I think I finally figured out what Christmas trees are really about.
Not long ago on Revelife, an author brought up the subject of our friend Mr. Tannenbaum. Apparently, some folks try to appeal to Scriptures such as Jeremiah 10 to support the old canard that Christmas trees are pagan symbols that the church is adopting in sinful syncretism.
Of course, anyone who knows the slightest bit about interpreting Scripture in context can see why this doesn’t fly: The passage in Jeremiah mentions trees being chopped down and decorated with precious metals (“A-ha!” chorus the neo-Scrooges). But it also mentions them being “shaped by chisels” into images of false gods like these. Those don’t look much like Christmas trees to me. Anyone for some eisegesis?
I explained in another article a while ago exactly why this genre of anti-Christmas rhetoric is so absurd: Pagans didn’t make trees, God did. So even if pine trees were once misused in pagan worship, it hardly follows that they must always and for all time be unacceptable to people who believe that “only God can make a tree.”
But when a few outspoken commenters started chiming in to quarrel in favor of that phony interpretation of the Bible, my Spiritual-Abuse-Survivor Sense started tingling. Some people seem inordinately concerned with proving that the majority of Christians are pagan syncretists. Not that I’m in favor of bringing paganism into the church, but somehow that obsession strikes me as suspiciously like one of the warning signs of Spiritual Abuse. Next time you hear one of these Scrooges, pay close attention to the subtext:
- Everyone who doesn’t believe precisely what we believe is unbiblical and pagan! (Exclusivity, dogmatism, spiritual pride.)
- The vast majority of Christians are evil pagans, so you had better stick with us if you want to please God! (Legalism, elitism, manipulation.)
- We have standards that you have to follow if you want to be holy, and if you don’t follow them you’re an ungodly pagan! (Superiority, shame.)
- Your external actions and displays–whether or not you put up a Christmas tree–are very important. (No mention of the grace of Christ.)
I could go on, but if you know about Spiritual Abuse, you’ve heard all this stuff before. It’s the classic, archetypal sign of abuse, and they’re taking the occasion of the birth of Christ to pull it out on us. Forget “Happy Holidays”; here’s the real war on Christmas.
But, spiritual abuse awareness aside, what these sorts of people say about the poor pine tree turns out to show the real message of the Gospel better than they know….
The pagans used trees to sinfully honor their false gods instead of the Creator. The devil influenced me to sinfully honor myself above my Creator.
The spiritual abusers say that, since the trees were used sinfully, they can only ever be regarded as sinful. They said that about me too.
God says, “It may have been used sinfully, but I made it in the first place. Don’t you go calling anything I made unclean (Acts 10). If I made it good in the first place, that means I can make it good again.”
At one time the pagans chopped down a tree, cut it into pieces, and hung it with metal to worship their false gods.
But another time some pagans chopped down a tree, cut it into pieces, and with metal, hung something on it that redeemed our souls.
Jesus came into the world at Christmas to be hung on a tree.
Jesus was hung on a tree for the sins of the world, including idolatry.
Because of what happened with that chopped-down, metal-adorned tree, we are free from the rules that say we can only ever be sinful.
Because of what happened with that chopped-down, metal-adorned tree, nobody can ever say that God is about anything other than grace and forgiveness.
Because of what happened with that chopped-down, metal-adorned tree, anyone who looks at a tree now can see not a symbol of idolatry, but an outward and visible sign of the infinite grace of God.
Because of what happened with that chopped-down, metal-adorned tree, anyone who looks at you now can see not a sinner, but someone who has been cleansed and made new by the infinite grace of God.
The devil intended to use that tree for evil. The spiritual abusers say it could only ever be evil. But God used that tree for the greatest good that has ever happened.
The devil intended to use you for evil. The spiritual abusers say you can only ever be evil. But God intends to use you for a greater good than you can imagine.
The Christmas tree reminds us that everything God created is good.
The Christmas tree shows us that everything God does is gracious.
The Christmas tree tells us that you don’t have to accept the label that you’re only a sinner.
And as for me, anything that makes legalists and abusers that upset is something I’m glad to decorate my house with. The other reason Jesus came into the world, of course, was to annoy the heck out of legalists.
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“Everyone who doesn’t believe precisely what we believe is unbiblical and pagan!” Well, duh! Everyone knows that. That’s why I go to the Church of the One. Not one true God, but me all by myself beause I’m the only one who believes the right way.
Sorry, I should have resisted. Thank you for this post. Second article of yours I’ve read and I find myself agreeing with your.
@Dawson L: Thanks; I’m glad you stopped by!
Oh, another good one I would like to print out to put in my binder! Boy am I aware of spiritual abuse! Yikes! There are so many who are misled and deceived. They mean well…they really do…many of them. They just don’t see the irony of what they are doing out of their love for our Lord. And then there are some who are just plain abusers…they have their own agenda.
I agree that those who are opposed to Christmas trees are believing a wacky interpretation of the Scriptures.
However, I think you have to be careful about the litmus test you propose by which you can identify spiritual abusers.
In point number 1, you condemn exclusivity and dogmatism.
Yet, Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets were exclusive and dogmatic – at least on the fundamentals of the faith. True, many dogmatic people are prideful and arrogant. But to condemn dogmatism and exclusivity across the board – without any qualification – would require you to condemn Christ Himself in order to be internally consistent.
Jesus is the only way of salvation. No one can be saved outside of Christ.
On point number 2, you have to be aware of the nature of the times in which we live. The Bible warns us about a great apostasy that would happen in the end times. Again, God condemns pride and arrogance, but it is not necessarily prideful to recognize that those who are proudly “broadly evangelical” are oxymoronic. The way is narrow. Jesus said so.
Point number 3 is a good one. The only standard is the cross of Jesus Christ. Galatians makes this quite clear.
However, when people get into Paul/Barnabas type of disagreements, believing Galatians does not require us to condemn those who – like Paul – do not believe that traitors should be easily let off the hook and allowed to take part in leadership roles.
God bless.
@Dan Hillman: You have valid points. However, I’m not proposing a “litmus test” so much as identifying a few common characteristics– a spiritual abuser will often say dogmatically and arrogantly, not that Jesus is the only way to God, but that their particular religious practices are the only way to Jesus. The danger, as you rightly point out, is in making anything other than Jesus the dogmatic center of your spiritual life. I’d recommend you check out the Pure Provender website for links to some more detailed “litmus tests” if that interests you. Thanks for your comment!
I found this while doing some searching for things to do with the tree rather than throwing it out to the curb, and could not stop reading. It sounds like something that I have always taken for granted as being one of the many commercial driven activities of our society is being associated with an anti-christian tradition. My personal beliefs are honored from my home as I have been very disappointed by the organized worship that I have tried in my earlier years. Is this spiritual abuse that you speak of really that prominent?
@Michael: I’ve seen a few religious groups– usually small but vocal ones– that try to cast Christmas trees in an evil light for whatever reasons. Usually it stems from a desire to see oneself as superior or more holy than other Christians, which is often a symptom of Spiritual Abuse. I’m not sure how widespread the bit about the Christmas trees is overall; I had just seen it pop up in a few online forums I visit. But Spiritual Abuse itself is alarmingly common throughout a wide variety of cults and churches. Provender (mentioned above) has the best collection of resources online if you’re interested in reading more about it, which I highly recommend (the site and the reading more about it). Thanks for your comment!
The True Meaning of Christmas Trees: The Spiritual Abuse Connection http://bit.ly/6le2F3 via @AddToAny
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