Christmas tree

[Hooker]

What do Christians who place Christmas trees in there homes think about this verse?

Jeremiah 10: 1-4

"Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the people are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk."

[PKnTX]

The prophet was writing about man madeidols which were
often made of wood and decorated with silver and gold.
I don't believe this to be associated with Christmas trees.

Just my opinion.
PK

[bcvd45]

No one is worshipping the christmas tree anymore. It is just a way of celebrating....something to do. The start on top and stuff like that give little segways to teaching children in a way they will understand. So IMO it is not a bad thing.

[TxStarr]

Taken out of context, twisted to support your own beliefs. The Bible says that even Satan quotes God's words and uses it for his own purpose. The 5th verse ties it all together. It's like reading every book in the Bible except for Revelations. You have to read it to the end to understand it. This has nothing to do with Christmas trees.

[Chuck7]

Hello Hooker,

I agree with the above poster..the prophet was making mention of idols..WE put up a small tree..only becasue wee have a small house..I love Christmas ..

There are a few stories of how the Christmas Tree originated..here is one in which I like..

Another legend that has not been proved is that Martin Luther is responsible for the origin of the Christmas tree. This story says that one Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through the snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of the snow glistened trees. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moon light. When he got home, he set up a small fir tree and shared the story with his children. He decorated the Christmas tree with small candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ's birth.

Thanks for visiting the Religious Forum..
Chuck7

[cardeeer]

They are a waste of money that could be used for good, The way the world celebrates is all messed up. Wrong time of year, A excuse to get drunk,be gluttons.And then they give the gifts to the wrong person. Without Christ Birth He could of not died for us. Thats what I celebrate.PERIOD. The past 5 years I leave early Christmas morning and drive in to the woods and sit in my car all day. No meals,parties or even family get togethers. My small family do their thing without me.

[The Rev]

ORIGINAL: cardeeer

They are a waste of money that could be used for good, The way the world celebrates is all messed up. Wrong time of year, A excuse to get drunk,be gluttons.And then they give the gifts to the wrong person. Without Christ Birth He could of not died for us. Thats what I celebrate.PERIOD. The past 5 years I leave early Christmas morning and drive in to the woods and sit in my car all day. No meals,parties or even family get togethers. My small family do their thing without me.

You can come over to my house and enjoy a Christmas dinner with me and the wife.. I'll even buy you a gift. Like a Grump call..... Hey I'm joking. You're right, to many Christmas is a time to get drunk and see what they can get.

[mudhead1s wife]

ORIGINAL: Hooker

What do Christians who place Christmas trees in there homes think about this verse?

Jeremiah 10: 1-4

"Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the people are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk."

It is talking about idols. You see it says that a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. We decorate a Christmas tree, well me and the kids do. Most of our ornaments were gifts or made by us when we were kids and made by our kids. I think a Christmas tree is what you make it.
My tree does not go up until after the 1st of Dec. and comes down before the 1st of Jan. I love the time spent with the kids talking about the ornaments as we put them on the tree.
We do not celebrate Santa. Instead we tell our kids about the story of santa. And that it has good intentions but is not real. At the same time we tell the kids not to tell other kids that santa is not real. If other parents choose to do santa than that is their choice. The reason we do not celebrate santa is because we feel like it is a lie, and if we say santa is real, and the tooth fairy is real, than how can we say Jesus is real and expect them to believe us.
We exchange gifts but we never go extravagant. And we talk about the things we can do to help others. We also have this activity that we do with the kids. We have a book and little figurines that go through the scriptures of the birth of Christ. We read one scripture a night and the kids open up a tiny box that looks like a gift. Each box has it's own number and figurine. In box one is Gabriel, 2 is Mary, 3 is Joseph, 4 is baby Jesus, 5 is a shepard, 6 is a wiseman, and 7 is what God wants for Christmas. When the kids open the box there is a mirror inside.
Our tree is a testimony of the relationships we have created, the things that Christ has done for us, and signification of our family. It isn't just about the tree but about the Love that has been shared.
A tree is what you make of it, and each have their own testimony so I can only speak for my family.

[Hooker]

I agree with everyone here.

I just wanted to see what y'all's thoughts were on it.

This verse was one of the reasons why my family never had Christmas when I was growing up. I'm still slightly bitter about it.

[etothepii]

Hooker...

I think that if someone were worshiping the tree like an Idol, then those verses do apply. In my house, the (fake) tree is there for seasonal decoration. But we worship God.