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My Fellow Christians: Is a Christmas Tree an Idol?

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
Is the cake displayed in the celebration of a birthday an idol? All of our celebrations would be rather dull
if we did not use 'props', they simply enhance the festivity.

There is a book titled the Lore of Birthdays.
Cakes as round as the moon with lit tapers were placed on the temple altars of Artemis.
Candles on birthday cakes honor the person [ creation ] Not the Creator. Those candles having the power to bring fortune is rooted in magic and Not Scripture.
How did Jesus and the apostles celebrate birthdays, they didn't. It was the non-Jews who did.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
By now this should be common knowledge, well perhaps because as a Buddhist I studied comparative, and divinity to gain understanding.
Most Christian holidays have pagan roots, Including Christmas and Easter.
During a point in roam, it was decided to combine the religions, including aspects of earlier roman Mithraism.
Christams: THe tree, red and green colors, yule log, ornaments, wrapping gifts, and star are reflection of pagan beliefs during that solstice.
Easter: based on the Goddess Ester, the eggs, fertility, rabbit, hidden eggs, eggs of ornament, are also all pagan.
The Christian aspects blended in, but most still follow a blended pagan, Jeudo Christian faith.

Is it 'most Christian holidays', or rather ' all so-called [ in-name -only ] Christian holidays '?
The only set apart time Jesus gave his followers to follow is found at Luke 22:19 which is to remember the day of his death which on the old Jewish calender is the month of Nisan the 14th day of that Spring month.

The so-called Christmas tree is used in connection to a religious holiday.
How many celebrate without the evergreen ?
How many trees are sacrificed to Santa [ Santa the god of Christmas ] each year ?
In Scripture there should be No mixing of the non-biblical with the biblical.
- 1st Cor. 10vs 20,21; Matthew 15 v 9; Mark 7 vs 1-7,13
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
I don't think it's an idol, even if the origin is pagan,I don't see it as an idol since it's not being worshiped or revered, which, by definition, makes something an idol . It's no way comparable to the Asherah Poles.

Not being worshiped but connected to worship?, isn't the tree used in connection with a religious holy day ?______
How many celebrate the holiday without the evergreen ?______
Just the false label Christmas does Not change a secular national holiday of excessive material consumption into the sacred so that some people can play Babes in Toyland.

Especially since the time the Jews began mixing with the Greeks foreign ideas traced back to ancient Babylon crept into religious teachings. Those foreign ideas does Not change the foreign into the sacred.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
On FB, I belong to a group for Messianic Jews and Christians. We are having a discussion that the author of the subject compared Aaron's Golden Calf, in Exodus, to the same kind of idolatry as a Christmas tree. I stated that a Christmas tree nowadays is not worshiped, but a decoration.
Am I mistaken about that? Do you agree with him that a Christmas Tree is an idol on the level with the Golden Calf or just an idol?
Any discussion is welcome.

Didn't the people have a festival celebration around the golden calf ?______ see Exodus 32:5
They said they were celebrating a feast [ festival ] day to the LORD [ YHWH ]

Who today celebrates around the jolly holly tree but those who celebrate Christmas Day.
How many celebrate December 25th without the evergreen ?

So, what is the difference between the calf and the tree in the sense that didn't both celebrations have a ' false centerpiece ' used in connection to a day set apart for the LORD?
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
They worshipped the golden calf as the power that delivered them out of Egypt.

3 So all the people began taking off the gold earrings that were in their ears and bringing them to Aaron.4 Then he took the gold from them, and he formed it with an engraving tool and made it into a statue* of a calf. They began to say: “This is your God, O Israel, who led you up out of the land of Egypt.”
 

Renji

Well-Known Member
Not being worshiped but connected to worship?, isn't the tree used in connection with a religious holy day ?______
How many celebrate the holiday without the evergreen ?______
Just the false label Christmas does Not change a secular national holiday of excessive material consumption into the sacred so that some people can play Babes in Toyland.

Especially since the time the Jews began mixing with the Greeks foreign ideas traced back to ancient Babylon crept into religious teachings. Those foreign ideas does Not change the foreign into the sacred.

Since when? I used to be a catholic, but I NEVER used the tree to worship. And as an atheist, I do have christmas tree at home. Now, does that make me a tree worshiper? And yeah, if you go to countries like South Korea or Philippines, majority of the people actually DON'T have christmas trees at home.
 

Faybull

Well-Known Member
Since when? I used to be a catholic, but I NEVER used the tree to worship. And as an atheist, I do have christmas tree at home. Now, does that make me a tree worshiper? And yeah, if you go to countries like South Korea or Philippines, majority of the people actually DON'T have christmas trees at home.


But let us ignore the electric box in front of at the moment. Forget that comparison as worship, right?
Concerning the reference to "Christmas tree", "Jews", "Babylon", etc.:
A craftsman doesn't cut a tree for worship. The "poles" that resulted from the tree, were the product of the "craftsman". Craftsman = Priest.
 

Faybull

Well-Known Member
There is a book titled the Lore of Birthdays.
Cakes as round as the moon with lit tapers were placed on the temple altars of Artemis.
Candles on birthday cakes honor the person [ creation ] Not the Creator. Those candles having the power to bring fortune is rooted in magic and Not Scripture.
How did Jesus and the apostles celebrate birthdays, they didn't. It was the non-Jews who did.

Honor God. Honor thy Father and thy Mother.
No reason why one cannot honor God, and honor another person.
Nor is there any prohibition of celebrating birth.

I would imagine, that when a child is born, it has always been a celebratory time.
Celebrating life trumps celebrating death.
 

Yeshe Dondrub

Kagyupa OBT-Thubetan
It's all state of mind, while in Christian scriptures it would be considered idol worship, or practicing pagan beliefs, if it triggers to mind for a positive reason, to do good things, act good, then it is not a harmful or wrong practice. Regardless it's origins.

If a person celebrates holidays, slanders other beliefs, while not being wise that they may be practicing others beliefs, it becomes counterproductive, and without merit.

A Buddhist respects their Guru and the Buddha, but there is cultural difference in what bowing means. It could be considered Idol worship, even though worship wouldn't be correct. way of thinking.

Much through Abrahamic beliefs idols of various origins are used, Catholics use the most. Yet Persian, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and various others ones have been adopted as well.
 
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