Skulls, Halloween, dark stuff...

PaladinValer said:

And since there is nothing occult about it, then that's a baseless accusation.

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you gotta be kidding me

Lady Bug said:

you gotta be kidding me

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Nope. Not one bit.

The idea that it is, is pure psuedohistorical malarkey and a product of typical Middle Ages/Renaissance demonology which has absolutely no rational basis and is most definitely bad theology.

Lady Bug said:

you gotta be kidding me

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There's really not.

There's a lot of cultural baggage that's been retained since the 1970's and especially the 80's; when the big Satanism Scare hit the United States. It was also a time when fraudsters and hucksters were able to manipulate people to make some easy money--such as Mike Warnke and John Todd, who made their living making up stories, lying, and manipulating a gullible public. Then there have been others who have continued be voices of paranoia, such as Jack Chick and his many conspiracy-laden comic book tracts, or Tex Marrs.

The problem is that it is all entirely baseless and all entirely manufactured by the minds of the mentally unstable and/or morally bankrupt. The work of conmen, snake-oil salesmen, and the mentally disturbed.

-CryptoLutheran

Dark stuff?

I remember one incident on TV with somebody who took the whole "dark side" way too seriously and ended up looking entirely ridiculous ...

Crazy American Christian Woman Goes into a Religious Rage aka "God Warrior" - YouTube

MoreCoffee said:

Dark stuff?

I remember one incident on TV with somebody who took the whole "dark side" way too seriously and ended up looking entirely ridiculous ...

Crazy American Christian Woman Goes into a Religious Rage aka "God Warrior" - YouTube

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I saw the first run of that episode....uggg...

She's passed since sadly. However, it is a pretty good portrayal of certain elements of American style Christianity and something we Americans need to be educated of so we don't continue them anymore.

Skulls typically represent death. Believers represent life and godliness.

You won't go to Hell for going to a Halloween party, but certain things do grieve the Lord.

I went for a walk last night and observed. One house had the front door open and it was dark in the house. They had dry ice (not weird in itself) and odd music playing. It was designed to be 'creepy'. But can you imagine walking the neighborhood with the Lord and walking up to that house. You might step inside. Do you think the Lord would have gone, "Ooh! Creepy! Reminds me devils and Hell!

Unless He led you in there to observe something He wanted you to see, or someone was gonna hear about the Kingdom of Heaven, it would be a place He would turn from.

If you were in the medical field, a skull lying around would be an instrument to teach a student or patient with. Outside of that, it represents death.

While we shouldn't esteem holiness to be an outward thing, it does influence our appearance and the things we partake (or share) of and the places we go.

Also, the spirit realm is a very real thing. Everywhere you go you have agents of both kingdoms trying to influence you in one direction or the other.

The woman I married had these tracts and we'd give one (and a candy bar) to every little one that came to our door. It was so cute to see many of them. We didn't lecture anyone wearing a wicked mask, but they got the tract anyway!

You might combine "Halloween" with All Souls Day and remember those who have passed on, without engaging in any darkness. At the same time, some cultures go to the extreme and engage in spiritism.

Devils do have a way of marking you when you engage in sin and when you go somewhere you shouldn't, you're asking for it. You'd have to look inwardly to know if that's taking place. I think even a certain natural wisdom could be employed. If you're not sure and can't do it in faith, pass on it.

As far as appearances go, I can't see a group in Heaven where they wear skulls (especially The Avenger) and death-like symbols, and wear "Slayer" t-shirts. Some things that are of the enemy open up doors to the enemy.

Everything should be judged by the fruits, but if you disregard what you're receiving, and go certain places, or do certain things, then you'll become desensitized to subsequent direction you might receive.

I don't have any problem at all passing out candy, or looking at the costumes of the kids, but I don't see going to clubs or haunted houses, or listening to death metal and thinking that it doesn't have negative consequences for me and the potential of ruining any sort of witness I might have with people I interact with.

Some symbols are known to be "gatekeeper symbols" for the enemy. It's best to leave the symbology the world receives and let the difference between light and dark be as radical as it no doubt is.

In the monastic communities of Mt. Athos, one can see elder monks (and nuns, I believe) called "schema monks" who wear a special cassock that features skulls among the other embroidered symbols. The patterns are thoroughly Christian, with the skulls representing both Christ's triumph over Death as well as the fragility of human life and the immediate need for salvation. The symbols are interspersed with various Scriptural phrases and prayers.

Here are some examples of the schema:

In the Slavonic tradition, there are letters beneath the skull which signify: "The place of the skull has become paradise."

Right, Golgotha (Calvary) means "Place of the Skull".

-CryptoLutheran

ViaCrucis said:

There's really not.

There's a lot of cultural baggage that's been retained since the 1970's and especially the 80's; when the big Satanism Scare hit the United States. It was also a time when fraudsters and hucksters were able to manipulate people to make some easy money--such as Mike Warnke and John Todd, who made their living making up stories, lying, and manipulating a gullible public. Then there have been others who have continued be voices of paranoia, such as Jack Chick and his many conspiracy-laden comic book tracts, or Tex Marrs.

The problem is that it is all entirely baseless and all entirely manufactured by the minds of the mentally unstable and/or morally bankrupt. The work of conmen, snake-oil salesmen, and the mentally disturbed.

-CryptoLutheran

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Pet shelters around here still refuse to sell black cats between September 1st- October 31st because of this nonsense.

Here is a passage that I think is relevant:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.” - Philippians 4:8

I haven't followed this thread in detail, so I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, but small children are often scared by grotesque masks and costumes. As such, Halloween isn't necessarily family friendly. There is reason to ask ourselves if something that has the potential of giving our small children nightmares is okay from a biblical point of view.

See also:
Halloween Too Scary for Some Kids, Study Finds

ChristsSoldier115 said:

Pet shelters around here still refuse to sell black cats between September 1st- October 31st because of this nonsense.

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What I find quite unfortunate is that this level of irrational fear masks the fact that there were some horrible things that were discovered in that time period. Authorities did find mutilated animals--pets usually. The problem is that these were presented as being the work of some "satanic cult" without any serious evidence, and that led to the further perpetuation of fear.

It masks it because there are real evils in the world, and real people who are disturbed, and do disturbed things. There is a dark psychology about people who, lacking any empathy do truly abominable things.

Putting our attention on imaginary evil makes us blind to actual evil. And there is plenty of actual evil in the world, enough so that we should not need to be distracted by the imaginary things that "go bump in the night". There are no vampires, werewolves, or decaying undead rising from the tomb to feast on the brains of the living. There are no fairytale witches riding broomsticks and brewing newt eye potions while singing hymns to Satan. These things are not real.

But there are things that are real. There are disturbed people who do disturbed things, as I mentioned. And then there are real, actual social evils that stare us right in the face all the day long.

Want to address real evil in the world? Then address the systemic racism of our society. Address the reality that tonight hundreds of thousands of children are going to go to bed starving and many won't wake up tomorrow morning. Address the fact that there is a concerted move of ignorant people who believe that vaccinations are harmful and thus aid in the propagation of easily treatable diseases such as measles. Address the problems of poverty both domestic and abroad.

These are real, actual evils in this world. If my chief concern is that a kid I knew back in high school started wearing a pentagram and became a Wiccan to anger his conservative parents, then I have sorely messed up priorities about right and wrong in the world. I have ignored God's Law, and have completely failed at rightly comprehending God's will for His people.

-CryptoLutheran

I wonder if Euthanasing this thread is the moral thing to do

MoreCoffee said:

I wonder if Euthanasing this thread is the moral thing to do

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Yeah considering Halloween is over with and we can concentrate on more happy holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas

James Is Back said:

Yeah considering Halloween is over with and we can concentrate on more happy holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas

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Which means it should be time for General Theology's annual "Christmas is Pagan" posting extravaganza.

Or maybe this year might actually be pleasant.

Knock on wood.

-CryptoLutheran

ViaCrucis said:

Which means it should be time for General Theology's annual "Christmas is Pagan" posting extravaganza.

Or maybe this year might actually be pleasant.

Knock on wood.

-CryptoLutheran

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You know I was thinking that. Hmmm well I bet even if we close this thread you'll have the Christmas came from pagan origin people coming out

I remember watching a Christian goth band called Leper play a show this last Halloween night. They joked around about death and killing people until the critics all left, and then they opened up about their faith. They are a band which is part of the Jesus People USA, one of the last if only the last remnants of the Jesus movements in the 70's. They donate the money from their CD sales to 3 homeless shelters in Chicago. The band members live in a sort of hostel/convent where they take homeless people off the street and try to clean them up to give them jobs. There have been criticisms of this movement, according to them made by people who came into the group wanting one thing, when they were being offered another. The band's lyrics are not really about death. They are about their love for God and the singer's love for his wife. Pretty good show. If Satan can pose as an angel of light, a goth band can get the gospel to the lost.

The Outlier said:

I remember watching a Christian goth band called Leper play a show this last Halloween night. They joked around about death and killing people until the critics all left, and then they opened up about their faith. They are a band which is part of the Jesus People USA, one of the last if only the last remnants of the Jesus movements in the 70's. They donate the money from their CD sales to 3 homeless shelters in Chicago. The band members live in a sort of hostel/convent where they take homeless people off the street and try to clean them up to give them jobs. There have been criticisms of this movement, according to them made by people who came into the group wanting one thing, when they were being offered another. The band's lyrics are not really about death. They are about their love for God and the singer's love for his wife. Pretty good show. If Satan can pose as an angel of light, a goth band can get the gospel to the lost.

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Sounds like a wonderful thing they do. You don't hear too much about Christian goth bands these days. It's like Christian death metal an oxymoron or a contradiction in terms.