Christians what you think of this Biblical passage in Jeremiah 10 about NOT following customs of people/cuting a tree and dressing it up as heathen did?

The link did not work on my iPhone. What is the passage? I will look it up.
While the Christmas tree is a long time custom which on it’s surface is harmless as practiced by most people, it is a waste of perfectly healthy, beautiful trees. Not good for the environment either.
Never met anyone who worshiped their tree though.

Most X-Mas trees are grown to be X-Mas trees. No mass tree destruction going on.

The link produced “No valid results”

I assume this is the passage:

Jeremiah 10
2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

3 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.

4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Here is a concise explanation.

Jeremiah is not condemning Christmas trees. He is condemning idolatry. The trees in Jeremiah 10 are cut down to carve them into worthless idols that will later be decorated with gold and silver. Jeremiah says nothing about Christmas trees. That custom originated in northern Europe, not in ancient Palestine.

Thanks, fireside for posting the passage and your explanation.

i do what i can : )

I’m not a Christian but, as long as you aren’t worshiping the tree, I don’t see why God would have a problem with it. Otherwise, all forms of artistic expression would be considered evil, and I’m sure there are plenty of Bible references that say the opposite.

From the New American Standard Version

Jeremiah 10:3

For the customs of the people are delusion/vanity;
Because it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.

10:4
They decorate it with silver and with gold;
They fasten it with nails and with hammers
So that it will not totter.

10:5
Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they,
And they cannot speak;
They must be carried
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.

What it means? Christmas trees should not be feared. They must be carried because they can’t walk on their own. They are not harmful but they also aren’t good for you.

Don’t quote me on this, but I had read (somewhere) that the Christmas tree or more aptly the act of putting a tree in ones home was originally a pagan tradition that was adopted when a group of them were converted and was spread. Again I’m not totally sure.

C’mon folks. Do your research. Christmas trees are a German tradition from the 18th century. christmas tree wikipedia

Wikipedia?

obviously intended as a commentary on the pagan holiday of Saturnalia. don’t get me started on that mushroom-addled old Finn who wears red.

And since Christ’s sacrifice, we are no longer saved by adhering to purity codes and sacrifices of atonement when we fail, but by the grace of God, freely given to anyone who accepts it.

If the practice of setting up a Christmas tree brings you closer to God, do it. If it harms your relationship with God, don’t do it. Don’t assume that what works for you works for everyone. It’s as simple as that.