"MonsieurStat" >monsieurstat@gmail.com

wrote:

Can you imagine the Christian world >planting millions of trees each year
instead of chopping them down?

LOL!!!

How clueless can you be?

These trees are grown for to be chooped down, millions more are planted in
there place.

Tony

Subject: Re: Deforestation in the name of the Lord
From: gato2004_chile

Can you imagine the Christian world planting millions of trees each year
instead of chopping them down?

December 17, 2004
Farrokh A. Ashtiani

Millions of pine trees are cut each Christmas to celebrate the birth of
Christ and festivities of the New Year. There are two things that wear out
the serenity that an outside observer would expect from such holidays, the
infusion of green and red plastic junks in every aspect of our daily

affairs

for at least 30 days, and the second is the scene of the cut pine trees

only

to watch them die and be tossed out to the dumpsters and the sidewalks in

so

many cities all over the world.

This is such a paradox to the annual Arbor Day celebration that is there to

encourage everyone to plant a tree! Arbor Day tradition was introduced

first

time by the Persians centuries ago, and then spread throughout the world.
During their Norooz celebration each March 21st Persians plant flowers in
their yards and bring into their houses potted plants that later they
transfer to their gardens or attempt to keep them alive indoors. In the
Western world on the other hand millions of pine trees are cut down in the
name of the festivities, a reminiscent of killing a sacrificial lamb as an
offering to whatever we worship.

This essay here is not an anti celebration effort, it's only a reminder to
the Green Peace, Nature Conservancy and other organizations who are there

to

protect the nature to ask them where in the world are there during the
Christmas to protect the Earth from deforestations in the name of the lord?

This certainly is not the first time that one raises this issue; that
cutting pine trees during Christmas has absolutely no religious

significance

or cultural necessity. Why would they cut the trees and bring them in-door
only to watch them die? People waste no time a day or two after the
Christmas to toss the trees on the sidewalk for the trash collectors to

haul

them away?

In defense of this horrible tradition, the excuse we hear is that there are

nurseries or tree farms that are in business for such a vast market -- they

plant pines only to be harvested for Christmas, but what a waste indeed.
Some true pioneer-spirited men venture in the cold of the winter into the
nature and cut a beautiful pine tree to prove their celebratory spirits to
their family members!

What if the Christian world stops cutting trees for the goodness of all
mankind? As an alternative they start planting seedlings of fruit trees or
for that matter any species of trees? Then the objective would be not to

cut

them dead, and instead sell the public dormant or live to be planted in
someone's house, in a park or just be donated for planting. A true gesture
of Christian spirit perhaps the way Jesus Christ would have wanted it to be

I have no doubt. Where in the Bible does it say "Dou shall cut a pine tree
every Christmas or harbor a dead tree in your living room?" Of course
nowhere! This tradition started in Europe and we have read many stories
about it. But it certainly is not one of the pillars of Christianity to
celebrate Christmas necessarily with a dead tree in our living room. Habits

can be changed.

There are millions of households around the world that buy cut pine trees
and discard them a few days later (yes I know some of them turn into mulch,

but that is as bad as if you say "old horses are killed to make dog food

out

of them"). Then there are all those offices that they waste so many trees
every year. And to that add all the other ethnicities that do not even
celebrate Christmas but just buy the cut trees and decorate it, in order

not

to give their children the minority complex! All in good will and sheer
kindness of heart and celebratory spirit. Yet it also can be looked at as

an

annual chainsaw massacre of millions of trees any way you look at it.

Now imagine if during the Christmas everyone would buy a small tree only to

be replanted somewhere, their own backyard, their neighbor's or in
designated part of city parks. Think about all the apple trees, cherries,
apricots, pomegranates, figs, or even non-fruit bearing trees, dogwoods,
willows, ashes, and of course variety of pine trees. Wouldn't the world be

a

prettier place if each year millions of people planted small seedling of
trees that eventually would grow to help us to get the most precious
commodity in our lives, the Oxygen? Would it not be a prettier world with
each family take a little time during holidays and go outdoor and designate

a spot for a little tree seedling to be planted there later when spring
arrives?

As for the Christmas tree, I am not so much for plastic either, the best
approach is perhaps just to buy a 12 inch tall pine tree with the roots
alive and in a pot and do your best not to kill it during the festivities
and hopefully be able to carry it outside and replant it and set it free.

At

the minimum just decorate a tree outdoor and watch if from inside the

house.

Save the money for the kids' college funds.

Another alternative is to do what the President does each Thanksgiving --

he

pardons a turkey. Each of us should pardon a tree during a Christmas and
instead of buying a dead tree and watching its corps disintegrate under the

Christmas lights, buy a tree seedling and either donate it or plant it in
the ground. The worst that can happen is that the seedling will die and you

break even! But what if it survives? Can you imagine the Christian world
planting millions of trees each year instead of chopping them down?

I wish there was a spotted owl nesting in every pine tree in the tree farms

so that the "environmentalists" and "animal rights activists" would camp
near the tree farms preventing the farmers to cut those pine trees down!
Where are the environmentalists when they are needed most? Well probably at

their local Home Depot shopping for the biggest "dead" pine tree to be
hauled to their living room and thinking what a pain in the neck it is when

it comes time to haul it to the sidewalk in a week or so to be dumped...

So next Christmas think about buying a nice apricot or a persimmon tree or
if you live in an apartment with a small balcony or patio, would you
consider buying a dwarf apple tree that is grafted with three kinds of
apples, plant it in a 50 gallon pot and you will be proud of yourself

taking

care of such beautiful piece of accomplishment for less than the price of a

cut pine tree. Stop buying dead trees!

Happy Holidays everyone and let's help stopping of the chainsaw massacre of

our beautiful pines trees every year.

"What does he who plants a tree?
......He plants cool shade and tender rain.
And seeds and buds of days to be,
......And years that fade and blush again;
He plants the glory of the year,
......He plants the forests' heritage-
The harvest of a coming age;
......The joy that unborn eyes will see-
These things he plants who plants a tree."

http://www.iranian.com/Ashtiani/2004/December/Forest/index.html