--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For one great example, according to the…" description: "\"“For one great example, according to the story, the Christmas wreath custom did not come from paganism, but from a remarkable defeat of paganism. Bonif..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/douglas-wilson-2686_advent_for-one-great-example-according-to-the-s_1719765.jpg" --- # For one great example, according to the story, the… ![“For one great example, according to the story, the Christmas wreath custom did not come from paganism, but from a remarkable defeat of paganism. Boniface (A.D. 680–754), missionary to the Germans, had chopped down a great oak, sacred to Thor. Three days later, on the first Sunday of Advent, he…” quote by Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/douglas-wilson-2686_advent_for-one-great-example-according-to-the-s_1719765.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/douglas-wilson-2686_advent_for-one-great-example-according-to-the-s_1719765.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/douglas-wilson-2686_advent_for-one-great-example-according-to-the-s_1719765.jpg) > ““For one great example, according to the story, the Christmas wreath custom did not come from paganism, but from a remarkable defeat of paganism. Boniface (A.D. 680–754), missionary to the Germans, had chopped down a great oak, sacred to Thor. Three days later, on the first Sunday of Advent, he prevented a human sacrifice and used the sacrificial knife of the Druid priest to cut fir boughs for the people to take home as a reminder of Calvary. And for a second example, the inventor of Christmas tree lights (non-electric) was Martin Luther. This is because Jesus is the light of the world.”” [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote links Christian traditions like the Advent wreath and Christmas lights to triumphs over pagan practices, attributing their origins to specific historical figures. **In simple terms:** Christian customs were shaped by defeating pagan rites. Key Takeaway Recognize how traditions can have contested origins. Themes religion history tradition cultural conflict Mood reflective thoughtful Type historical educational cultural When to use this quote - church services - holiday celebrations - educational talks - interfaith dialogues Key Concepts Christianization symbolism paganism missionary work Questions to Reflect On - What does this say about how religious symbols evolve? - How do such stories influence modern holiday practices? A Different Perspective Historical accuracy of the specific anecdotes is debated; origins may be symbolic rather than factual. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advent/) [Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [Christmas tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas-tree/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Light of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light-of-the-world/) ## Related quotes > [I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. 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McGraw > [“Run to and fro everywhere, holy fires, beautiful fires; for you are the light of the world, nor are you put under a bushel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-of-hippo/run-to-and-fro-everywhere-holy-fires-beautiful-fires-for-you-are-the/) [Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-of-hippo/) > [“Some of you need a lesson in humility. While your arrogance may give you a sense of power, it may serve you better to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-son-m-lee-2/some-of-you-need-a-lesson-in-humility-while-your-arrogance-may-give/) J 'son M. Lee > [The Bible says that Christians are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. 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'I LOVE' could be virtuous or not -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/there-is-no-virtue-or-vice-in-a-transitive-verb-everything-depends-on/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [“We are like fruitflies, measuring everything in terms of our own lifespan. But since our lifespans are so short, our perspective is entirely wrong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/we-are-like-fruitflies-measuring-everything-in-terms-of-our-own/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) [Explore all 154 Douglas Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) ## More Advent quotes > [“Liturgy gathers the holy community as it reads the Holy Scriptures into the sweeping tidal rhythms of the church year in which the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/liturgy-gathers-the-holy-community-as-it-reads-the-holy-scriptures/) [Eugene H. 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Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/) > [Advent is patience it's how God has made us a people of promise, in a world of impatience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/advent-is-patience-it-s-how-god-has-made-us-a-people-of-promise-in-a/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [ Hypertext makes a virtue out of lack of organization, allowing ideas and thoughts to be juxtaposed at will. \[...\] The advent of hypertext is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-a-norman/hypertext-makes-a-virtue-out-of-lack-of-organization-allowing-ideas/) [Donald A. Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-a-norman/) > [Critics of the war plans (including myself) have pointed to the disastrous political results that must be expected: Iraq would break into three parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uri-avnery/critics-of-the-war-plans-including-myself-have-pointed-to-the/) [Uri Avnery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uri-avnery/) > [The true sovereign is not the American president nor the English king, but the Lord of the Second Advent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-myung-moon/the-true-sovereign-is-not-the-american-president-nor-the-english-king/) [Sun Myung Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-myung-moon/) > [For years, particularly with the advent of the Internet, people have been griping about lessening attention spans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/for-years-particularly-with-the-advent-of-the-internet-people-have/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [“It is now, at Advent, that I am given the chance to suspend all expectation...and instead to revel in the mystery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerusalem-jackson-greer/it-is-now-at-advent-that-i-am-given-the-chance-to-suspend-all/) [Jerusalem Jackson Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerusalem-jackson-greer/) > [“On this eve of Christmas, whether you feel yourself to be surrounded by earthly blessings or whether you feel your blessings to be few,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-van-der-vinne/on-this-eve-of-christmas-whether-you-feel-yourself-to-be-surrounded/) Kerry van der Vinne > [If you thought the advent of the Internet, the spread of cheap and efficient information technology, and the growing fragmentation of the consumer market…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/if-you-thought-the-advent-of-the-internet-the-spread-of-cheap-and/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [I think there is no doubt that the advent of 24/7 news channels, which are voracious in their demand for constant new content, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-think-there-is-no-doubt-that-the-advent-of-24-7-news-channels-which/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [The advent of AIDS circa 1980 has really forced medicine and biology to take enormous steps just for sheer survival. 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