Why do Christians celebrate Christmas with tree decorations.?

Question

"For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with a chisel, they adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter." (Jeremiah 10:3-4)

It has been labelled as a worthless act by God but Christians are still practising it. Why!

Answer 1

An important key to understanding any passage is to pay careful attention to its context. Verses 2 through 4 of Jeremiah 10 are part of a larger context. That larger context is verses 1 through 16. In these verses Jeremiah proclaims the Lord as the only God. "No one is like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due.... The Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King.... God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding" (verses 6-7, 10, 12, NIV).

The gods that pagans worship are nothing compared to the Lord. Verses 8 and 9 speak of "worthless wooden idols" on which workmen place hammered silver and gold, and rich apparel.

Jeremiah is not condemning Christmas trees. He is condemning idolatry. The trees in Jeremiah 10 are cut down to carve them into worthless idols that will later be decorated with gold and silver. Jeremiah says nothing about Christmas trees. That custom originated in northern Europe, not in ancient Palestine.

Answer 2

Jeremiah is a book from the Old Testament- So celebrating the Birth of the Messiah by adorning a tree with silver and gold is obviously not what this passage is speaking of. If you read the Chapter in it's entirety God is warning against looking to the Stars for Answers and worshiping false idols. He is warning against people who chart the stars to read the future. This is a book about God and his views about Idols.

Answer 3

I also let my son open gifts he thinks are from Santa Claus. So, not only have I started to worship a tree, I'm promoting lies to my son.

Hhhhmm...might wonder about easter, and why we include colored eggs.

Look, for me Christmas isn't about the tree. The tree is in my living room, the same way the American Flag hangs over my door. But I'm not just American, I'm also a citizen of a different kingdom.

And not referring to the "kingdom hall" where not only are Christmas trees a sign of paganism, but same goes for rules about blood transfussions. Take a look there, and it's easy to see how distorted teachings can be.

My real prayer is that we not forget who's birth we are celebrating. Does it matter if we have a date, or is refusing to celebrate the birth do more to bring a smile to the enemy, rather than God?

† Travelling Prayer Warrior †

Answer 4

Well I don't know how that bible reference works in, but the reason we presently use trees and decorate it goes back to the Germans, who often would often take a tree down (usually an evergreen representing the paradise tree) and install it in the house and tend to it with hope of the coming spring. These were the ancient, pagan Germans....move up a few centuries and we have the beginnings of our present day Christmas. They are still using the tree. Initially candles and real apples were hung on the branches, but candles were dangerous and apples proved to be too weighty so a German glassblower created imitation apples that were more lightweight (Xmas balls). Then popcorn got strung on (that's an American thing). And so on.
BTW keep your quote in context, b/c at the beginning of this Chapter G-d is telling the children of Israel about idolatry and not to follow the customs of nations. This is BEFORE Christianity--the time of Jesus Christ.

Answer 5

Again let me say you have to read and understand the whole scripture. it is speaking of IDOL worship. people who don't believe in the one true god and instead worship idols, you also must understand the words and context of what is being said in that time period. for example when someone say to you hey brother you may or may not be their biological brother you may just be a friend. back in that time people worshiped idols they used the only materials they had to do that with, wood, silver and gold. and they made gods out of them. today we decorate our homes with christmas trees not because we worship the tree. not because we are making a false god or idol. we do it because it is pretty and it decorate the home. jeremaih was not talking about a christmas tree because jesus wasn't born yet. so there was no christmas to celebrate. sometimes ( and I don't mean you) people will take the bible to litteral, do you know the phrase if your eye is causing you to sin pluck it out. ( this is not the exact phrase/verse but you know what i'm talking about) some people will go so far as to pluck out their eye. also remember you will get different answers based on different religions even bibles are different some contain books that other religions banished. so it depends on your religion and point of view. I guess we just have to agree to disagree with this one. some believe in christ others don't. so lets accept that and move on.

Answer 6

For Christians, whether you choose to put up a tree or you choose not to, know that either one does not make you more or less holy than the other. The spirit of Christmas is with us every day, or should be. It isn't about what happens on or underneath a tree, but what happens in your heart well after another Christmas season has come and gone. Merry Christmas!

Answer 7

Patron trees (for example, the Irminsul, Thor's Oak and the figurative Yggdrasil) held special significance for the ancient Germanic tribes, appearing throughout historic accounts as sacred symbols and objects. According to Adam of Bremen, in Scandinavia the Germanic pagan kings sacrificed nine males (the number nine is a significant number in Norse mythology) of each species at the sacred groves every ninth year.

According to Church records, Saint Boniface (who, also according to Church records, had felled the Thor's Oak) attempted to Christianise the indigenous Germanic tribes by introducing the notion of trinity by using the cone-shaped evergreen trees because of their triangular appearance.

Answer 8

The Christmas tree is a relatively new custom for Christians in England and the US. It started in Germany, and Queen Victoria's husband, Albert, was German. Victorians wanted to do what the royal family was doing, and Americans also emulated this. Of course, some immigrants brought that custom here.
But, it has nothing to do with Jesus; it harks back to pagan winter solstice celebrations. That's all fine, but most Christians don't understand why they have Christmas trees. It's the usual "pick and choose" form of religion. They like Xmas trees, so they make them fit into the whole religious ritual.

Answer 9

Is the Christian free to celebrate a holiday that not only has pagan origins, but also is used by the unbelieving world a promotion of commercialism? In my opinion, it depends.
The Christians must hold his standard of righteousness and devotion to God above those of the world. The Old Testament says that we are to worship God in truth according to the dictates that He has established (Exodus 20:1-4; 24:12-31:18). Christmas was not established by God. In addition, there are no records at all of the early church celebrating the birth of Christ.
On the other hand, there are those who say we have freedom Christ and can celebrate any day we want to. Paul says, "All things are lawful, though not all are profitable" (1 Cor. 6:12).
Should we then participate in the celebration of a festival origins and exceeding commercialism?
It is my opinion that we are free to celebrate the day. This is why.
In the Bible in 1 Cor. 10:23-33, Paul speaks about meat sacrificed to idols. This meat was often sold in the meat market and the question arose, "Should a Christian each such meat?" Paul said in verse 25, "Eat anything that is sold in the meat market, without asking questions for conscience' sake." The origins of the meat were, essentially, pagan. Many animals were raised for the purpose of sacrificing to pagan deities and their meat was offered in the market place. In reference to this Paul said it was okay to eat the meat.
Then in verses 28-29 he says, "But if anyone should say to you, 'This is meat sacrificed to idols,' do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake; 29I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience?" (NASB). Paul is saying that if you are with someone who might be stumbled by your eating meat that was sacrificed to idols, then don't eat it -- not because of you, but because of the other person. In other words, eating that meat won't affect you. The false gods are not real. They have no power.
1 Cor. 8:-7-9 echoes this idea. It says, "However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 9But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak." Though this passage requires a bit more examination, it still carries the sense of freedom. And, Jesus has definitely set us free.
However, if you are not comfortable with this conclusion and you don't want to celebrate Christmas, that is okay. You must answer to the Lord.

Answer 10

Personally, I think this is talking about crafting an idol. But, I put up a tree because it is a family tradition. Notice that it is worthless, not an abomination or evil. I do many things every day that are worthless, everyone does.