BBD 10.30.17 The Glitz of Horror (Classic)
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>
Classic from 2002
Burning Bush Devotional
30 October 2017
The
Glitz of Horror
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
expose them. - Ephesians 5:11 NKJV.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12 NKJV.
Horror has been repackaged as Halloween with cool
costumes, diabolical decorations, goblin goodies, and eerie entertainment. We
are encouraged to watch the top ten scariest movies ever made so that we can
have a “screamingly good time.” On the USA Today web page is the horror of snipers at
the top and at the bottom is the smiley marketing face of Halloween
Illuminations. Horror Historian David J.
Skal writes (in his book, “Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween”), “Halloween
is a holiday that refuses to play by anyone's rules.” Skal also writes that Halloween is, “Unpredictable
and unrepentant, Halloween also remains stubbornly unofficial and underground,
and this may be the key to understanding the tumult that regularly erupts in
its name.”
More than two thousand years ago the Druids living in
what is now Ireland, Great Britain and France had the Fire Festival which they
observed to mark the Celtic new year. The Druids believed that on that night
the barrier between the natural world and the supernatural was removed, and
then the spirits of the dead were able to move freely among human beings. In
the seventh century, the Roman Catholic Church brought Christianity to the Celtic
peoples. Pope Gregory IV in 835 A.D. moved the “Feast of All Saints”
from spring to November 1st to replace the observance of the Fire Festival or
Samhain. “All Saints Day” honored believers who had died. The night
before with a sacred vigil became known as “All Hallow’s Eve,” or
Halloween. However, the old practices and beliefs of the Druids refused to die
and were denounced as being witchcraft. This was how Halloween became known as
a witch’s holiday.
A combination of pagan and Christian elements brought
about the Halloween celebration we see today. In recent years a renewed
interest in the old pagan beliefs has flourished in North America and beyond
with television shows like, “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” “Sabrina, the
Teenage Witch,” and others. Of course now we have the Harry Potter books
and movie adding to the popularization of the occult. The result of all of this
is that Halloween is very much associated with the occult and the preoccupation
with the dead. These are two things that the Bible and the church have always
warned us about.
To many people Halloween appears on the surface to be an
innocent way to laugh at our fears. At one time even after I became a Christian
I was just as naïve about the dangers of the devil’s holiday. However, satan
and his demons are a spiritual reality, and we are in a war with them whether
we like it or not.
Here are some reasons why we as Christians should not
celebrate Halloween: Because God hates Halloween - “I hate every false way (Psalm 119:104).”
Because Halloween honors satan and his demons (1 Peter 5:8; 2
Corinthians 4:4).
Because it glorifies death and God is not the
cause of death (Man is the cause of death - Romans 5:12).
Because in the name of Halloween many sin through celebrations which honor
satan (1 Corinthians 10:20).
This year please do not be deceived by the glitz of
Horror. Instead of honoring the devil, honor
and praise God.
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