you are welcome part two is coming to the group tomorrow.

On 10/18/14, Karen Carter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Thanks Andrew. I forwarded this to a few churches that do "trunk or treat"
> and use it to get people into the church.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Oct 18, 2014, at 11:16, Andrew <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> Halloween - Part 1 of 2
>>
>> Should Christians celebrate Halloween? No! What the world will
>> celebrate on October 31 is not anything that a Christian should be
>> part of. The origin of what we know of as Halloween began in 5th
>> century B.C., Celtic Ireland as a holiday marking the end of summer on
>> October 31 known as Samhein (sow-en).
>>
>> The pagan Celts believed on that day, the disembodied spirits of all
>> those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in
>> search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed
>> to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws
>> of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit
>> world to intermingle with the living.
>>
>> Naturally, the still living did not want to be possessed. So on the
>> night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their
>> homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in
>> all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily paraded around the
>> neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten
>> away spirits looking for bodies to possess.
>>
>> The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the
>> first century A.D., Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some
>> of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as
>> their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The
>> symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our
>> modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween. The thrust of the
>> practices also changed over time to become more ritualized. As belief
>> in spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like
>> hobgoblins, ghosts, and witches took on a more ceremonial role.
>>
>> The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish
>> immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the
>> favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and
>> unhinging fence gates.
>>
>> Since the eighth century, the Catholic Church has celebrated All
>> Saints' Day on November 1 to celebrate the known and unknown Saints
>> whom the Church has canonized. The night before the celebration of All
>> Saint's Day is known as All Hallow's Eve ("Hallows" mean "saints" both
>> mean "holy ones" as in "Hallowed be thy name"). So, Halloween means
>> "the evening before All Saint's Day."
>>
>> You can see from the pagan roots of Halloween why this has become the
>> most important day to those who worship satan or choose to live in
>> rebellion to God and the TRUTH of His Word. There is NOTHING about
>> this day that honors God, remembers God, or has anything to do at all
>> with God. It is, quite honestly, a celebration of those who oppose God
>> and all that He stands for. THIS is why it's a day Christians should
>> NOT celebrate nor be part of in any way.
>>
>> I love you and care about you so much. Tomorrow, Part Two of this
>> series is titled, "A Christian's Response to Halloween." Do we hide in
>> our homes with the lights off? Do we all go to church and hide in the
>> basement so the devil doesn't get us? What exactly should a Christian
>> be doing on Halloween? I will give you a hint. It will be a bold call
>> to action. I can think of no better night to see souls won for Christ
>> than on Halloween.
>>
>> DO NOT MISS PART TWO TOMORROW AS WE CELEBRATE A NEW HOLIDAY ON
>> OCTOBER 31ST THAT WILL HONOR JESUS CHRIST, THE KING OF KINGS, AND LORD
>> OF LORDS!!!
>>
>> In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
>>
>> Bill Keller
>