Answer this two part question

I will say that if you are a Dolphins fan, you probably shouldn’t watch football on a Sunday or whatever day they play.

charsan said:

Sure/Sure. It is ridiculous that people trot out the pagan card because they have no idea what they are talking about, as far as football it is not my cup of tea baseball is much better . I absolutely love Halloween

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Michael Vichiola said:

Should christians celebrate halloween?/ Can christians watch football on sunday? (Answer with answer for first question slash answer for second question. Thanks

Michael

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yes/yes. but halloween should not be celebrated in a serious way but for fun only/any activity that uplifts the spirit in a positive, wholesome way.

Michael Vichiola said:

Should christians celebrate halloween?/ Can christians watch football on sunday? (Answer with answer for first question slash answer for second question. Thanks

Michael

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yes/yes. but halloween should not be celebrated in a serious way but for fun only/any activity that uplifts the spirit in a positive, wholesome way.

"Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated each year on October 31, and Halloween 2019 occurs on Thursday, October 31. It originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints; soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating sweet treats." ... History Channel (compliant with other sources).

"Originally celebrated on 13th May, it was Pope Gregory who had the date of the All Hallows' feast moved to 1st November sometime in the 8th century. It is thought that in doing so, he was attempting to replace or assimilate the Celtic Samhain festival of the dead with a related but church approved celebration." ... from historic-UK.com

Michael Vichiola said:

But what God DOES care about is if we, being believers, dress up as something related to evil. Witches,ghosts, skeletons, demons, etc. Out of line. So pretty much any costume that doesnt go towards the darker side of halloween is ok.

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I would think He would be upset if kids went out to steal from others and hurt them than go out on a festival of sharing. The demonology aspect comes from movies for crying out loud. Even the original festivals were to ward off evil, not promote it. Twisted humans changed that.

If you want to maintain your view go after the night before the night before and rant against Gate Night, a night of stealing, hurt and damage against others.

miggles said:

yes/yes. but halloween should not be celebrated in a serious way but for fun only/any activity that uplifts the spirit in a positive, wholesome way.

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Lots of candy

Ok so no political clowns.

How about the clown IT

Michael Vichiola said:

Should christians celebrate halloween?/ Can christians watch football on sunday? (Answer with answer for first question slash answer for second question. Thanks

Michael

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Yes/Yes
Historians believe Halloween might actually be the only Christian holiday that wasn't pagan. We can draw direct lines to the church changing Christmas and Easter, but no direct line to Halloween. Harvest festivals and seasonal pagan celebrations don't make any direct link, but may have influenced the vigil before All Saints Day.

Colossians 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

From Wikipedia: Halloween

It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain; that such festivals may have had pagan roots; and that Samhain itself was Christianized as Halloween by the early Church. Some believe, however, that Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday, separate from ancient festivals like Samhain.

QUOTE="Michael Vichiola, post: 74316887, member: 419528"]Should christians celebrate halloween?/ Can christians watch football on sunday? (Answer with answer for first question slash answer for second question. Thanks

Michael[/QUOTE]

No on 1, it's a pagan British/American holiday. I'm very glad it's not really much of a thing here. I can honestly say I have never even seen a single 'trick o treater' in all my 53 years or had to think about it. Most times I forget it's even hollowen. If one ever did show up I wouldn't even have a thing to give them, a Bible tract? A Tim Tam? A freshly laid egg? lol it's Spring here! Our chickens are laying. A few shops attempt to put a few things out, it's a big fat fail. Autumn/harvest time is in March-April and May so I am sure that also makes it more of a non-event.

Sure on question 2. Aussie rules of course. Sunday is just a day like any other day if you are thinking something about the sabbath, Christians are not under the sabbath.

Holidays change meaning. When my mother was born in the 1930's, November 11 was Armistice Day for WWI. Now, it's Veteran's Day. We honor vets. Memorial Day, as we know it in the USA, began with Southern women decorating Confederate graves. Should we stop the practice because the South had slaves? Ancient peoples honored their war dead. Should we not do that because the Greeks and Romans believed in mythology? If Halloween was traced back to pagan roots, it was a day to honor the dead. They believed in spirits and that there were good and evil spirits. They sought to appease them. We do the same. We believe in angels and demons, but seek to rid evil through Christ. Today, Halloween has nothing to do with the adult world. It's become a children's holiday. It's a day to be scary or dress up as your favorite super hero. Kids go door to door telling jokes and receiving candy. Teens may perform pranks. Adults may watch a classic horror movie or go to a commercial haunted house. We had costume contests at my church. Nobody was worshipping evil spirits or Satan. Like the symbol of an upside down cross is supposed to be Satanic. Peter asked to be crucified upside down out of humility. Symbols and holidays are only what we make them. The Christians took holidays away from the pagans and gave them reverent meaning. Just like Moses took the holy land away from the heathens. At one time, false gods were worshipped there. Now, that land absorbed Jesus' blood. Paul tells us we can eat food sacrificed to idols because we know there is only one God. We Christians have taken the power away from pagan holidays.

1 Corinthians 8:4-6 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

It's so much easier to change our image of God and what pleases him to suit our lifestyle, than to change our lifestyle to what pleases him. Ultimately, we will all know how we did in the end.

TraceMalin said:

Some believe, however, that Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday, separate from ancient festivals like Samhain.

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Saying that doesn't necessarily make it true. It sounds like the serpent in the Garden, well that may be a fact but is it true? Now you know where the fake news concept came from. Garden born and raised.

timothyu said:

Saying that doesn't necessarily make it true. It sounds like the serpent in the Garden, well that may be a fact but is it true? Now you know where the fake news concept came from. Garden born and raised.

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It's clear Paul said that idols are nothing. Christians assume the worship of false gods are worship of the devil. We know very little about the Celtic religion. It is believed they were animists who believed every rock and tree has a spirit. I have always felt that myself. Not believed. Felt. I personally think those who pick up on that are sensing their Creator's existence in all He made. Celts, Africans, Native Americans were not devil worshipping. They sensed good and evil in the natural world. They just didn't know who the good true one God is and who the adversary is. They worshipped the good and tried to appease the bad. We worship God and exorcise evil. The absence of knowledge of God isn't demonic. It's ignorance. Christians converted the Celts. They weren't evil. They were ignorant and came to Christ. Christians who look for the devil in everything not Christian are parochial in thought and that leads to the Inquisition and witch trials. Unlike Jews and Muslims who reject Christ, but believe in God, the Celts and Druids accepted Christ. Where is the evil when sin is cleansed? The fields and festivals belong to God.

TraceMalin said:

It's clear Paul said that idols are nothing. Christians assume the worship of false gods are worship of the devil. We know very little about the Celtic religion. It is believed they were animists who believed every rock and tree has a spirit. I have always felt that myself. Not believed. Felt. I personally think those who pick up on that are sensing their Creator's existence in all He made. Celts, Africans, Native Americans were not devil worshipping. They sensed good and evil in the natural world. They just didn't know who the good true one God is and who the adversary is. They worshipped the good and tried to appease the bad. We worship God and exorcise evil. The absence of knowledge of God isn't demonic. It's ignorance. Christians converted the Celts. They weren't evil. They were ignorant and came to Christ. Christians who look for the devil in everything not Christian are parochial in thought and that leads to the Inquisition and witch trials. Unlike Jews and Muslims who reject Christ, but believe in God, the Celts and Druids accepted Christ. Where is the evil when sin is cleansed? The fields and festivals belong to God.

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Paul did not say idols are nothing.
I Cor. 10:17
"...That meat sacrificed to idols is anything? Or that an idol is anything? 20No, I mean that what they sacrifice, [they sacrifice] to demons, not to YHWH..." aka God.

So Paul is actually saying that idols have demons behind them.

Nothing in the Bible tells us that pagan things can be cleaned up, much less tells us what process that would involve. We are told to avoid pagan things.

And P.S. Actually the inquisition was mostly about making sure people did NOT follow the Bible, but would follow RCC tradition instead. That is why, for example, they burned people at the stake who printed or owned Bibles, or those who would not renounce what the Word says in favor of what their dogma taught.

Michael Vichiola said:

Should christians celebrate halloween?/ Can christians watch football on sunday? (Answer with answer for first question slash answer for second question. Thanks

Michael

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As for Halloween I prefer not to celebrate it, but often my kids nag me to go trick a treating, and I let them. I don't think we should bring down the heavy law on it. I don't want to isolate my kids.

As for football on Sunday, it is ok in my opinion. The focus of Sunday should be seeking God however, I try to make it a day of prayer.

LoricaLady said:

Paul did not say idols are nothing.
I Cor. 10:17
"...That meat sacrificed to idols is anything? Or that an idol is anything? 20No, I mean that what they sacrifice, [they sacrifice] to demons, not to YHWH..." aka God.

So Paul is actually saying that idols have demons behind them.

Nothing in the Bible tells us that pagan things can be cleaned up, much less tells us what process that would involve. We are told to avoid pagan things.

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Paul's epistles are always contradictory in verse. On one hand he states "an idol has no real existence" and he states "they sacrifice to demons." He says, you can eat food sacrificed to idols. He says, you can't drink from the cup of demons. The totality of his message in his epistles is that Christians should not judge one another whether they eat or don't eat, partake or don't partake, how they choose to keep the Sabbath, how they celebrate holy days and other holidays, whether they are circumcised or not. We all believe in Christ and the path for salvation. You can find as many ministers writing about Halloween (for it/against it) as we can argue here. If you read the history of Halloween, Pope Gregory moved All Saints Day to November 1. The holiday took on its own identity in the customs of Europe and its American identity in the USA. Christians are not sacrificing anything to idols. Ask any kid at a church costume party who they worship, they'll say, "God," meaning the God of Abraham and Moses the God who sent His Son. Christmas and Easter were pagan and now for many Christians, the holiest days of the year. Halloween isn't even seen as a religious anything by most Americans. If we moved it to October 1 when it's warmer, called it "National Trick or Treat Day," stated the purpose was to celebrate scary folklore, and give kids candy, I think we'd have a clearer picture of a Halloween with all of the religion of April Fool's Day. Which might go back to the Canterbury Tales.

As to your follow-up post about the Inquisition, my point was that Catholic Christians in Europe eroded into the Inquisition and Protestant Christians into the Salem Witch Trials. I think a little of this exists today in the court of Christian opinion going against the entirety of Paul's message to the Gentiles.