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Part #2 RESPOSNE TO THIS ARTICLE - Wednesday, December 13, 2023

CHRISTMAS IS COMING: THE EISEGETES ARE OUT.

JEREMIAH 10:2-4 has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas Trees, and celebrating any day as Jesus’ birthday is as legitimate as celebrating your own birthdays, wedding anniversaries, church and pastoral anniversaries, or other liturgical functions. I hope you do not post any false and improperly sourced memes borrowed from the internet but you are ready for real biblical and contextual research.

HERE IS WHY:

1) ANACHRONISM: Jeremiah was a contemporary of Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Daniel and Ezekiel (some pre-exilic and others exilic). Jeremiah prophesied about the destruction, deportation and Babylonian Captivity (627BCE circa). To claim that his writing was referring to Christmas Trees is not only anachronistic but shows ignorance of the history behind the invention of Christmas Trees themselves by German Christians in the 16th century, which later became popular in America. Notice the differences in dates (627BCE and 6th Century). Jeremiah did not speak about Christmas Trees;

2) CONTEXT: The first thing any serious interpreter pays attention to is context. We are taught that ‘a text without a context is pretext for a prooftext’. Context is king! Notice the exegetical and structural context of Jeremiah 10:2-4...

(a) Jeremiah 10:1-2 was addressed specifically to ‘the house of Israel’. YHVH was concerned about the ‘way of the heathen’, ‘the custom of the people’ and ‘the signs of the heathen’. Notice firstly that the tree was cut down and decorated (10:3-4) but also had carved out mouths though they could not speak. They had feet but could not walk (10:5). They were like scarecrows (KJV says they are upright like palm trees). In other words, they were shaped and made in figures like human beings. These were carved out idols from the wood (10:5) not representative of the modern Christmas Trees. Jeremiah did not speak about Christmas Trees;

(b) What is often missed by those who suggest that this text is an injunction against Christmas Trees is that the texts says they are ‘neutral’ because that ‘they cannot do good or evil’, and that Israel should not be afraid of them (10:5). In other words, even if this was a legitimate reference to Christmas Trees they were not a threat to Israel. A knife in the hand of a cook is of great benefit, but a knife in the hand of a murderer is dangerous. The problem is never the knife! If one wishes to worship their modern Christmas Trees then such becomes an idol. But to claim that all who use Christmas Trees are engaging idolatry is a fallacy of equivocation. You don’t change your names because someone who is a pe*****le, crook, or murderer has the same name. Trees are “praised” in scriptures: Psalm 104:16, Isaiah 41:19, Isaiah 9:10, Psalm 80:10, Ezekiel 17:23, Amos 2:9, Ezekiel 17:22, Song of Songs 4:11, Psalm 80:10-11. Christmas, or any other trees, as decoration or being decorated is not idolatry or a problem, unless they are used with the sole motive of worship.

3) HERMENEUTICS: The bigger concern I have is a hermeneutical one: no doctrine may be established from the use of a single text without other supporting evidence or documentation. We have no ‘other’ injunction from canonical literature about Christmas Trees but we have hundreds of Hebraic and Greek texts that forbids idolatry (the worship of gods instead of, or alongside YHVH). Exodus 20:1-5 explicitly forbids Israelite worship of false deities (a common practice among Ancient Near Eastern nations). This was expressed in the form of ‘henotheism’ (the worship of many gods but one is worshipped as greater than the others) and ‘monolatry’ (the worship of one god only, without denying the existence of the others). Jeremiah did not have Christmas Trees in mind, and neither did his audience. He was concerned about Israel worshipping idols.

4) LOGIC: If Christmas Trees are problematic from reading these texts, then we should be equally concerned about placing flowers on graves, receiving bouquets as gifts, and any type of decorative ornamentation at all. And please make sure that our church buildings have no ‘balconies’ designed from patterns provided by pagan Greece and pagan Rome. Then make sure you do not use the the terms ’Sunday’ (pagan worship of the Sun), ‘Monday’ (pagan worship of the Moon), ‘Tuesday’ (the worship of pagan god Twia), ‘Wednesday’ (the worship of the pagan Woden’s Day), ‘Thursday’ (the worship of the god of thunder), ‘Friday’ (the worship of the god Freya), and ‘Saturday’ (the worship of the god Saturn or Saturnalia). That’s how the illogical conclusion the claim that this text refers to Christmas Trees sounds. We should be consistent with all forms of ornamentations not just Christmas Trees.

5) CORRELATION: The problem of correlation is another contextual issue often ignored by anti-Christmas propagators. They think if Christmas Trees are pagan then Christmas must be too. Notwithstanding that Christmas and Christmas Trees were not created or invented by pagans but by Christians themselves. This is irrefutable from the historical evidence, and one has to include the issue of whether Jesus was born in 25th December in order to conflate the veracity of celebrating Jesus’ birth by the church with pagan Rome. I will address Christmas Day (25th December) in separate post, and demonstrate that it was not originally invented with pagan or commercialised intentions. Pagan elements were deliberately included in its celebration so that Christians would avoid celebrating Jesus’ birth because of syncretism. The same with Easter (a godly Christian commemorative event of the resurrection, attacked by both Christians and non-Christians alike - unfortunately). At Easter the resurrection is attacked! At Christmas the incarnation is attacked! These two doctrines form the basis of Christianity.
Nothing in scripture forbids or affirms the use of Christmas Trees, and since gifts are placed under them, and lights used as positive metaphors in scriptures (Genesis 1:14, Luke 11:33, James 1:17) are placed on them, including a star often placed at the top of the Christmas Tree (Matthew 2:2, 2:7,2:9, 2:10), there might be commemorative benefits in displaying one at Christmas.
In sum, putting up a Christmas Tree will do no harm to your Christianity, your spirituality, or constitute idolatry.

My response begins here:

RESPONSE: Fundamentally, I do not disagree with 97 - 99% of this article and agree that the Jeremiah text does not teach explicitly against the Christmas tree. Here is the 1 - 3% that may not be a disagreement per se but a technical difference about how we understand spiritual matters. Let me use this example to express my view on this. In the Garden of Eden, Satan possessed a serpent and mounted a strategy to rob humanity of their authority, in deceiving them to eat from the ‘tree’, they disobeyed God and fell into death. That single act of eating from the forbidden ‘tree’, plunged humanity into the depths of death and separation from God. What actually happened? How did the actions of Adam and Eve transmit to every human born after that point? That day Satan lied and continues to lie to this day. Why does he lie? To whom does he lie?

One of the elements of spirituality that I do not believe, can be or should be neglected in the understanding of this discussion we are having is the transmutation that spiritual ideas, practices and systems are real. What am I saying? The same demonic powers that were at work in ancient societies, originating in the Garden of Eden, with Satan, remain active in successive societies albeit in different forms. For example, for the origin of some pagan practices we must go to Genesis 10: 6-10. One of the reasons many may not realize this scripture and never give serious attention to it is because whenever read list of names in the Bible we tend to skip them and not give attention to those finite details. The text, usually called the Table of Nations, deals with the origin of Ni**od, the grandson of Noah, who was the builder and founder of Babel and the Babylonian system of man-ruled government and empires. He was the founder of the first world kingdom. His name actually means “he rebelled”. In this he was the catalysis of the great organized worldwide apostasy from God, the creator and has dominated the world to this very day, by and through the powers of the air. According to mythology [folklore, tradition] (some people interpret mythology as make-believe and not real, however, mythology is another way of recording a narrative of a system of belief held by a people, pagans included), If this is true or not, is not the issue. Some may count it not real, because they don’t believe in myths. But to ancient people these so called myths were believed and incorporated into life. The Mesopotamian civilization and culture, believed Ni**od married his mother, whose name was Samiramis. Ni**od died early and was venerated by his mother-wife that her son-husband had survived as a spirit being. Hence, Ni**od was alive and well, just in a different form. Samiramis cunningly devised a religious system that purported that Ni**od was still alive and thus was able to position herself as the “Queen of Heaven” and Ni**od the “divine son of heaven.” This satanic doctrine (I Tim. 4:1), teachings from demonic entities began to spread throughout various parts of the world. Ni**od became known in some places as the false messiah, son of Baal the Sun-god. In this Babylonian system the “Mother and Child” (Semiramis and Ni**od reborn) became chief objects of worship. In different countries the “Mother and Child” worship spread. In Egypt it was Isis and Orisis. In Asia Cybele and Deoious. In Rome Fortuna and Jupiterpuer. As far as China, Japan, and Tibet there have been found the counterpart of the Madonna (the Roman Catholic) veneration of “Mother and Child”.

Ancient practices seem to emerge over long periods of time in different places. Bearing different names and varieties of practices, but hold many of the same root elements.

When I look at the Jeremiah text, I notice some similarities in ancient practices that seem to lead to a fundamental false worship. You have clearly stated that the practices described in Jeremiah is a direct rebuke of idol worship that the people of Israel are guilt of desiring. The prophet warns, learn not the way of the heathen, pagan, unbelievers.

How is it that in these regions of the world separated by thousands of miles and varying cultural elements somehow adopted this same religious practice under different names? If we attempt at leaving spiritual elements out of the conversation, we might as well do that for all topics of historical nature.

This brings us to the next element of my 1 - 3% disagreement or difference. Your use of the word ‘the church’, or ‘Christians’ in the 16th [not sure if you meant 6th] century founded the practice of Christmas trees. Why would they do that? What scriptural instruction would cause that action? Why, would it have taken 16 [or 6] centuries for a group of Christians to invent this practice when nowhere in scripture are we remotely instructed to do so. They may be called ‘christians’, but were they bible believing? Maybe, I need to take back a few percentages. Your closing sentence, “In sum, putting up a Christmas Tree will do no harm to your Christianity, your spirituality, or constitute idolatry.” I classify Christmas tress as a tradition of men, having zero explicit or implicit instruction from scripture and travelling very close to idolatry. To participate in this as a Christian, I believe can have some negative implications. Jesus in quoting the prophet, said “Isaiah aptly prophesied about you hypocrites, as it is written, ’This people honor me with their lips (not unlike those who today say pagan influence is not a part of honoring of Jesus) but their hearts are far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, because they teach the commands of men as doctrine.’ You let go of the commandment of God and cling to the tradition of men. You skillfully disregard the commandment of God to keep your tradition.” I think people who attempt to associate so call Christmas with the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, pretty much will use any excuse to keep celebrating a festival that has no direct instructions from scripture but closely aligns with pagan influences as traditional idea that its “for Jesus.” - Mark 7:6–9) and walk dangerously close to a precipice. He goes on to say, “thus, you make the word of God invalid by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many things like this.” - Mark 7:13

I cannot understand how any reasonable thinking person can associate the Christmas tree with the incarnate Christ and any event revolving around the birth of Jesus and the worship of our Lord as having no bearing on ones Christianity and spirituality!

Kingdom Blessings,

Alan Todd