Are Christmas trees evil?
The argument against them I have heard quotes Jeremiah 10:1-2 and was as follows:
- We should not learn “the ways of nations.”
- One of these ways was a unskilled “workman”(KJV) cuts down a tree out of the forest (and other versions changed this word to “craftsman” so they must be up to something).
Concerning the ways of nations, of what ways does this passage speak? Does this include modest styles of dress, agriculture, architecture, science, decorating with plants? Reading the whole chapter, the passage is clearly about making graven images. These cut down trees are decorated with silver plates, gold, and purple clothing(KJV) and are the work of cunning men.
The argument that it was a simple workman cut down the tree is weakened when you look at the Hebrew. This argument is somewhat typical of KJV-only argument that if a translation uses a different word than KJV; it must be wrong. Nothing wrong with liking the KJV, but believing that English word choices were the result of divine inspiration is extra biblical. The real question is what do the original manuscripts say? In this case it is quite enlightening.The word Charash-2796 in Strong’s is translated the follow ways: Carpenter 11x, Workman 6x, Craftsman 4x, Artificers 2x, Smith 2x. The KJV usually uses the word carpenter to refer to the men who worked on the temple or holy objects. Every incidence of the English word “craftsmen” in the KJV is this word (2796) so other translations using it here in Jeremiah 10:2 is within the bounds of translation and it is not clear why the KJV translator chose craftsmen or workman is various verses. 2796 always refers to a skilled man and usually refers to the maker of graven images. We must not worship graven images but it would appear we can decorate with plants.
The process describe in Jeremiah 10 or Isaiah 40 does not match our process of sawing down a tree, bringing it in our house and having the kids hang things on it. In the KJV the strong number words 2404 and 2672 are translated as hewer, someone who is less of an artisan and more of a lumberjack. This would have been a better word choice if Jeremiah or Isaiah was a warning against Christmas tree harvesting.
It is interesting to me that in Jer 10: 5, Israel is commanded to not be afraid of this former tree because it cannot do evil or good. Avoiding the world can look much like superstition and paranoia.
Another verse quoted in the discussion was 1 Thess 5:22 “avoid the appearance of evil.” Most other translations say “avoid every form of evil.” The contextual and word-definition arguments for the later translation are compelling. A strong argument is my mind is that the KJV makes an arbitrary standard for the life of a believer. According to the KJV, how we should act is based of the opinions of others(what would appear evil to them--which could be anything), not the standards of Scripture and what it defines as evil. To be consistent in their translation, the KJV should have translated “hold fast that which is good.” as an encouragement to appear good. This passage was written by Paul, the same guy who considered it a right to plop down in the temple of Athena and order some pork chops (I Cor 8). He didn’t seem concerned about appearing evil. An interesting article dealing with this passage can be found at http://www.padfield.com/1996/appear.html
