Expert: Pastor Don Carpenter - 11/11/2008

Question
what does the Bible say about bowing to a Christmas tree?

Answer
Hi Mary,

Thanks for this great question.  I do not know of anyone who bows down to a Christmas tree.  In fact the word Christmas tree is not in the Bible.  If you are concerned because thousands of years ago, Druids used yule logs as a part of their pagan worship, God's word does have something for us to consider.

Romans 14:14-16
14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.  15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.  16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

A Christmas tree is just a cut pine... a piece of wood.  It is neither good nor evil... it is wood.  If however you used to follow a wican tradition of the Yule log, perhaps your conscience will be bothered by having it in your house... then don't have one.  If your friends used to do that and you ahving that tree in your house reminds them of the old pagan worship they used to do, then for their sake , avoid it.  However, if you or your friends never used a Yule log, then the Christmas tree has no more pagan roots to you than does the word Saturday which means "Saturn's Day".  

I hope that this helps you.

In Christ
Pastor Don