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 Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 4:46 pm
I don't know if this topic has been done yet, if so feel free to delete it and I apologize in advance.
So in my youth group the topic of "should we celebrate holidays as Christians?" came up and now I'm kinda curious about it. But more then that what raises my curiosity is Halloween and Christmas. They both have pagan backgrounds and does God take it lightly when we celebrate it?
The first question that comes to mind is: does our mindset matter? Or does the origin of the holiday matter most?
Just curious~ and feel free to mention/discuss any other holiday.
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Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 10:23 am
This is a topic that depending on who you talk to, people are either totally for it or against it.
I personally believe that it is okay to celebrate Christmas, if you are celebrating the birth of Jesus, not Santa Claus coming to town and a giant present free for all.
All through December we do devotionals and Bible reading together as a family centered on the birth of Jesus, first thing Christmas morning we do another devotional, talk, and pray and give thanks for God sending his one and only Son.
We do exchange presents. Jesus was the ultimate gift, sent from Heaven for everyone and so my family members also give gifts to each other on December 25th.
But we don't tell the kids that Santa Claus gave them these gifts, or that he is real.
Same with Easter. I think it's okay to celebrate as long as your not celebrating a Bunny that goes around giving chocolate eggs to kids and gifts for some random reason.
Again my family makes sure to put Jesus' Death and Resurrection in center focus and don't feed children lies about the Easter Bunny.
My parents give my brother and I each one gift on Easter. But this gift is for our spiritual walk. I've gotten, A Christian CD, A Bible Cover, Devotional, a Cross Bracelet, ect. throughout the years.
I don't celebrate Halloween, everyone is dressed up as devils, street walkers, murderers, ect. And I don't think it is God Honoring in anyway.
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Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 3:30 pm
Both Christmas and Halloween were pagan holidays that the Catholic Church got a hold of to help covert others to Christianity. If it were for the Catholism we would even have those holidays around today. They should be holidays celebrated by Christians as to celebrate others coming to Christ. In fact Halloween is the name the church gave to the holiday. It means Holy Evening due to the fact All Saints Day is the day after. My biggest problem is people saying Halloween is evil an shouldn't be celebrated but It's ok to celebrate Christmas. It's very hypocrital given the fact they both come from the same backgrounds and were used to bring others to Christ. Those that say such thing are being legalistic and not realizing it. Christ came to make us free from legalism so why should we still be legalistic. If anyone feels insulted by it I'm sorry but I've had to deal with people like that for a long time. My dad's favorite holiday is Halloween and he's a pastor. I've had to deal with people saying my dad is a false teacher and what not just because we celebrate Halloween.
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Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 5:23 pm
I think these verses are pretty important here. Quote: Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17 ESV) It doesn't matter one bit what holiday you take part in. I happen to be fond of Halloween, but that's something I do with my family. However, I think that there's another verse that is just as important. Quote: 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.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—yet 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. However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1 Corinthians 8:4-13 ESV) Pay special attention to that verse. If what I eat causes my brother to lose faith, I sin in eating it, even if I know in my heart that God's law allows for it. it is the same way with holidays. If I am with a brother or sister who's faith would be violated by my celebrating, I sin in my celebration.
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:54 am
God is my strength... "Psalms 28:7"
For me, Halloween was always just a day to dress crazy and get lots of candy to last me quite a few months. That was until 2006 when it became the scariest day of my life when I found out I was pregnant (wasn't planned, but that's what ya get when you have sex lol).
Since 2007 and every year since then, it has been a day of Gratitude to God for the gift of my daughter. My daughter and I spend extra time together just her and I. We have a special early dinner after we get dressed up and then we go out and do some trick or treating.
...God is my joy "Psalms 96:11-13"
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 10:01 am
Christmas and Easter have Christian origins, but the world tainted them by putting Santa (switch around letters to form Satan) in the place of Jesus' birth, and the Easter Bunny in place of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's important to know the true meaning of Christmas (not X-mas, which is crossing out the word Christ) and Easter, and it's okay to celebrate.
As for Halloween, back then people believed it was the time of night where evil spirits would roam around, looking for humans to snatch and feast upon. So people would dress up in ghoulish costumes (guising) to confuse the spirits, so they would be safe from harm. Also, there is much cause to be concerned, as each year on or near Halloween, children are kidnapped by Occult groups to be used as sacrifices. Sacrificing was an old practice still used today, and back then the house a child was taken from was left with a jack-o-lantern in place of them. Traditionally, costumes were modeled after supernatural figures such as monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. Over time the costume choices expanded into a large variety. I believe Halloween glorifies demons. I don't really take part in Halloween, nevertheless, I do enjoy dressing up. It's just that I'm picky about my costumes (can't be slutty or demonic). This year I'm dressing up as a Victorian noble woman. 4laugh
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 12:33 pm
Dramatica Angeliqua Christmas and Easter have Christian origins, but the world tainted them by putting Santa (switch around letters to form Satan) in the place of Jesus' birth, and the Easter Bunny in place of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's important to know the true meaning of Christmas (not X-mas, which is crossing out the word Christ) and Easter, and it's okay to celebrate. Well actually if you look into it; Christmas day was originally a Roman Holiday full of immorality, until the church came and changed it.
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 10:30 pm
 Some Christians get overly butt hurt when it comes to trick or treating or santa clause. I feel that as long as you teach your child the real meaning of the holiday and keep your mind on god then dressing up in costumes and getting candy isn't bad and talking about a Santa Clause fairy tail isn't bad.
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Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 8:50 am
When discussing pagan holidays adopted by Catholics and Christians, I feel Easter also warrants mention. After all, eggs and bunnies haven't much to do with the Resurrection.
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Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 11:55 am
VK Fox I think these verses are pretty important here. Quote: Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17 ESV) Col 2:17 is addressing the biblical feasts; those spoke of Christ. It's not telling us to celebrate anything and everything we wish. What it does say, is if someone wants to keep YHWH's feasts they can; they shouldn't let anyone judge them just because they're not Jewish—afterall it speaks about their Messiah; he came to save everyone who would accept him, Jew and Gentile alike. Halloween does not speak of Christ; all Hallow's eve is not a shadow prophesying what he would/will do. To use that verse here is dishonest. There really is no need to adopt pagan holidays because he did everything according to his own calendar: birth on sukkot/feast of tabernacles (deduced by comparing when John the Baptist was born, I first saw it explained, scripturally, from a Messianic Jew named Mark Blitz, but since then many websites have cropped up, like http://biblelight.net/sukkoth.htm); he died on passover which he told his disciples to remember in Lk 22:19-20 (verse 7-8 speak of the feasts taking place), and Paul calls him our passover lamb in 1 Cor 5:7-8. He resurrected as a "first fruits" (1 Cor 15:20, Rom 8:29), and the apostles received the Holy Spirit on Pentecosts/Feast of Weeks (Acts 2:1-4). That's just to name a few. You can type "moedim" "jesus" "fufilled" "feasts" and you'll find more complete studies. GotQuestions.org has a nice little overview, but doesn't address his birthday on this page: http://www.gotquestions.org/Jewish-feasts.html I let go of pagan holidays completely after finding all this out. Before, even though I didn't really enjoy celebrating them, I'd still be peer-pressured into it mostly by family, but not anymore. The more I studied on my own, the more convicted I became that I had chosen correctly. I came across King Jeroboam (who made up his own holidays/switched the days of legitimate holy days, 1 Ki 12:25-33), and about worshipping the Most High in pagan ways which he told them not to do (Deuteronomy 12:4). That was more than enough for me to say "good riddance".
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Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 7:33 pm
I celebrate the main holidays as family events. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and St Patricks Day I have big get togethers with family and friends. Halloween is more of just a night were we dress up and go trick or treating then maybe watch scary movies later. I guess I just take it as more family time.
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Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 7:43 am
Dramatica Angeliqua Christmas and Easter have Christian origins, but the world tainted them by putting Santa (switch around letters to form Satan) in the place of Jesus' birth, and the Easter Bunny in place of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's important to know the true meaning of Christmas (not X-mas, which is crossing out the word Christ) and Easter, and it's okay to celebrate. False! The X in Xmas derives from the Greek letter Chi and has been used to mean "Christ" for almost a thousand years. You may be familiar with the Chi Rho symbol, for example. Xmas is just shorter way of writing Christmas. 3nodding Quote: Also, there is much cause to be concerned, as each year on or near Halloween, children are kidnapped by Occult groups to be used as sacrifices. Whaaaaaaaaaat?! Where is this occurring? Can you link us to some information of police investigations of these crimes?
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 12:11 pm
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 7:37 pm
My church used to put on a Harvset party on halloween and invite all the town kids and had them dress as bible characters.
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