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During the Christmas holiday season, invariably some well-meaning Christian will proffer the idea that Christmas trees are pagan, and, therefore, should not be a part of the Christian holiday. Most of the argument is drawn from Jeremiah 10 KJV: One of the best dissections of the Jeremiah 10 argument I've seen was written by Dr. Richard Bucher, as follows: "[some argue that] Jeremiah 10 proves that the Christmas tree is a pagan custom and is forbidden by God. Therefore, they argue, all those who decorate a Christmas tree in their home are sinning in God's sight. This is quite the serious charge. Let us briefly examine Jeremiah 10 and the argument based upon it to see if there is any merit to this argument. "The verses that the concerned readers repeatedly cite are 10:2-4: "Do not learn the ways of the nations . . . For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter." "Aha!" these readers say. "Jeremiah is talking about the Christmas tree!" But closer examination reveals that he certainly is not! "First, there is the immediate context of this passage. The very next verse, 10:5, goes on to say, "Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good." This passage and the passages that follow make it crystal clear that the "decorated tree" that Jeremiah was talking about in 10:3-4, was a tree that was cut down and made into an idol, a very common custom in the ancient world. 10:8-10 also confirms this, where the wooden idols are contrasted with the LORD, who is the true and living God. Keil and Delitsch, the well-respected Old Testament commentary, confirms this interpretation that the trees in question were idols that were then worshiped (C. F. Keil and F. Delitsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, "Jeremiah, Lamentations," vol 8 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eeerdmans Publishing Company, 1980), 196-199). "Second, when we search the rest of the Old Testament, we find many other examples of trees being planted, cut down, or carved into idols. One of the most common examples of a tree idol was the Asherah, mentioned often in the Old Testament. Asherah was a pagan goddess that was worshiped throughout the Mediterranean world. She was considered to be the goddess of the sea, the consort of El, and the mother of Baal. She was always represented as a tree or pole, either planted or erected, then decorated. There are many warnings in the Old Testament about the Asherah tree. For example, in Exodus 34:12-14, we read, "Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." From a more thorough study we learn that the Asherah idol was sometimes planted (Deut. 16:21; Micah 5:14), sometimes erected at high places (1 Kings 14:23, 2 Kings 17:10), with altars and incense stands next to them where they would be worshiped (In Judges 6:25, Gideon is commanded by God to "Tear down your father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it." See also Isaiah 17:8 and Jeremiah 17:2). The Asherah, along with other man-made idols, were often decorated with various cloth hangings (2 Kings 23:7), as well as gold and silver. "Isaiah 44:14-19 gives a detailed picture of how a tree was cut down and fashioned into an idol - and the absurdity of it all. "He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. 15 It is man's fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. 16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, "Ah! I am warm; I see the fire." 17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god." 18 They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. 19 No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?" "From the foregoing, it is abundantly clear that the "decorated tree" to which Jeremiah 10 refers is an idol, very likely the Asherah. Therefore, it is very superficial Bible interpretation and pure silliness to understand this passage as directly referring to the use of a fir tree for Christmas! If, and I repeat, if those who set up a Christmas tree fall down and worship it as a god or goddess, complete with altars and incense stands, then Jeremiah 10 applies here. Or if someone loves their Christmas tree more than God, then such a thing might also be considered spiritual idolatry. But apart from these exceptions, I think it is abundantly clear that Christians who erect Christmas trees are NOT worshiping them as gods or goddesses, nor are they loving them more than their Savior Jesus Christ. They are simply using the Christmas tree as a fun custom, one that can remind them of Jesus who is the branch of David (Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15), the root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1). One that can remind them of the tree that led Adam and Eve to sin, but more importantly, the tree on which Christ Jesus died to make atonement for the sins of the whole world (Acts 5:30; Gal. 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24). "Christians should know that they can use a Christmas tree with a good conscience. It is unfortunate and wrong when well-meaning Christians call something sin that is not sin, and enslave the consciences of their fellow believers with imaginary sin! Shame on such Christians! Those who continue to believe that the Christmas tree is pagan and sinful, even after having their conscience correctly informed, should not use them. For it is not right to sin against conscience. This is regrettable, however, since there is absolutely nothing wrong with using a Christmas tree."

while some of the websites listed above occasionally have genuinely good information, I feel that most are "iffy" at best, and rumor-mongering at worst...

Laz, Establishment narrative? Um, sorry there, friend, but it is the establishment's narrative that is driving the violence. Facts roll in and dispute what is broadcast so freely in the news, but the Narrative never changes. We discussed Trayvon already before, Laz. The point that both men involved aren't saints but bullies doesn't negate the criminality of what Trayvon did to get shot. In the realm of that specific night, Trayvon was the aggressor. Michael Brown's criminality and decision to charge officer Wilson is what led to his being shot. It wasn't that the policeman didn't think Michael was a "lesser person" - it was that Michael Brown was intent on assaulting a police officer to protect his drugs and stolen goods, and the policeman had to choose to either die or shoot to defend himself. Now, there's Eric Garner. Charles Krauthammer sees the verdict as incomprehensible? In truth, there's a lot of good common sense stuff out in society that that man finds incomprehensible - he's hardly the epitome for "right-wingers". But this I do say: the law Eric was breaking was a silly one to make such a stand on. What, eight prior arrests on this point? Next upon that, the man was in no shape to even try resisting: acute and chronic asthma, heart disease, diabetes? So out of shape he couldn't walk a block without stopping to catch his breath? Yes, the officers were quite zealous in getting him to the ground - but no one thought they were putting the man in mortal danger using standard and accepted tactics of restraint. So what actually killed him, Laz? The actions of the police? Or the pre-existing health conditions which made resisting arrest a high-risk decision for Eric to foolishly make over such a small legal matter? The common thread in each of these is that each of the "victims" died as a result of consequences directly tied to their breaking laws, not that these men were being innocent by-standers and being bullied by cops. Civil rights is not about the "right" to commit crimes with impunity - yet that is precisely what The Narrative wants for the thrust of "Civil Rights 2.0". I guess when I see you making the same kind of protesting against the killers is these so-called "knock-out" games perpetrated by blacks, as you do for these three "men", then then we can talk. Civil Rights 1.0 was about blacks being treated equally under the law as whites, by protesting peacefully against unjustified use of civil force. Civil Rights 2.0 appears to be solely about certain blacks negating the consequences of their criminal behavior, by unjustified mob anarchy violence and blackmail against the justified use of civil force. The two are polar opposites, Laz.

As to celebrating on the day dedicated to the alleged birth of a pagan god: Every day of the year is the alleged birth day of a very large number Hindu gods and goddesses.

Belief in correct doctrine flows from true faith in Jesus, just as good works and obedience do. Paul in Romans 10:9 - "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Paul and Silas in Philippi, to a fearful jailer, answered his question of "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?", declared, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:30-31). This faith in Jesus is what purifies us (enables discernment of correct doctrine and the doing of good works/obedience), as John states in 1 John 3:3 - "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." Blessings,

Great story, I believe this has been posted before, but never bad to see over and over

Thanks Bonnie. That helped make my day. I wasn't old enough to serve at the time Sir Winton made that effort for the Jewish people, but my later years serving, not in the front lines, enabled me to appreciate the horror that existed, of which my uncle wouldn't speak about after the war, having been held in a Japanese prison camp for three years. God is Love! Jesus saves!

lots of people are vegetarian or vegan - not just SDA... I think businesses are cognizant of that..