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Catholics and Evangelicals "Redeem" Satan's Day
Americancatholic.org and
Focus on the Family: Halloween Can Be Redeemed
The Bible says
"have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove
them." (Ephesians 5:11) Those who are in disobedience to God's word are
trying to convince you that it is possible to Christianize works of darkness.
Catholic as
well as Evangelical writers are encouraging church members to celebrate
Halloween, albeit in a "Christian" fashion. Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ
"abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thess. 5:22). They do not place a
Christian veneer upon what is evil.
This article
addresses what one Catholic and two Evangelical writers want you to believe
regarding Christians and Halloween or Samhain.
Catholic
Version of Redeeming Halloween
Below are selected excerpts from the article, "How
Halloween Can Be Redeemed" by Catholic writer, Page McKean Zyromski. My comments
are indented.
Halloween has grown into a major secular holiday in American culture. But for
those who don’t value devotion to the saints, the Eve has become "hollow"
instead of "hallow." The purpose behind it has been lost—like celebrating New
Year’s Eve without a New Year’s Day. Take away the saints and our beliefs about
the dignity and destiny of human beings, and the only thing left is
pre-Christian superstition regarding the dead.
[The author falsely reduced Satan's Day
into mere "Christian superstition regarding the dead."
The purpose behind Halloween has not
been lost. Human sacrifice, though substantially reduced through prayer, is
still going on as well as the recruitment of many thousands of teens and
young adults into witchcraft and satanism via Halloween parties.]
Among many Christians, there has been concern that things have gotten out of
hand. After all, doesn’t Halloween glorify evil?
[Yes, Halloween glorifies Satan, who is
evil. True Christians will not rationalize the sin of touching the unclean thing. They will instead,
pray against it.]
Is it right to send our children
out as devils and vampires, or is it better to emphasize the saints, whose
nearly forgotten feast day is the reason for Halloween? Hallow is the same word
for "holy" that we find in the Lord’s Prayer, and e’en is a contraction of
"evening."
[Parents who send their children "out" to
participate in Halloween dressed in any fashion--whether as a devil or as a
saint are giving Satan and his demons permission to afflict and even indwell
their
children.]
The word Halloween itself is a shortened form
of "All Hallows Eve," the day before All Saints Day. In this Update we’ll
consider how Catholics can "redeem" Halloween.
[What an interesting ecumenical
coincidence. Focus on the Family is just as eager as Americancatholic.org to
teach readers how to "redeem" Halloween.]
Redeeming Halloween
How can we keep the religious connection and curb pre-Christian trappings?
The connection between trick or
treat and forgiveness deserves to be reclaimed, don’t you think?
[The trick-or-treat ritual
symbolizes human sacrifice, not forgiveness!
Fake Christian Ministries often mark themselves for their real master by promoting the trick-or-treat ritual.]
The rest of this Halloween
promoting article may be
found here:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac1099.asp
Evangelical Version of
Redeeming Halloween
Focus on the Family claims to take
a middle of the road (1) approach to Halloween but their founder, James
Dobson, plainly advocates the celebration of Halloween, including
trick-or-treating, as long as
it is done in a presumably innocent manner:
If the
Halloween experience is focused on fantasy rather than the occult, I see no
harm in it. Make costumes for your children that represent fun characters,
such as Mickey Mouse or an elderly grandmother, and then let them go
door-to-door asking for treats. This side of Halloween can be thoroughly
enjoyable for the little ones. (2)
It is impossible to be
middle of the road or neutral when it comes to whom a Christian serves. The Bible
says that we must "choose ye this day whom ye will serve." (Joshua 24:15) Since Halloween belongs to Satan, it
is he who is served when one participates in "Christianized" Halloween rituals
and it is he who gains the right to spiritually afflict those who fellowship
with him in this manner.
Authors Kim Wier and Pam McCune,
who wrote a Halloween-is-Christian type book that is endorsed by the Focus on the Family mega
ministry, asked the question, "How
can we keep the religious connection and curb pre-Christian trappings?" in the
following way:
Together we will discover the
redeeming origins of Halloween and answer that elusive question, "Can I
really celebrate without selling out?"
(Quoted from: Redeeming Halloween by Kim
Wier & Pam McCune pg 2, A Focus on the Family Book Published by Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc.)
The Focus on the Family book, Redeeming Halloween
promotes an agenda that is just as foreign to true Christianity as
the one promoted in the Catholic article, "How Halloween Can Be Redeemed." Authors Kim Wier
and Pam McCune, (who are pictured on the back cover dressed in black and red
outfits) claim that the story of Halloween began at the foot of the cross. (page
9). Redeeming Halloween is filled with carnal justifications for
partaking of Halloween in a "Christianized" fashion.
God's people must purpose to
reject all rationalizations for sin, no matter where they come from. Quench not
the Holy Spirit when he convicts you about the sin of yoking what is holy (the
Lord Jesus Christ) with what is evil (Halloween.)
Closing remarks:
There are no Christ-honoring
Halloween alternatives. Christians are to
overcome darkness with light, not find supposedly Christian ways to partake
of darkness. Halloween can no more be redeemed
than Satan can be redeemed. Satan's workers, however, can be redeemed and
those who have been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ must reject the message that
they may partake of Christianly amended works of darkness, or what is presented
as the lighter side of Halloween.
Catholicism is not authentic
Christianity (3) and neither is modern-day falling away Evangelicalism, which falsely teaches
that you can be saved by the God of the narrow way while you continue to walk on the
broad way (the way of the world which "lieth in wickedness." 1 John 5:19) Those who expect to continue in the Christian faith must hold fast the form of sound words
found only in the Holy Bible or you will be swept away in the modern ecumenical
surge.
notes:
(1) "While
Focus on the Family takes a "middle of the road" approach to
Halloween, we want to provide a balance of
resources to help you as you decide what's best for your family." http://search.family.org/query.cfm
qt=halloween&style=family&Search.x=16&Search.y=5
(2) What to
Do About Halloween--Dr. James Dobson's Perspective http://www.focusonyourchild.com/entertain/art1/a0000637.html
(3)
Why I Left Roman Catholicism (See the list of links on the left-hand side of
the page)
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