.....The Only PC Religious Holiday!

Your kids can't wish each other a Merry Christmas at school and what used to be the Easter holiday period commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ has been dumbed down to 'Spring Break'.

Religious holidays are all but illegal in 21st century America. Those few that survive have been watered-down beyond recognition. Thanksgiving, a day once solemnly set aside to thank God for our blessings as a nation, is now 'Turkey Day'.

Most Americans don't gather to give thanks to God, they gather to eat and watch football. For millions, it is the one day a year they say grace before meals, and that is about as religious a holiday as it is gonna get.

But there is still one religious holiday that is untouchable by either the Political Correctness Police or a vote-hungry Congress. Hallowe'en.

Your kids will be encouraged to dress up as witches and hobgoblins, to exchange Hallowe'en cards or small gifts, to wish each other a 'Happy Hallowe'en' and to engage in a day-long celebration that doesn't end until dark.

Make no mistake about it, Hallowe'en is a religious holiday. It derives its name from 'All Hallow's Eve' - the day before the Catholic holiday of "All Saint's Day" on November 1st.

Halloween was adopted by the Catholic Church, but its roots go back to 5th century BC Celtic Ireland. The Irish New Year began on November 1st and the Celts believed the last day of the old year had mystical properties.

The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living. The dead would roam the earth seeking living bodies to possess.

Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily parade around the neighborhood in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

The holiday was known as the Feast of Samhain, and was the High Holy Day of the Druidic pagan religion.

The Romans later adopted the Celtic practices as their own. In the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees.

The thrust of the practices also changed over time to become more ritualized. As pagan belief in spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts, and witches took on a more ceremonial role.

The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine.

The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called "souling."

On All Souls Day, early Catholics would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes," made out of square pieces of bread with currants.

The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors.

The Catholic doctrone of Purgatory teaches that for a time after death, souls are punished 'purge' in a kind of temporary 'hell' until their minor (venial) sins have been paid for.

Catholics can obtain a 'plenary indulgence' on All Soul's Day by performing certain prayers that expedite a soul's passage to heaven.

The Druids were the priestly caste of the ancient Celts. The Druids were polytheistic pagans that deified elements of nature. The Druids were reputed to have possessed 'the ancient knowledge' - or witchcraft.

There is little doubt in my mind that the Celtic Druids worshipped Satan, and there is plenty of documentation of the 'ancient knowledge'. (Modern archeologists are still scratching their heads over Stonehenge).

Other ancient pagan religions also claimed divinely-obtained knowledge, and left behind similarly perplexing ruins, like the Mayan temple, the pyramids of Egypt or the statues of Easter Island.

Genesis Chapter Six makes reference to the offspring of an unholy mating between angels and the daughters of men in the period before the Flood.

"...that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose." - Genesis 6:2

Of the offspring of these unholy unions, Genesis tells us, "There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown." - Genesis 6:4

The ancient Greeks and Romans worshipped a pantheon of gods and goddesses, together with strange mythical creatures like minotaurs, centaurs, and so on. Joshua spoke of the 'gods' from before the Flood that were still being worshipped by the ancient Israelites: "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." - Joshua 24:15

When I was a young Christian, I used to rail against the celebration of Hallowe'en because it was Satan's high religious holiday. But as I've matured in the Lord, I've come to see it a bit differently. And maybe because of contemporary history.

As Christian religious celebrations are being secularized, Hallowe'en just keeps growing in popularity. And as it grows in popularity, Hallowe'en's Satanic background becomes more a part of its celebration.

It is an object lesson in the reality and existence of Satan and a testimony to his status as the prince and power of the air and the 'god of this world' (2 Corinthians 4:4).

It is the one day of the year when Satan is unmasked and exposed as a real entity.

I don't know if I ever made a convert by railing against little kids having fun dressed up in Hallowe'en costumes.

But Hallowe'en festivities offer the chance to pose to the skeptic the same question and the same choice Joshua gave his men. If Satan is real, then God is real.

And if God is real, then you have a choice before you. It was that logic that first caused me to seek Christ.

So I don't rail against it anymore. It is too good a witnessing opportunity to waste by sounding like a wild-eyed fanatic railing against little kids in cute costumes having fun.

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28

Even Hallowe'en.


Maranatha!

.....Faith - Despite Feeling Or Sight!

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." - 2 Corinthians 5:7

A fanatic is somebody seeking desirable ends but ignoring constituted means. Seeking to get out of the religious rut is a desirable end. It is right and it is in the will of God. But trying to do it in a manner that is not according to God's constituted means is all wrong and gets us nowhere. When they want to get blessed, some people try getting worked up psychologically. There are some who, while they have not studied psychology, are master psychologists. They know how to manipulate audiences, knowing when to lower their voices and when to raise them, when to make them sound very sad and all the rest. They know how to get people all worked up...Some people try group dynamics. We all sit around together and practice togetherness, and by practicing togetherness we finally work up some spirituality. What is needed is some old-fashioned, salty horse sense. I am sure there are 189 mules in the state of Missouri that have more sense than a lot or preachers who are trying to teach people how to get the blessing of God in some way other than by the constituted means. When you get people all broken up, dabbing at their eyes and shaking, what is the result? It does not bring them any closer to God. It does not make them love God any better, in accordance with the first commandment. Nor does it give any greater love for neighbors, which is the second commandment. It does not prepare them to live fruitfully on earth. It does not prepare them to die victoriously, and it does not guarantee that they will be with the Lord at last.

O God, I am inclined to act by feeling rather than by faith. Help me to discern the difference. In Christ's name...Amen!

.....Occupy?

Occupy Wallstreet? If this is what the protesters are all about, let them leave America! Maybe they would be happier in Iran? Perhaps China?

America...love it or leave it!

.....Morologia, Aisochrologia, Eutrapelia!

My primary field of study for nearly 30 years has been communication. One of the things that bothers me as a communication specialist is how casually we take the act of communicating with others. One of the things I tell my students is "Communication is not harmless. It is powerful, and as such has power for both good and evil."

Unfortunately, many Christians haven't appreciated the power of "idle words" either. The Bible speaks specifically of the power of speech. James speaks eloquently of the difficulty in - and necessity of - controlling the tongue. In this article we will look at three specific sins of the tongue which are easily overlooked.

The first is mwrologia (morologia). This literally means foolish words. It is found listed with fornication and covetousness as things which should not be found among the saints. (Ephesians 5.4). What is implied by this are words which are "imprudent, without foresight or wisdom."

Have you ever heard someone say, "I really didn't mean to say those things. I just got so mad, and they just jumped out of my mouth." That is morologia. I remember seeing a sign once that said, "Put your brain in gear before you put your mouth in motion." That's not only good advice -- it's good theology. God expects us to think before we speak. Our words have power to build up others or to tear them down. Speaking without thinking is like driving a car blindfolded. You might be able to do it, but the results would be catastrophic. We are not given the option of speaking first and thinking later. We are expected to always think before we speak.

The second word is aiscrologia (aisochrologia). This word means literally base or disgraceful speaking. As it is used in Colossians 3.8 it means foul, obscene or vulgar language. I am often amazed and even shocked at how many Christians are comfortable using profane and vulgar language. When I was growing up (I must be getting old to start a sentence like that), I would have been in deep trouble with my mother if I had even used the cleaned up versions of curse words. However, I hear these words and their originals used even by Christians. God plainly wants us to come out from among the world and be different in this aspect of our speech as well.

The third word is eutrapelia (eutrapelia). This word literally means "versatility in conversation, witty, sharp." But this belies its seriousness. Found in Ephesians 5.4, this word implies a type of destructive sarcasm concealed in biting humor. It also has a larger implication of one who uses language skillfully and deceitfully to harm another. This mean-spirited jesting, done at the expense of another's reputation, is also considered the equivalent of fornication by Paul.

I remember another little poem that went, "Be careful of the words you say, keep them short and sweet. You never know from day to day which ones you'll have to eat." We may escape that forced feeding here on earth, but I guarantee you at the judgment you'll find your plate piled high. I want my plate full of sweetness. Don't you?


Come Lord Jesus!

.....What If?

What if you could read minds? What if you knew the winning lottery numbers one day early? What if you could live forever? What if you were breathing your last breath right now? What if you had already eaten your last meal? What if you had your conscience for a reason? What if you knew what the reason was? What if it were a beacon - a warning of an impending doom? What if justice were not corrupt, but something true something eternal? What if the standard for life were a perfect Law you already knew? What if in the stillness of a silent moment you knew you had broken that Law?

What if life is really a test, a series of choices, in which only one choice really matters? What if we ignore the inner warning light which pulses when we lie, steal and lust? What if even our hatred is counted as murder? What if pain and pleasure are only shadows of greater sensations to come? What if there is a Heaven? What if there is a Hell? What if there is a just Judge who knows even our thoughts? What if He holds us accountable for every thought, word and deed? What if our idea of justice is only a shadow of something coming - where the prison times are eternal and no bond can be posted once the sentence is passed? What if death is the fine for breaking an eternal Law? What if someone paid that fine for you? What if Jesus Christ is that person? What if He defeated death by rising from the dead? What if you could turn from your sin, put your faith in Him and live? What if He gave you your conscience to point you to Him?

Every second two people die... What if this is your second?


Maranatha!