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Halloween
hey guys...i need to find information on the Coptic orthodox Church's view on Halloween... i want to know the origins of the celebration and exactly what aspects of halloween our church is against
I would prefer if you guys posted some links because im trying to do a thorough study!! Thanks!
I would prefer if you guys posted some links because im trying to do a thorough study!! Thanks!
Comments
she said why she we walking around like WITCHES and shayateen!!!!!!!!
n we dont even give out candy becasue as it says in the bible that we just dont have to do it for it to become a sin but if we encourage it or dont do anything about it it is also counted as a sin n its the same thing as doin it.....
(if any1 could find that verse it would be greatly appreciated)
soo............not only the act of dressing up is not encouraged by our church but also the encouragement by giving out candy is not encoraged aswell
http://www.suscopts.org/literature/literature.php?subaction=showfull&id=1076781490&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3&
Umm well my Abouna gave me this brochure thingy, on Halloween...I think it was made by my church actually...I'll try to get it on here as soon as i figure out how ::)
God Bless!
During this festival as a tradition people would dress up as ghosts, witches, devils..etc, all are symbols of the devils kingdom. As a Christian, we believe that all our actions must be done to glorify God, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”
1 Corinthians 10:31. Halloween does not glorify God in any way, but rather glorifies Satan, and this is the main reason why we do not believe in celebrating Halloween.
I know I haven't posted in quite some time, I've been very busy lately, pray for me and my weaknesses.
I have an article that I got a long time ago and its written by Bishop Suriel on the topic of halloween, here it is.
Halloween: Hallowed or Harmful?
by H.G. Bishop Suriel
As this is a natural part of life in America, they may add that: "this is the second important occasion on our yearly calendar after Christmas. It's a fun time for us and our children, who dress up in scary clothes and go around trick-or-treating and having lots of fun." Fun? I am not so sure about that.
The subject of Halloween is something that has caught my attention (over the last few weeks). Some might ask why?
As this is a natural part of life in America, they may add that: "this is the second important occasion on our yearly calendar after Christmas. It's a fun time for us and our children, who dress up in scary clothes and go around trick-or-treating and having lots of fun." Fun? I am not so sure about that. Can we call dressing up our children as vampires, ghosts, devils and witches fun? As I passed through some stores, I was somewhat surprised by how much impact Halloween played in people's lives. It was everywhere, in shopping centers, banks, hospitals, households, everywhere you could see signs of people preparing for this "fun" celebration. I was even asked by one person in a retail store where I had obtained my black gown, because this was exactly what she was looking for, for a Halloween party! When I replied "from Egypt," she became so sad, perhaps because she expected me to tell her which costume shop I had bought it from!
We also need to realize that Halloween is a big business in America. The Christian Broadcasting Network states that, "Merchants also look forward to October 31. The sale of candy, costumes, decorations, and party goods make Halloween one of the major retail seasons of the year". In a book called "Halloween and Satanism" it states, "Did you know that Halloween is a day witches celebrate above all other days? Even the Internal Revenue Services has given tax-exempt status to the church of Wicca (the official church of witchcraft), which means your gift to witchcraft is a tax-deductible, charitable donation of a religious nature, the same as if you were tithing to the (Christian) Church".
So how did Halloween begin? Many centuries before the birth of Christ, the Celts and priests, inhabitants of Britain and Ireland, observed the festival of Samhain on October 31 (Samhain is their god, lord of the dead). This marked the eve of the Celtic New Year, which began on November 1. It was at this time that the full harvest was complete and winter was creeping in. The Celts believed that the power of the Sun was fading and for the next few months, darkness would prevail. They also believed that during the Samhain, the evil separating the living and the dead was at its thinnest. They believed that on the evening of October 31, evil spirits and souls of the dead passed through the barrier and entered the world of the living. Departed family members would revisit their earthly homes. The thought was frightening and exciting!
The Celts believed that these spirits and dead souls could torment the living. Crops might be destroyed, babies stolen, farm animals killed. But this was also an opportunity to commune with the spirits, and divine the future. The Devil, the lord of darkness, was ordinarily feared, but during Samhain, his power would be called on to foretell the future.
Trick-or-Treat
The Druids were responsible for appeasing the goblins and preventing harm to the people. Huge Samhain bonfires were lit to guide the way of the spirits. Various sacrifices, including human, were performed to assure a good year. Like many pagan cultures around the world, the Celts left out food for the spirits, hoping that a "treat" would prevent an evil "trick".
Centuries later, descendants of the Celts continued to observe the Samhain festival by dressing as evil spirits. They roamed from house to house, demanding food in exchange for the "spirits" leaving the home unharmed. They craved demon faces in hollowed-out turnips and lighted them with candles.
This is what is called "Jack-O-Lantern". The story says that an Irish drunkard named Jack made a deal with the devil and the devil agreed to spare his soul for ten years. But a year later, Jack died and was turned back from the gates of heaven. So he went to the gates of hell and was rejected by the devil also. So as Jack was walking to find a place, he was eating a turnip so the devil threw him a live coal out of the fires of hell. So Jack put the coal in the turnip to help him see. It is believed that since that time Jack is roaming the face of the earth with the Jack-O-Lantern, seeking a place of rest.
I hope such a story that is rooted in devil worship will make people think carefully before they put a Jack-O-Lantern in their house! Just as people once offered gifts of food to the spirits, people today offer treats to the children who represent them. In reality, the lighted Jack-O-Lanterns the children carry are really a symbol of the fires and torches of former Halloweens and of the ancient Samhain. This was the beginning of the trick or treat!
All Hallows' Eve
In the seventh century, the Roman Catholic Church set aside a day in May in memory of the early Christians who died for their faith. It was called All Saints' Day. By the year 900, the date was changed to November 1st. Another name for All Saints' Day was All Hallows' Day. October 31st was known as All Hallows' Eve, which was later shortened to Halloween. The reason for the change of the date was an attempt to encourage people to replace this evil celebration with a holy feast.
Halloween in America
Halloween, with all its customs, arrived in America in the mid-1800's with the Irish immigrants. The costumes of the children going "trick-or-treating" have become an established American tradition. Only in recent years have parents hesitated to send their children into the streets because of the increased danger of accidents, poisoned food, and menacing strangers. People today might be innocently imitating the ancient Celtic customs, but in an indirect way, they are participating and celebrating something sinister and evil.
The Christian Broadcasting Network states that, "Witches and Satanists still consider Halloween to be one of the strongest times during the year to cast a spell". On Halloween, most witchcraft practitioners participate in a ritual called "drawing down the moon". In this, the chief witch of the coven (group of witches) becomes, they believe, a channel for the moon goddess. During this ritual, the participants - both male and female - are 'sky-clad' that is, naked! Evidence persists that some Satanist and voodoo groups offer sacrifices - usually animals, but possibly human babies.
The Biblical Response to Halloween
People celebrating Halloween today are naturally not thinking about the darkness and evil that underlies most Halloween practices. They are just thinking of it as a fun time. Some might say, "Surely, you cannot deny children or adults the fun of the Halloween just because of its past hideous history. Can there be anything wrong with lighthearted raging?"
Let us See What the Bible says
In the book of Deuteronomy, God gives clear instructions to His people concerning associating with such practices. "When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. These shall not be found among you anymore who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a sportiest, or one who calls up the dead" (Deuteronomy 18:9-11).
In the second book of Kings it says, "And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger" (2 Kings 17:17). So, all of these practices God saw as evil, and they angered Him. Saint Paul mentioned witchcraft amongst the works of the flesh which are manifest in Galatians 5:19-21. Also, Saint John, in his Revelation, mentions that sorcerers "shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).
In the book of Micah the prophet also, God speaks out strongly against those who practice witchcraft and the like by saying, "I will cut off sorcerers from your hand, and you shall have no soothsayers. Your carved images I will also cut off, and your sacred pillars from your midst; you shall no more worship the work of your hands; I will pluck your wooden images from your midst; thus I will destroy your cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury on the nations that have not heard" (Micah 5:12-15).
I hope that it is clear to the beloved readers, the background behind Halloween and that it is not something which is "fun" and nice. It does have evil connotations to it that we must be aware of. What does it mean as a Christian to dress your child as a witch or devil? Is this what our Lord has asked us to teach our children? Some might say that, "This helps us to teach our children not to be afraid of anything." Is this the way to teach our children not to fear, or is it through the words of Christ that fear is cast out and peace and comfort prevail? I am sure the answer is clear!
Let us rethink how we spend this day. Let us educate our young people about the facts of Halloween and perhaps arrange for a spiritual meeting to replace the Halloween parties that young people attend. During this time, perhaps a lecture or discussion can be organized around this topic. It should be also a time of fervent prayer, so that our Lord Jesus Christ will protect us from all the powers of the Enemy. As we say in the Prayer of Thanksgiving. "All envy, all temptation, all works of Satan, all intrigues of the wicked, rising up of enemies, visible and invisible, do cast away from us and all your people".
I hope this article helps.
***PS: Psalmist says he'll take your Psalmody to be fixed this wednesday :)
In His Name,
Samar.
p.s. tell Psalmist that if ANY of the words get cut off, he's in trouble :P
HEY does any1 know what to do when some1 dressed up comes n knoks at ur door for candy??
all i know that giving off candy is like an acceptance or an encouragement of that act like it said in the bible n i do not want to encourage it at all....
n here in Australia ALOT of people ake part in it n u probably know that swearing is like a everyday thing to do here n once we said to a little kid.....'sorry we dont have candy' he started swearing for like 5 min in front of our door....it was sooo embarrasing n i dont want a repeat of that ......WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Put a sign up on your door and write on it, “Please DO NOT knock because we do not celebrate or take part in Halloween.”
And if that does not work then just don’t answer the door. ::)
Or even better, why don't you and your family go to church or do something productive so that you won’t be disturbed that night?
In His Name
Forever,
Coptic Servent
Well actually, my church doesn't name it halloween or saints day, its merely "fun day" for the kids, we bring all the kids and we have activities and fun things for them to do, they can't get dressed in a costume though. Its mostly a way to get them to come to church and get entertained, and they always get a goodie bag in the end, but don't mistake it for a "haloween" goodie bag, its more like just a gift bag for coming to the "fun day".
Im quite interested though, what do other churches do on that day?
In His Name, Samar
In my church, last year we had to sing songs and hymns for the saints on that sunday, but if it's in the weekdays, we also have a fun day, but it's a day where you go to church and line up to recieve candy, of course abouna is there and we can't dress up either, our abouna likes us to come to church instead, for me I pass out candy, and than go to church, but I'm doing nothing wrong! And we get to just play anything until it is time to go!
Forever,
Coptic Servent
well, i didn't know about these things be4 i only thought it was like childish thing and that's it?
so thanks alot i really appreciate this topic :D
GOD bless your lives :)
Hushshshshshshshshsh...no one was supposed to know that :P
lol...It's alright to have the same opinion I guess, lol well, that's all I got to say! God Bless you All with your troubles!
Forever,
Coptic Servent
Forever,
Coptic Servent
Forever,
Coptic Servent
GOD protect you from all evil
remember me in your prayers :)