wvpeach Posted October 22, 2007 Group: Nonbeliever Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 35 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/19/2007 Status: Offline Share Posted October 22, 2007 Good idea about the gospel tracts ..... with some candy. Ones made just for kids would be nice. While many point out the pagan elements in our other holidays like Christmas and Easter, there is at least something Christian about them. There is nothing Christian about Halloween or any elements associated with it. It can be traced back and associated with demonic spirits and child sacrifice. While the population at large is oblivious to this, and simply view it as a time of fun, Christians should be aware of its history. We did not "celebrate" halloween, but we didn't throw rocks at those who did. If people asked us why, we told them. They are often shocked to learn the truth behind "trick or treat" and bonfires. But I reallt don't think this results in "guilt by association." The little guy at my door dressed like a ghost with his plastic pumpkin to hold candy isn't aware of anything except that he's having fun and getting some goodies. It's an excellent time of year to reach out. Gospel tracts with candy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traveller Posted October 22, 2007 Group: Royal Member Followers: 5 Topic Count: 827 Topics Per Day: 0.10 Content Count: 12,101 Content Per Day: 1.50 Reputation: 249 Days Won: 3 Joined: 04/01/2002 Status: Offline Share Posted October 22, 2007 Hello there, After reading many peoples ideas on druidism and halloween i decided to bring some awareness to light. It seems some have parts, but do not see all, which makes us assume things that may or not be true. the druids were one of many polytheistic celtic tribes. They were considered to be noble men who were teachers, philosophers, scientists, counselors arbitrarors magistrates and doctors or healers as called back then. They existed in the western world, britain and Ireland moving to galatia. The first seen written word of them was from greece writings of the 2nd century. Their original name was Keltoi and names became different in relationship to the language of the century. They were also considered guardians of unwritten law and were feared due to excommunication as was their main form of judgement executed The word DERU- means solid and steadfast. WEID- means wisdom and knowledge, seers Modern irish translate the word to Magi or magician not unlike the magi who followed the star to find Jesus They stargazed and watch the moons for that is how they told time. FOUR MAIN CELEBRATIONS; IMBLOG winter solstice full moon to spring BELTANE spring>summer firstfruits LUGHNASADH summer>autumn firstfruits ripening SAMHAIM winter end of harvesting The julian calender changed Imbolc to Groundhog day Beltane to Easter sanhain became halloween which actually started Nov. 1st The territory of Galatia had changed so many times but when Paul landed in Lystra the people were speaking a mixture of celti/greek and I cannot remember the name of that language. There they wanted to worship paul . The Greeks had a altar to the unknown god just in case they missed a god. TODAYS MODERNISM: The newagers and witches decided to celebrate their you know what on dec.31 The practice of masks come from those who believed the dead arose and hoped the mask will make them undentifiable from spirits. Thanksgiving in the late 1890's from what I understood from my grandmother who is now deceased, told me people were poor and dressed up going to house to house in hopes for a potatoe or bread to eat so they may have a decent meal for thanksgiving.( Hey, they gave thier children away at times to keep them from starving.) Somehow the two became intermingled. Now we know that some of us of old, (sorry) that town boundries change, certain religious beliefs have change and even today our younger kids celebrate all presidents day and at some time they will not know lincholns birthday, washingtons birthday or whatever. Our countries nationwide no longer have the same names and we lost one of our planets as being a planet, I also want to keep it simple and decided not to go into alexandria...ceaser..delphi in connection with celti druidism. But I hope this helps those who have a little bit of knowledge. I also decided to leave out the vikings and nordics. I am glad I did not live back than cos I have the classic green eyes and red hair of a druid. (and the only one in my family too) patricia1 P.S. they also believed in the soul of man being indestructable and in irish writings during the time of druids, who were watching the skies ,is recorded their sky growing dark and a mighty earthquake occuring sybolizing a horrible happening yet some were unaware of Christ being on the cross at the time but there was a knowing of God turning Away. Where did you get your information? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LossForWords Posted October 22, 2007 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 69 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 857 Content Per Day: 0.13 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 11/07/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/04/1981 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Hmmm... Some of you are right in the fact that potentially Halloween can be dated all the way back to the times of the Celts/Druids. They had a celebration called sowen (I know that is not spelled correctly, I'm just spelling it the way it sounds). It was a festival that celebrated the new year, because their new year started on November 1. They pretty much extinguished all fires in their homes and then re-lit their fires on the sacred Druid bonfire. It was considered sacred because that was where they laid their sacrifices of crops and animals. When the people went to re-light their fires from the sacred bonfire it was symbolizing a rekindling of life that they hoped for in the new year. I guess where we get the idea that Halloween comes from this festival is that the Druids believed that change was a magical time, and the change into a new year was probably the most magical to them. Celts believed that when people died they went to a land of eternal youth (but it was different than the Christian concept, because our Heaven was not even introduced yet). The Celts/Druids thought that when all was dark (because they extinguished their fires at home) that the dead could communicate during that magical time. They believed that the dead could move freely among men...and they also thought that the dead could become violent during this time as well. But I no one really knows how we came around to the way American celebrate Halloween today. It's just a lot of tradition that we ended up putting into one holiday. -jack-o-lanterns -costumes -trick or treating None of that comes from the Celts/Druids. In fact, my great-grandparents never dressed up for Halloween, and they never went door to door asking for treats...instead their Halloween was a night of pranks...playing tricks on people. We can say that the Druids/Celts may have stemmed some sort of celebration that we can tie in with Halloween, but the way most Americans celebrate Halloween is a far cry from the Celtic fire festival. What Americans celebrate is just family tradition; however your family celebrated is probably the way you celebrate today. I don't blame any one for celebrating Halloween, I dress up my dogs and take them to church for trunk or treat every year. But I don't disrespect those who do not celebrate Halloween. It's just a tradition/custom...we're not Druids, we don't have to celebrate Halloween. Some people just enjoy it...like me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emily~Anne Posted October 22, 2007 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 146 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 2,308 Content Per Day: 0.36 Reputation: 6 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/11/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted October 22, 2007 So then how did the traditions of jack-o-lanterns, trick or treating and such get started? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickilynn Posted October 22, 2007 Group: Royal Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 138 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 3,997 Content Per Day: 0.64 Reputation: 19 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/13/2007 Status: Offline Share Posted October 22, 2007 Shalom, Some REALLY good info: Is Halloween Really that Significant? Albert Mohler Author, Speaker, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Over a hundred years ago, the great Dutch theologian Hermann Bavinck predicted that the 20th century would "witness a gigantic conflict of spirits." His prediction turned out to be an understatement, and this great conflict continues into the 21st century. The issue of Halloween presses itself annually upon the Christian conscience. Acutely aware of dangers new and old, many Christian parents choose to withdraw their children from the holiday altogether. Others choose to follow a strategic battle plan for engagement with the holiday. Still others have gone further, seeking to convert Halloween into an evangelistic opportunity. Is Halloween really that significant? Well, Halloween is a big deal in the marketplace. Halloween is surpassed only by Christmas in terms of economic activity. According to David J. Skal, "Precise figures are difficult to determine, but the annual economic impact of Halloween is now somewhere between 4 billion and 6 billion dollars depending on the number and kinds of industries one includes in the calculations." Furthermore, historian Nicholas Rogers claims that "Halloween is currently the second most important party night in North America. In terms of its retail potential, it is second only to Christmas. This commercialism fortifies its significance as a time of public license, a custom-designed opportunity to have a blast. Regardless of its spiritual complications, Halloween is big business." Rogers and Skal have each produced books dealing with the origin and significance of Halloween. Nicholas Rogers is author of Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Professor of History at York University in Canada, Rogers has written a celebration of Halloween as a transgressive holiday that allows the bizarre and elements from the dark side to enter the mainstream. Skal, a specialist on the culture of Hollywood, has written Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween. Skal's approach is more dispassionate and focused on entertainment, looking at the cultural impact of Halloween on the rise of horror movies and the nation's fascination with violence. Pagan Roots The pagan roots of Halloween are well documented. The holiday is rooted in the Celtic festival of Samhain, which came at summer's end. As Rogers explains, "Paired with the feast of Beltane, which celebrated the life-generating powers of the sun, Samhain beckoned to winter and the dark nights ahead." Scholars dispute whether Samhain was celebrated as a festival of the dead, but the pagan roots of the festival are indisputable. Questions of human and animal sacrifices and various occultic sexual practices continue as issues of debate, but the reality of the celebration as an occultic festival focused on the changing of seasons undoubtedly involved practices pointing to winter as a season of death. As Rogers comments: "In fact, the pagan origins of Halloween generally flow not from this sacrificial evidence, but from a different set of symbolic practices. These revolve around the notion of Samhain as a festival of the dead and as a time of supernatural intensity heralding the onset of winter. How should Christians respond to this pagan background? Harold L. Myra of Christianity Today argues that these pagan roots were well known to Christians of the past. "More than a thousand years ago Christians confronted pagan rites appeasing the lord of death and evil spirits. Halloween's unsavory beginnings preceded Christ's birth when the druids, in what is now Britain and France, observed the end of summer with sacrifices to the gods. It was the beginning of the Celtic year and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking live evil spirits themselves." Thus, the custom of wearing costumes, especially costumes imitating evil spirits, is rooted in the Celtic pagan culture. As Myra summarizes, "Most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to the old pagan rites and superstitions." The Dark Side The complications of Halloween go far beyond its pagan roots, however. In modern culture, Halloween has become not only a commercial holiday, but a season of cultural fascination with evil and the demonic. Even as the society has pressed the limits on issues such as sexuality, the culture's confrontation with the "dark side" has also pushed far beyond boundaries honored in the past. As David J. Skal makes clear, the modern concept of Halloween is inseparable from the portrayal of the holiday presented by Hollywood. As Skal comments, "The Halloween machine turns the world upside down. One's identity can be discarded with impunity. Men dress as women, and vise versa. Authority can be mocked and circumvented, and, most important, graves open and the departed return." This is the kind of material that keeps Hollywood in business. "Few holidays have a cinematic potential that equals Halloween's," comments Skal. "Visually, the subject is unparalleled, if only considered in terms of costume design and art direction. Dramatically, Halloween's ancient roots evoke dark and melodramatic themes, ripe for transformation into film's language of shadow and light." But television's "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (which debuted in 1966) has given way to Hollywood's "Halloween" series and the rise of violent "slasher" films. Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff have been replaced by Michael Myers and Freddy Kruger. This fascination with the occult comes as America has been sliding into post-Christian secularism. While the courts remove all theistic references from America's public square, the void is being filled with a pervasive fascination with evil, paganism, and new forms of occultism. Danger In addition to all this, Halloween has become downright dangerous in many neighborhoods. Scares about razor blades hidden in apples and poisoned candy have spread across the nation in recurring cycles. For most parents, the greater fear is the encounter with occultic symbols and the society's fascination with moral darkness. For this reason, many families withdraw from the holiday completely. Their children do not go trick-or-treating, they wear no costumes, and attend no parties related to the holiday. Some churches have organized alternative festivals, capitalizing on the holiday opportunity, but turning the event away from pagan roots and the fascination with evil spirits. For others, the holiday presents no special challenges at all. These Christians argue that the pagan roots of Halloween are no more significant than the pagan origins of Christmas and other church festivals. Without doubt, the church has progressively Christianized the calendar, seizing secular and pagan holidays as opportunities for Christian witness and celebration. Anderson M. Rearick, III argues that Christians should not surrender the holiday. As he relates, "I am reluctant to give up what was one of the highlights of my childhood calendar to the Great Imposter and Chief of Liars for no reason except that some of his servants claim it as his." Nevertheless, the issue is a bit more complicated than that. While affirming that make-believe and imagination are part and parcel of God's gift of imagination, Christians should still be very concerned about the focus of that imagination and creativity. Arguing against Halloween is not equivalent to arguing against Christmas. The old church festival of "All Hallow's Eve" is by no means as universally understood among Christians as the celebration of the incarnation at Christmas. Making Decisions Christian parents should make careful decisions based on a biblically-informed Christian conscience. Some Halloween practices are clearly out of bounds, others may be strategically transformed, but this takes hard work and may meet with mixed success. The coming of Halloween is a good time for Christians to remember that evil spirits are real and that the Devil will seize every opportunity to trumpet his own celebrity. With this in mind, the best Christian response to Halloween, might be to scorn the Devil and then pray for the Reformation of Christ's church on earth. Let's put the dark side on the defensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM75 Posted October 22, 2007 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 50 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 07/23/2007 Status: Offline Share Posted October 22, 2007 Hmmm... Some of you are right in the fact that potentially Halloween can be dated all the way back to the times of the Celts/Druids. They had a celebration called sowen (I know that is not spelled correctly, I'm just spelling it the way it sounds). It was a festival that celebrated the new year, because their new year started on November 1. They pretty much extinguished all fires in their homes and then re-lit their fires on the sacred Druid bonfire. It was considered sacred because that was where they laid their sacrifices of crops and animals. When the people went to re-light their fires from the sacred bonfire it was symbolizing a rekindling of life that they hoped for in the new year. I guess where we get the idea that Halloween comes from this festival is that the Druids believed that change was a magical time, and the change into a new year was probably the most magical to them. Celts believed that when people died they went to a land of eternal youth (but it was different than the Christian concept, because our Heaven was not even introduced yet). The Celts/Druids thought that when all was dark (because they extinguished their fires at home) that the dead could communicate during that magical time. They believed that the dead could move freely among men...and they also thought that the dead could become violent during this time as well. But I no one really knows how we came around to the way American celebrate Halloween today. It's just a lot of tradition that we ended up putting into one holiday. -jack-o-lanterns -costumes -trick or treating None of that comes from the Celts/Druids. In fact, my great-grandparents never dressed up for Halloween, and they never went door to door asking for treats...instead their Halloween was a night of pranks...playing tricks on people. We can say that the Druids/Celts may have stemmed some sort of celebration that we can tie in with Halloween, but the way most Americans celebrate Halloween is a far cry from the Celtic fire festival. What Americans celebrate is just family tradition; however your family celebrated is probably the way you celebrate today. I don't blame any one for celebrating Halloween, I dress up my dogs and take them to church for trunk or treat every year. But I don't disrespect those who do not celebrate Halloween. It's just a tradition/custom...we're not Druids, we don't have to celebrate Halloween. Some people just enjoy it...like me! Americans need an answer of exactly why God would abhor such a tradition as halloween. It falls upon the worshipping of idols, Christians should abstain from such, for whatsoever is not of faith, is sin. The reformers dispelled darkness in their day, so we use their bibles to put down what is decietful. They translated the bibles, through sufferings, yet these had joy the very one and made the church to be white and bright. 1537 Matthew's Bible O.T Isaiah 43:24 But thou hast laden me with thy sins, and wearied me with thine ungodliness. 25 Where as I yet am even he only, that for mine own self Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LossForWords Posted October 22, 2007 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 69 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 857 Content Per Day: 0.13 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 11/07/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/04/1981 Share Posted October 22, 2007 If you look back in history, almost all of the holidays we celebrate (as Americans) are just traditions that have been passed down. Because America is a melting pot, people celebrate all holidays in a different way...whether you trick or treat for Halloween or celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December. For the Druids they didn't believe in the one true God, nor did they believe in the one true Satan...there was nothing satan-istic about their festival, however it was a pagan ritual...which as Christians we know that both worshipping Satan and worshipping things around us (pagans) are both wrong. The date for Halloween is actually Christian. All Saints Day was November 1st (which is what early Christians used to do, when pagans would not disregard their holidays, early Christians would just make their own holiday on the same date). So instead of everyone celebrating the fire festival (new years, or the day when darkness came and spirits abounded)...pagans would celebrate their fire festival and Christians would celebrate All Saints Day on November 1st, the mass said on this special day was called Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeCajunboy Posted October 23, 2007 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 113 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,430 Content Per Day: 0.23 Reputation: 33 Days Won: 1 Joined: 12/24/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 06/28/1952 Share Posted October 23, 2007 She explained it here: Hello there, After reading many peoples ideas on druidism and halloween i decided to bring some awareness to light. It seems some have parts, but do not see all, which makes us assume things that may or not be true. Personally, I find it educational. I live in an area where people are into Wicca or Neo-Paganism or other variations of the like. Druidism - or a modern variation of the religion - is one of these. So it does me good to understand the kinds of things I am dealing with in the people around me. hello there...I am back...actually it is a new keyboard that has been intoduced, my old one decided to retire. since I am not computer savvy it took be a while to get here. Erich... I just mentioned this information due to other posts I was reading where info was... hmmm not quite correct and could have been misconstrued... thats all. So glad to see you return sweet lady! Missed you a bunch. I agree Pat, I don't have to celebrate or encourage the theme of the Druids, or even Halloween but it's good to understand what we're up against in the case we run across a "Druid" for instance and we are in a position to defend our Lord. I wished you would have told me you were in need of a "keyboard." I could have mailed you a second one that I don't use. blessings Cajunboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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