The following article appeared in the American Nurseryman, March 15, 1994:<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.’<\/p>\n
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.’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I was shocked when I read this article. The title sounds so innocuous; the article, pernicious.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Additionally, this is a good example of people worshipping the creation, rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). When will men learn?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Joe Bunting via\u00a0Sentry 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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1269],"class_list":["post-93560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-environmentalism"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":87227,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/two-different-trees\/","url_meta":{"origin":93560,"position":0},"title":"Two Different Trees","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton The Bible is basically the history of man and his relationship to two different trees. The tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden was death dressed up in appeal to the flesh, but the tree in the garden on which Jesus died was ugly,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10275,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-the-sycamore-tree-still-have-fruit-today-as-it-did-in-biblical-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":93560,"position":1},"title":"Does the sycamore tree still have fruit today as it did in biblical times?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 7, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Does the sycamore tree still have fruit today as it did in biblical times? Answer: There are actually several plants know as sycamore in today's world. In the middle east region, where most of the Bible takes place, sycamore is a type of fig. Its formal name today is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/06\/Old-Sycamore-Fig-Tree.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":58539,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-palm-and-cedar-trees\/","url_meta":{"origin":93560,"position":2},"title":"The Palm and Cedar Trees","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Wayne S. Walker \"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon\" (Psalm 92:12). I have always liked looking at palm trees. Of course, growing up in the midwest I never saw a palm tree, except for potted ones indoors and on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PalmTree-204x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39583,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/could-you-explain-jothams-parable-of-the-trees\/","url_meta":{"origin":93560,"position":3},"title":"Could you explain Jotham’s parable of the trees?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Would you please give your understanding of the\u00a0story of the trees in Judges 9:7-15? Thank you. Answer: \"Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them: \"Listen to me, you men of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49897,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-god-tell-eve-not-to-touch-the-fruit-of-the-tree-of-the-knowledge-of-good-and-evil\/","url_meta":{"origin":93560,"position":4},"title":"Did God tell Eve not to touch the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have always loved your website, but I read an article that says that God never told Eve she was not to touch the tree of knowledge, but according to Genesis 3 that's not so. Answer: What God said: \"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, \"Of every\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9542,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-the-fig-tree-refer-to-israel\/","url_meta":{"origin":93560,"position":5},"title":"Does the fig tree refer to Israel?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 23, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it true that the fig tree Jesus refers to is Israel?\u00a0 Can you explain this? 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