Ghosts & Halloween

[martincisneros]

There's a new poll out that they've been talking about for a couple of days where 34% of Americans are supposed to believe in ghosts, while 23% will admit having seen something weird before along those lines :Sparkletooth:

Spirits trapped in Sheol a.k.a. Hell, or what do you make of it??

Some of this is readily dismissed as methane and quite a few other things, including fearful people with over active [or under medicated] imaginations, but I too have to admit to having seen quite a few very very interesting things over the course of my life time - including what you might call a gargoyle after a particularly successful exorcism.  And the gargoyle thing is summer of 2005, when I was sorta already in UR for a few years and a healthy skeptic of some of the middle ages imagery.

Anybody particularly targeting either this Halloween or next Halloween with anything intriguingly UR related with your own version of a chick tract or whatever that's full of UR??

Mods: I didn't see any threads already started on this subject, but if I'm in error and there's already one in the debates section or whatever then simply delete this one, unless I'm asking this a little bit differently than how somebody else has posed it.

[SeekerSA]

Maybe you can educate the international audience.

Is Halloween a pagan thing, I heard it said it is derived from "allsaints day" sounds RCC to me.

Or is it something the pumpkin farmers invented to get sales up? :pointlaugh:

(http://files.gamasutraexchange.com/Preview/Content_on_1_25_2002_16_25_25/pre01.jpgC130FB3F-F28C-444A-91AE560AA005C388.jpgSmall.jpg)

[martincisneros]

Or is it something the pumpkin farmers invented to get sales up? :pointlaugh:

That's it.  If American Thanksgiving Day in November can suddenly be relegated to being just "Turkey day" by some very unthankful folks, then perhaps we should call Halloween "Pumpkin Day."

I'm not sure if I understand the whole story on Halloween.  I was sure it was a pagan festival that the Church had simply Christianized, but then I've read other stuff that indicates it was exclusively a Christian day that got turned into a pagan holiday.

One of those chicken/egg things as I've read entirely different things about it each year.

Andrew Jukes refers to an all saints day and an all souls day that are November 1st and 2nd, which would seem to make "all hollow's eve" (i.e. Halloween) a genuinely Christian original, but I don't know.  One person will cite this while another one will cite that.

I'm intrigued by the possibilities of reclaiming it for Christianity if it was ever even remotely a day for expressing any portion of the Christian faith, but I'm sure that quite a few UR folks have probably been turned off to that idea because of Christian haunted houses and stupid plays that supposedly illustrate the realities of eternal hell.

In many countries it's a time of year where kids of all ages, teenagers, and young adults will come knocking on everybody's doors still to the present day soliciting candy and whatever, and there's a bunch of parties that happen this time of year.  I keep thinking that there's got to be a way of capitalizing on the whole Night of the Living Dead scenario in the behalf of UR.

Charles Slagle wrote something a few years ago that I think is called "A Tale of Two Twins" with Halloween specifically in mind for one of the possible usages for that particular article of his, but to my knowledge neither he nor anyone else has ever pursued that.

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: All the churches around here in my neck of the woods, have "Halleluyah nights", to try to de-emphasize Halloween and draw them in to the churches. When my kids were growing up, I wouldn't let them participate in Halloween at all, because of it's focus and I have noticed (at least around here), that people that get all worked up over Halloween are into some form of witchcraft that I didn't want them exposed to.

And because during that time period, there were so many Satanists around here, particularly a few counties over in Ohio, it actually appeared in the paper that the State police were afraid to go out alone at night in that particular county, claiming there were over 2000 Satanists in that county. So for this reason, a lot of parents would not let their kids go out. My two cents.....

[martincisneros]

Thanks Cardinal,

Those are quite a few additional reasons for taking the day back for the Lord :laughing7:

It's still a day that the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it. :cloud9:

A new audio, that's what I need to do to celebrate the season of Christ emptying Hell :happy3:

Hmmm... probably can't be ready before next year 'cause I got too busy this year... Ah-well... :sigh:

[reFORMer]

I understand there are more child abductions on Halloween than any other time of the year.  This may be attributed to Satanists' belief in Virgins' blood, (though not their own virginity.)

When there was an acknowledged Christendom we had a calendar.  All Hallows Eve (Halloween) was the last opportunity for contesting what arrived the next day: the reign of the saints; hence, All Saints Day.  The day after is the extent of their reign and a testimony to the reconciliation of all unto God.  It is called All Souls Day.

As a child we enjoyed Halloween Parties at church because we were ignorant.  Now everybody knows so much!  I feel like paraphrasing Paul, "and I would to God ye did 'know,' that we also might 'know' with you. (1 Cor 4:8)

[Yahschild]

My  :2c: worth.  I think it's Satanic, pagan, and a dangerous way to invite occult activity--thinking it's innocent fun.  I'm sorry to say I did participate as a child and did not know better when my children were small, so I allowed them to participate.  I don't believe in ghosts but do know there are evil spirits/demons.  I don't think it's a thing to do in honor of the Messiah. Just my opinion.

[martincisneros]

Maybe I haven't been clear.  I'm not talking about promoting horror movies and weeggee boards, but about emphasizing the finished work of Christ, Christ's conquest of death, and the restoration of all things in a unique way at a time of the year when it's genuinely not expected.  What about a restoration of all things play patterned after the Gospel of Nicodemus's story of Jesus conquering Hell, rather than the ol' "Hell's gates whatever whatever play that's normally done at this time of year in the eternal heller churches??

[Craig]

to each their own.

[dboutwell]

Here is my contribution to the discussion. My daughter made this pic of a pig on her little girl's school field trip.....this is wierd. She didn't notice the face until after she made the picture.

(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee107/graceanne55/pig.jpg)

Debbie

[SeekerSA]

Debbie

Interesting pic.  Is it a photograph or has it been photo shopped?

[dboutwell]

Seeker,

My daughter said she made it ......

Unless she is pulling her mom's leg, I suppose it's real. When you look at the bigger shot of it, the face is not so obvious.  :dontknow:

deb