Xmyth Trees

[shakatany]

Well it's truly begun--the sidewalks of NYC are littered with discarded, dying trees awaiting pickup. This got me to thinking about a discussion on another lj a short while ago about the so-called "war on Xmas". I pointed out that Xmas trees were actually a remnant of Druidic worship and were never mentioned in the Bible. Someone pointed out that somewhere in the Bible there were verses "which sound suspiciously like they *outlaw* Chrismas trees." I asked where but received no reply so a few days ago I went hunting and finally found what the commenter was writing about. In Jeremiah 10:2-4 (KJV) it says: “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. 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. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.” One could take it to mean believers shouldn't cut down trees and adorn them. However the writer went on about how in different translations it's made clear that the trees are carved into idols which are then adorned for worship. This raises an interesting point that if the Bible is without error how do fundamentalists explain the contradictions that arise from different translations made from the various versions of the Bible and how do they know which version is the TRUE version?

Comments

[stretfordditto.livejournal.com]

The Bible can't be without error Shak, because various fellas wrote it didn't they? I like Christmas trees and we don't take ours down until Epiphany (Little Christmas).

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

I know that the Bible was written by various writers and in the days before the printing press it was hand-copied by scribes who may have made mistakes but there are Christian theomaniacs who believe that it is the inerrant word of god and that's scary when they try to make us live by it's dictates.

When I was a kid we kept our tree up until the 9th which is my birthday. It usually lasted until then if you ignored the rain of needles *g*

Shakatany

[stretfordditto.livejournal.com]

Lol, when we used to have a real tree I used to love the shhhhhhiiirrr noise when you got too close with the vacuum cleaner. Tree'd be bare before the event for sure. We have artificial ones now, though we did have a living one in a pot last year and thought we'd use it again this year, but it's gone bare all down one side. Oh well.

I don't believe God wrote the Bible, but I believe it represents God's word so I would swear on it and never break the oath. I think the Ten Commandments have more relevance. That Moses knew his stuff, if we could all just follow those ten little rules the world would be a much better place.

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

Re the Ten Commandments: which Ten Commandments? I believe that in different parts of the Bible different ones are mentioned and of course there's the problem of different versions of the OT. Since I'm no longer a believer the one about no other gods doesn't work for me. I had lovely parents and do honor them but what if they were abusers or were evil people like Idi Amin and Pol Pot or the BTK killer? I have no problem with thou shalt not steal or thou shalt not kill but how come so many Christians are ready to kill in god's name? I have never coveted my neighbor's wife nor his ass but wouldn't that be covered by thou shalt not steal--simply coveting seems harmless. I always thought that was a dud commandment. How come He didn't say "Thou shalt not enslave others"--think of all the misery, wasted lives and senseless deaths the lack of that commandment caused. I much prefer the Golden Rule.

Shakatany

[stretfordditto.livejournal.com]

Well, coveting might lead to other things... :p What's the Golden Rule then? Re the enslaving thing, Moses wouldn't have thought of that, he just got them all out himself, he didn't need no darned commandment, he had it all sewed up. :D

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

Moses wouldn't have thought of that
Right--the commandments were the work of man.
The Golden Rule is: "Do onto others as you would wish them do onto you" Actually I really like Hillel's version: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the law; the rest is commentary."

Shakatany