The Pagan Christmas Tree is OK

[Lon]

Seriously, that's not the point. I read where Hilston has said this over and over and over,..... and over and over again. What or where the symbols came from (even though, as Hilston pointed out...yes, over and over and over....and a few more overs, that is not the crux of the matter.Symbols represent something.....so since they are christmas symbols, wouldn't they represent christmas?) They are now set aside to celebrate a religious event....please don't tell me now that celebrating Jesus' birth is not a religious event....

Putting up a tree is simply a seasonal arts and crafts and a place to put presents. Not religious at all, other than the command to love one another.

But IF you decided to do any of the above for a religious purpose, that would be wrong......

If you put a flag up declaring that "God is good"....and we will now meditate on that phrase every third Tuesday of every third month:
That's a violation of Body Hope

If you put up a green shamrock as part of your christmas "thankfulness":
That's now a violation of Body Hope

If you decided that putting out a pumpkin to advertise candy because God will honor that more so then NOT putting out a pumpkin to generate business:
You've now violated Body Hope

If you put up a tree to decorate to keep the kids busy....as part of the christmas observances, :
You've violated Body Hope
.......and for the record, you are really stretching this saying it keeps the kids busy....what do you do in the summer ? Getting the tree out then? ARe your kids that needy to be entertained? What about when the kids are gone, are you going to forget about the tree?

So, anyway, maybe you get the idea now...it isn't the object or the symbol...it is the making it a religious observance that is wrong.

Lon, I use those pretty "christmas" lights throughout the year, to decorate for birthdays. Why? Because it is not the lights from christmas that are wrong, it's the observance of the day.



lain: Why do people think that if one doesn't do christmas, their children are giftless, toyless neglected children?

Naw, I disagree. To me, your point was about whether it is religious or not. I find most of those observance are not tied to religion other than the command to love one another. Whenever I'm thankful for Christ's birth isn't an issue, even if it happens to be on that day.

 

[Pam Baldwin]

Naw, I disagree. To me, your point was about whether it is religious or not. I find most of those observance are not tied to religion other than the command to love one another. Whenever I'm thankful for Christ's birth isn't an issue, even if it happens to be on that day.

No, my point was that one makes it into a religious observance/time.
Take it out if a religious time/place/observance, and then you're okay.
It's the "observance" that is not Body....

I've heard it said" Take Christ out of christmas". That would be more where I agree!!

I totally agree with your last sentence there....."Whenever I'm thankful for Christs' birth..." That's where I'm at.....wherever, whenever.

Mosaic Law:
Prayer times
Body Hope:
Pray without ceasing.... I pray for you.....

 

[Lon]

No, my point was that one makes it into a religious observance/time.
Take it out if a religious time/place/observance, and then you're okay.
It's the "observance" that is not Body....

I've heard it said" Take Christ out of christmas". That would be more where I agree!!

I totally agree with your last sentence there....."Whenever I'm thankful for Christs' birth..." That's where I'm at.....wherever, whenever.

Mosaic Law:
Prayer times
Body Hope:
Pray without ceasing.... I pray for you.....

Agreed, but I still say putting up a tree is simply arts and crafts regardless of what day.

 

[Pam Baldwin]

Agreed, but I still say putting up a tree is simply arts and crafts regardless of what day.

Agreed. Agreed that if I'd actually observe someone doing that: putting up a tree only to do arts and crafts at some other time of the year, I really couldn't object.