C’mon, Hug a Tree

by Joe Bunting
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 20 No. 2, June 1994

The following article appeared in the American Nurseryman, March 15, 1994:

The Canaanites of the biblical days did it. The Druids in ancient Britain did it. And now the practice of tree worship is gaining popularity in the US and elsewhere. Citing the Garden of Eden's Tree of Life, Buddha's Tree of Enlightenment, and other legendary examples of trees as sources of the spiritual, advocates of tree worship, such as John Stahl, say the time has come to give trees the reverence they deserve.

Stahl has founded the Church of the Living Tree, whose goal, as he writes in the Whole Earth Review, is 'to evolve patterns of human lifestyles that will support Trees rather than exploit and destroy them.' Some tree advocates recommend putting this spirit to work by planting trees to commemorate family milestones and other sacred events.

Still others see therapeutic benefits coming from closeness to trees. John Puxty, writing in the British publication Green Line, advocates close encounters of the arboreal kind: 'Stroke the leaves. Talk gently to (the tree) as if it were something or someone close and precious to you. Then, when it seems right, go and sit a distance away...and watch it.'

Puxty believes these meditations help individuals cope with life's difficulties. In fact, there may be something spiritual about gardening in general. A recent cover story, 'The New Age of Angels,' in Time magazine, prompted one reader to write: '...angels are especially prevalent among people who honor the earth. It is no coincidence that angels are returning now that we are again aware of the divine powers in the air, land, and water around us.'

I was shocked when I read this article. The title sounds so innocuous; the article, pernicious.

One should be offended that the "Garden of Eden’s Tree of Life" (Genesis 2:9; Revelation 22:2) is lumped in with "other legendary examples of trees as sources of the spiritual." The difference is so obvious: God’s tree of life is real; the others are not.

Additionally, this is a good example of people worshipping the creation, rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). When will men learn?