Snopes for God Rumors

I wish there was somewhere you could go to when you hear a religious extremist say something that just doesn't sound right, like a snopes for ridiculous religious ideas. There is actually something like that. It's called context. It means rather than trying to extract meaning from one isolated verse in the Bible, you need to read the surrounding verses, chapter, book, and ultimately the whole Bible to see the coherent message. Sometimes it helps to check out Bible customs as well to see what was going on. But since most people don't have time to read the whole Bible as often as we should or don't know how to access resources, there needs to be a "Snopes for God Rumors."

It has come to my attention recently that there are people who think God is opposed to Christmas trees. I'm really surprised that I've never heard this before, since I've seen a lot of bans in my lifetime: Disney World, Crest Toothpaste, trick or treating, Liz Claiborne products, McDonald's, etc. But the Christmas tree one is new to me. The supporters of this idea misuse use the scripture in Jeremiah 10:2-5 (from the King James version).

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.

Here are some problems that I see. First, the King James Version is a translation from 1611. It's hard to understand because it uses Elizabethan language from that time period. There are other really good translations that use more modern language. Second, you have to understand that the Bible sometimes uses a word like "tree" to represent something made from a tree. Like when you hear that Jesus died on a tree, He actually died on a wooden cross--made from a tree. Third, you have to dig deeper to see what the heathens were doing with the trees. They were not decorating them with nice silver and gold garland and ornaments. They were fashioning images out the wood, then covering it with silver and gold to make idols to worship. This scripture was talking about worshiping created things rather than the Creator Himself. So unless you are praying to your Christmas tree, I don't think this passage is relevant to making your decision about whether to have a Christmas tree. If you just don't want one, that's your prerogative; just don't use this passage as your reason.

One legend of how the Christmas tree got started actually revolves around Martin Luther, a founder of the Protestant faith. The story goes that he was walking through the forest one Christmas Eve. As he walked he was awed by the beauty of millions of stars glimmering through the branches of the evergreen trees. So taken was he by this beautiful sight that he cut a small tree and took it home to his family. To recreate that same starlight beauty he saw in the wood, he placed candles on all its branches. This is only one of many legends, though. Even if the practice originated in pagan rituals of some kind, that meaning has been long lost. Now they are just beautiful decorations, and the evergreen still represents life. I think God is definitely in favor of life! So there you go. That's my snopes answer for "Does God hate Christmas Trees?"