Lately there is one news story after another about the persecuted American Christian who has to view signs for “Holiday” trees as opposed to “Christmas” trees and the battle for the public faith in America. I contend that it’s not a battle for the faith at all. It’s a battle for some traditions that have evolved and have very little to do with biblical Christianity. It’s a battle that we waste time and energy trying to win, because a victory for the Christmas tree is not a victory that furthers the cause of Christ.
Some little-known facts about Christmas trees and traditions:
- Long before Jesus was born, people decorated their homes with greenery around the time of the winter solstice. These people include but are not limited to Egyptians worshipping Ra, Romans worshipping Saturn, Vikings worshipping Balder, and the Druids with a seasonal temple redecoration
- The Christmas tree tradition in modern times was first seen in Germany in the 16th century. There is a widely held belief that Martin Luther approved of this and was even the first to add lighted candles to the tree. [To this, I could request that some proof be provided; it's not in his writings that I've ever seen - but why bother? Everything Luther did was not biblical. He was extremely anti-semitic and no one sanctions that.]
- The Puritans were “anti-Christmas” to the point that they made it illegal. The General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law in 1659 outlawing any observance of December 25 other than church services.
- German immigrants brought the tree tradition with them and it began to be popular in the 1840s.
- Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday until 1870. Up until then it was a work day.
- December 25th was the day the Romans celebrated the birth of the god Mithra.
- The birth of Jesus was not celebrated in any way by Christians until the 4th century.
- Pope Julius I selected December 25th as the day to celebrate Christmas to co-opt the day from the Mithras worshippers and celebrants of the winter solstice.
- Jesus was probably born in the spring, not the winter. Shepherds kept watch over their flocks at night at lambing time, not in mid-winter, when they were corralled.
- Other pagan-oriented Christmas traditions: Yule logs, kissing under the mistletoe, tree decorating, and gift-giving.
Is there a war on Christmas? Certainly. Popular culture, the left, the ACLU, many people are doing everything they can to prevent “Christian” Christmas traditions, as they perceive them. But is it a war we should be engaging in? Even though early Christians, including the ones who knew Jesus before his crucifixion, didn’t celebrate his birth, I don’t see anything wrong with celebrating the birth of Jesus. There’s nothing wrong with taking some time to reflect on God’s plan for our salvation, for gratitude, gift giving, increased charity, and expressing love for our families. But I do suggest we pick our battles. Don’t spend time and energy fighting for wordly, pagan traditions with no biblical basis and no spiritual benefit. Don’t fight for the tree. Fight for the right to have your bible available for reading during breaks at school and work. Fight for the right for churches to fulfill their mission, free from government interference. Fight for things that matter. Not dead trees or dead traditions.
UPDATE: Pennywit over at Wizbang comments on the secular side of this debate in “The Good Fight” and asks an important question: Is public acknowledgment of Christmas essential to the personal celebration of the holiday?
Sources:
- History Channel – “The History of Christmas“
- History Channel – “Christmas Trees“
- Pagan Christmas Traditions – “Pagan Origins of Modern Christmas Traditions”
- Urban Legends Reference Pages – “Holidays (Christmas Day)“
The “Christmas was a warmed-over pagan holiday” thing has been contested — with documentation. I don’t think everything has been sorted out yet but I wouldn’t call the discussion over. It may be real, or it may be just so much atheist propaganda (like “Christians thought the world was flat”). http://christiancadre.blogspot.com/2005/12/december-25-and-myth-of-pagan.html
Btw I think Luther’s comments on the Jews are very jarring to modern sensibilities, but were not exactly unique at the time; you could write off the studies and practices of most of the church (in the same way as Luther) if you were judging by whether their views on Judaism would be popular in a post-Holocaust era.
Take care & God bless
Anne, thanks for your comment. One link leads to another and I found several articles with good arguments related to Jesus being born in the winter, not the spring, including shepherds near Bethlehem keeping flocks in the fields year-round.
I agree everything has not been sorted out yet; there is a lot of room for discussion. But even if the sources I listed are incorrect about the date of Jesus birth, I didn’t see any serious dispute about the other items. And there’s certainly no biblical mandate to celebrate Christmas in the manner that we do, if at all.
So my conclusion is that the anti-Christmas backlash – American Christians feeling unduly persecuted about Christmas – is misplaced and that we would do better to focus on actual persecution that is occurring elsewhere.
As for Luther – by no means did I intend to sound completely dismissive of him. I just wanted to point out that he was a mere mortal like the rest of us, and that people who get very defensive about their trees and use him as the basis for it shouldn’t act like he’s infallible.
Personally, I like the Christmas tree. They smell great and look pretty when they’re lit up. I’d have one in my house if I could stop my cat from trying to eat it. But I don’t see it as being intrinsically tied in with Christmas or the Christian faith. All the political maneuvering, boycotts and threats about trees in public places are in my opinion a massive waste of time.
I think you put the argument very well. Let’s choose our battles. Things in Oz aren’t quite like the States yet – but they are getting that way but with a bit of a backlash. Usually the argument seems to centre around christmas carols and nativity plays at pre-schools. Are you not allowed to have your bible at work in the US? That’s a bit rich if you can’t read your bible in your tea-break or meal-break. Anyway, things are getting to such a pass here with industrial relations no one will have any breaks to speak of.
No, you can legally keep a bible at your desk for reading during breaks if you want, but employers are certainly known to pressure you against it, especially if another employee claims it intimidates them or harrasses them to view you reading it. Similar to Muslims in the UK claiming that Winnie the Pooh’s Piglet is offensive to their faith; now Piglet, piggy banks, and all manner of pig-related cube decorations are verboten in the UK. There is definitely overt hostility at many public schools to bible reading, there are many cases where students are told they can’t bring them to school, or they can bring them but can’t read them with classmates, etc. Schools interpret policies and various lawsuit results differently and some principals go way too far to stifle Christian practices in their fear of the ACLU coming down on their necks. In these cases it’s fear of being sued, not actual law, driving it.
That was a great post. I wish more people would read it.
Oh, go ahead and BE right! I love the way you think–you’re so darn logical. Just don’t bring that DOG to my house to destroy my Christmas tree…….
You know (I hope) that wasn’t directed at you or people with trees in their homes… I wish I had been more clear in the original article about that. It’s for the O’Reilly Factor pinheads and their ilk who want to get out and protest or boycott because Lowe’s has a “holiday” tree sign instead of “Christmas” tree.
And even though he comes when you whistle and is a chow-hound who sits up and begs, he’s still a cat. The hairballs ought to be enough proof of that. :-/
Christians should let this battle go. Give Christmas back to the pagans — it was theirs to begin with — and concentrate on being a light and spreading the good news of Messiah. God never would reveal Himself through a lie, and Christ-Mass is a total lie. Dec. 25 is the birthdate of the Babylonian sun gold and counterfeit savior Tammuz. In Ezekiel 8, God shoes the prophet a great abomination — women weeping for Tammuz in Jerusalem. Yeshua of Nazareth was born during the fall biblical feasts.
I would add another source to Anne’s comment. Check out the article by William Tighe in the December 2003 edition of Touchstone Magazine called “Calculating Christmas”. This article was recently referenced in the December 10, 2005 edition of World Magazine by Gene Veith in the article “Why December 25?” It’s pretty clear the Romans made it a pagan holiday after Christians recognized the date as Christ’s birth/conception. However, I agree with the point of your post. Besides, how you celebrate Christmas is no proof of your relationship with God.