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The
Christmas Tree And Mistletoe
Can Christians use
the Christmas tree and mistletoe?
By Matt Slick
Yes,
Christians are free to use the Christmas tree and mistletoe even though the
traditions regarding them are of pagan origin.
Before I get into why the Christian is free to
use them during the time of Christmas, I would like to discuss their origin and
why they were used in the first place in the Christian context.
One of the symbols of life found in the
celebration of Saturnalia was the use of evergreens.
These plants which stayed green all year long
were often used in different cultures as symbols of life and rebirth.
They were sometimes decorated as a form of
worship in varied cultures in religious ceremonies dealing with
fertility.
The trees traditionally used in Christmas
celebrations are those which are evergreens.
If you think about it, during the coldest of
winter when snow was on the ground, the "Christmas tree" is always
green.
This is why some ancient cultures would use them
in their various forms of celebration and sometimes even worship.
The Mistletoe was considered a curative plant
and was used in many ancient medicine recipes.
The Celts even believed that the plant, which is
a parasite that lives on trees, contained the soul of the tree on which it
lived.
The Druids used Mistletoe in their religious
ceremonies.
The Druid priests would cut it up and distribute
it to the people who would place the cuttings over the doorways of their homes.
This was supposed to protect the dwellers from
various forms of evil.
So, the unbelievers would use these living
things as objects to aid in their pagan celebrations.
They would celebrate on December 25, Saturnalia,
which was the shortest day of the year.
The pagans would celebrate it because it was the
end of the shortening of days and the 26th was the beginning of the lengthening
of the days.
Along with that celebration, the Evergreen
(Christmas tree) and the mistletoe were used as symbols of life because they
could live through the cold of winter and still hold their green quality.
The Roman Catholic Church could not
suppress the pagan holiday of Saturnalia, so it decided to try and take it over
by declaring it to be the day of Christ's birth and thereby changing the pagan
holiday into a Christian one.
· Christmas Tree: "A number of
popular customs developed around Advent and Christmas (Popular Religion).
Advent customs include the Advent wreath, which originated in Germany in the
16th century; Advent calendars, which also originated in Germany; preparing the
manger, from France; and Advent plays, such as the Search for an Inn
(Herbergesuchen in Germany, Posada in Spain). Christmas customs have included
the singing of carols (Hymnody); the nativity scene, or crèche (attributed
to St. → Francis of
Assisi); Christmas lights and fire (including the Yule log); the Christmas
tree, which originated in Germany, perhaps as a
blending of the Yule tree and the paradise tree used in the 11th-century
paradise play; Christmas plays and pageants; greeting cards; gift exchanges;
and special ethnic foods and drinks.” (The
encyclopedia of Christianity)
· Mistletoe: "a European semiparasitic green
shrub (Viscum album of the family Loranthaceae, the mistletoe family) with
thick leaves, small yellowish flowers, and waxy-white glutinous berries broadly
: any of various plants of the mistletoe family (as of an American genus
Phoradendron) resembling the true mistletoe." (Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary)
Can a Christian use the Christmas tree and
mistletoe?
Is the Christian free to celebrate a holiday
that not only has pagan origins but also is used by the unbelieving world as a
promotion of commercialism?
The answer is yes and no.
Christians were not bound under the law because
we have died to law (Romans 7:4).
And we are under grace (Romans 6:14).
However, this does not mean that we can go out
and commit various sins.
It means that we are free and so we have the
right to exercise our freedom.
On the other hand, we should not use our freedom
as an excuse to do questionable things or stumble others.
We have to be careful and wise in our freedom.
In addition, in 1 Corinthians 10:23-33, Paul
talks about the meat that was sacrificed to idols and then was later sold in
the meat market place.
The question arose, "Can a Christian each such
meat?"
Paul tells us in verse 25, "Eat anything that is sold in
the meat market, without asking questions for conscience' sake."
Paul said that it was okay to eat the
meat.
Why? Because we are free in Christ and that
which had a pagan association with it does not degrade the Christian if the
Christian has his eyes and his confidence in Jesus who sanctifies all things.
So, using a Christmas tree and mistletoe depends
on the attitude of a particular Christian and what he believes about Scripture
in regard to this.
For some it's okay, and for other Christians, it
is not.
Neither should one condemn the other.
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