmas tree has no bearing on whether it’s actually right or wrong for Christians. The question of what’s most charitable to do in the particular case is important, of course, but we shouldn’t conflate what are really two separate issues. Otherwise we may be vulnerable to what’s been called the “Professional Weaker Brethren.”
The idea that people can worship pagan gods “Even if they were not aware of it!” is pretty absurd to me. If worship isn’t a voluntary act, the whole concept of worship ultimately becomes meaningless. Symbols aren’t idolatrous; idolaters are idolatrous.
Acts 10 makes the point that things that were formerly considered unclean– non-kosher foods and, by analogy, the Gentiles — were in fact created by God, and thus “uncleanness” is a construct that doesn’t apply in the New Covenant. I think this is at least somewhat relevant to the debate about Christmas trees: God created them as “very good,” so it is wrong to say they are inherently unclean or pagan. I go into a bit more depth on that in this article. Thanks for stopping by!
I thought your most convincing argument was the Exodus passage about God directing the people how to decorate His temple. But, then I read it. My Bible (King James) does not mention anything about bringing trees or branches in for decor. The people were commanded to use wood for beams, collumns, for the ark, etc. That doesn’t sound anything like the Jeremiah passage to me. What does yours say?
It’s throughout the passage in Exodus. Here are a few representative verses from the KJV:
Now compare the passage in Jeremiah 10:3-4 (I wrote a more detailed study of it in this post):
In each case the action is described as exactly the same— cutting down a tree, carving it, and decorating the wood with silver and gold. In the Jeremiah passage the gold-decorated wood was used to make idols; in Exodus the gold-decorated was used to follow God’s specific commandments in building His tabernacle. Thus it is not the action that is inherently sinful or good but the intent behind it. Idolatry is wrong; worshiping God is right. The action can be used to do either one; it’s up to us.
This also fits the conclusion that Jeremiah specifically draws about the decorated wood: they are neutral objects and nothing we should be afraid of.
I hope that helps explain what I meant!
I didn’t want to comment but how can’t I?
If this article was really valid it would leave readers wanting to connect more with Christ. But look at the comments.
If it was really valid it would leave me closer to Christ.
The fact is Christmas tree has it’s origin way before christian meaning. You say that people hung it for remembering Christ? Oh how mistaken that sounds. Just put up a poll asking why people hung Christmas trees. I’d say 90% might have nothing to do with Christ. Even those in churches. They just do it because it is Christmas and because it is a culture. Well a culture which has its roots from before Christianity.
And why did they do what we are copying? How did they do it?
Hi James,
I’ve read every comment on this post and others, and I see a lot of people who are rejecting false doctrines and flawed readings of Scripture. Surely that’s a part of coming closer to Christ! Also, my post specifically explains the Gospel of Christ, for those who care to believe it. I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t work for you, but I think any explanation for why it didn’t would have to be found in your own heart.
Of course, the Bible reassures us that not everything will draw everyone closer to Christ; that’s spelled out in Romans 14.
God made trees a long time before any idolaters got wrong ideas about them. So the ultimate origin of seasonal decorations is the fact that God created trees. We could quite fairly say that we are copying how God decorates His own creation every winter.
If it’s not about Christ, why do people call it a CHRISTmas Tree?
Thanks for your comment— though if you really didn’t want to, you’ll find that ignoring articles can become quite easy with practice! 😉
pagans actually created the christmas tree as a traditional ceremony and the christians at the time stole this idea after trying to get the pagans to join them as one religion and the pagans disagreed and the christians stole the christmas tree and that holiday “the christmas tree actually represents a (penis) for reproduction”
I’m pretty sure God actually created the tree first (Genesis 1:11-12). Pagans didn’t show up till later. It’s interesting that you choose to follow pagan phallic symbolism instead of the Christian belief that God created trees and said they were “very good.”
Do you think God created trees with the shape they have because He wanted people to worship them as phallic objects? Or is that more likely just a coincidence? Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. As G.K. Chesterton observed, it’s kind of silly to think that if it wasn’t for phallic worship, trees would be growing upside down with their roots in the air.
Whether it be Christmas Trees or Totem poles, whether in the past it was worshipped and no longer is, I would not use that as a reason to have a Christmas Tree. My goal is to live like Jesus (whether he lived or was an amalgam of other prophets or an idea).