“Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: “Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, … For 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. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must be borne, because they cannot go.” Although some commentaries have suggested that the trees mentioned in this passage were carved into the shapes of varying pagan deities, we must acknowledge that in fact, the verses say nothing about the tree being shaped or carved at all-only that it was cut down out of the forest by a workman with an axe, and then decorated with silver and gold, just like the modern Christmas tree. In commenting on this passage, one writer well noted: “Now of course the people in the days of Jeremiah, as the context goes on to show, were actually making an idol out of the tree. We do not mean to infer that people who today place Christmas trees in their homes and churches are WORSHIPPING the tree. What we are saying is that today’s use of the tree is plainly a carry over from paganism …”20 Though you may insist that you do not worship the Christmas tree, you cannot deny that the whole concept is pagan! Then too, we must mention the “dark presence” many have felt when in a dimly lit room with a Christmas tree. Not merely the over-active imaginations of “spooky” individuals, bringing these forbidden objects into your home does indeed invite in another presence also-the spirits associated with the rites and rituals of the ancient pagan fertility groves, in which the evergreens played an integral part. Commenting on this very thing, one researcher said, “The phenomenon of evergreen inside a house has a presence far beyond its festive meaning. Innocent enough in a modern room, or in any room fully lit for the occasions, it may have quite another effect in a house not brightly lit; holly in clumps at picture level-above you, in fact-can frown darkly, gather shadows, appear to contain some sort of suspended life. Similarly, the presence of even a mediumsized Christmas tree, unlit, stands like a personage. Such impressions are not consciously welcomed … but they are part of the same thing, and of a strangeness to the house with all its new reflections of tinseled glitter, its mirrors freshly alive. Nowadays few people may notice this in the crowded time before Christmas; but it can still be felt in the quieter evenings that follow. It is a powerful time, full of ancient apprehensions. Along-side the brightness… there rides a darkness of old instincts.”21 Discerning Christians have long realized that many objects, especially those associated with occultism or idolatry, actually attract demon spirits like magnets attract iron. Be forewarned, Christmas presents may not be the only presence around your tree! When will Christians obey God’s command to, “Learn not the way of the heathen … for the customs of the people are vain.”
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 21:28:35 +0000
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