Big Bubba - The Holidays Threads Merged

[Joyb0218]

Very good post Teresa. You sound just the way I do in that I am being more and more convicted. I'm just letting the Spirit guide me and the more I submit, the more wisdom He sheds it seems.

Halloween is going to be a big hurdle, but I know our Lord will direct us there as well... I'm thinking we'll head to church or something...

Oh, and Hootmon;

Isnt that exactly what the Grinch did? :heh

You're right!! He sure did. This made me crack up!!! It would have been real true to form had my mom been sleeping in her room when we snuck in, but lucky for us she was half-way across the country!! lol

[Romano B.]

I celebrate Christmas and Easter; both having to do with Jesus Christ, but I don't observe anything particular to Halloween... there's no point in it for Christians. It has no significance to Christianity whatsoever. It's a secular holiday.

[KitsapGirl]

okay...I've avoided the answer for a while...cause honestly...I'm chicken...

But here it is....

What I do and what I believe are often in contrast with each other...especially in the area of holidays & traditions...(yes, I know I'm calling myself a hypocrite)

I don't believe that we should participate in Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and on and on because they came from pagan roots, the still have pagan symbols, and they have truthfully nothing to to with the Bible....

The case could be made for Easter....but since it doesn't follow Passover every year, it's a weak arguement.


BUT

Every year, I give valentines to my kids & DH...watch "Darby O'Gill" and eat a home made corned beef meal with the family...I fill the easter baskets with goodies, go to a BIG family dinner on Easter Sunday...cut down & decorate a tree on December 6 (the day after my sons birthday) wrap gifts and place them under a tree...hang stockings on the mantle...have a BIG family dinner on Christmas day.

Every year I feel a twinge of guilt for practicing pagan & catholic extra-Biblical traditions...I feel almost helpless to do anything else...I don't want to be the bad guy for ruining the families fun...I don't want to see the happy looks on faces replaced with a look of something being taken away, and I'm the one to blame...

SO

I give my kids a little encouragement letter on valentines day...enjoy the food on st patty's day...have lambs instead of bunnies on easter...attend a passover seder...tell the kids the FULL truth about Santa on Christmas...

and ask the Lord for forgiveness if I have hurt or offended Him in any way.

[cieralovesantonio]

i celebrate christmas as the day of jesus' birth and give presents just like the wise men bought to baby jesus. i celebrate easter as jesus' resurection from being dead. i celebrate halloween because its my cousins birthday and i go trick or treating with the kids. i pass out gospel tracts to the people giving out candy and to the parents of other kids. this year i want to be hmmm an angel and pass out more gospel tracts yay! and get free candy. :)

[House of Light]

Hubby and I are very upset.....in the past few months we have watched our church grow more and more away from the word.

After ther service on Sunday...the pastors wife(along with a few other women) handed out easter eggs to our kids. The goddesses symbol of fertility.....(That is what it has symbolized for thousands of years...regardeless of what name you label it).....My husband made the comment that they might as well put a pole to Asherah in the sanctuary too...although nobody there knew what he was talking about. Anyway...our kids...(without us interferring) told the pastors wife "No thankyou..." When she asked why...My 6 year old told her that was a pagan tradition...and God does not stand for that.

Most people would say"Big deal". But we have just finished studying the Kings....and how they would incorporate the Asherah pole into the temple(they did this...and even brought in prostitutes)...and God judged them harshly......for bringing in pagan worship into the temple.

[CrochetGirl]

Hi House of Light,

If you have problems with Easter eggs, then by all means, avoid them.

On the other hand, some people (myself included) don't have a problem with them. To me, this is a gray area, and believers need to give other believers grace in this area.

After all, there are many "once-pagan" symbols that are in use today, but their original pagan meaning has been completely lost. In fact, today they mean something completely different and, in some cases, even represent Christ to some people.

This is like eating meat sacrificed to pagan gods: Here's a paraphrase of what Paul said: In God's eyes, there's nothing wrong with eating this meat. However, if you feel it's wrong, then don't do it. Likewise, if it will mislead a weaker brother, then abstain from it in his presence.

I don't see that in this particular instance, your church is headed away from the Lord at all (other things might indicate deception, but not this). Instead, I encourage you to give them grace, and let the Holy Spirit deal with them as He sees fit.

[House of Light]

Thanks for the response.

My brother and his wife are pagan. They find it really interesting that Christians celebrate the same things that they do...just under a different name. Especially the "egg" thing.

The other thing that was brought up in Sunday School.....pastors wife asked the kids, "Easter is about bunnies and eggs....what else is it about?"

I have older children in that group...and my oldest raised his hand....and said, " Mrs.__________, Easter isn't about eggs and bunnies at all." They she asked, "why do you say that?" And my other son replied, "Cause bunnies are dumb." He he....could have stated it better, I suppose.

I guess I am just so badly not wanting to become like everyone else...in this stark raving culture. I want my family set apart. I don't want my kids to think of "eggs and candy" when someone says the word "easter." I certainly don't want those pagan things brought into worship of our Lord.

[terrilynn]

House of Light I agree with you. The Scriptures say we are not to mimic or have anything resembling pagan practices. In the Hebrew scriptures it talks of King Asa walking with the Lord and he removed all the idols that his fathers had made, but the high places were not removed. This is a picture of Christianity today we have removed the idols but we still have some of the so called, cute, innocent practices of the pagans. I am sure the Lord feels the same today as he did then--it is an abomination to him.
This year "easter" falls correctly--on the 3rd day after passover--which is the correct day to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. Most years this pagan holiday is not even close to passover. My family and I celebrate Resurrection Sunday always on the Sunday after passover, that way we are not in any way associated with easter.

[Timothy Long]

In the KJV Bible, you are given the word easter, in Acts 12:4; when the original greek word is interpreted correctly (to english)as passover. What a problem this mis-interpretation has caused.

[CrochetGirl]

Again, if you feel using "once-pagan" things during holidays is wrong, then don't do it. HOWEVER, this is not something you should impose on other believers.

After all, do you put up a Christmas tree during Christmas? That's a pagan symbol, too!!! But my point is, it's lost all of it's pagan significance for most of us! Consider this, the cross is a torture instrument. It was used by the Roman government to punish wrongdoers (thieves, murderers, etc.), but today, it is a symbol of all that Christianity stands for. Although not a "pagan" instrument, it has a pretty sordid past. You see, God can take ANYTHING and redeem it for His use (i.e, meat sacrificed to idols). Therefore, we should not impose our qualms about such an item on others who may not see it the same way we do!

I'm sorry, but I have to agree with Paul on this one--"all things are permissible" for believers, and that includes Easter eggs and Christmas trees!

Please don't insist that other believers have to agree with you on this one! It's definitely not labeled as sin in the Bible, and, therefore, is a gray area.