speckles Posted September 26, 2008 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 217 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/18/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted September 26, 2008 LOOK... Personally I could never do that. I could never pretend I am home when I am not. Nor could I pretend I am not home when I am. It just feels extreemly wrong to me. I don't understand the concept. Even when JW's come to my door, I am compelled to talk to them, even just to politely say, "not interested". To me that is more gracious. I never noticed where you are from but here in the South, if you open the door for someone it means that they are welcome. And those of us who practice Southern hospitality open the door rather frequently. But what if they are actually not welcome? They knock, not knowing if they are welcome, you answer so they think that they are, which puts them in a certain frame of mind only to be told, ever so politely, that you are busy or not interested. Around here, it is considered rude here to open the door just to tell someone that you are not interested in their company for whatever reason. It is more gracious to leave it closed. They know you are not available and leave. My neighbors are my friends, they know us, they know our car, they know our house, they know our dogs. They would know we are home by our vehicle sitting outside. They would hear me yelling at my dog to SHUT UP! [He's noisy]. Pretending to be gone when we are not would be decieptive to them. These people are my friends. Why would I want to avoid them and their children? Well I could think of several reasons why you might not want to have company on a given night. Perhaps you are having a serious marital discussion. Perhaps you are listening to your child tell you about the bullies at school. Perhaps someone is in the middle of admitting some very embarrassing sin and confessing and asking forgiveness. Maybe you are on the phone talking a teenage friend out of committing suicide. Perhaps you have a contagious disease. It is so disrespectful and hurtful to the people you are interacting with in these cases if you put them off just to answer the door no matter what day of the year it is. But, if you always do that, then perhaps you would be lying to leave someone knocking on the stoop. But the rest of the world decides if they are available for company and decides whether to answer the door or not. And if they know that they are not available for company, they shut off the porch light. This stops people from knocking (or is supposed to when people follow the rules of etiquette). If you act one way the rest of the year and change it for Halloween, perhaps you have a point, but as for me and my house, I leave the light out and the door unanswered if I am not able for one reason or another to have company on other nights. So, if I were to decide not to participate in Halloween, then it would be odd and rude to answer the door and leave the light on. The kids would believe that we were available and had candy when we didn't. If they wanted to bring evil into my house, they could do that any time of the year, because they are always welcome here. Why would I deny them access one night because it might be a pagan holiday....which by the way....all "Christian" holidays have pagan roots. Satan has no power here. I am not worried that by passing out candy to the neighbor kids I am inviting Satan in. First off, I do not believe that participation in Halloween the way most people do has anything to do with the pagan holiday Samhain. It's like the atheists who give Christmas gifts and pretend there is a Santa clause when their kids are little. It's all secular with no spiritual meaning. When the kids ask my kids to dance in the field with all the pagan kids that night that I might draw the line. (if that is what they do, I do not have any idea really). My pagan and atheist and agnostic friends all have access to my home on a regular basis, but they would never expect me to participate in a holiday that I have no spiritual connection to. The guy who fixes my computers has a bumper sticker that says "Where there's a Witch, there's a way." He's here rather often, as we're rebuilding a whole bunch of them and he helps us. But he will be out doing whatever wiccans do on Samhain and I'll be inside my house popping popcorn and watching tv with my kids most likely. I like these people to feel welcome here. Why? Because they need us. We are the light. You can't shut that off. I don't think God wants us to. Their need for Jesus Christ is more important than our privacy being invaded. When society allows the abuse of one right for us, even if we do not think it's all that important, then it will allow the abuse of that right for someone who really needs to have it respected. Rights must be protected or they become suppressed by evildoers. that's first. Maybe you do not care about your privacy, but I bet that little old lady with a bad heart down the road does. You do her no favors by demanding that everyone give up this right, even if you do it in the name of Christ. Second of all, nobody I believe is advocating being a total recluse with no contact with their neighbours. They just want people to stay off the porch on one night a year, what's the big deal? You try to please God by not celebrating a "pagan" holiday, but you decieve to do it? That just makes NO sence to me. If it does to you, I am sorry if I implied anything. Again, do what you feel led to do, the only one you have to answer to is God. You do not understand because you are swinging at a strawman. Nobody is advocating telling lies. All they are advocating is the right to be undisturbed one night a year by turning out a light and leaving a door unanswered. An unanswered door does not mean that nobody is home. It means that nobody is available for company. A dark porch does not mean that nobody is home, it means that no company is desired (or the porch light needs replaced). Because of this, nobody is lying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speckles Posted September 26, 2008 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 217 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/18/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted September 26, 2008 Revelation 3:20 NIV Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Some of you better hope Jesus don't come visiting on October 31. Oh for crying out loud, I am His sheep and I know His voice. He'll call and I'll answer, end of discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speckles Posted September 26, 2008 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 217 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/18/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted September 26, 2008 Telephones, are a good way of avoiding speaking to people face to face. And thereby, in my opinion, are RUDE. I think they have served to separate humans, not connect them. Not only does it separate you from the person you are speaking to, but those who are around you or in the room. Especially at the supermarket...I hate that. Ok I'm done now! On this we can agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floatingaxe Posted September 27, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 62 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 9,613 Content Per Day: 1.45 Reputation: 656 Days Won: 9 Joined: 03/11/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/31/1952 Share Posted September 27, 2008 So do I answer the door when I'm feeding the baby? Sure. Maybe the neighbour wishes to borrow a cup of milk... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speckles Posted September 27, 2008 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 217 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/18/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted September 27, 2008 So do I answer the door when I'm feeding the baby? Sure. Maybe the neighbour wishes to borrow a cup of milk... I did not just see that. How fresh does this neighbor want the milk to be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floatingaxe Posted September 27, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 62 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 9,613 Content Per Day: 1.45 Reputation: 656 Days Won: 9 Joined: 03/11/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/31/1952 Share Posted September 27, 2008 So do I answer the door when I'm feeding the baby? Sure. Maybe the neighbour wishes to borrow a cup of milk... I did not just see that. How fresh does this neighbor want the milk to be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Biblicist Posted September 27, 2008 Share Posted September 27, 2008 One of our God given rights as human beings is the right to privacy, Really? Could you please quote me chapter and verse from God's Word? I've never heard of the Right To Privacy in the Bible. I don't even think it's in the constitution. I would be very interested to hear your answer. Well for one thing, you have to determine first off where rights come from. They do not come from the constitution, they come from God. Therefore, even if something is not listed in the Constitution does not mean it is not an inalienable right. The constitution, in the 9th Amendment says as much " "enumeration of certain rights" in the Bill of Rights "shall not be construed to deny or disparage other rights retained by the people." The right to privacy runs through the entire bill of rights. You have the privacy of personal beliefs (1st Amendment), privacy of the home against demands that it be used to house soldiers (3rd Amendment), privacy of the person and possessions as against unreasonable searches (4th Amendment), and the 5th Amendment's privilege against self-incrimination, which provides protection for the privacy of personal information. The Liberty Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment states that "No State shall... deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." Liberty is freedom and has meant that it protects the right to privacy of parents to raise children as they see fit, to make decisions about whether to have children and of individuals to terminate medical treatment without interference (a privacy right). The fact that the law forbids entry of a private dwelling without permission is an express declaration that there is a right to privacy. Otherwise people would be able to go in and out of your home any time they please. Notice I didn't mention stealing or damaging anything. If there is an intruder, he's breaking the law even if he's standing there breathing and not doing anything else. Here in SC we have the right to shoot those people, btw. We wouldn't have that right if there was no right to privacy. As far as for a biblical defense of that idea, I could give one if I had enough time and if you really want to listen. I would be very interested to see what Bible verses you have found that support our God given right to privacy. I did find a privacy issue in the Bible Matthew 14:6-21. That's my example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Biblicist Posted September 27, 2008 Share Posted September 27, 2008 So do I answer the door when I'm feeding the baby? Sure. Maybe the neighbour wishes to borrow a cup of milk... Only if her neighbors are Ben & Jerry's. BLAH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight of Christ Posted September 27, 2008 Group: Junior Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 109 Content Per Day: 0.02 Reputation: 3 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/02/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/05/1976 Share Posted September 27, 2008 Well i do not know bout the rest of you, but where i come from. During trick or treet if you are going to give ot candy or whatever you would eather A.) sit out side on the front poruch and wate for kids to come by. B.) leave the front light on to let everybody know that you are giveing out candy or whatever. If you are not going to give out candy you simpley leave the door shut and keep the porch light of. The porch light bing on or off will serve to indcate to the trick or treeters weather or not you are giveing out candy. Leaveing the light on tells ppl that you are where as leaveing it off tels them that you are not. Thisway makes things convenount for everybody becouse the trick or treeters wont have to waste there time going to a place where there is nothing, and the resadence do not have to be constantly be haveing to get up and down all night to tell ppl the excat same thing, that they are not giveing out candy or whatever. A rather simple plan wouldent you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emily~Anne Posted September 27, 2008 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 September 27, 2008 While we do answer the door, I see NOTHING wrong with someone turning off lights so trick or treaters know to move onto the next house. There are a variety of reasons a person will have their lights off to let trick or treaters know to move onto the next house, such as, they are out of candy, they don't give out candy for whatever reason, severe medical illness, or they are not home and may be at the local mall with their kids trick or treating, or they may be at an event at their church. I dont think too many people spend alot of time dwelling on why a house has it's lights off, they just hurry onto the next house, collecting as much candy as they can. Lights off is not lying and saying you are not home, it's a way for the trick or treaters to know to go on to the next house. If Floating Axe were to put up a sign that says, "We Are Not Home", only then would she be lying. Knight Of Christ, yes it is a very simple plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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