Caller: Yes sir - I was asking about Jeremiah10, about the cutting of the Christmas tree. Is it in vain to put the Christmas tree up and everything - does God say not to do that?
Pastor Doug: Well first of all, let me tell our friends that might be driving in the car, Jeremiah 10 has a prophecy about idolatry. Many people have wondered does this apply to the Christmas tree. The word 'Christmas tree' isn't here anywhere.
Let me read this, and you can say verse 3, Jeremiah 10: 'For the customs of the people are vain: one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands are the workman with an axe. They deck it with silver and gold...' Now notice it says '...the work of a workman with an axe' - that's not just talking about someone cutting the tree down he then takes his axe and he works on the tree.
They're making an idol. '...They deck it with gold and silver, they fasten it with nails and hammers, it does not move. They're upright like a palm tree but they do not speak. They must be carried around....' Christmas trees are not borne from place to place. This is talking about the pagan idols.
Now I'm not endorsing Christmas trees, I'm just being scripturally honest. This verse I don't believe, is a verse that is specifically talking about the practice of decorating a tree in the wintertime. They used to cut down trees, shape them into wooden gods, overlay them with gold and silver, and pray to them. And they'd carry them from place to place and temple to temple. And this is specifically talking about that.
Caller: Oh I misunderstood because I've been told that it was Baal the sun god, worshipping the sun that they used the Christmas tree and deck it with ornaments and balls representing the sun. Sun god Baal worship.
Pastor Doug: Yeah well Baal worship was sun worship, but when Jeremiah wrote his prophecy, Baal worship had pretty well been eradicated from Israel. During the time of Jehu - he was the one who really dealt the final blow to Baal worship in Israel. So Jeremiah - I'm thinking he's speaking of idolatry in general here. He never mentions Baal in this passage I don't believe.
Caller: No.
Pastor Doug: But it certainly would forbid praying to idols of Baal or any pagan god. But you know if some people feel convicted that this is a fulfillment of the Christmas tree well by all means I wouldn't get a Christmas tree if I were you but Biblically, honestly, this is not what Jeremiah was thinking when he wrote this.
Caller: Ok. It seems like we've adopted a pagan practice as a worship of our Savior.
Pastor Doug: Yeah many people have. And you know when people start celebrating Santa and elves and Yule logs and hot-crossed buns a lot of those things -
Caller: ...and telling kids that there's a Santa Claus and all that you know it seems like it falls right into a pagan practice also.
Pastor Doug: There are a lot of things that people have taken from paganism and they dress it around the Birth of Jesus. It sounds to me that Wallace would enjoy our book Baptized Paganism.
Co-Host: Yes that's right.
Pastor Doug: If you ask for that, we'll send it to you free.
Co-Host: Wallace, it's an excellent resource. Why don't you call our resource operators and ask for the book called Baptized Paganism. The number is 1-800-835-6747. We'll send it to you tonight if you'll make the call and ask for it. Baptized Paganism.