Comments re: some Christians and their hatred of Halloween

[Hagbard Celine]

When I was in middle school, my mom wouldn't let me watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on tv because she didn't want demonic images entering her house. I just wanted to watch Buffy's boobs bounce around.

 

[The ClayTaurus]

Sometimes these things are taken beyond the realm of make-believe. Some of these things really happen.

But, yes, even if it is make-believe. Since I try to follow the Bible, I believe it when it says we are to take every thought captive to Christ. Jesus called it adultery if a man only just thought lustful thoughts about a woman. Seems like the same thing when we glut our eyes on tortured images, even though we aren't actually chopping people up. To me, it is no excuse that it isn't "real." The whole spiritual battle in this world is the battle for the loyalty (or possession) of our minds.

Now, I also, have a question, just out of curiosity... Do you really think it is enjoyable to view this type of gore?

Thanks for the answers

I don't think I would use the word "enjoyable."

There is definitely some intrigue, but mostly I think because in the back of my head I can detach it from reality. I watched one of the terrorist decapitation videos once and had a much more difficult time watching it then the numerous decapitations I've watched on film. I don't have as sound a policy on the stuff as you do, hence the questions

 

[Nienna]

When I was in middle school, my mom wouldn't let me watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on tv because she didn't want demonic images entering her house. I just wanted to watch Buffy's boobs bounce around.

Ah well, a middle school boy... I'm sure you found other breasts to watch.

 

[Eightball]

The Apostle Paul in the New Testament explicitly said that the foods that were placed before Pagan Idols were just plain old food, and if a Christian ate that food with a clear conscience, then he or she wasn't sinning. He did however say, that some believers might not be able to participate in this activity as it bothered their conscience, and if that was the case, then they should refrain.

Personally, I don't care what Halloween is about as long as I as a Christian am not consciously venerating something that is morally against God.

As a little kid, it was a time for me to go out with my friend and get candy................yeah!........lots of candy, and then stay up late and watch creepy movies, and just have some fun.

The very meaning of Halloween didn't pass my mind once as I didn't even know what it's origins were, and I doubt most people and their children did.

I am a Christian that believes in the bible. I also believe that if Jesus were here today, He would not have stood out on a street corner with a big sign telling everyone how evil Halloween is. He came to seek the lost. The lost are everywhere. They even participate in Halloween!

So many Christians are frightened that they will somehow become part of the sinning lost world if they involve themselves in secular holidays, or festivals, parties etc. Many Christians avoid being where alcohol is served believing that they are exposing themselves to something sinful or evil. Jehovah's Witnesses(not Christian), show what the ultimate extreme can become as they refrain from celebrating Christmas with a Christmas tree, as they see the tree as part of a pagan influence. They refrain from saluting the American flag in allegiance as they feel they are show homage to something other than Jehova.

I do remember a tax collector in Jesus's day that invited Jesus to his house for a big dinner party. Jesus took up the invitation immediately. It's interesting also that Zachias, the man who invited Jesus was on the lowest of the social order of that day in Jewish society. He was a tax collector. He was especially despised by the religious teachers(Pharisees) and scribes.

Now when Jesus was at the party did he go there because he was looking for some cool belly-dance shows or to get good and drunk? I doubt that. Actually, the people that seemed to respond to Jesus's love and friendship were usually the discards, or ignored, of society, or those that seemed to be doing all the wrong things in respect to Jewish law, and religiosity.

I think the modern day Christian needs to take pointers from how Jesus related to secular society. He came to save the lost. He wasn't concerned with festivals. In other words the outward didn't mean a hill of beans to the Saviour. It was the inward of man that He came to change.

Now if a Christian wants to dress up for Halloween, by all means do it. If you want to go out and trick or treat with your friends, by all means. Just remember that your not participating in this holiday to venerate the dead, evil spirits, or pagan religion, but are doing it as an expression of Christ's life in you, reaching out to others. Being a friend to non-Christians may take one to many interesting places.

My son and I went into a pretty smokey bar not far from home to play some billards, and I actually had a great time there meeting folks. Most were probably not practicing biblical Christians, and many were probably not Christians at all, but I just came to be with my son and be with people. God made the down and out, the alcoholic, the divorced guy, the businessman, the unemployed construction man.....etc. I have had alcohol on occasion but decided to have a coke that evening, while others had alcoholic beverages. They accepted me and I accepted them. I ended up playing pool with a young man who surprisingly was the P.K.(Preacher's Kid) but had fallen away from his faith. Somehow we ended up talking about religion, while we played pool, and this young man nearly started crying as he recounted how his parents had raised him to cherish the bible and his faith. He even said that night that he wanted to get back to his Christian faith again. I didn't judge him, but was just a friend.

I made a real great friend that evening, and I didn't have a drop of booze. I also didn't see these folks; many very down and out, as below me in any way. I'd like to think that I was seeing them more the way Jesus saw folks at Zachias's dinner party. He loved them all, and longed for them to have the peace, purpose, security, and love that He had possession-of.

Anyway, Halloween shouldn't be taboo for Christians, unless in some way their consciences bother them too much. Even at that, I think the very devout Christian needs to really look deeply into why they withdraw or refrain from mixing in much of this type of society. Are they afraid of something rubbing off on them and causing them to fall out of their faith? Well, the bible says that it isn't us that holds onto God once were Christians, but it's God that holds onto us. Are there areas where Christians should wisely avoid involvement..........sure, and I think we all know what those areas are.

Anyway..........eat the meat, even if it was dedicated to the God Mardock, or Goddess Dianna..........If you just remember it's just meat, and there's no hocus pokus in its protein structure, go for it! No demons will jump out of the meat, and get you.lol

The name of the game is to let your life in Christ rub off on others, just like planting seeds, or watering a plant.

When we turn off the porch light, and don't answer the door when one of these little ones come all dressed up in Halloween garb and are ready to yell "trick or treat", I wonder what Jesus thinks of that?

I do remember Jesus rebuking His disciples when they tried to chase some children away from Jesus, as though they were a nuisance, and Jesus said, "Suffer not the little children to come unto me!".