Greetings, Comrades in the Fight for Civility!
Today's blog is about the poignant movie "Lord Save Us From Your Followers". The movie addresses a key point: Why is the Gospel of Love becoming synonymous with "breaking America in half"? Why is it that Christians are being labeled as ignorant, posh know-it-alls?
Well, it's pretty simple, actually: for the longest time we've had a generation of Christians in America who take the easy way out of the arguement. In any argument, there are always at least two simple ways to the end: the first ends up being an intelligent and civil discussion of two people's beliefs, and the second one is just two people yelling at each other with their fingers in their ears. Obviously, the second one requires the least effort, and sadly it's the option that many people have been taking recently. So it's no wonder that after a while, people just stop caring about God's message: the "debate" between Christianity and every other religion just becomes a huge mosh pit of "I'm right, you're wrong, that's it, I'm done".
The problem is, neither God, nor Jesus, nor any prophet or preacher or apostle in the Bible made a point of always being right about everything! In fact, if you want an example of our "modern" strategy of being right, take a look at the Pharisees. They were constantly arguing with Jesus on every point, giving Him hell left and right. It doesn't take a biblical genius to figure out that the Pharisees aren't the fluffiest loaves in the bread basket.
So the problem isn't the Gospel, it's the way it's being presented! We have sorely twisted the idea of "preaching the Gospel" into "standing at the pulpit and screaming abuse at sinners". God is a personal being, concerned with people, not numbers. If at my death I have nothing else to show God than helping one person know Him better, my life is worth no more and no less than the man who converts an entire country. St. Patrick and the homeless guy under the bridge who comes to church once a month are no different in God's eyes. It's time that Christians learned the most divine truth of all: people are people. The people that we look at as the "best" (the richest, the nicest, the best-looking, the purest) don't need much help, just like the healthy person doesn't need a doctor. It's the "poor", the "mean", the "ugly", and the impure who need God most. So it cheers my heart to see people going to those whom life has abandoned and engaging in conversation with them, loving them, and basically doing exactly what Christ did thousands of years ago. I can't believe it took two thousand years for us to figure out what we were supposed to do. Let's not waste the time that we have here--let's be friends with the friendless.
Until next time,
--JesusFreak
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Jesus Camp: Good or Bad?
Salutations, fellow barn animals!
Today we're going to talk about the movie Jesus Camp, a documentary on a radical kid's camp that focuses around training kids to be "conservative, pro-life warriors of faith and love". The methods used by the people and the reactions the kids have are rather strange, but the ultimate goal is Biblically sound. So what do we think about this?
Let's look at the pros and cons of this camp:
Pros! :D
1. The kids are learning something about God on a personal level.
I can't tell you how many times I wish that my early childhood years had been spent on growing in and nurturing my faith with God. One of the most valuable things to do is make sure that kids understand what they're believing. Young kids sometimes don't really understand the bigger points of Christianity (complicated things, like predestination and such), but when they do it's huge, because it gets stuck in their brains forever. If you can teach kids from a young age how to experience God personally, it has a huge impact on their later life.
2. The kids are getting good thoughts put into their brains from the start of their lives.
In a culture where ads feature everything from naked women to dirty jokes and beer bottles, and where "kids" shows feature sexual innuendoes and other sundry references, getting a say in what your kids learn is pretty hard. It's good that someone at least is trying to make sure kids know what's right and what's wrong at an early age.
3. The kids are learning how to be radical in their faith.
One of the biggest problems facing Christians today is the fear of their faith. Lots of times we are afraid to do what's right because we fear what people might think of us. This is brought about most likely by early experiences as children where we do something right and people look down on us for it. It does my heart good to see that someone has the balls (pardon the expression) to get out there and teach kids that there's nothing wrong with believing something and being passionate about it!
Of course, with good comes the bad, so let's go to the...
Cons! :(
1. It comes off as sort of scary, almost cultish.
Something that the leader of this camp, Becky White, said really struck home to me: "If you look at every other religion or organization, you will see that they also go after the kids." And that's true--take a look at the Muslims. From an early age, Muslim kids rigorously learn and memorize the Koran daily, even if they're not in one of the infamous "terrorist breeding grounds". Does this mean that we should stoop down to the Muslims' level? Should we brainwash our kids into becoming broken records that spew what we want them to? It's the simple phrase "everybody's doing it" that leads into sin and debauchery. Why should children's ministry be separate from that unwritten law of the world?
2. The thoughts that kids get put into their brains might also be the wrong thoughts.
While the motivation behind the camp may be sound, caution should be taken with how and what is taught to the kids. Christianity is already a hard enough religion for many people to accept. I mean, look at it--the main teaching is that since some guy a thousand years ago was perfect and atoned for our sins, and because He loved us so much, we need to give our lives to Him and serve others, even unto death? That's not something that many people want to believe. Now, we could go the route that many people take, that is, sugarcoating it. But I am no fan of sugarcoating things. If the truth is there, and it's really as important as we say (which it is), the ugliness of the truth is something that shouldn't block us from telling it. But make sure that what you're teaching is really the truth. Don't make it too ugly. For instance, telling kids that they are warriors, and that the "sinful government" is the enemy, isn't a good idea. Government and politics, for all their faults, are preferable to anarchy. I would rather live under Communist rule than a society where every man is equal in power. Such a society only leads to destruction, and surprisingly, it leads to destruction faster than others.
3. Beware of false prophets.
One of the most basic principles in a person's mind is that he is sane. Without this realization, a man's life is meaningless. The single-most frightening realization for me is not that there are crazy people in the world; rather, that the utmost conviction in a crazy man's mind is that he himself is sane. You can tell someone who is doing something wrong a thousand times that they are doing it wrong, and human pride will usually tell them they're doing it right. Likewise, if you tell a radical teacher that they're not teaching their kids right, they will come back swinging with accusations and evidence of their own. Sometimes, the evidence is good, too. You can give Biblical evidence for the early indoctrination of kids, and make it sound good. Heck, I could give you a few verses and make you believe that God supports murder! The important thing to do is make sure that you're reading verses in context, and make sure that your principles are based on Biblical principles. And remember--Biblical principles are prevalent throughout the whole Bible, not just parts of it.
Well, that about does it for me today--hope you've come out of this with a more educated view on life, Christianity, and the human mind!
With love and Turkish Delights,
--JesusFreak
P.S. Here's a funny picture, because I'm a good person:
Today we're going to talk about the movie Jesus Camp, a documentary on a radical kid's camp that focuses around training kids to be "conservative, pro-life warriors of faith and love". The methods used by the people and the reactions the kids have are rather strange, but the ultimate goal is Biblically sound. So what do we think about this?
Let's look at the pros and cons of this camp:
Pros! :D
1. The kids are learning something about God on a personal level.
I can't tell you how many times I wish that my early childhood years had been spent on growing in and nurturing my faith with God. One of the most valuable things to do is make sure that kids understand what they're believing. Young kids sometimes don't really understand the bigger points of Christianity (complicated things, like predestination and such), but when they do it's huge, because it gets stuck in their brains forever. If you can teach kids from a young age how to experience God personally, it has a huge impact on their later life.
2. The kids are getting good thoughts put into their brains from the start of their lives.
In a culture where ads feature everything from naked women to dirty jokes and beer bottles, and where "kids" shows feature sexual innuendoes and other sundry references, getting a say in what your kids learn is pretty hard. It's good that someone at least is trying to make sure kids know what's right and what's wrong at an early age.
3. The kids are learning how to be radical in their faith.
One of the biggest problems facing Christians today is the fear of their faith. Lots of times we are afraid to do what's right because we fear what people might think of us. This is brought about most likely by early experiences as children where we do something right and people look down on us for it. It does my heart good to see that someone has the balls (pardon the expression) to get out there and teach kids that there's nothing wrong with believing something and being passionate about it!
Of course, with good comes the bad, so let's go to the...
Cons! :(
1. It comes off as sort of scary, almost cultish.
Something that the leader of this camp, Becky White, said really struck home to me: "If you look at every other religion or organization, you will see that they also go after the kids." And that's true--take a look at the Muslims. From an early age, Muslim kids rigorously learn and memorize the Koran daily, even if they're not in one of the infamous "terrorist breeding grounds". Does this mean that we should stoop down to the Muslims' level? Should we brainwash our kids into becoming broken records that spew what we want them to? It's the simple phrase "everybody's doing it" that leads into sin and debauchery. Why should children's ministry be separate from that unwritten law of the world?
2. The thoughts that kids get put into their brains might also be the wrong thoughts.
While the motivation behind the camp may be sound, caution should be taken with how and what is taught to the kids. Christianity is already a hard enough religion for many people to accept. I mean, look at it--the main teaching is that since some guy a thousand years ago was perfect and atoned for our sins, and because He loved us so much, we need to give our lives to Him and serve others, even unto death? That's not something that many people want to believe. Now, we could go the route that many people take, that is, sugarcoating it. But I am no fan of sugarcoating things. If the truth is there, and it's really as important as we say (which it is), the ugliness of the truth is something that shouldn't block us from telling it. But make sure that what you're teaching is really the truth. Don't make it too ugly. For instance, telling kids that they are warriors, and that the "sinful government" is the enemy, isn't a good idea. Government and politics, for all their faults, are preferable to anarchy. I would rather live under Communist rule than a society where every man is equal in power. Such a society only leads to destruction, and surprisingly, it leads to destruction faster than others.
3. Beware of false prophets.
One of the most basic principles in a person's mind is that he is sane. Without this realization, a man's life is meaningless. The single-most frightening realization for me is not that there are crazy people in the world; rather, that the utmost conviction in a crazy man's mind is that he himself is sane. You can tell someone who is doing something wrong a thousand times that they are doing it wrong, and human pride will usually tell them they're doing it right. Likewise, if you tell a radical teacher that they're not teaching their kids right, they will come back swinging with accusations and evidence of their own. Sometimes, the evidence is good, too. You can give Biblical evidence for the early indoctrination of kids, and make it sound good. Heck, I could give you a few verses and make you believe that God supports murder! The important thing to do is make sure that you're reading verses in context, and make sure that your principles are based on Biblical principles. And remember--Biblical principles are prevalent throughout the whole Bible, not just parts of it.
Well, that about does it for me today--hope you've come out of this with a more educated view on life, Christianity, and the human mind!
With love and Turkish Delights,
--JesusFreak
P.S. Here's a funny picture, because I'm a good person:
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Don't Waste Your Life: Chapter 3
Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?
Sorry it's taken me so long. My work hours are long, you know, what with the war and everything.
Anyway, let's get down to business! I'll answer the venerable and mysterious Mr. M's questions quickly, to save you the time of listening to me ramble.
1. Boasting only in the cross is when the only thing you're proud of is Christ's sacrifice and His love. If we truly understand how miraculous that love is, we won't be hesitant about spreading it to other people.
2. The "I" of "I no longer live" is the fleshly desires, or man's sinful nature. Paul is saying what has been said many other times: that he has died to himself and now lives in Christ. His life is now being lived for Christ, and not for himself, a goal that we should all strive for as Christians.
3. Right now, not a lot of my "faith" is actually being lived "by faith". I tend to ask lots of questions, which is good at the right time. It's really hard for me to stop asking questions that I can't answer right now and just give God the benefit of the doubt.
Well, I'm sorry this was a little short, but then again, I haven't blogged in a while, and I'm a little rushed. Happy holidays!
--JesusFreak
Sorry it's taken me so long. My work hours are long, you know, what with the war and everything.
Anyway, let's get down to business! I'll answer the venerable and mysterious Mr. M's questions quickly, to save you the time of listening to me ramble.
1. Boasting only in the cross is when the only thing you're proud of is Christ's sacrifice and His love. If we truly understand how miraculous that love is, we won't be hesitant about spreading it to other people.
2. The "I" of "I no longer live" is the fleshly desires, or man's sinful nature. Paul is saying what has been said many other times: that he has died to himself and now lives in Christ. His life is now being lived for Christ, and not for himself, a goal that we should all strive for as Christians.
3. Right now, not a lot of my "faith" is actually being lived "by faith". I tend to ask lots of questions, which is good at the right time. It's really hard for me to stop asking questions that I can't answer right now and just give God the benefit of the doubt.
Well, I'm sorry this was a little short, but then again, I haven't blogged in a while, and I'm a little rushed. Happy holidays!
--JesusFreak
Monday, December 6, 2010
Aisle Walker--The Controversy of Centuries
Hey, Soul Sisters!
(can we all say, creeperish?)
Project 9 was over an article about "Walking the Aisle". I'd never heard of an altar call before, except when a missionary or a pastor guest at chapel spoke about first coming to Christ--they usually mention feeling led to walk down the aisle. That is to say, I'd heard references to it before, but had never really known about it until now.
Now that I think about it, the practice seems a bit narcissistic and prideful. I mean, I understand the whole bit about an outward sign of our convictions, but this has the same potential to be royally turned on its butt like baptism sort of has--being baptized in our church has sort of become a badge of honor that people must have before they are truly a follower of Christ. That doesn't necessarily mean that baptism is bad, just that sometimes our motives are messed up--to be part of the "in" crowd of Christians is a terrible motive for baptism.
Same thing with aisle calls--it's a good idea. We need to learn to show our faith, a trait that many people in the American church seem to be reluctant to do. Like Jesus said, a good tree will bear good fruit, and vise verse. If we're truly God's children, there should be nothing stopping every person in the room from getting up and confessing their sins. But we also have to be careful--motives are sometimes more important than the action. Let's not be Pharisees, shall we?
"I don't wanna be a Pharisee...I don't wanna be a Pharisee...cuz they're not fair, ya see...I don't wanna be a Pharisee..."
May we all be happy sheep,
--JesusFreak
Grilled Cheesus: The Big Question
Howdy, folks!
Today's blog is about the Glee episode titled "Grilled Cheesus". I'll give you a moment to finish laughing.
......done?
Okay, let's continue.
Mr. M gave me some questions to answer about Glee. Let's see what he gave us--
--What do they think of my faith?
1. From what I can tell, the writers of Glee must have the opinion that Christianity is a guessing game--no one really knows what they're doing, they're just picking something that works.
2. Christians are divided amongst themselves, and are so different denominationally that they're not even sure if they've got it right.
3. Christ is something like a grilled cheese sandwich (if you couldn't get that from the title, I don't know what to say to you)--He's just a solution to your temporary problems, like a drug. Or a sandwich. I want a sandwich.
--Are they portraying it as accurate or innacurate? What parts are innacurate or accurate?
1. Way'ell, obviously (yes, yes, I made a viral video joke. Have a Double Rainbow Day to you as well) the guessing game bit is a little out of touch. If you believe in the three basic truths of Christianity (A. God is omnipotent and therefore created it all, B. Man is inherently sinful in nature, and C. God, who is absolutely holy in nature, sent His Son the Christ down to earth to teach us and die a torturous death, thereby bridging the existential gap between man and God.), then you've got it right. The stuff about baptism, confession, predestination...that's just outer fluff. Denominational breeding grounds, if you will. And not like Falls Creek.
2. Divided amongst themselves...sadly, yes, that is kind of true. I mean, you've almost got different "cliques" of people in the bigger church settings: you've got the sandy-haired, surfer dudes that are always volunteering for community service and are just really in tune with God and people, and on the other end of the spectrum you've got the straight-laced, no-nonsense people who were read from Leviticus for bedtime stories as a child. There's definitely lots of division amongst Christians.
3. Christ is just a temporary solution, like everything else in the world--totally false in the every regard. Obviously. Totally. Christ is a sacred, holy remedy to your spiritual needs. NOT just physical needs! Another thing that I think Glee was trying to portray was that Jesus is a magic genie that you talk to when your life kind of sucks, and that's it. This, of course, is wrong. Jesus is your friend (hahaha, three viral video jokes in one post. Is this real life?), and friends are born for adversity, yes, but the most disgusting type of friend in the world is one who leaves you when times are good. Jesus, of course, doesn't do this. We, however, have a nasty tendency towards it. When life gets good, we tend to forget about God, and then when things get bad again, we get mad at God for not doing His job. We need to work on that, collectively.
Okay, so I was thinking about converting my blog into video format. This, unfortunately, requires a camera, which I am debating about buying. Let me know if in the comments if you think this is a good idea or a bad idea. I'm also thinking about putting videos on Youtube that talk about similar stuff as what we're doing in Bible. Once again, just let me know in the comments.
Suillad, mellonamins!
--JesusFreak
Today's blog is about the Glee episode titled "Grilled Cheesus". I'll give you a moment to finish laughing.
......done?
Okay, let's continue.
Mr. M gave me some questions to answer about Glee. Let's see what he gave us--
--What do they think of my faith?
1. From what I can tell, the writers of Glee must have the opinion that Christianity is a guessing game--no one really knows what they're doing, they're just picking something that works.
2. Christians are divided amongst themselves, and are so different denominationally that they're not even sure if they've got it right.
3. Christ is something like a grilled cheese sandwich (if you couldn't get that from the title, I don't know what to say to you)--He's just a solution to your temporary problems, like a drug. Or a sandwich. I want a sandwich.
--Are they portraying it as accurate or innacurate? What parts are innacurate or accurate?
1. Way'ell, obviously (yes, yes, I made a viral video joke. Have a Double Rainbow Day to you as well) the guessing game bit is a little out of touch. If you believe in the three basic truths of Christianity (A. God is omnipotent and therefore created it all, B. Man is inherently sinful in nature, and C. God, who is absolutely holy in nature, sent His Son the Christ down to earth to teach us and die a torturous death, thereby bridging the existential gap between man and God.), then you've got it right. The stuff about baptism, confession, predestination...that's just outer fluff. Denominational breeding grounds, if you will. And not like Falls Creek.
2. Divided amongst themselves...sadly, yes, that is kind of true. I mean, you've almost got different "cliques" of people in the bigger church settings: you've got the sandy-haired, surfer dudes that are always volunteering for community service and are just really in tune with God and people, and on the other end of the spectrum you've got the straight-laced, no-nonsense people who were read from Leviticus for bedtime stories as a child. There's definitely lots of division amongst Christians.
3. Christ is just a temporary solution, like everything else in the world--totally false in the every regard. Obviously. Totally. Christ is a sacred, holy remedy to your spiritual needs. NOT just physical needs! Another thing that I think Glee was trying to portray was that Jesus is a magic genie that you talk to when your life kind of sucks, and that's it. This, of course, is wrong. Jesus is your friend (hahaha, three viral video jokes in one post. Is this real life?), and friends are born for adversity, yes, but the most disgusting type of friend in the world is one who leaves you when times are good. Jesus, of course, doesn't do this. We, however, have a nasty tendency towards it. When life gets good, we tend to forget about God, and then when things get bad again, we get mad at God for not doing His job. We need to work on that, collectively.
Okay, so I was thinking about converting my blog into video format. This, unfortunately, requires a camera, which I am debating about buying. Let me know if in the comments if you think this is a good idea or a bad idea. I'm also thinking about putting videos on Youtube that talk about similar stuff as what we're doing in Bible. Once again, just let me know in the comments.
Suillad, mellonamins!
--JesusFreak
Thursday, November 18, 2010
I'd say he had a...mountaintop experience...*YEAAAAAAHHHHH*
Aloha, peoples!
Today's blog is going to be about the Sermon on the Mount. Now that I've said that, I'll give you a moment to laugh about the title of this blog. Okay, so now that you're done, I'll get started.
Matthew 6:19-24 deals with treasures in heaven. You've all heard the saying before, but I believe that repetition breeds redundancy. Regardless of this, I will break it down for you: what you have here is not going to last forever. What you have in heaven, however, is. Therefore, you should store up for an eternal life and not your earthly life.
What does this mean, this concept of storing up treasures? How does one accomplish this? Well, by spreading God's Word and following His commandments, of course!
Let me give you a hypothetical scenario: You're a captain in the Air Force Reserves with good pay, a sweet life, an awesome family, and no worries yet. (Yeah, I know it's not likely, but this is hypothetical, remember). One day, your boss comes in and says, "Major What's-his-face just retired, and there's a promotion position open for you. It means better pay, bigger house, and more power in the workplace. Oh, and there's only one downside--you have to move to Washington, you'll see your family about three times a year, excluding holidays, and your children will grow up without a father figure. Whaddaya say?"
So, if you choose the Mo' Money path, you'll be doing a disservice to your family, but getting tons of dough. However, if you chose the Family Life, you'd be choosing to raise your family. The first way, the Mo' Money Path, leads to riches on earth, which will pass away. However, if you make the other choice, the Family Life, you'll be able to train up your children to do what's right, love on your wife, and generally be a good dad. So if Mo' Money leads to riches on earth, then the Family Life leads to riches in heaven.
Now, this isn't a blue pill, red pill moment. What I'm trying to say is that your choices affect how you will be rewarded in heaven. If you choose to be a slob and not work for others, your heavenly rewards will be little. If you work your heart out helping people, then your heavenly rewards will be great. Does this mean that our only motives for helping people should be selfish? No, that's not the point. The point is that unselfish sacrifice is repaid with eternal rewards.
Peace out, Phoenicians.
--JesusFreak
Today's blog is going to be about the Sermon on the Mount. Now that I've said that, I'll give you a moment to laugh about the title of this blog. Okay, so now that you're done, I'll get started.
Matthew 6:19-24 deals with treasures in heaven. You've all heard the saying before, but I believe that repetition breeds redundancy. Regardless of this, I will break it down for you: what you have here is not going to last forever. What you have in heaven, however, is. Therefore, you should store up for an eternal life and not your earthly life.
What does this mean, this concept of storing up treasures? How does one accomplish this? Well, by spreading God's Word and following His commandments, of course!
Let me give you a hypothetical scenario: You're a captain in the Air Force Reserves with good pay, a sweet life, an awesome family, and no worries yet. (Yeah, I know it's not likely, but this is hypothetical, remember). One day, your boss comes in and says, "Major What's-his-face just retired, and there's a promotion position open for you. It means better pay, bigger house, and more power in the workplace. Oh, and there's only one downside--you have to move to Washington, you'll see your family about three times a year, excluding holidays, and your children will grow up without a father figure. Whaddaya say?"
So, if you choose the Mo' Money path, you'll be doing a disservice to your family, but getting tons of dough. However, if you chose the Family Life, you'd be choosing to raise your family. The first way, the Mo' Money Path, leads to riches on earth, which will pass away. However, if you make the other choice, the Family Life, you'll be able to train up your children to do what's right, love on your wife, and generally be a good dad. So if Mo' Money leads to riches on earth, then the Family Life leads to riches in heaven.
Now, this isn't a blue pill, red pill moment. What I'm trying to say is that your choices affect how you will be rewarded in heaven. If you choose to be a slob and not work for others, your heavenly rewards will be little. If you work your heart out helping people, then your heavenly rewards will be great. Does this mean that our only motives for helping people should be selfish? No, that's not the point. The point is that unselfish sacrifice is repaid with eternal rewards.
Peace out, Phoenicians.
--JesusFreak
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Is Anyone Else as Pump(kin)ed as I Am?
Halloween...a time of rotten teeth and gingivitis, of hyper children and cranky parents. A time when anybody who's masochistic enough to be driving on the night of the 31st deserves a Purple Heart for their trouble, and when every house in the neighborhood has orange, black, and purple adorning its lofty eaves, with a giant rubber spider and a Skeletor doll thrown in for good measure. When tempers are high (and in some cases, teenagers), caution is low, and three-foot-tall Power Rangers roam the streets with plastic jack-o-lanterns saying "trick-or-treat!"
Is it sinful if I'm one of those cynical jerks who would answer their cries with "trick" and douse them with a water hose?
Yeah. Probably.
But what's more "sinful" is when people try to turn little kids eating candy into a legal issue. Next thing you know, we're only going to allow our kids to trick-or-treat for candy that's been blessed by the Pope! (All I can say is that'll certainly get rid of any vampire costumes...)
Yes, I know, Halloween is historically a holiday with pagan backgrounds, and the general gist of it is kind of Satanic. I mean, making kids wear stupid flappy costumes symbolic of TV shows that they're either addicted to or have never seen before? And you tell me that's not evil! Pah! The nerve!
In the article, Mr. Hamm says, "How should Christians think about Halloween? Well...probably the same way we think about Christmas." A good point--of equally pagan backgrounds is the obviously Christian (and by that I intended sarcasm to be implied) holiday of Christmas. If you're celebrating Christmas because you're honoring the Roman god Sol Invictus, then you're missing the point. If, however, you're celebrating it because that's the day you remember Christ's birth on, then you're right on Target.
As an ending note, I think it's disturbing how the church spends so much sermon time and money on why we shouldn't participate in Halloween when in fact we have more important things to worry about. Like preventing Westborough Baptist Church from going to a gay pride parade and burning He-Man pinatas in Army uniforms. And stuff like that.
Peace, love, and Minecraft!
--JesusFreak
P.S. Oh, and by the way...
"Happy" Halloween.
Is it sinful if I'm one of those cynical jerks who would answer their cries with "trick" and douse them with a water hose?
Yeah. Probably.
But what's more "sinful" is when people try to turn little kids eating candy into a legal issue. Next thing you know, we're only going to allow our kids to trick-or-treat for candy that's been blessed by the Pope! (All I can say is that'll certainly get rid of any vampire costumes...)
Yes, I know, Halloween is historically a holiday with pagan backgrounds, and the general gist of it is kind of Satanic. I mean, making kids wear stupid flappy costumes symbolic of TV shows that they're either addicted to or have never seen before? And you tell me that's not evil! Pah! The nerve!
In the article, Mr. Hamm says, "How should Christians think about Halloween? Well...probably the same way we think about Christmas." A good point--of equally pagan backgrounds is the obviously Christian (and by that I intended sarcasm to be implied) holiday of Christmas. If you're celebrating Christmas because you're honoring the Roman god Sol Invictus, then you're missing the point. If, however, you're celebrating it because that's the day you remember Christ's birth on, then you're right on Target.
As an ending note, I think it's disturbing how the church spends so much sermon time and money on why we shouldn't participate in Halloween when in fact we have more important things to worry about. Like preventing Westborough Baptist Church from going to a gay pride parade and burning He-Man pinatas in Army uniforms. And stuff like that.
Peace, love, and Minecraft!
--JesusFreak
P.S. Oh, and by the way...
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