The Birth of Jesus
- Answers in Genesis
Finally, we come to our last myth to bust. We have often been told that Christmas is a pagan holiday because the Bible forbids the use of Christmas trees. If you have never heard this one before, it might sound rather silly, but those who espouse it seem to have strong feelings about it. The claim is based on Jeremiah 10, where God spoke the following words through the prophet:
Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord:
“Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” (Jeremiah 10:1–5)
If you take just a moment to examine the context of this passage, it becomes painfully obvious that these verses have nothing to do with Christmas trees. The prophet is in the process of warning the Israelites to not make idols like the Gentiles often did. The trees were cut down and made into idols by craftsmen. This just simply is not about Christmas trees.
We need to keep Christ first at all times, including Christmas.
Of course, Christmas trees can become problematic if one focuses more on the tree than on the real reason for the season. We need to keep Christ first at all times, including Christmas. If anything comes between our relationship with him, such as focusing on a Christmas tree (or the items beneath it) or other traditions, then these things become stumbling blocks and could be sinful. But the Bible does not forbid the use of Christmas trees.
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