Halloween Rehash

One interest source says the term "Bless you" comes from the time of the plague, seeing the sneezing as the initial sign. Another has to do with demons. There are a number of explainations so I guess no one really knows.

Wearing black to funerals, you will have clue me in on that one.

 

I think Halloween is a time when you can have some fun with your kids, just being silly. It is fun to help them dress up, and exciting for little ones to go say hello to the neighbors and get a few pieces of candy.

We can't always act like we just ate a sour pickle :laugh:

 

No, Luther was a different, um, porportion than me...but I do have a terrific sermon on the 5 solas and Christian life.

I gave it the Sunday following Reformation Day last year and got some good feedback.

 

Bless you originated with the idea that with each sneeze, the soul left the body. "God bless you" was said the soul would immediately go back into the person that sneezed so as to not get lost from the body. If this was not said, the spirit may forever be lost floating the earth.

Black at funerals originated with the idea if everyone wore black, the deceased person's ghost at the funeral would not recognize those who were in attendance, keeping them safe from being haunted by the deceased spirit.

It's funny how we pick and choose which "traditions" to keep, and which to condemn.

 

This is interesting. Can you elaborate why?

 

I have heard that same story about bless you also. I have also heard that when people sneeze it is so violent that the heart actually skips a beat or in effect stops for a split second, and the fact that you are breathing again people say bless you.

I never heard about wearing black at funerals, interesting, thanks for the info.

 

Nevermind. We were discussing this very thing from a JI Packer book tonight. I can't say I agree with him that this is the same thing as idolatry. Many preconceived ideas and philosophical thinking in coming to his conclusion, IMO.

 

A previous discussion about some of these topics can be found here: http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=13759&page=6&highlight=halloween
...

"Missionaries saw they could not keep the new converts from all thier ancient traditions, especially annual festivals which mark changes in seasons-- e.g., end of harvest, winter soltice ['return of the sun'], spring equinox. So they simply tried to Christianize these things, keeping much of the old decor and events. Since samrhain marked the end of the harvest, with the somewhat subtle theme of "life and light now become darkness and death," is the modern church activity of "harvest festivals"-- something few people, especially kids in America today, have any relation to-- nothing but a reincarnatin of the Dark Age/Medieval Catholic idea of putting a Christian topping on it, while keeping some of the "fun" and styles of the contemporary celebration? [that might be longest run-on sentence I have written]

Note that change in human history always has involved ceremony, and ceremony is almost always accompanied by festival. Although few people elope today [they just "shack up" instead], most familes would still be frustrated if a young couple did that and left them out of their chance to be part of a ceremony followed by festitivities.

Whether the Bible does not allow for "times and seasons" changes and their aknowledgments with festivities is for one to determine for oneself. So is the idea of "christianizing" these festivities. But it's just worth noting the churches today are doing nothing by having their "harvest festivals" around OCT 31 that the Roman church didn't do centuries ago. And having games, but no door-to-door begging; and costumes, but no "scary" ones-- it does not make really good sense. If the idea of costumes came into it because of familiar spirits coming to possess a new body, vampire or fairy would seem to make no difference."

 

So what do you imagine the "trick" part of "Trick or Treat" means? (I'm not being argumentative - just wondering).

 

It means just what you assumed it meant in your first post. Extortion is a virtue, so we teach it to our children when they're young.:type:

 

I imagine your definition to be correct, I've just never heard of it before this.

 

In some churches I've been a member of, we'd have a Pumpkin Party as an alternative to the demonic stuff that characterizes the world's Halloween. Lots of games and fun, (and an evangelistic message from God's word), but nothing celebrating death or evil. Kids loved it and said they'd rather do it again next year than to resume trick-or-treating.