Question by denise k: I was told by a Christian lady that decorating a Christmas tree was a pagan ritual, stated in the bible.?
Is there scripture to support this statement?
Best answer:
Answer by steph!
i dont think so!
tell me if you find anything
Add your own answer in the comments!
Jeremiah chapter 10 I believe talks about this.. Christians love their Christmas trees though, and celebrating the rebirth of the SUN Baal.. 🙂
Here I looked it up for you Christians lmao
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.
3For 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.
Sums it up pretty well, cutting a tree out of the forest, decking it with silver and gold, fastening it so it stands up… sounds like Xmas to me… 🙂 The bible talks all about the “Christians” and how deceived they are.
Just read it in Leviticus, somewhere.
Someone else had it on here and I wanted to run out and buy one since it has been a few years one has been in my house.
Besides that is where your Christian holiday came from the Pagans!
Christmas trees are not expressly mentioned in the bible. They are not expressly forbidden. It is okay to be IN the world, but not OF the world. Having one for decoration, depending on your culture, is okay. Worshipping your Christmas tree is not okay.
nothing towards it as far as i know.. sounds like she may have been a jehovas witness; which most christianity views as a cult – and have weird (if not insane) views on holidays.
It is a pagan ritual. When the Roman Church (Catholics) were expanding into other areas, they adopted many of the pagan practices and incorporated them into holidays to make the Christian religion more palatable for the masses.
Holly, Christmas trees, easter eggs, easter bunny — all have origins in pagan rituals. The timing of Christmas is also pagan in origin — coincides with the winter solstice, which was an important pagan holiday. Most historians that have tried to pinpoint the birth time of Jesus say that it occurs closer to passover (easter time) than in December.
Christ is not part of Christmas if one knows the real story. Christmas is a pagan story brought over. Those that follow the bible know this and also know its wrong to bring over others traditions.
Read the story of Moses getting the tablets. Read up on what happened to those that waited and what they had done. Christmas is the same thing.
Your tree passage is:
Jeremiah 10:3
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.
There are others as well pertaining to this.
“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. . . . They are altogether brutish and foolish.” (Jeremiah 10:2-8)
and it came to pass that jesus was nailed to a christmas tree on the 25th of december, so that we may be forgiven of all sin.
brian
verse 1 chapter 2
The problem is not the Christmas tree, but the radicalized biblical hermeneutics of protestantism which tend toward both manicheism and iconoclasm– such biblical interpretations permit the Incarnation, but cannot tolerate its positive implications for creation. The revelation of the scriptures is reduced to a grim judgement, the dimishment of the life of grace to “getting into heaven” and a legal construal of God’s grace, which becomes capricious, rather than generous and lifegiving.
Firstly, I have to say that there were no Christmas trees – as such – in biblical times. The fir tree/Christmas tree is more to do with skandinavian/norse god worship and is likey ‘another layer to the onion’, as it were.
The Canaanites, who were the pagans in the land when the children of Israel entered it after their 40-year wilderness wanderings (see Joshua, etc.) used to worship a male and female god – Baal and Asherah – fertility/land gods represented by the sun and moon.
Asherah was worshipped in ‘groves’ and her symbol was a ‘pole’, a living tree or a grove of trees or shrine, Baal in the ‘high places’ (next the groves) and the Bible forbad people from going to these places.
The website Trust for Scriptural Research USA gives a connection between Christmas trees and Asherah worship and says these are fertility symbols and that the tree is a type of altar where people bow down to place gifts and offerings. They reckon the actual tree of Asherah was the date palm.
Jer. 7:17-18 frowns upon the making of cakes for her festival and 44:17 the incense and drinks. Sounds a bit like Christmas!
Here is the nearest Bible reference quoted on the website : ‘Do not bring a detestable thing (ie. an idol, profane thing) into your house … ‘(Deut 7:26) so this may be what your Christian friend was referring to.
I have to say that, in my opinion, these things are indeed of pagan origin and, as such, have no place in a Christian’s home. We got rid of the Christmas tree years ago, although I do miss its lights (which were always failing, however!). This was simply because I felt unhappy with it and I wanted to adhere to Christ and nothing else, wherever possible. We wanted to keep to the simplicity of Christmas, where we could celebrate the gift of God’s Son, without all the trappings. This is very difficult, with relatives, etc., but we try, and we also try not to be too confrontive and make too much of an issue of it.
It is a good idea not to be too purist about things, because we have to live in this world and find a right response to it – including Christmas. Scripture says that if you eat food with the knowledge that it has been offered to idols (ie. a pagan feast), you align with idolatry, but if (steering clear of the out-and-out pagan feast) you eat among unbelievers as to God, there is no sin. So, our family steers clear of the Christmas excesses, shares the joy and sticks to the simple things with thanks.
I advise you not to go out ‘pagan ritual hunting’ but to remodel your Christmas according to your conscience into a more simple and Christ-honouring form.
The christian lady is right.Decorating the tree is still a Pagan ritual.Like a lot of religions the Christians took what they needed and left the rest.