First off...the author claims she is a 2 year Saved Christian. She makes the EXACT SAME mistakes ALL novices to religion and spirituality make (even me!); reading the propaganda against a religion and actually believing it. I want to see this woman at 15 years "saved". I'm positive she's going to shake her head at her naivety. Negativity towards another is not the way to "love your neighbor". Neither is judging them. Both are noted in many places in the bible, yet here many Christians indeed keep disobeying the laws of their own religion.
The major problem with people (espeically novices to a religion like Christianity), is it's far to easy to read into things. The bible is so convoluted, mistranslated and misinterpreted that its difficult to know what's right and what's wrong, especially when the wrong thing is condoned as doing the RIGHT thing.
This article discusses the negative impact Halloween has on society, and in children in general. First off, Halloween didn't become about fear and scare-factor until the last hundred years. Before that it was nothing more than dressing in mom's dresses and asking neighbors (of whom we knew closely back then) for treats.
The article starts off discussing how everyone nowadays is embracing Halloween...even churches. Has this woman ever stopped to ask WHY the church embraces the holiday? It's probably best to ask questions, rather than make assumptions based on little more than your vivid imagination. She condemns churches and other Christians for allowing themselves and their children to become so involved with this holiday. Stating it focuses on "death".
Her first (of many) points states "...but halloween focuses on death. Should I celebrate a holiday where people decorate their front yards with tombstones?"
--Decoration is just that. Decoration. Garlands and tress really have nothing to do with the birth of Christ, so why do people use them at Christmas? My biggest problem with this first points is, she dismisses death as something demonic. Everyone dies. It's a part of life. Even Jesus Christ himself died. Celebrating his death isn't seen as something negative and demonic; it's celebrated (mainly because he rose three days later, but that's beside the point). Why the double standard...condemn Halloween as a holiday of death, yet celebrate Easter as a holiday of death?
Her points go on to tell us what scripture says (excuse me if I don't take scripture at ITS face value, considered, as stated above, the bible has been mistranslated and re-translated so many times, it no longer actually means what it originally meant). "Put away deeds of darkness (Rom. 13:12)" "Light has nothing in common with darkness (2Cor 6:14)". We forget that without darkness there IS no light. And darkness is not necessarily something to be so afraid of. Darkness is just that which we cannot see. For eons God lived in darkness before deciding to create light. Does that make him negative and/or evil? No. it just means he couldn't see what was in front of him. Too bad so many can't either.
"I had been delivered from fear and panic attacks and knew that fear comes from the enemy". I congratulate her on conquering these mental problems, but it wasn't God that stopped them, it was her through hard work. Using "the enemy" as an excuse only hides the problem. That's like saying you quit drinking because you started smoking. The problem is still there, you're just using something else to replace it. God isn't a replacement.
"Should I participate in a holiday that has fear at its very foundation?" Like I said above, halloween didn't become the focus of fear-for-fun until well within the last 100 years. It's always been a night of frolic.
This one really rather hits below the belt: "Witchcraft is clearly detestable to the Lord (Deut 18:10-13). Shouldn't something that glorifies Witchcraft...be detestable to me as well?" Well, if you choose to allow a book to determine your thoughts for you, rather than making up your own mind. For one thing Halloween doesn't glorify Witchcraft. The only reason Witches are associated with Halloween (not Samhain, I'll get to that in a minute), is because of "The Wizard of Oz". Thanks to Margaret Hamilton's fantastic portrayal of "The Wicked Witch of the West", Witches wouldn't have been seen during this time of year.
Here is where things get misconstrued. "Halloween is a sacred, high holiday for Wiccans". Ohhh. I could write PAGES about how this one tiny sentence is so totally and utterly wrong. Sure Samhain falls on the same date as Halloween, but that doesn't mean Halloween is the High Holiday for Wiccans. Halloween is a Christian holiday. Based on the concept of "All Hallow's Eve", it was shortened to Halloween (why, who knows and who cares??). It's also called "All Souls" and "All Saints". Four holidays in 1-2 days. Three of them Christian based. It would seem that Halloween is more a Christian high holiday, than it is to Wiccans.
"It's cute when we dress our kids like the devil? Isn't it, well, demonic?" No more than dressing up as a princess. People have to get it out of their heads that dressing up and playing make believe doesn't necessarily result in negative things. And when something negative DOES happen that you think is a result of this make-believe play...it's ONLY your subconscious playing tricks on you, not demons. For one thing, demons are not what we think they are, hence why I say "I don't believe in demons", merely because people believe demons are the evil minions of Satan. Demons (or Daemons to be more accurate) are lesser Gods (so think demi- or sub-God like being). They're more inclined to be on the same level as angels, than minions of Satan. But because people misconstrue and intentionally misinterpret terms, we now think of "demons" as these evil little critters whose sole purpose is to carry out the bidding of their master.
"...even dressed as a fireman, aren't I sending him a mixed message by allowing him to participate in a celebration of evil?" No. For the simple fact that halloween is NOT a holiday of evil. Well, not intentionally and not originally.
I have half a mind to assume this woman is less a "Saved" woman and more someone duped into LDS or even JW. These types of people take their book FAR too literally. And because of people like this, thousands up on thousands of people have been tortured, tried and even murdered because people take a book like the bible as something that is infallible; written by God (not men) and therefore must be followed to the letter.
Christians are always worried about siding with Satan. Have they actually read the book with an open, unbiased mind and stopped to think..."wow, I don't know what to believe any more. How can a God that praises justice and love, do so many unjust things filled with hate?"
It's time for Christians to stop using their bible as a means of judging and justifying inhumane acts. They want a world filled with peace...they need to stop determining what others need to do and let them determine it for themselves.
Go out and let your kids be kids. Have fun. Go out and meet your neighbors. Make friends, turn this night into a night of celebration of death, transitioning from this life to the next (or into eternal life if thats what you believe happens). Death is not something negative. It's something positive.
*article:
http://endtimeheadlines.org/2015/10/why-christians-absolutely-should-not-celebrate-halloween/
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