All Hallows' Eve
- Thread starter Motar
- Start date
All Hallows Eve: Pagan ritual. Nuff said? Has nothing to do with the bible or Christianity. Great fun though. Those pagans knew how to party.
My opinion - it comes once a year, it provides a little fun, helps the economy a bit, doesn't cause too much harm.
It's the evening of All Hallows Day, the day in the Christian liturgical year set aside for remembering and honouring saints (they're the hallowed, which means holy, more or less), martyrs, and the faithful dead. The Bible says nothing about it, it's a later accretion to the faith, so in that sense there are no biblical principles that apply. There's some scholarly dispute about its pagan roots, some associate it with autumn harvest festivals and the Celtic festival of Samhain, others identify it as entirely Christian in origin, which suggests to me nobody really knows. On the other hand, its association with some of the darker aspects--witches, walking spirits, demons, etc.--does suggest some biblical principles might apply, such as the Old Testament stricture "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live," but my opinion/approach to that is to reject it as superstitious nonsense.
It's the evening of All Hallows Day, November 1st to us, because older custom considered one day to end and the next day to begin at sunset, which is also why December 24th is called Christmas Eve. Orthodox Judaism still follows that practise, and I think Islam does too, the sabbath begins at sunset, not midnight.
It's also my wedding anniversary, 33 good years this year.
Most of the Christian celebrations are really covered up pagan celebrations.
The religious zealots took the basic pagan festivals and painted them over
with Christian connections. That includes Halloween it was the greatest
ethnic cleansing ever. The also destroyed a way of life and customs of a
people but then they were practicing so they could advance to the residential
schools and destroy the native way of life. Its like a gift that keeps on giving
an annual trick or treat where some society gets screwed.
The religious zealots took the basic pagan festivals and painted them over
with Christian connections. That includes Halloween it was the greatest
ethnic cleansing ever. The also destroyed a way of life and customs of a
people but then they were practicing so they could advance to the residential
schools and destroy the native way of life. Its like a gift that keeps on giving
an annual trick or treat where some society gets screwed.
Holy Mary, mother of god is Gaia, stolen from the Celts to get them to swallow the whole Christian thing. The church took away the power of the high priestesses by making them nuns, who in the beginning were not much more than concubines for the priesthood. As a born again pagan, it is my duty to do what I can to take away the power of the church by educating people to the horrors of that corrupt organization. I also must do my part to piss off the religious right.
Happy Halloween all you wannabe pagans!
Oh, and Dex, do you starch your shirts?
Sells a whole lot of teeth rotting candies though. Must keep the capitalists greased.
"In the little town of Wittenberg, Germany, on this day, October 31, 1517, a priest nailed a challenge to debate on the church door. No one may have noticed then, but within the week, copies of his theses would be discussed throughout the surrounding regions; and within a decade, Europe itself was shaken by his simple act. Later generations would mark Martin Luther's nailing of the 95 theses on the church door as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation...
In 1505, Luther entered the Augustinian monastery, and in 1507 became a priest. His monastic leaders sent him to Rome in 1510, but Luther was disenchanted with the ritualism and dead faith he found in the papal city. There was nothing in Rome to mend his despairing spirit or settle his restless soul. He seemed so cut off from God, and nowhere could he find a cure for his malady.
Martin Luther was bright, and his superiors soon had him teaching theology in the university. In 1515, he began teaching Paul's epistle to the Romans. Slowly, Paul's words in Romans began to break through the gloom of Luther's soul.
The more Luther's eyes were opened by his study of Romans, the more he saw the corruption of the church in his day. The glorious truth of justification by faith alone had become buried under a mound of greed, corruption, and false teaching. Most galling was the practice of indulgences -- the certificates the church provided, for a fee, supposedly to shorten one's stay in Purgatory. The pope was encouraging the sale of indulgences. He planned to use the money to help pay for the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome."
Luther Posted 95 Theses - 1501-1600 Church History Timeline
Although Halloween has been linked historically to ancient pagan observances and whitewashed by the religious establishment in the Middle Ages, there is some redemptive history associated with this particular day in the credence and actions of Martin Luther.
In 1505, Luther entered the Augustinian monastery, and in 1507 became a priest. His monastic leaders sent him to Rome in 1510, but Luther was disenchanted with the ritualism and dead faith he found in the papal city. There was nothing in Rome to mend his despairing spirit or settle his restless soul. He seemed so cut off from God, and nowhere could he find a cure for his malady.
Martin Luther was bright, and his superiors soon had him teaching theology in the university. In 1515, he began teaching Paul's epistle to the Romans. Slowly, Paul's words in Romans began to break through the gloom of Luther's soul.
The more Luther's eyes were opened by his study of Romans, the more he saw the corruption of the church in his day. The glorious truth of justification by faith alone had become buried under a mound of greed, corruption, and false teaching. Most galling was the practice of indulgences -- the certificates the church provided, for a fee, supposedly to shorten one's stay in Purgatory. The pope was encouraging the sale of indulgences. He planned to use the money to help pay for the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome."
Luther Posted 95 Theses - 1501-1600 Church History Timeline
Although Halloween has been linked historically to ancient pagan observances and whitewashed by the religious establishment in the Middle Ages, there is some redemptive history associated with this particular day in the credence and actions of Martin Luther.
I see churches here in our area trying to end Halloween, personally I love it it's a lovely holiday and fun for the kids and fun for me.
Yep, generally pretty harmless, too bad there are a few who feel it's a valid excuse for destruction.............but you can't penalize the majority! "Churches" sometimes are short on humour!
It's fun for people who like to dress up, and the kids love it so can be fun for all ages. Love some of the decor that people go to the trouble of putting up for one night.