Posted on 10/22/2006 10:37:57 AM PDT by DouglasKC
Snatch the little monsters off the front porch and haul them off to a well deserved exorcism.
I remember one year taking my son trick or treating. We went up to a house that had a porchlight that was brightly blazing. On the door was a note that stated, "We are Christian, so do not observe Halloween." They could just as easily have turned off their lights the way most normal people do.
"I understand that many don't like to hear this type of thing, but it's important to know where the customs we observe come from and why we observe them."
Well, Jesus was not born on December 25. From what I understand, the whole reason why we celebrate Christmas in December is because early Christians wanted a holiday to counter the pagans' Winter Solstice. Does that mean we shouldn't celebrate Christmas?
I am very much a Christian, and while I try and avoid the occult, I don't see anything wrong with a kid dressing up as Spider Man to get some free candy (Provided the kid is supervised, of course).
No one is against having fun. What we are against is the satanic and wiccan elements of these things, in a climate where the Christian meaning of Christmas and Easter are systematically driven out.
To a parent these things are quite important. They should be equally important to a citizen who plans to live in the same country with the generation we are raising on witchcraft. I am sure you yourself would also draw a line somewhere in the methods of fun you would allow your children. Where does the line go for you?
Yeah, I think it used to be pretty much harmless, except maybe for some localized areas, but Satan has been loosed on the world in ways he wasn't before and I think it's playing with fire now.
If I were a parent I doubt I would put the kibosh on all recognition of this, but I'd try to put the emphasis on All Saints and All Souls days and off of the dark evening prior.
How do you know society has not gone from rationality to ignorance?
That's exactly what it means. The Lord's holy days, the ones he wants us to observe, are listed in Leviticus chapter 23.
My sentiments exactly.
Birthdays were observed and noted in the bible because the ages of many biblical figures are recorded. Thus I don't havea a problem with it.
The Fourth of July is a secular holiday that commemerates an event in United States history. I do observe it.
It most likely falls under the 1st commandment: Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
By observing days dedicated to false gods against the wishes of God, you are putting other gods ahead of God.
From the article:
Halloween is a celebration of the opposite—of demonism, witchcraft, death and evil spirits.
God's Word makes it clear that no one should dare entertain witchcraft or act as a sorcerer. "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD" (Deuteronomy 18:10-11, emphasis added throughout).
God pronounced death on any Israelites who would dare dally with demonism or Satanism: "A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:27). "You shall not permit a sorceress to live" (Exodus 22:18).
Why such a harsh penalty? God did not want such perverted, demonic practices to spread among His people and corrupt others. "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst" (Deuteronomy 13:5).
You didn't read the article...did you?
I don't put too much stock in what post-biblical writers had to say.
How about you use it to spread the Gospel instead? Put a Snickers and a Bible tract out to anyone who comes to the door?
Instead of encouraging the activities, I think more of an impact would be made by politely telling them that we don't observe Halloween for religious reasons.
You're a smart person I can tell...so you need to familiarize yourself with the evils of Wicca and the occult and any mind control cult on impressionable people.
Which is the main point. The danger isn't that by dressing up and getting candy one day a year would lead to a child becoming pagan, but that the society is promoting a kind of agnostic polytheism. When you see show after show and book after book glorifying witchcraft, a Christian parent needs to be aware and guard their children against that.
Interesting shell game, as many of the writers were contemporaries of St. Paul. Rings meant something different then also than today.
A good example is building a compost. I read a pagan calender and they suggested building a compost in dedication to the Earth on may 1, beltane. It turns out that I have a compost. So does this mean that in the real God's eyes I am a practicing pagan? Of course the answer is a resounding no. Same for trick or treating.
"Agnostic polytheism" is neopaganism.
Actually it's not the same. Halloween is a real pagan day of worship to false Gods. It's celebrated to this day by pagans and Satanists. If you're not a Christian then it's understandable that you participate in it because you don't know any better. If, however, you profess to worship the one, true God, then you are being held to a much higher standard by God. You have agreed to enter into a covenant with God and to obey his laws.
A compost heap could have been used by pagans, but so what? It wasn't part of a formal day of worship to false Gods. Having things in common with pagans isn't bad in and of itself, it's all about worship of God.
You are preaching a works based doctrine with your behaviorism and holy day stuff.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.