Posted on 10/30/2016 11:06:02 AM PDT by CHRISTIAN DIARIST
I received an email this week from Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church.
“Halloween,” he said, “is a huge opportunity … to be a light for Christ on a dark night.” Indeed, he explained, “you’ll have the MOST contact with families in your community than any other day of the year.”
So Pastor Rick asked members of the Southern California megachurch to do the following for Halloween:
Buy a package of the biggest candy bars we can find and tape “Trick-or-Treat invitations” to next weekend’s services at Saddleback. And stay home on Halloween night and turn on the lights so kids know they are welcome to drop by.
Now I appreciate that Pastor Rick is trying to reach out to the saved and un-churched in the communities in which his members reside.
But I am reminded of the words of Aldous Huxley, who famously authored “Brave New World” but who also less-famously authored a collection of essays on the religious experience:
“We know,” he wrote, “that the pursuit of good ends does not justify the employment of bad means.”
Indeed, using Halloween, a day on which the devil is exalted, to win the lost to Christ runs contrary to the word of God.
In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul warned that Christ followers must “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”
The annual observance of Halloween is an unfruitful work of darkness.
And rather than participate in such unholiness – much like the Hebrews during the time of Moses who prostrated themselves before a golden calf – the redeemed of the Lord should expose Halloween for what it is – an affront to God.
It owes its origin to the Celtic druids, who celebrated their new year (Samhain) on November 1, when the pagans believed the souls of the dead, as well as witches and demons, freely roamed the earth.
In the Eighth Century, Pope Gregory III declared November 1 All Hallows Day, an annual commemoration of saints and martyrs that effectively co-opted Samhain. October 31 came to be known as All Hallows Eve, which is celebrated today as Halloween, with the same unGodly influences as the pagan celebrations of Samhain nearly two millennia ago.
Halloween celebrates occult practices the Bible declares abominations – séances, necromancy, fortune-telling, casting of spells, wearing of charms, real magic, etc. It also is a day of adoration of the demonic – witches, vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts and the like.
Many, if not most of us who consider ourselves Christ followers think Halloween is harmless. That’s because the works of darkness associated with Halloween have been mainstreamed (like other cultural abominations).
Indeed, Walmart is selling a “Smoldering Devil Boys Halloween Costume.” Amazon is selling a “Bride of Satan Child Costume.”
That’s why, as much as I respect Pastor Rick, I will take a pass on his Halloween outreach tomorrow. This Christ follower will not be complicit in furthering the works of darkness.
so this children’s candy holiday made to chase fear away is more important than
the tv show that premiered (pure genius) which has the “Christian husband” as a wife beater is the cause of illness with video of him under arrest by authorities.
“But I draw the line at candy corn. Candy corn is evil and certainly a tool of the devil himself! “
Mix it with honey roasted peanuts and you get Payday Candybar Mix (my sister makes the stuff and it’s good, I hate ccorn too).
Well said.
I'm curious--are you consistent? Do you also abstain from celebrating Easter and Christmas because these, also, are pagan holidays co-opted for Christian purposes?
As for the "life long bad habits" and so forth--my mother was a "health food" fanatic. We were not allowed to have anything "unhealthy." No candy, no ice cream, no cake, etc. The result of that is that when I moved out and was able to control the foods that I eat, I wanted to eat nothing but that "unhealthy" stuff. I maintain a healthy weight only with difficulty, and I have actually lost quite a bit of weight. My sister is outright obese and has high blood pressure because she is not able to control her desire to eat junk food. I think kids are a lot better off if they are taught that treats are okay in moderation, rather than trying to impose a prohibition on them. That is what I taught my son, and he is effortlessly skinny, 5'8" and 118 pounds.
Fat Boy would have more credibility if he managed to drag his lardbutt down the aisle to celebrate All Saint’s Day. He’s a fraudulent libtard. Ignore him.
I’ll be attending our church’s Halloween party this evening.
I was going to comment on this but I’ll just get flamed. Nope, not gonna do it.
Here’s a question I want to people who worry about whether celebrating Halloween is being pagan or somehow unChristian.
Isn’t saying the names of the days of the week equally pagan/unChristain?
Isn’t watching or participating in any sporting event, particularly the Olympics opening ceremony (lighting of the torch!) likewise pagan, etc.
Isn’t reading myths of any nationality, visiting ancient historic sites like say the Parthenon etc etc?
Dressing up like princesses & pirates is fun for the little ones. IMHO a lot of “adults” ruin it for the kids.
Yes,we can celebrate Halloween. Just because pastor Nutcase said we can’t? I’m going out as Donald Trump...I’m going to make candy giving great again... :-)
I love candy corn...:-)
Or that church that gets all self righteous and fire and brimstone for Halloween, but a month later puts up wreaths and a Christmas tree.
And to top it off has an Easter egg hunt the next spring.
We’ve relaxed about Halloween. The kids get to dress up in cute (not dark) costumes and have a fun night out with their mom or dad and other families. We used to be very uptight and legalistic, but have let go of our rigid rules a bit.
Depends entirely on the word “celebrate”
Maybe you should just dress as a Biblical character. Perhaps the witch of Endor...
Some church’s do, not mine or any I would attend!
[1 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed]
History behind All Hallows’ Day
UNMASKING HALLOWEEN
https://realtruth.org/articles/111028-001.html
Or the Witch of FourDoor and threaten to turn people’s cars into 1948 Nash 4 -door sedans!
Halloween is sinful if you celebrate it in that manner. The traditional Halloween in the US is not sinful. It is just like that “pork thing”.
I'm Lutheran. FTP, and I don't mean "file transfer protocol".
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