I was graced with a posting on Facebook. The post was as such: " I ran a poll on FB asking Weather Christians should boycott Halloween? The results were 76 % said No. How did this happen? How did we become so accepting? "
( Let it sink in a bit before I get to the point I am making. )
Had enough time yet? If not do not be discouraged so early into this piece that I am laying out in front of you to read so you can decide on your own.
During my time I spent going through and reading every last post among adding my own , My heart became heavy, and it went from bad to worse.
Now I am going to take the time to quote from some of the comments on the post so that one can get a good idea on how things progressed over the course of the discussion. I will leave names out of it for reasons of protecting the identity of those that had this to say.
1. Add me to the Yes's. I hate Halloween.
2. What your eyes and ears take in will become a part of you. Please stay away from the demonic evil of that night.
3. Is Santa work of the devil too? It's magic just like Harry potter? And just to add to someones comments earlier, you'll also find that the Christmas tree is an idea taken from pagans too.
4. Santa and the tree teaches our kids that its OK to lie and to worship false gods. Period!
5. Why do we teach our kids to pray to Santa? We sing songs that say he is all knowing. Satan finds a way to destroy any Holy-day. He even rearranged the letters of his name to creation Santa. Let's teach our children what Christ-mas really means.
6. Mark, I didn't participate in your poll, but my vote would have been in favor of boycotting Halloween. Why? Because (as most everyone knows) it has pagan origins, and because it in no way glorifies our Heavenly Father - in fact, it distracts people from God and the Word (as do most of today's secular 'holidays'). We're very near to HIS return, bro - the longer HE tarries, the more ungodly things are going to get down here - a year from now, don't be surprised if that same poll nets you 82% in favor of the Halloween thing. Matthew 7:20 "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." - Y'shua Ha'Mashiach
7. And the Tooth Fairy...and the Easter Bunny...shall I go on??
8. I say "YES"!!
9. So me loving Halloween makes me not Christian?! I cannot stand Christmas only because of how commercialized it is.
10. What harm could taking one bite of a piece of forbidden fruit do? I mean it's not like Eve is trying to kill anyone. Right? (If you've ever read the Bible, and taken a look around, you know that much harm has come, from a seemingly simple act of disobedience.)
11. It's amazing how ignorant people have become of what is holy and what isn't holy. The Bible says, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20 NKJV) Real Christians don't celebrate Halloween. I commend those who are standing strong against this evil practice. Don't let unholy people confuse you on this matter. You are right to reject Halloween.
12. Its been a long Journey from the Fourth Century Bishop of Myra, St. Nicholas, who showed his devotion to God in extraordinary kindness and generosity to those in need, to America's jolly Santa Claus, whose largesse often supple luxuries to the affluent, however, If you peel back the accretion, he is still Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, who caring surprises continue to model true giving and faithfulness.A Bishop, Nicholas put Jesus Christ at the center of his life, his ministry. his entire existence. families, Churches, and Schools are embracing true St, Nicholas traditions as one way to claim the true center of Christmas - The birth of Jesus. Such a focus helps restore balance to increasingly materialistic and stress filled Advent and Christmas seasons.
13.May I ask a question here?, I have read about quote" real Christians" in a few post , Can the" Real Christians" stand up and explain to me what is it that makes you a "Real Christian" verses us Fake ones?
14. real Christians r those who do what Christ says, like, Love one another...even your enemies...Forgive one another...get along with one another or don't cast stones at one another. In other words...be a good reflection of who Christ is so unbelievers will see His glory. I haven't seen very much of that on here. Thank you to those that have displayed Christ. Thank you, Lord.
15. Better yet explain where did Halloween come from?
16. Satan's playground....ghosts, goblins, skeletons, horror, evil, death, zombies, mutilations, costumes..(pretending to something one is not; hiding behind true identity as to feel free)....darkness...satanic worship....demons...so, where is there anything good in any of this?....you call this "family fun"....participating in such a DARK pagan holiday and you think God is OK with it??...anything that doesn't HONOR God is of the world and we as Christians are to be in the world and not of the world...to be a light in the darkness not participate IN the darkness...keep on taking pagan holidays and masking them and saying it's OK...i would love to hear what will be said to God himself on the day of Judgement....come on people we are called to be examples in this world not go along with the ideals of the world...to stand up and proclaim truth and light in the dark....to help people see the underlying schemes of the enemy not be a part of them...when we say it's OK we are helping the enemy...its about good and evil..light and darkness...there is NO middle...God says in His word to choose whom you will serve, as for me and my House we will serve the Lord...you cannot serve two masters!!!...it's sad that some Christians would rather go with the flow than stand up and go against the flow for truth and righteousness...i will to continue to pray that God will helps us all....In Love.
17.Christmas is worse than Halloween it was started by the Catholic church to get more money (greed) for the holiday that started the week before and ran through the 25th they tacked on Jesus to make people give more Christmas started as an evil holiday of lawlessness with people running wickedly...
18. Whoever looks down on Mark for saying this, is a fool. Halloween might be harmless to those who know no difference but Satan takes Halloween very seriously. He sees is as though he is being worshiped and serious satanists also take the event very seriously. It is not a question of your salvation, we all know that Jesus is the answer to that. But it is a question of your love for God. If you truly want to obey God and not please Satan, then don't take part in Halloween. No one is stating you are not saved, but certainly, if you are followers of Christ, and love Christ. Halloween is not something to be taken lightly as much as it might appear to be fun,laughs and little squeels on the outside, Satan is rubbing his hands. Do you think Jesus would have walked around in demon masks? NO WAY. don't kid yourselves, because that's what you're doing. Do some research and ask Jesus for forgiveness
19. WOW, Zoe, I have done research on this subject and I tend to go by what is rather than what isn't,Maybe it would be best if you might have done a little reading as well. Being a fool is to think it is only one day out of the year that one thinks serious satanic cults and rings get together and pray against christian families. Maybe it would do some good to open up that mind and do some studies on cultures and religion before condemning others, and wouldn't hurt to have a little faith in ones own belief system ! Mark has his right to his opinion as well as each and every one of us does. and for good measure do a little research on the basic statistics of murders, muggings, rapes, hate crimes, and child pornography through out the year, those numbers are not on just one day !
20. IN the Roman Catholic Church the next day, All Souls Day, specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Catholics celebrate All Saints Day and ALL Souls Day in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven(the church penitent' and church triumphant, respectively )and the church militant" who are the living. Other Christian traditions define, remember and respond to the saints different ways.
21. oh i see, so you're basing your opinion on Halloween on what the roman catholic church says, but Catholicism has NOTHING to do with Christianity, but yet you probably don't know that, seeing as how you've been spoon-fed that Catholicism and Christianity are the same. seriously, Catholicism has more occultism in it than most false religions out there, and that is because Catholicism was founded on a mixture of Baal, or IDOL worship and Christianity, thus the reason why Catholics pray to a statue of Mary or of their chosen saint, such as saint peter. the whole concept of purgatory is not biblical AT ALL. there's no such place as purgatory. that's all deception devised to put people in FEAR that if they don't do what the catholic church says, then they're not going to Heaven, but to purgatory, which is a "holding place" between death and hell, and God's Word says CLEARLY that those that die without knowing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are going to hell when they die. sound harsh? that's the reality. i know a whole lot more than you think i do about Halloween, Catholicism, and a whole bunch of other things and how all of these things are related. save yourself from trying to convince me. I've been a born-again Believer in Jesus Christ since i was 6 years old, and filled with the Holy Spirit since i was 16. I'm 37 years old now, so do the math. I'm not trying to sound harsh in what I'm saying. I'm just tired of all the deception floating around that "this is innocent fun! let's get the kids involved!", and all the while, most parents do not have a CLUE about what it is they are letting into their households! let me ask you something: how many demons have YOU let into your household because of YOUR choice to celebrate Halloween and to take a passive stance on it? are you even aware that you have allowed demonic spirits in, or are you "comfortable" in your opinion concerning demonic things?
22. I am not Catholic but I know a lot of Catholics and they are Christians. They do a lot of things that I don't believe in doing, but they believe Jesus came to earth to die on the cross for our sins. The movie "The Passion Of The Christ " that Mel Gibson produced is all about the sacrifice Jesus made for us all and Mel Gibson is Roman Catholic. Maybe I have misunderstood you, but if a person accepts Jesus Christ as their lord and Savior doesn't that make them a Christian? I am not trying to argue, I am just concerned you may have just offended a lot of people. I am a Christian not any sort of organized religion so you haven't offended me but you did peak my interest in knowing what it is that you believe makes a person a Christian?
23. That is a very good Question, I have asked 'quote' The real Christian as I have seen posted on this thread to stand up and explain to me the difference in yourself and others,One Person responded which was Philip Watson. (which in reading seems pretty close to my life.) Now you have bashed Catholic's in such a bad manner and have decided to proceed to tell me that my belief is a one way ticket to hell basically.So you have concluded that your choice in religion is the one true religion and not at all false.In this conclusion leaving out every other religion but your own, am I correct?
24. if people are offended at the truth concerning Catholicism, that's not my fault. the truth is all over the place to those that want to know. to me, being a born-again Christian means that i asked Jesus into my heart to be my Lord and Savior and i received Him into my heart by faith. it's that simple, and that's exactly how God's Word says that we come to salvation. essentially, it means that i had to admit that i couldn't fix my life, and i knew even at a young age that i need Jesus. my picture of salvation is not based on me doing works in order for Jesus to love me more, because the truth is that He has ALWAYS loved me far more than i could EVER imagine, and the same exact thing goes for every single person! I'm not here to judge people's hearts. that's not my place. all i am saying is that basing a critical judgment on something other than the Word of God is a HUGE mistake, and this is because there is nothing else that can take the place of the Word of God, not religion, not dogma, not man-made doctrine. the problem is that there's WAAAAY too many man-made religions out there that people THINK is "Christianity", but they're not sure, and that is because they were raised in it their whole life. i wasn't raised in a religious system. i was raised on the Word of God, plain and simple, and that's what i base my life on. you can call that "old school" or whatever else you want to call it, but what you can't call it is a lie, because the Word of God is in no way, shape, form or fashion a lie. what we do with it can make it seem as though it's a lie, but that's due to our misuse of it, and that's a whole other ball of wax. if Mel Gibson is a roman catholic, then good for him. that's his choice. i personally LOVE the passion of the Christ, and that is because i know the way that Jesus is depicted in that movie is as close to what actually happened to Him than ANY movie about Jesus has EVER come to depicting His crucifixion. there's no doubt that God's Power is all over that movie, but that has NOTHING to do with the catholic church. it's because the movie is about the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins. we need to stop making a religion out of every single thing that has anything to do with God and instead embrace the fullness of who God IS, and this is a daily process. this is why God's Word says that we are to walk out our salvation DAILY through fear and trembling. why fear and trembling? because God is to be REVERENTIALLY feared because of who He is!
25. The largest Christian denomination is the Roman Catholic Church, with 1.17 billion adherents, representing half of all Christians. ( wow big shocker to see Christian right next to Roman Catholic ) The term Christian is also used adjectivally to describe anything associated with Christianity, or in proverbial sense* all that is noble, and good, and Christ-Like. It is also used as a label to identify people who associate with the cultural aspects of Christianity, irrespective of personal religious beliefs or practice. Now that said. To quote your post" "Yet you probably don't know that, seeing as how you've been spoon-fed that Catholicism and Christianity are the same. seriously, Catholicism has more occultism in it than most false religions out there." (your words not mine or anyone else on this thread.) You indeed bashed Catholic's as well as myself. You have assumed too much in all your pointing fingers and being judgmental at best. I am not offended at what you have said about myself or towards Roman Catholic. During this thread I have pointed out time and time again that Halloween is not just about pagan. Which it is proven simply by a little research. I have defended the Catholic belief. which you, openly attacked as well as attacked myself. My sister you assumed I am Catholic !
This is but 25 of the 522 comments on this subject at hand that I have shared with you. These were not even the worst of the comments. I am a Christian and will not waver from my belief's. It is simple as to follow a few guide lines... 1. Accept Jesus into your heart. 2. Sense of all that is Noble, and Good, and Christ-Like. 3. Work towards a spiritual life and not that of the flesh as we were born into.
I have a point to all this madness, It seems that this poll and posting has created more or less an opportunity for Christians to attack one another for their personal views in the choice they have made in their faith. No wonder the word Christian has a bad stigma attached to it. According to the World Christian Encyclopedia (year 2000 version), global Christianity had 33,820 denominations with 3,445,000 congregations/churches composed of 1,888 million affiliated Christians.
The differences between these groups are vast, and the list of denominations that I have provided is by no means complete. There were at one time believed to be near 100,000 different denominations of Christianity, each of which fell mostly into one of these groups. It is crazy to try and take it all in at once. This part might be hard to grasp but Christianity Is One Religion: Catholicism, Protestant, Methodist etc. are just branches of Christianity. The definition of Denomination : A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and another are defined by doctrine and church authority. Issues such as the nature of Jesus, the authority of apostolic succession, and papal primacy separate one denomination from another. It is interesting at how one religion can breed intolerance towards Christians and None Christians alike. An act of intolerance is conduct that adversely targets an individual or group on the basis of sex, race, color disability, religion, sexual orientation, and/or national/ethnic origin. Makes one wonder if it is the lack of education or blatantly disregard for facts among the human race. One would think as a spiritual leader it would be wise to educate one self before leading loyal members of your following down this rut ridden road. But let us not forget the importance of education is equally the responsibility of the individual free thinking soul that we come to believe we are. I was told resonantly that one has to know the dates and time periods in the bible in order to learn/teach the good word. One could ask : Is it not equally important to know the history of all religion in order to learn/teach Tolerance. IMHO one has to live the life in order to help others understand the teachings, We humans learn by what we see in others as example not by being lectured at. This revelation of Ethical and Moral Standings can be implemented in any Christian and none Christian belief out there.
I wrote this paper in the hope Christians and none Christians alike, Will come a way from this bit of time spent with me and have something to think about towards their own compassion and tolerance in their own belief / Life. One maybe wondering how this is all connects with the poll/comments. Maybe I can tie it in for those that have not grasped the concept. Boycotting Halloween as Christians is not the subject but acceptance of one another. The questions asked in the post was How did this happen? How did we become so accepting? In which I provided some history about Christianity/ religion as to why we should be accepting of one another , The question should of been," How did we waver from acceptance in our life towards one another?
" A great question to ponder "
A little side note for ULC members: it has came to my attention , Now as a community some of use decided to boycott members because of others belief/none belief and opinions may not be what we desire in our own way of life. Tolerance, acceptance, and compassion is three small words but carry with it a huge impact when implemented and remember doesn't matter what a person's belief is those three words open up a two way street !
