Millions of trees
are cut each year in the name of Christ and Christmas trees. Additional
thousands are rendered into pulp to make the 875 million holiday
cards sold in the US annually.
Why?
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Christmas
trees - the Devil in disguise?!? |
The almighty buck
dictates this profane commercial tradition of death in the wily
guise of Christianity. Or is it the other way around?
So many questions.
Bible thumping
killers ought to know that Christians are mandated to celebrate
JC's death and resurrection but not Christmas, a converted
pagan feast on a date arbitrarily set as their savior's birthday.
So what does the
Bible say about celebrating "manmade" holidays? "But in vain they
do worship me, teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men."
(Matt. 15:9) To paraphrase a line from the Farrelly Brothers' Kingpin,
I think that means it's against it.
What does the
Bible say about destroying countless trees in the name of Christ?
No help there. The Bible basically commands humans to rape the earth:
almost as if we're supposed to masterfully eradicate our own race
along with most others. But that's bullshit. There are probably
a few godly environmentalists who could nimbly twist the word of
God to say something to the contrary.
Right?
Nonetheless, the
whole tree-worship thing reeks of idolatry. If you're not sold yet,
screw the whole biblical approach.
Christmas Environmentalism
The friendly folks
at christmas-tree.com
present a list of "facts" as to why it is "environmentally and traditionally
wrong to buy and use plastic products to celebrate Christmas." Though
in one sense, I couldn't agree more, (buying plastic crap is bad,)
I have to suspect that the self-confessed Christmas tree-farmer
/authors of said list have not-so-ulterior motives.
Here, in the Point-Counterpoint
tradition, are a few seemingly obvious "counterfacts" of my own.
Fact #1
Fake trees and wreaths are made from nonrenewable petroleum. Real
Christmas trees and wreaths do not harm our environment and our
resources.
DirtyRag Counterfact
#1 Though I must concede that the alternative of non-renewable
synthetic trees presents a solution likewise far from environmental
bliss, they can last countless generations, and are thus recyclable,
resellable and ultimately reusable. If you're so into tradition,
why not pass the family tree on to your grandkids?
As for the supposed
environmental impact of throwing away millions of trees each year,
so deftly negated by the near-logic of fact #1 above, well, a fact
is a fact. It must be okay to bury millions of pounds of organic
matter under mounds of batteries and diapers and whatnot in our
landfills - away from the decomposition-aiding rays of the sun.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Fact #2
When a fake tree catches fire, it puts dangerous toxic fumes into
the air. A properly cared-for real Christmas tree will not catch
fire easily. If and when it does, its fumes will certainly not be
as toxic. In addition, one acre of real Christmas trees remove carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere and produces enough oxygen for 18 people.
DirtyRag Couterfact
#2 For some reason I don't think the emission of noxious fumes
is the first thing that comes to mind when people think about burning
Christmas trees. The carbon monoxide and fire from real trees kill
families and destroy homes just as readily as their bogus brethren.
And true enough, fake trees don't provide oxygen - but then again,
neither do genuine trees, after they're dead. If you're concerned
about the breathability of our air, stop destroying trees in their
early adolescence. Surely it stunts their potential.
Fact #3
Fake trees cannot be recycled. When they are disposed of in a sanitary
landfill, they will not disintegrate, but will remain there forever,
taking up increasingly scarce landfill space. Many cities and states
have passed laws prohibiting disposal of real Christmas trees in
a landfill. Real trees are thus being used in various helpful ways
when disposed of... such as ground-up mulch to replenish the soil,
fish habitat and other useful methods.
DirtyRag Counterfact
#3 Fake trees can be recycled, both in the contemporary sense
and the more traditional reusability model. When people on my street
throw their trees to the curb, they'll not live on as replenishing
mulch or a friendly fish habitat. (?!?) Instead, they're tossed
to the wayside in the landfill. At last count, only a few hundred
communities had passed legislation prohibiting tree dumping.
Fact #4
Fake trees are manufactured mainly outside of the United States.
Thousands of jobs have already been lost in the Christmas tree industry
because continued sale and use of fake trees and wreaths continues
to be encouraged.
DirtyRag Counterfact
#4 Don't get me started on globalism , jingoism, free trade
and nationalism. This is a moot point. Many of the products billed
as "American made" are in fact constructed from components manufactured
in the evil foreign empires. Take a look under the hood of your
"American" car. Better yet, look at info on your household electronics.
What do you see?
As for the lost
jobs, maybe all the former hard working American tree-choppers went
out and got slightly more enviro-friendly jobs instead. We can only
hope.
Christians of
the world, this holiday season consider sending e-greetingcards
and buying reusable synthetic trees - or better yet, skip the tree.
If you're stuck on tradition, consider starting a new one. |