Christmas is not completely Christian
Christmas is both a religious and a secular and a religious holiday. I don't think Jewish children and other non-Christian children should be subjected in school to songs about the birth of Jesus, but songs about winter weather, decorated trees and Santa Claus don't infringe anyone's rights because these are not religious symbols.
I'm an atheist, but I have a Christmas tree in my house, and I exchange gifts with family members. Show me decorated trees, Santa Claus, Rudolf the red-nose reindeer or family gift exchanges in the Bible and I'll change my mind. But I agree that banning all Christmas symbols is an over reaction.
I'm an atheist, but I have a Christmas tree in my house, and I exchange gifts with family members. Show me decorated trees, Santa Claus, Rudolf the red-nose reindeer or family gift exchanges in the Bible and I'll change my mind. But I agree that banning all Christmas symbols is an over reaction.
posted by Dancar | 9:48 AM
2 Comments:
"Christmas" trees were banned in the bible as being pagan symbols. Jeremiah 10: 1-5 orders the Jews not to do as the pagans do, cutting down trees and decorating them. Obviously this was before "Christmas" but early Jews were familiar with pagan tradition of Yule trees.
The origins of the Yule tree:
http://overopinionated.com/holidayorigins.htm
The bible quote:
http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah%2010:1-5;&version=9;
Decorated trees are mentioned in the bible. Going to change your mind now? lol
I came across this from another link, and see that it is an old post...don't know if Dan will read it, but in the event...here goes...
Phoena writes about "Christmas" trees being banned in the bible...well, they weren't "Christmas tress" but they were groves of trees or "poles" which often stood inside the temple. This had to do with the tradition at that time of the Asherah (goddess) that most probably was a part of Hebrew religion (as the Hebrews were in contact with many other peoples, tribe, most all Semites) and they didn't only imagine "God" as male or even as "one" but in a more polytheistic way. Astherah was a female expression of the Divine which, in the story of the Hebrews, as they pulled their "own" story together, excluded her. Excluded her groves of trees, excluded the poles in the tents and temples, excluded her worship places (high mountain tops--long before it was the place, say, that the story says Moses received the 10 commandments.) When things started going bad for the Jews, then the prophets started admonishing them for many things, one being the continued worship of "other deities" (which often meant any female deities)...the Hebrew women were still baking cakes to the Queen of Heaven (and why would they not?) but were blamed that they had caused the exile, etc. of their people because of this. So all had to agree to this one god, but odd thing is, it was never "one" god...yeah, today we read "God" but if we know the Hebrew we see Elohim, Yahweh, El Shaddai, El, etc., we see many male god names, and many are the name taken from defeated enemy tribes. When cultures rub up against each other, they borrow and steal much from one another. Anyway, the female divine got mugged and kicked out of the sacred texts and "God" (He) even subsumes her characteristics. "He" can even give birth. Eve is "born" from Adam. Humankind is doomed when Eve listens to the advice of a serpent (a symbol of wisdom and rejuvenation in the female tradition...or the older traditions) but in the Bible it's all a reversal. Another story for another people.
But the trees inside, they are Mother Earth brought into our homes at the darkest time of the year, reminding us that life will return (Spring)...only now, with the environmental mess, one wonders.
Thanks.
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