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Transcript 004C — The Problem With Nativity Scenes
HC: Good evening. Welcome to Open Forum.
CALLER: Yes, Mr. Camping. I was listening to last night's program, and on it someone mentioned about the significance of Jesus being born in a stable. As a follow-up to that, I was wondering, is it okay to have a nativity scene on the mantle in our home? I notice that in some homes it's very common to see these things at Christmas time.
HC: That's an interesting question, too. What about a nativity scene? I remember years and years ago, when I was much younger, and my children were small, and I was not nearly as experienced in the Word of God as I am today, we did have a nativity scene. And every Christmas we would bring out the little stable and the little doll in the stable, and so on. And it was always very pleasant to have in our room, and the children enjoyed it very much.
But as I continued to become acquainted with the Word of God, and I recognized that we are not to make any image of God of any kind, and in order to have a nativity scene we have to have a doll in that manger, and that doll represents Christ. And Christ is God. As a baby He was God, as a grown man He was God. When He hung on the cross He was God. He never ceased to be God. Therefore I gave up the nativity scene as soon as I really came to that conclusion. I laid down the rule very gently of course, that we cannot have the nativity scene anymore. The children were disappointed for a little while, but they got used to the idea.
Now if you could have a nativity scene with some lambs and some goats and some straw and a manger, and so on, and there's nothing in the manger, I suppose you could have a nativity scene. But of course it wouldn't be very meaningful if there was nothing in the manger. And so if you feel you have to have a doll of some kind or a figure of some kind in the manger, representing the Lord Jesus, then based on what I read in the Bible, I think that it is contrary to the Word of God.