Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

The Christian’s participation in Halloween is a controversial subject. Some Christians celebrate the holiday innocently with their children dressing up like little princesses, cowboys, clowns and super-heroes. For them it is a harmless fun time with candy and other party activities. Still other Christians are adamant that Halloween is a satanic event that should be avoided at all costs.

Today, in the United States, Halloween is a huge holiday. Last year American’s spent almost 7 billion dollars on candy, food, costumes and decorations. And what was once the holiday for children has now become increasingly an event for adults to party. Over 50% of costume sales are for adults! Adults use Halloween as their escape holiday. It is an excuse to have a good time.

Before I give my advice on how or if a Christian should celebrate Halloween. Let’s look at its history. You may be surprised to know that Halloween is actually a very religious day. Halloween originally dates back thousands of years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts celebrated their new year on November 1st, which marked the end of harvest time and the beginning of the dark winter. This supposedly was the time when their sun god, Muck Olla, was losing his strength, since the leaves were dying and the days were getting shorter.

They believed that on the night before their new year the demons were at the peak of their power and the ghosts of the dead revisited the earth to possess and haunt people. The Celts believed that the laws of nature were suspended on this night, which allowed the dead and the powers of darkness to freely interact with the rest of the world. In order to avoid being possessed, the Celts would dress up in hideous costumes and parade around town, making all kinds of noise and wreaking havoc in an effort to scare away the evil spirits.

The Druid priests would lead the villagers in diabolical worship ceremonies where offerings were burnt over their "sacred" bonfires. Some accounts speak of human sacrifices and various acts of black magic. The people would leave delicacies and wine outside their homes so that the spirits would not "trick" or curse them. But if these pagan practices happened so long ago (dating back to about 2500 years ago) then how is it that many of these customs have been carried all the way down to our time?

The ancient Romans conquered much of the Celtic territory and they adopted a great deal of these traditions as their own.  When the Catholic church sprang up in the heart of Rome and became the official religion of the empire, many pagan rituals were unfortunately incorporated by the church as a way of making Catholicism more appealing to the heathen (remember, this was the beginning of the "the Dark Ages").

In the 6th century, "Gregory the Great (A.D. 540-604) advised the Archbishop of Canterbury to retain the Druid sacrifices and celebrate them in honor of the Christian saints. During the 7th century, in an attempt to replace the Celtic festival with a similar, but "holier" holiday, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 as a time to honor "saints and martyrs" and called it "All Saints' Day". This celebration was also known as All-hallows or All-hallowmas and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and eventually, Halloween.

Then in the year 1000, the Catholic church set up November 2 to be All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated much like Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, while the people dressed up in costumes as saints, angels and devils. Eventually the three celebrations were combined and called Hallowmas.

Since the Catholics believed that their departed loved ones were in a state of limbo known as purgatory, this festival of the dead was significant. They would go from house to house begging for "soul cakes". The more cakes they received the more prayers they would offer for the dead relatives of those who gave the cakes. These practices were encouraged by the church, but were based on superstition rather than the truth of the Bible.

Halloween is still a sacred day for those who practice the religion of Wicca. And it is still full of horror and evil. Consider the gruesome decorations around some homes and movies like "Nightmare on Elm Street", "Halloween", and "Friday the 13th." Movies like these are popular viewing fare at Halloween parties. But these movies are full of sadism, sexual violence, Satanism, torture, mutilation and bizarre murders. All of this causes people to become calloused to these behaviors. And many psychiatrists tell us that every year film violence and real-life violence continues to get worse.

So, back to my original question, should Christians celebrate Halloween? The holiday is difficult to escape. The Bible, in both the Old Testament and New Testament informs us to stay away from that which glorifies evil and sorcery. In Acts 13:6-11 the apostle Paul called Elymas, a sorcerer, a child of the devil. And in Acts 19:19 new converts to Christ burned all of their evil and magic paraphernalia.

Christians are to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). We are to walk in light and not in darkness (Ephesians 5:8-13).  If you decide to celebrate Halloween with your children find some way to remove as much of the devilish elements as you can. Gather together with other believers and host an event where there is wholesome fun. But most importantly teach your children the truth that our world is filled with goodness from God (Psalm 100:5) and evil from Satan (Ephesians 2:1-3). Teach them the truth that they can be saved from the evil that brings people to destruction (John 3:16). And that as Christians they have power over evil and darkness through Jesus Christ (1 John 4:4).

 

 

 

Christ’s Special People

As a Christian you are special. The Bible says so. Titus 2:14 says that Christ “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” The Greek word translated “special” is periousios and Titus 2:14 is the only place in the New Testament where the word appears. The old King James Version translated it as “peculiar.” The word “peculiar” though carries the idea of odd or strange in our day. That works for me but I don’t want to put that label on you.

Periousios literally means to be around. Draw a dot and then draw a circle around it. As the circle is around the dot so Christ is around His people. They are his own special treasure. We have been saved from a world full of lawless deeds and surrounded by Christ so that we can zealously do good works – not to earn salvation but to show the fruit of our salvation (Ephesians 2:4-10).

Being Christ’s special people also means that we are in a place of protection. Place a dot outside the circle that has the original dot in it and label this new dot trials and temptations. Then draw an arrow from this new dot to the one in the circle. Just as the arrow cannot reach the dot until it goes through the circle, so there will be no temptation or trial in your life unless Christ allows it. And why would he allow trials and temptations? The apostle Peter says that we are tested “if need be…by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6, 7).

Just as the purity of gold is brought forth by the refining fire, so the reality and purity of your faith is revealed by life’s trials. This is like when a coach puts a good athlete in a difficult spot so that he or she learns to be more skilled in the sport. And God will never allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear. He will always provide a way for you to overcome (1 Corinthians 10:13, 14). The grace of God given to us in Christ is sufficient to face every trial with faith, love and hope as we overcome it (1 John 5:4, 5). Rejoice! You are Christ’s special people!

 

 

Saint Francis And The Gospel

I’ve come across a quote a number of times on Facebook and in a few blogs I read. Perhaps you have heard this particular quote before. It is attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel. Use words if necessary.”

Almost instinctively we get the point. As Christians, we should live our lives in such a way that what we do points to the goodness and love of God that is revealed in Jesus Christ. Our lives should model grace. Amen—so true. Some Christians talk too much and do too little. But there are two problems with the quote. First, Francis never said it.

Mark Galli author of the biography “Francis of Assisi and His World (IVP)” has pointed out that there is no record of Francis ever speaking those words. And no biography written within the first 200 years of his death contain the saying. If the quote was from Francis it is almost certain that his early disciples would have preserved it and modeled it.

Second, Francis was a prolific preacher. He belonged to a preaching order. Hundreds of people came to hear him preach at the Assisi church of St. George and later in the cathedral of St. Rufinus. Later in life he took on an itinerant ministry preaching in up to five villages a day. And he was quite the preacher. It is said that when he preached on the Nativity people felt as if Mary was in labor right before their eyes. When he taught on the crucifixion his listeners would weep. Francis’ preaching has been called kind, humorous, bold and even fierce.

So why is the quote, wrongly attributed to Francis, so popular? Perhaps it’s because many of us do not want to take the time to think through how best to talk about the gospel with others. Many of us hope that our friends will somehow catch on to the good news by our lifestyle. After all we do not want to offend people by what we say.

I’m all in favor of walking the talk, but let’s also talk. The prophets, Jesus and the apostles put a great value on preaching the Word of God. There is no biblical account of Jesus ever performing a miracle and not speaking words of comfort or a direct challenge afterwards. And Christ’s Sermon on the Mount is a monument to the power of preaching.

The age we live in has given us a postmodern view that words are empty, without power and meaningless. But when God spoke forth His Word and said, “Let there be light (Genesis 1:3)” light burst forth into the universe. The gospel is God’s Word; it is a message, it is good news. And the good news cannot be shared without words any more than the evening news.

Words can be cheap, thoughtlessly spoken and even designed to hurt. But words can also heal and bring hope. The New Testament declares, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?...How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!...So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:14-17).”

In a world where so many words are designed to deceive let us speak forth the truth with love and boldness. Preach the gospel and then back it up with action.

The Dutch Death Descent

The death descent has fallen on the Netherlands. It has recently been reported in Dutch news stories that 10% of all deaths are now due to doctor assisted euthanasia (meaning “good death”) and half of these are involuntary. But that’s not the whole story. Repeated studies reveal that doctors fail to report at least 20% of actual euthanasia deaths. So the percentage is really much higher.

Babies with serious illnesses and disabilities are euthanized. The old and disabled are euthanized, and so too are psychiatric patients. Euthanasia among people with early stages of dementia has doubled in the last two years. In fact the total number of euthanasia cases rose 18% last year to 3, 695 people. The same rate in the United States would mean 77,000 euthanasia killings per year!

But wait, there’s more. The Dutch Parliament is actively debating whether or not to expand the practice of assisted suicide to include those who are simply tired of life, those who are lonely, those with financial trouble, lack of social skills or those who feel that their lives are complete and are ready to end it. In fact, medically assisted euthanasia is so prevalent in the Netherlands that those who don’t want to be knocked off carry “please don’t euthanize me” cards! Seriously!

Belgium has also legalized euthanasia and the Swiss have walk in clinics. Will “The Good Death Store” franchise open across all of Europe? Will it cross the pond and come to the good ole’ USA? It may be coming sooner than you think. In The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obama care) the law makes a specific reference to assisted suicide. It does not prohibit it. What it does do is prohibit discrimination against hospitals and other institutions that do not provide for assisted suicide. In other words euthanasia is expected (section 1553 of the law).

Note: Just came across a story that the elderly are being euthanized in England (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2161869/Top-doctors-chilling-claim-The-NHS-kills-130000)

Once a culture agrees that some suicides are good or that intentionally ending the lives of the seriously ill and disabled is permissible, the categories for who can be killed will continue to expand. Don’t doubt it.  The Bible reveals that human life is sacred. First, Genesis 1:26-27 reveals the truth that both men and women are made in the image of God. We are different than apes or birds or dogs—you don’t just put us down. Secondly, in Genesis 9:6, God forbids murder because people bear His image.

Since human life bears the image of God, no other human being has the right to simply take it. A part of the Hippocratic Oath states, “I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion. But I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts.” Some physicians should take heed to their oath. Just saying.

Marriage Is Not A 50/50 Proposition

What makes a good, long lasting marriage? That’s a question that social scientists and counselors have tried to answer for many years. And it is a very important question. The Americans for Divorce Reform organization say that close to 50% of first marriages end in divorce, 67% of second marriages and 74% for third marriages. That is sad news!

Karl Pillemer. Ph. D. is the Professor / Director Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging. He did research asking 1, 000 older couples about their experience in marriage. The Research was called “The Legacy Project.” When the couples were asked the key to a successful long term marriage the boiled down answer was “give and take.” Wanting to understand the cliché Pillemer asked, “So you mean that marriage has to be a 50-50 kind of thing, right? A 50-50 proposition.” The answer was no, marriage is to be an 100% affair.

In our society a lot of people think that marriage is a 50-50 arrangement. Both husband and wife contribute equally in the relationship. But the problem with this kind of thinking (the old timers said) was that it leads to holding back and keeping score. For long term success each person needs to decide to give more than they receive. And the attitude has to be one of giving freely.

Crystal, one of the women in the study said, “People always say you have to be more assertive and you have to take what you need, but I could never relate to that. I have a friend who keeps going through one marriage after another and saying, ‘Well, I didn’t get what I needed in that marriage.’ And I thought, ‘Well, did you give anything out?’ ”

That’s good advice and it sounds a lot like the Bible. Philippians 2:4 states “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” And in Ephesians we read, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her (v. 25).” And “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord…let the wife see that she respects her husband (vss. 22, 33).” What a wonderful marriage it would be where husbands and wives loved one another sacrificially and with deep respect. It would produce a beautiful life.

Violence: The Koran vs. the Bible

Last week I wrote about the difference between Muhammad and Jesus Christ. My inspiration for the blog was the violence and protests at U.S. Embassies and other sites around the world. I asserted that Muslims are only following in the footpaths of their prophet. It can be historically verified that Muhammad spread Islam with a literal sword.

But once you say that violence is inherent in Islam there are those who want to equate the violence in Islam with the violence recorded in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. The question is then, are the commands of Yahweh to the Israelites in the Old Testament the same as jihad prescribed in the Koran? In order to answer that question let’s first define jihad.

The word “jihad” means “striving” or “struggle and there are several areas of jihad. There is the jihad of the pen which involves persuasion or instruction in promoting Islam. There is the jihad of the heart where you wrestle with yourself to overcome sin. But then there is the jihad that promotes physical violence and warfare to advance the religion.  Here are two examples from the Koran.

Sura 9:5 - But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

Sura 9:29 - Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book [Christians and Jews], until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.

Along with the Koran, Muslims also follow the Hadith, the record of Muhammad’s words and actions. Whatever Muhammad said or did Muslims should do (kind of like a WWJD – what would Jesus do?). And Muhammad’s actions and words declare to fight the non-Muslim if he does not submit to Allah (Sahih Muslim, Book 19, number 4294). Islamic scholars and teachers throughout the years have taught that Christians, Jews, pagans and polytheists must either convert to Islam or be plundered, enslaved, sexually abused or killed (Koran, Sura 4: 24, 92; 8:69; 24:33; 33:50).

Muslim scholar Ibn Khaldun, respected in the West for his “progressive” insights declared, “In the Muslim community, the holy war [jihad] is a religious duty because of the universalism of the Muslim mission and the obligation to convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or force. (The Muqudimmah, vol. 1, p. 473).” Thus violence in the advancement of Islam is necessary until the whole world obeys (Sahih Muslim C9B1N31 and Sahih Bukhari B2N24).

But what about the violence commanded by God in the Old Testament? Is this different than what is written in the Koran? The violence most often pointed out is God’s command for the Israelites to utterly destroy the Canaanites. “But of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you,  lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 20:16-18).”

To understand God’s commandment we must understand that the Canaanites were extremely evil people. They were brutal, cruel, practicing incest, bestiality, and cultic prostitution. They even sacrificed their children to their deity by fire. God had given the people over 400 years to repent (Genesis 15:13-16). When they did not God used the Israelites as an instrument to inflict capital punishment. The Canaanites were aware of God’s awesome power (Joshua 2:10, 11; 9:9). This awareness should have inspired them to repent. The example of Rahab and her family is evidence that not all the Canaanites had to perish (Judges 6:25). Most of the other wars in the Old Testament were defensive ones.

God does not desire the death of the wicked. He would rather that they turn from the sin than perish (Ezekiel 33:11; John 3:16). The violence commanded by God in the Old Testament was intended only for a particular time and a particular people. He gave no command to continue war forever against unbelievers. At no time in the Bible does God ever command His people to kill those who reject the faith.

In conclusion, the final and complete revelation of God is in Jesus Christ. Christ was consistently non-violent in his mission. If a Christian promotes the cause of Christ by violence he is disobeying his Master who said, “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you (Matthew 5:44). There is a difference between Muhammad and Jesus Christ.

 

 

The Difference Between Muhammad and Jesus Christ

Over the past several days the Middle East and North Africa has erupted in violence. The perpetrators are Muslims supposedly angry over an insult to Muhammad. When followers of Muhammad protest the reviling of their prophet with outrage, destruction and mindless violence, they provide us with clear difference between Muhammad and Christ.

 Islam was born in a storm of violence. At the Battle of Banu Quraiza (627AD), Muhammad had all the Jewish men assembled and beheaded. The young Jewish boys were beheaded after being sexually humiliated. The Jewish women were separated out to be raped or sold into slavery. At the Massacre of Kaibyr,

Muhammad ordered a fire set on the Jewish chieftain's chest torturing him to reveal the whereabouts of the city’s treasure. When he refused after great unimaginable suffering, the chieftain was taken and beheaded. Muhammad raped his 17 year old wife that night.

On orders from Muhammad, his soldiers would assassinate his opponents. On orders from Muhammad, Muslim women were buried to their chests and stoned to death. On orders from Muhammad, Muslims who were judged to be deficient in their faith were burnt alive in their homes. Muhammad through his politico-religious system created an immoral framework of depravity whereby murder, rape, and torture were committed on kefirs (infidels). And all of this evil was supposedly sanctioned by Allah. When Muslims today resort to violence they are only following in the footsteps of their prophet.

During his life Jesus Christ was called a bastard (John 8:41), a drunkard, (Matthew11:19), a blasphemer (Matthew 26:65), and a devil (Matthew 10:25). But if Christ had not been insulted we could not have been saved from the evil of sin. His work of salvation was to be mocked and insulted and despised so that we could be saved from the wrath of God because of our own immorality.

The pain of Christ’s sufferings and mockery were promised in the Old Testament—“But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me (Psalm 22:6, 7),” and “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him (Isaiah 53:3).”

When Jesus Christ was actually crucified, “they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.  When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”  Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head (Matthew 27:28-30).” All of this was done because “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:5, 6).”

That is the difference between Christ and Muhammad. For Christ, mockery and suffering was the essence of his mission and by it we are saved. Muhammad mocked, tortured and killed others to defend his own honor. And that is the difference between a follower of Christ and a follower of Muhammad.  Many followers of Muhammad follow in the prophet’s footsteps. We too are to follow in our Master’s footsteps. It is written “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you (1 Peter 4:14).”

One day Jesus Christ will be revealed “coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30)” to be mocked no more. And “When Christ who is our life appears, then you [the believer in Christ] also will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4).” Muhammad, who honored himself will be “punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (2 Thessalonians 1:9).”