October 30, 2009
A Short History of Halloween
This pagan festival was co-opted by Christians but is not usually
celebrated as a Christian holiday.
A Short History of Halloween
This pagan festival was co-opted by Christians but is not usually
celebrated as a Christian holiday.
SUMMARY: Halloween originated more than 2,000 years ago with Europe's
Celtic peoples. On November 1 they celebrated their New Year's Day, which
they called Samhain (SAH-win). On the night before Samhain which we know as
Halloween, spirits, fairies, demons, and other creatures were thought to walk the
earth.
The Celts sacrificed animals to their gods while gathered around bonfires. They
often wore costumes--probably animal skins--in order to confuse spirits and
perhaps to avoid being possessed. It is also thought they wore masks or
blackened their faces in order to impersonate dead ancestors. Trick-or-treating
may have begun as the Celts, costumed as spirits, were believed to go from
house to house and doing silly things in exchange for food or drink.
Christians later co-opted pagan holidays. In the seventh century Pope Boniface
IV decreed November 1 to be All Saints' Day or All Hallows' Day. The night
before All Saint's Day continued to be observed with bonfires, costumes, and
parades under a new name: All Hallows' Eve and later Halloween. The holiday
was brought to the United States by European immigrants, and the celebration
gathered steam in the 1800s.
To read the entire article and much more about Halloween, click on this link to
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.
COMMENT: There is probably no holiday that is as controversial among
Christians as Halloween. I don't think one can fault those who want nothing to
do with this holiday because of its admittedly heathen origins. On the other
hand, historically it became, at least on the surface, a Christian holiday. Of
course, most people do not celebrate it as a Christian holiday today and treat it
more or less neutrally. However, a serious question is whether or not Christians
should be dressing up as witches, the Devil, ghouls, vampires, or other heathen
characters.
Some Christians, especially Lutherans, have found a way to celebrate
Halloween in a way that I don't believe should be offensive to any Christian, at
least of the Protestant persuasion. They treat the day as a Reformation
celebration. After all, it was on All Saints Eve, October 31, 1517, that Martin
Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, an act
that officially began the Reformation. Perhaps dressing up in costumes that
depict clothing from Luther's Day or as angels or as other acceptable Bible
characters might be a good compromise.
God used Luther to restore to the church the doctrines of Sola Fide (salvation
comes through faith alone and not by anything we can do or not do), Sola
Gratia (it is entirely a gift of God and not something we can earn) and Sola
Scriptura (we rely on only the Bible to show us the way to salvation). Since God
demands perfection (Leviticus 11:45) and nobody comes even close to
perfection, we are overjoyed and grateful that God gives us the gift of salvation
by faith. Now we can look forward to enjoying eternity in heaven and there
meeting Jesus, Luther, and all the saints.
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**************************************************************************************
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Has there been any change in the size of newly-built American houses?
**************************************************************************************
NOTE ON VISITOR COMMENTS: Visitor comments are invited including those
containing alternate views. However, comments containing profanity or
advertisements will not be published. After posting a comment, please allow
several hours for it to appear on the blog.
**************************************************************************************
Celtic peoples. On November 1 they celebrated their New Year's Day, which
they called Samhain (SAH-win). On the night before Samhain which we know as
Halloween, spirits, fairies, demons, and other creatures were thought to walk the
earth.
The Celts sacrificed animals to their gods while gathered around bonfires. They
often wore costumes--probably animal skins--in order to confuse spirits and
perhaps to avoid being possessed. It is also thought they wore masks or
blackened their faces in order to impersonate dead ancestors. Trick-or-treating
may have begun as the Celts, costumed as spirits, were believed to go from
house to house and doing silly things in exchange for food or drink.
Christians later co-opted pagan holidays. In the seventh century Pope Boniface
IV decreed November 1 to be All Saints' Day or All Hallows' Day. The night
before All Saint's Day continued to be observed with bonfires, costumes, and
parades under a new name: All Hallows' Eve and later Halloween. The holiday
was brought to the United States by European immigrants, and the celebration
gathered steam in the 1800s.
To read the entire article and much more about Halloween, click on this link to
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.
COMMENT: There is probably no holiday that is as controversial among
Christians as Halloween. I don't think one can fault those who want nothing to
do with this holiday because of its admittedly heathen origins. On the other
hand, historically it became, at least on the surface, a Christian holiday. Of
course, most people do not celebrate it as a Christian holiday today and treat it
more or less neutrally. However, a serious question is whether or not Christians
should be dressing up as witches, the Devil, ghouls, vampires, or other heathen
characters.
Some Christians, especially Lutherans, have found a way to celebrate
Halloween in a way that I don't believe should be offensive to any Christian, at
least of the Protestant persuasion. They treat the day as a Reformation
celebration. After all, it was on All Saints Eve, October 31, 1517, that Martin
Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, an act
that officially began the Reformation. Perhaps dressing up in costumes that
depict clothing from Luther's Day or as angels or as other acceptable Bible
characters might be a good compromise.
God used Luther to restore to the church the doctrines of Sola Fide (salvation
comes through faith alone and not by anything we can do or not do), Sola
Gratia (it is entirely a gift of God and not something we can earn) and Sola
Scriptura (we rely on only the Bible to show us the way to salvation). Since God
demands perfection (Leviticus 11:45) and nobody comes even close to
perfection, we are overjoyed and grateful that God gives us the gift of salvation
by faith. Now we can look forward to enjoying eternity in heaven and there
meeting Jesus, Luther, and all the saints.
**************************************************************************************
Want to be automatically notified each time there is a new post? Just e-mail
your request to [admin@lutheranscience.org].
**************************************************************************************
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Has there been any change in the size of newly-built American houses?
**************************************************************************************
NOTE ON VISITOR COMMENTS: Visitor comments are invited including those
containing alternate views. However, comments containing profanity or
advertisements will not be published. After posting a comment, please allow
several hours for it to appear on the blog.
**************************************************************************************
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| LSI stands for the Lutheran Science Institute, an organization of WELS and ELS Lutherans interested in science and health issues with a special emphasis on the creation and evolution controversy. This blog's purpose is to search the Internet to find articles of interest to Christians. Views expressed are those of the author (Warren Krug) and are not necessarily those of the Lutheran Science Institute, Inc. |
Yes, they seem to be shrinking. New
homes under construction in June
were on average nearly 200 square
feet smaller than houses built two
years ago. Compared to houses in
other countries, American homes are
still very large: 2,521 square feet on
average (in 2007) compared to 1,200
square feet for French and German
houses and 900 square feet for
English homes.
Source: Parade (October 11, 2009)
homes under construction in June
were on average nearly 200 square
feet smaller than houses built two
years ago. Compared to houses in
other countries, American homes are
still very large: 2,521 square feet on
average (in 2007) compared to 1,200
square feet for French and German
houses and 900 square feet for
English homes.
Source: Parade (October 11, 2009)