Newsletter Vol.2, #41—October 29, 2006

Matthew 9    ²⁹Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." ³⁰And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, "See that no one knows about it."

WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?

Kenneth E. Thomas

One night a wife found her husband standing over their baby’s crib. Silently she watched him. As he stood looking down at the sleeping infant, she saw on his face a mixture of emotions: disbelief, doubt, delight, amazement, enchantment, skepticism.

 Touched by this unusual display and the deep emotions it aroused, with eyes glistening she slipped her arm around her husband. “A penny for your thoughts,” she said..

It’s amazing!” he replied. “I just can’t see how anybody can make a crib like that for only $46.50.”

Sometimes our thoughts are not as grand as they might be. We partake of the Lord’s Supper and ought to have our thoughts centered on the sacrifice of our Savior. Instead, we think about what we’re going to eat for dinner. We see a spectacular sunset and ought to be led to reflect on the glory and grandeur of God the Creator. Instead, we wonder who’s winning the ball game.

You get the idea. As difficult as it is to keep our lives and our tongues under control, it seems so much more difficult to bring our “every thought into captivity” (2 Cor.10:5). If we're not careful, our thoughts tend to wander into forbidden territory. Allow these words of Paul to call us back: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8) By Alan Smith via “Thought For The Day.”

Ken’s thoughts: I don’t know about you, but when I read the first part of this short article I was expecting a different response to the wife’s offer of “a penny for your thoughts”- as her husband looked into the crib where a precious infant lay. Perhaps like you, I was expecting some beautiful expressions of the wonders of child birth, perhaps as many do, I pictured him saying something like, “It’s a miracle, to see this miniature human being we have brought into the world.” As we think on these things we are aware that child birth doesn’t qualify as a miracle in the Biblical sense of what a miracle is: it is amazing to say the least, and it is a wonder to behold but still in all, it isn’t a miracle. Adam and Eve were created miraculously by God but all other human beings come into the world by what is known as “the natural law of procreation.” To be sure, God has authored those laws and Christ still “upholds all things by the word of His power” as is stated in Hebrews 1:3. Paul wrote: “For by him (Jesus Christ ket) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16-17)

Dudley Ross Spears

This month the world recognizes October 31 at “Halloween.” It is generally associated with witches, goblins, jack-o-lanterns, black cats, and trick or treat. With the resurgence of interest in the occult and satanism, the question surfaces again whether Christians can have any part in Halloween or not. The same thing is true over “Christmas.”

Some denominational bodies have Halloween masquerade parties, witches and all. Others in denominationalism are becoming a bit more concerned as to whether it is right or not. A number of so-called “Christian Talk Shows” are presenting witnesses who testify of all sorts of hideous activity conducted by satanists on Halloween. Certainly Christians ought to think it over carefully before participating in anything associated with evil or satanic influences.

Halloween is said to have originated with the ancient Druids. These people were a very strange breed. Very little verifiable information can be obtained about them due to the fact that they handed down their beliefs and traditions orally. Very little written documentation can be found. About the best that can be said of them is that they were a priestly cult among the ancient Celts in France, England, and Ireland. The gods they served were similar to the ancient Roman and Grecian gods. Some of their rather bizarre ways included the sacrifice of animals to examine the condition of the liver and entrails. From these, the Druid priest could supposedly foretell the future. The famous Stonehenge in England is thought to be a remnant of their place of worship. There is still a group calling themselves Druids who meet annually during the summer solstice at Stonehenge. They conduct rituals believed to be like the ancient Druids. Who knows? Maybe they are the remnant of the Druids still handing down their oral traditions and secrets.

The Druids did have a special day of the year. They called it Samhain. Some scholars insist it was their celebration of the end of summer. Others affirm it was a celebration of the beginning of winter. In either case, it was a time devoted to worship of the dark, for the days became noticeably shorter and darkness prevailed longer. They celebrated by gorging themselves with food and seeking to counsel with the dead. Those who might study this further must be warned not to be over persuaded by assertions without proof. It is currently popular to associate anything like the Druid sacrifices with satanism. Those assertions may, or may not, be true. One such unfounded assertion is that the Roman government thought the Druids were so evil they banned their rituals. Another is the assertion that Samhain is a word so similar to “satan” that it meant satanic worship. Neither of these can be fully authenticated.

The Catholic church set November 1 as “All Saints Day.” They incorporated into it the some of the old Druid customs and called it “Halloween,” or “hallowed evening.” Many students of history find that whereas the Druids actually worshiped the demonic powers, the Catholic celebration was just the opposite. Their rituals on Halloween were designed to drive off evil spirits the Druids wanted to commune with. What has happened to Halloween is the same as has happened to “Christmas.” Pagan rites and customs were simply “Christianized,” changing both their meaning and purpose.

In either case, it is a serious question for members of the Lord’s church to study. Keeping holidays on a purely ethnic, national, or cultural basis is not wrong. Keeping any day, other than what the Lord authorizes, in honor of anything religious, is wrong (Galatians 4:11). Trick or treat night may seem harmless to many of us, but it is interesting that several denominational groups, and nearly every police department in our country have taken a different view of it. Police departments across our land now have a special investigative procedure to deal with things associated with cultism, such as satanism. You might want to call your own local police department to see what they have. Just last year the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (S.P.C.A.) reported more mutilation of animals than they could remember. They have a new rule not to adopt out black cats until after Halloween. The obvious conclusion is that there are more and more misguided people being carried away with the occult and satanism.

And we cannot afford to do anything that would encourage that.