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Post by benshelpmeet on Oct 3, 2005 10:48:01 GMT -5
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Post by benshelpmeet on Oct 3, 2005 10:53:07 GMT -5
Relevant scripture on the issue of Halloween and Christians: 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 ("Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.") James 1:27 ("keep oneself from being polluted by the world") 3 John 11 ("do not imitate what is evil") Romans 12:9 ("abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.") Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (do not learn to imitate detestable ways, including spiritists, sorcerers and witchcraft) Ephesians 5:11-12 ("Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness" / "live as children of light") 1 Timothy 4:1 (don't "follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons") 1 Corinthians 10:21 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 ("what fellowship can light have with darkness?") Philippians 4:8 (think about pure, lovely, noble things) 1 Corinthians 11:1 ("follow the example of Christ") 1 Corinthians 10:31 ("whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God") James 4:7-8 (submit yourselves to God / resist the devil / purify your hearts) Ezekiel 44:23 ("...teach my people... to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.") Proverbs 22:6 ("train a child in the way he should go") Matthew 18:6 ("if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin...") Hosea 4:6 ("My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.") John 3:19-20 (people love darkness instead of light) Romans 13:12 ("put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.") Ephesians 6:11-18 ("take your stand against the devil's schemes.") 1 John 5:19 2 Chronicles
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Post by glenda on Oct 3, 2005 11:16:53 GMT -5
Amen! We as christians should have NOTHING to do with this holiday of the world. This is a pagen day and we should not allow ourselves to be part of or our children to be part of this day of or night of the pagen gods.
Thank you sister Darlene to bring the passages of Gods word to show why we should not have anything to do with this day or night for that matter.
glenda
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Post by benshelpmeet on Oct 3, 2005 11:53:06 GMT -5
Are "Harvest Parties" for Christians? originally published in the Colorado Christian News, October 1995 (author's name not published)
"What are you doing for Halloween?" Ask a Christian parent this question, and be prepared to hear an answer like, "Nothing! We don't celebrate Halloween." Thunder crashes, and you creep away, embarassed for even asking.
"What are you doing ON Halloween?" Ask the same parent this slightly altered question, and their whole manner and response brightens. "Why," they begin, as birds begin to sing and sunshine breaks through the cumulus clouds. "We're all going to the Harvest Party at church!" A choir sings. A trumpet sounds. You feel privileged just knowing these saints.
Let's take a look at the typical Harvest Party.
It is a celebration. It is chaperoned (usually). It may have costumes. Games are played. Contests are held. Food abounds. Music blares. Everyone enjoys themselves. Certainly, nothing to get concerned about, right? The problem, however, lies in the billing. The Harvest Party is usually referred to as the Christian alternative to traditional Halloween hijinx. Alternative, however, implies substitute. It assumes our children need something to take the place of Halloween, since they won't be participating in the secular and pagan celebrations. It suggests our kids are missing out on something. And indeed they are, if we allow them to spend Halloween in celebration.
If we are to train our children to be soldiers in the army of Christ, why would we sign a pass for them to go on leave when the battle is escalating on the front lines?
As a child of four, I contacted the first of many spirit guides (read: demons) while playing with a Kindergarten classmates' ouija board at a chaperoned Halloween party. This spiritual assault ignited an intrigue with the supernatural that culminated in my lifestyle as a practicing witch: divination, necromancy, channeling, astrology, psychic ability, and spell working. It wasn't until I was twenty that I met the real Jesus Christ, and was released from the trap that Satan had set for this young prisoner of war sixteen years earlier.
There are too many casualities on Halloween and far too few troops fighing the enemy. Instead of partying on Halloween, teach your children how to fight. Keep them aware that the fight isn't against occultists, non-Christians, Christians who feel differently than we about Halloween, or institutions that promote Halloween, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers or darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).
How do we teach our children to wrestle spiritually?
Discourage them from participating in traditional Halloween activities (2 Timothy 2:4). Then tell them why.
Encourage them to pray on a regular, daily basis (Ephesians 6:18). Let them know first hand the power that we have in prayer. All Christians should know how to fight on their knees.
Remind them to be alert and self-controlled (1 Corinthians 16:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:6). Give them the discipline of knowing it is their responsibility to keep watch. They, themselves, might also become casualties in the war.
Make certain they are prepared for battle (Ephesians 6:11). Do they know the truth? Stand on the Word of God? Have faith? Know the gospel? Are they righteous? Are they saved?...
Instead of celebrating, what's a Christian to do on Satan's feast day? PRAY! Intercession and spiritual warfare should be the first item on our agenda. It is NOT a last resort!
Join with other families in the church. Have the pastor announce a night of spiritual battle. Organize a group of Christians parents and students from your children's school or homeschool group. As a family, designate the seven nights before October 31 as Family Prayer Outreach nights.
Pray for protection. Pray over both those who engage in prayer warfare and over those who will be out trick-or-treating or at Halloween parties. October 31 is a prime recruiting time for witches and Satanists....and a time for interested kids to experiment. Pray that the Lord keeps our kids from falling prey to those who worship the enemy.
Pray for discernment. Let the Holy Spirit direct you to specific prayer requests. Pray that the children who are "out there" will somehow "know" to keep away from certain activities. I have relatives who, even though they were not Christians, "knew" that ouija boards and levitation games were dangerous.
Pray that the Lord hinder the occult rituals. For four years, I lived in a building which over looked a cemetery where occult ceremonial markings were often found. ON certain occult feast days, usually between midnight and 3am, I would look down into the darkness and kneel at my window binding the demons that controlled the ceremonies. I'll never know this side of heaven what effect my prayers had. Maybe a potential sacrifice escaped. Maybe the occultists weren't successful in summoning their demon. Maybe a new, young recruit decided that this was not the lifestyle he thought he wanted.
Pray for the salvation of the occultists. Jesus Christ died for those whom Satan holds captive and deceived, for those who mock Him, who deny His deity or His existence. He doesn't want them to perish, but to come to Him calling Him Father, Lord. Pray the veil is lifted from their eyes, the Lord allows them to see clearly their spiritual condition and their only hope lies in Jesus Christ. Pray also, about whether the Lord would have you take a more active role in bringing the gospel to Satan's servants.
Let your children know that this is effective warfare. They must know their prayers are heard and acted on by our Father. Let them know they can make a difference. Come October 31, they'll know they have a job to do.
P.S. My son (Benjamin) and I go out every year Oct 31 at midnight and pray. We pray hard and fervantly for God to overpower evil. We have heard some strange things at the midnight hour, even high winds kick up out of no where, or a strong very cold air, that disapers as quick as it came. Strange to say the Least.
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Post by benshelpmeet on Oct 3, 2005 11:55:38 GMT -5
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Post by glenda on Oct 3, 2005 11:59:57 GMT -5
Thank you so much sister Darlene. You have written this wonderfully..
I think what we need to do is meet on this day and have a prayer for all of those people and families that do practice these things. We also need to pray for all those in our counrty. This is a prefect time to pray and pray hard and to have the children well informed and have them praying also..
agin thank you for posting this.
glenda
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Post by benshelpmeet on Oct 3, 2005 12:02:29 GMT -5
Evangelical Christian special beliefs about Satan and demons:
Satan: Conservative Christians generally believe in Satan and his hordes of demons as very real supernatural entities with magical powers. Again, this belief is derived from their acceptance of the inerrancy of the Bible. The Christian Scriptures (New Testament), in particular, has many references to Satan as a quasi-deity. Jesus is described as exorcising many people, releasing them from the control of indwelling demons.
Many religious conservatives regard themselves, their families and friends as continuously being at risk for demonic oppression or possession. Conservative Christian psychiatrist David Enoch has said that: "...Halloween practices open the door to the occult and can introduce forces into people's lives that they do not understand and often cannot combat..." 15 Some believe that "Doorways" which allow Satan to have access can be created by something as simple and innocent as bringing a box of Celestial Seasonings tea into the home. These have a 5-pointed star on the rear of the container, which many conservative Christians believe is a Satanic symbol. Having such a box of tea in the house is said to give Satan the "legal right" to enter the home and attack the family. A "doorway" could also be created by a Wiccan healing ritual, acupuncture, yoga exercises, hanging an aboriginal dream-catcher on the wall, or engaging in thousands of other activities. Incest and child sexual abuse is believed to produce another type of doorway. Although mental health professionals have long abandoned demonic possession as a cause of mental illness, this belief continues today among many conservative Christians.
Evangelical Christian beliefs about Halloween: Most conservative Christians correctly link together present-day Halloween celebrations, ancient Celtic Paganism, and modern Neopaganism. However, many go further and link these practices with Satanism. 10 Some examples: A Christian Broadcasting Network essay: "Every act around Halloween is in honor of false gods, which are spirits in the realm of the Satanic. Thus, Halloween is seen primarily as a Satanic holiday." 6 Albert Dager: "Children...shouldn't have anything to do with the celebration that glorifies the power of God's enemies." 11 William Schnoebelen, "...the difference between witchcraft or Wicca and satanism is actually non-existent." 12 David L Brown, "modern day witches and Satanists still worship demon gods & goddesses, practice bizarre & immoral sexual rituals, and certain groups offer animal and human sacrifices." 13 David L Brown, "Though witches like to make a distinction between themselves and Satanists, there really is NO DISTINCTION biblically speaking...but the power behind Satanism and Witchcraft is the same-Satan... and his demonic hoards." 13 Christian Youth Alliance, "Satan loves Halloween because it glamorizes the powers of darkness, drawing little kids into his realm. And it is paying off, witchcraft is exploding among teens today." 14 Light the Night is an Evangelical Christian outreach to evangelize trick-or-treaters. The sponsors note that Halloween night is "an excellent opportunity to take back ground in which the enemy has controlled for too long." (The webmaster clarified that the "enemy" being referred to here is Satan) They say that by "...allowing our 'light' to shine on a very dark night, it is a very simple way to combat that darkness with the love of Christ." 17
Evangelical Christian Sources of information about Halloween: An analysis of popular conservative Christian writing about Halloween reveals that many authors often draw on inaccurate sources. They tend to recirculate erroneous material from: A probable example of anti-Druidic wartime propaganda written by Julius Caesar in one of his books. Religious propaganda from the "Burning Times," (15th to 18th century CE) when the church taught that Witches worshiped Satan. Tens of thousands of Witches and other heretics were convicted by civil and religious courts in western Europe, and burned alive or hanged. Modern urban folk tales about Satanic Ritual Abuse and adulterated Halloween candy that have since been shown to be hoaxes. Unverified opinions by other conservative Christians about Halloween.
They rarely draw on factual material from: The thousands of books and web sites of modern day Neo-Pagans, including material from two large reconstructed ancient belief systems: Wicca and Druidism. Historical and archeological research into the beliefs and practices of ancient Celts.
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Post by benshelpmeet on Oct 3, 2005 12:16:24 GMT -5
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Post by benshelpmeet on Oct 3, 2005 12:21:49 GMT -5
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MrsDeweySmith
Full Member
PRAYER governs conduct and conduct makes character. Conduct is what we do;Character is what we are.
Posts: 244
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Post by MrsDeweySmith on Oct 3, 2005 13:21:47 GMT -5
Very good!!
Sister Deanna
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Post by George on Oct 3, 2005 15:01:58 GMT -5
I looked at the article at the end of the link. My word that is eye-opening! I am familiar with a lot of the origins of the celebration of Halloween but was not entirely familiar of the importance placed on it by the occult population. This article ought be must reading for all Christians.
In my Church we hold what is called, "Fall Family Festival." It is held on Halloween night. The theory behind it is that it is a much better thing to have the children attend an event operated by the Church than to be out on the streets on this night.
Although I volunteer to work at the festival as I do in any area help is asked, I struggle mightily with the concept of the whole thing. To me it is to akin to changing the Church by allowing rock and roll music, preaching generic, non-convicting messages and things of that nature. I do not believe we ought do things merely to get people in on Halloween night. It is also supported by the idea that since a Gospel message is preached some of the unsaved and unchurched of the community will hear a message they might not otherwise hear.
I sincerely believe that any kind of affair on Halloween night is not a godly thing.
Yours in Christ, George
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Post by benshelpmeet on Oct 3, 2005 16:32:15 GMT -5
Amen Bro. George, We always had a bad feeling about it too. I'm glad you and sister Deanna and sister Glenda are enjoying the articles. I felt like it would be helpful to know why we stand against any involvement with Halloween. Witnessing would be a good idea. Praying is a good idea too. I hope this info will help Bro. Steven with his tract. Writing a tract is a great idea. If you write one Bro. Ben and I would like a copy. PO BOX 100792 Nashville Tn, 37224
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Post by manasseh on Oct 3, 2005 19:59:25 GMT -5
Thanks for all the encouragement and scriptures concerning holloween. My ex wife has sole custody of our 6 year old daughter, and claimes to be a Christian, but of course follows a church with a watered down gospel, and of course they use a corrupted Bible. They have Harvest Day in substitution of holloween, which I am at least grateful that my ex wife has forsaked the pegan form of worshipping with something somewhat better, though not perfect. Please pray that the Lord God convict my ex wife of her false conversion and spiritual deadness, and that He bring her to a low place to where she will consider her behaviors and seek the True and Living God, and be saved from the snares of Satan. God is able, and is faithful, and hears the prayers of the Saints. I will be looking forward to seeing those of you at the camp meeting, along with my Pastor and the one who has discipled me in the Word and in the Lord, Brother Robert ONeiLL and his blessed family. I put my faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, but God has without question ordained Brother Bob with great wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and he knows the Word of God unlike any other man I have ever met. He truly lives a holy life, as does all his family, and I have missed seeing them for the last year. I pray the God of heaven and earth pour out His Spirit upon all of us, and revive us again to His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, in the fulness of His power and might, to the praise and glory of His grace, mercy, and long suffering, which is the salvation of the Lord. Blessed be the Lord God, in all things big and small, and let the whole earth rejoice in knowing that the fullness of the times of the last Gentiles is probably soon to come, maybe while we are worshipping the King of Kings in Tennessee? AMEN
Manasseh
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Post by blessed on Oct 4, 2005 14:04:23 GMT -5
Thank you for the encouragement. We have not participated in Halloween for many years now and have often had to take a stand in church. I'm sorry that the Lutheren author of the article above considers Halloween "a golden opportunity to share the gospel of Christ" While it can be used for that purpose I stongly favor the prayerful approach suggested by Darlene. The bottom line is Halloween is a covanent with death. Christians are given life eternal. Our bodies will die but our souls live forever in Glory.
Harvest parties, when done as an alternative to Halloween are deffinately out. We have no reason to mimic the sins of the world nor to desire it's sadness and hopelessness.
The original Christian harvest party held in this country was started by a group of believers willing to suffer for the sake of Christ. We now call the rememberence of that day Thanksgiving.
The widespread celebration on Oct. 31 reminds me of the O.T. Jews who were always following after pagan gods and still expecting God to prosper their country.
But the gates of Hell will never prevail against the Church of Christ. He is the victor, and through Him we are more than conquerors.
Many great victories have been won when God's people were willing to pray. Let's make it a time of prayer for our country and for those who are blinded and lost.
Joanne
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Post by Brother Ben on Oct 5, 2005 7:55:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the footwork, good articles.
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