Halloween sucks

That's at least one more year that this will be in my sig.

 

Amen.



-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Foosball is the DEVIL!!!!

 

Benjamin Franklin is the DEVIL!!!

Christianity needs more MyKes and fewer Arlons. The same can be said (in the proper context of course) about any other religion. Personally I believe that when one embraces love and rejects condemnation, one becomes spiritually satiated and strives to continue along that path.

I had my doubts about this thread (of course) but I really like where it's going. Very interesting.

I would like to express one area of concern I have about this particular upcoming Halloween...my older son wants to be Savage Opress from the Clone Wars this year. He doesn't understand how it's non-canon and slightly embarrassing for his father.

 

Actually, I'm agreeing with Arlon here, to an extent. Valentine's Day isn't pagan to my knowledge, it's a modern holiday. But Christmas and Easter... I think he's right. Especially on Christmas. (And on Easter, more about the other things that go with the celebration)

 

Wait until he's older and wants to go to a [future version of] Justin Bieber concert... ask Tom and Seb what that's like.

 

Arlon, your heart is in the right place, but your execution is woefully off. With that in mind, I've written out my thoughts on this thread for you. I am hopeful that you will buck your past trend and take these to heart, not as criticisms, but as advice from somebody who has been there and done that.

First and foremost, place your focus on Christ and loving your neighbor (even those who disagree with you and mock you - better yet, pray for them if you aren't doing so already). Second, don't beat others over the head with your faith, it doesn't work that way and will likely keep people away from wanting to know about your faith. Third, you don't have to celebrate Halloween if you don't want to, but you don't need to go around telling others what they should/shouldn't do - you probably don't like it when people do the same thing to you, right? Fourth, nobody is ever right 100% of the time, quit acting like you are the sole exception to that rule.

 

I was exaggerating - but Arlon totally rejects extremely Christian holidays. His beliefs are his own, invented by him on his reading of an ancient text prepared by the Catholic Church in the 1st Century and the Jews in the preceding two millennia. His beliefs have little to do with historic Christianity.

Why do you think he's right?

Just because our society celebrates these holidays in a secular manner doesn't mean that their origin isn't Christian.

 

His beliefs don't have to conform with yours to be Christian. I know you're used to be considered some sort of "expert" on matters theological, but you don't get to walk around telling people how to practice their faith.

 

Any costume shop should have fake beards and beard glue.

 

Yeah, you should be able to trim it to the length / style you want and to the right size for his face... you're welcome.

 

Get him to go as Phantom Menace Obi-Wan. If he whines about it, just tell him he's getting into character nicely.

 

I think the point Arlon was trying to make (badly) is that although Easter & Christmas are Christian celebrations, they way they are celebrated these days is the way the pagans celebrated a similar time of year (having a tree and so on). Using pagan dates and celebration methods in order for Christians to hijack the time and force their god in to get rid of the old ones doesn't make the point of the celebrations non-christian.

Christian holidays celebrated the Pagan way don't bother me in the slightest. They're probably somewhat less boring because of it

And The Clone Wars is not canon why?
It is endorsed and produced by Lucas (just like TFU storylines), unlike most written EU material.

 

bc only OT is canon. duh.

besides, wdndsomethingsomewhere

 

The fact that Anakin Skywalker has a freakin APPRENTICE in a storyline that takes place between two of the live action movies and is never EVER referred to during those movies.

Face reality, "that nest of gundarks" mentioned in the elevator is far more canonical than Asoka Tano EVER will be.

 

ANAKIN NEVER HAD AN APPRENTICE!!!

Back to the subject at hand. I really don't see the harm in Halloween. Besides, it has become so commercial the basic premise behind it is long lost. It is a chance to dress up as something you aren't and get (or for me, give out) candy. Mmmm candy.

 

Except, they're not celebrated in a secular manner, they're celebrated in a pagan manner that predates the Christian holidays.

 

Several Christian holidays are Christian in purpose, but were assimilated with pre-existing "pagan" holidays around the same timeframe to make them more palatable to non-Christians during early Christianity's spread. For example, Christmas adopted traditions from several pagan traditions in Europe such as the Scandinavian Yule, and Easter has taken on several spring festival-esque traditions.

That doesn't mean that the holidays themselves are pagan, just that not all of the traditional tidbits of them adhere to strict Christian definitions. That also doesn't mean I can't have a Christmas tree if I call myself a Christian because at one point pagans had Yule trees. It just means I have to understand what they mean to me today--a really pretty centerpiece to a family celebration in which I remember the blessings of the year prior, thank God for them, and have a really lovely place to set all of the gifts I've gotten for others to show them that I love them. Not that I am sharing the celebration of Christ's birth with the goddess of the forest.

Christ was not solely peace, love, and total acceptance. He overturned money tables in the Temple, vehemently condemned the Pharisees, and he freed the prostitute from her accusers while simultaneously telling her to go and sin no more. There is so much more depth to him than "Thou shalt not" vs. "I love you irregardless of what you do." But that depth is not conveyed by all Christians, and non-believers the world throughout have suffered misinformation and unnecessary pain for this failure. But that human fallibility should not reflect on the essence of Christianity itself.

 

[image=http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lswet3LBlO1qa5z1ro1_500.jpg]

 

That sounds dirty.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWkGWmloIFw

 

Once again a failure is in order. On both parts: yours and mine.

1. You think because I write something the way I do that I'm being all "bang bang bang" on your head or I'm being judgemental or anything. Not so. I guess my style of writing can be perceived as thus which isn't the case. Is Halloween wrong? Yes. It has nothing to do with God, and is all about demons and etc. its the obvious one believers should know.

Easter is wrong because it has nothing to do with God. Easter is only mentioned once in the bible, but its really referring to Passover, and Passover is mentioned more than any other festival. God said to obey the festivals He established.

Easter comes from the root word: Ashtarte, or better known as Ashteroth, aka the Queen of Heaven. (One practice to worship Ashteroth would be killing their child and sprinkling their blood over their crop field to have a good harvest.) Since we talked about Jeremiah, God used Jeremiah to try to get the people away from the "Queen of Heaven" but they wouldn't listen.

Jesus was born during the time of Rosh Hashana to Sukkout (which will be round the time He comes back), due to the fact that this festival proclaimed the coming of the King. Again, if you know the seasons, aka the festivals He established you would know the times He comes.

The verse earlier was mentioned about the christmas tree in Jeremiah. It is indeed pagan, and christmas is pagan. So why do we have it? Go back to Constantine. Constantine is the man of lawlessness that the bible describes because he changed things. Things like the Sabbath, he made it sunday because he worshipped the sun god, when its actually Saturday (well actually friday night to saturday night). He mixed pagan practices to help keep his army in check and because he was basically a pagan who thought God made him to be head of the roman empire. (He is talked about in Daniel and other places)

2. Again in a very sarcastic place, one would expect a sarcastic thing to come up, aka me saying halloween sucks in an obvious place where they don't think it is. I expected back lash, but not in this way. I was expecting more sarcastic stuff, but instead got something else. Apology on my part, should not of even went there but I was aghast at this demonic stuff hanging around my work.

3. It is tough love, because people will be held accountable for what they've been taught (and those that teach them) for what they know. And since I know the truth, and if I don't tell people their blood may be required of my head. So yes, I will tell you the truth because true love is telling the truth which is what I am doing now. (Also, Jesus isn't not an "easy jesus" or "fluffy jesus", He said those who are with me are with me and those who aren't scatter abroad. Plus it is written friendship with the world is death. So its best to not be friends with the world. We are here on this world but not of it. Just for you other believers here.)

I should probably vlog it more next time that was it doesn't seem like I'm being judgemental. That should help clear things up.

 

Arlon, while I agree that Halloween has nothing to do with God, what has it to do with demons?