davidbu@tekigm2.men.tek.com (David Buxton) (10/05/89)
What we do on Halloween is take the young people door to door where they explain what they are up to and leave large grocerie bags. A couple days later we return to pick up the food. Quite often people actually make a special shopping trip to fill up these bags. Sometimes they simply give us what they can spare. Then at Thanksgiving we put together food basketts for those who really need the food and/or the cheering up visit. Back to Halloween. After taking the grocerie bags door to door we usually have a party. We don't get into goblins and ghosts but we do have a good time. Peace, Dave
lohr@wsqtb8.crd.ge.com (P. J. Lohr) (10/13/89)
I believe that the best approach to religious holidays, such as Halloween, and anything else which has been perverted by this world (schools, government, etc., etc.) is not avoidance, but rather confrontation (with the real enemy). These are things we can do to constructively reclaim all sectors of society for Christ. As we have, heard it appears that this was the intent of the early Church in dealing with pagan holidays. They were quite successful, it is only until very recently that the pagan roots have resurfaced en force. In article <Oct.5.00.01.55.1989.4624@athos.rutgers.edu> davidbu@tekigm2.men.tek.com (David Buxton) gives a great example what can be done along these lines: >What we do on Halloween is take the young people door to door >where they explain what they are up to and leave large grocerie >bags. A couple days later we return to pick up the food.... What we do is have our children cut out small paper crosses on which we write "Happy All Saints Day". Then as they go door to door (dressed as animals, not goblins) we hand them out. The reaction is very positive. To give credit where it is due, I believe we got this idea from CBN's "700 Club" show a few years back. As article <Sep.30.21.08.56.1989.3692@athos.rutgers.edu> by nlt@macbeth.cs.duke.edu (N. L. Tinkham) points out from I Corinthians 8-9 our only constraint in celebrating Halloween should be our courteousness towards the conscience of the others. After all why should we let Satan stop us from doing anything which in itself is not evil. > The observance of Christian (or secular) festivals which are closely >associated with pagan festivals seems to me analogous. These festivals can >be harmless fun, or occasions for meeting God, or both; they can also have >pagan associations which are troublesome to some people, and, as in the >earlier case of meat offered to idols, that troublesomeness should be >respected, both in oneself and in others. If the celebration of these festivals are used as oportunities to evangelize, I don't think that would offend the conscience of even the most legalistic Christian (is that an oxymoron? :-)). P.S. I am new to the net and this is my Phil Lohr first posting, please excuse faulty lohr@crd.ge.com etiquette. uunet address TBD