“Your Thoughts on Halloween”

[Steadfast Fred]

I disagree Gina. I think most folk in the US still think of Halloween as a "kids dress up" holiday far removed from its pagan roots. No one ties up their young boys and tosses them into bogs as a sacrifice anymore and if they do, then the evil is clear and recognizable. God has allowed humans to progress past that sort of thing and our celebration of Halloween wouldn't even be recognizable to those pagans in our ancestory. (well my ancestory anyhow)

Steadfast Fred. I can't believe you would think that vodka was a toxin and glycerin (the main ingredient in the flavoring you posted) is not. Do you not know that glycerin is made from SOAP? And do you know what soap is made from???? Animal fat and LYE! My mother made soap from Drano(which at the time was nothing but lye) and and old hamburger grease.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

I ain't putting something that is distilled from lye into my body! Talk about a toxin! Here's you link that clearly describes the process:

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/glycerin.html

Oh, by the way, pure glycerin is called glycerol and it is an alcohol. Honestly, I don't understand how you can call something that God created for our good, evil.

I don't call that which God created for our good evil. I call that which man makes called beer, wine, whiskey, spirits,
etc., evil.

Think you need to go back and read that article more closely. It clearly states that the glycerin comes from animal fat, not from the lye. There is no glycerin in lye. When lye is added to animal fat to make soap, the glycerin is forced out of the animal fat.

But there are other methods of extracting glycerin from animal fat than using lye. Look it up on google.

 

[menageriekeeper]

Obviously, that link wasn't clear enough. Glycerin/glycerol is an alcohol. Here's a more scientific link:

http://science.jrank.org/pages/3065/Glycerol.html

Glycerin/glycerol, is a by product of making soap. No lye, no soap, no glycerol.

Now, tell me how the product you posted, which contains an arguably nontoxic by product of soap, is any better for my body than the vanilla flavoring that I make from vanilla beans and an alcohol that is made directly from grain and potatoes.

By the way, man makes soap too.

 

[Steadfast Fred]

From wisegeeks.com:

Extraction is a complicated process and there are various ways of going about it. The simplest way is to mix fat with lye. When the two are mixed, soap is formed and glycerin is then removed. Still, a small amount of glycerin remains in the soap.

Notice that there is more than one way to extract glycerin from animal fat than adding lye to it. Lye is just the simplest.

The fact is, glycerin comes from animal fat. It is only when one is making soap that lye is used in the extraction of glycerin from animal fat.

Lye is toxic, and would not be used to extract glycerin from food products.

 

[Gina B]

Are you saying the truth lyes somewhere in those links?
BTW, good job! Nice clean presentation that made good scents.

I don't want to, but I'll stop there.
Once you get me going I always end up on a slippery soap...

 

[menageriekeeper]

Steadfast, how about dealing with the fact that glycerin is an alcohol just like vodka is, albeit with a bit of a different molecular structure (sorta like the difference between rubbing alcohol and vodka)? How is the product that you posted any better than my mixture of vanilla beans and vodka? And since glycerin is a form of alcohol, doesn't that make the claim of "alcohol free" to be a bit of deception on both the manufacturers part and yours?

Gina! I think you might already be halfway down that slope and headed for the suds! :laugh:

 

[Gina B]

True, but at least it got me off my Halloween soapbox! :tonofbricks:

 

[Alcott]

Notice that there is more than one way to extract glycerin from animal fat than adding lye to it. Lye is just the simplest.

Does lye soap mean you're not really clean?

 

[jaigner]

No it isn't. Wrong is wrong if the Bible says it is wrong.

We should know that our interpretations aren't always the correct ones. Especially when there are others who differ in their faith, it's better to take a more generous approach in attempt to reconcile, instead of drawing lines in the sand.

 

[Gina B]

We should know that our interpretations aren't always the correct ones. Especially when there are others who differ in their faith, it's better to take a more generous approach in attempt to reconcile, instead of drawing lines in the sand.

I like how you write.

However, what's there to interpret? Is witchcraft wrong? Is death a bad thing? Is it good to be afraid? I see no room for interpretation on these things. To take a day and dedicate it to these things is wrong, to participate is wrong. Where on earth do you find any scriptural support for gaining enjoyment from pain, fear, suffering, and incantations?

There are people who are trying to do only good on this day, to provide alternatives and have no involvement with the dark side of this celebration. Good for them. Yet others insist that the evil side just doesn't exist or is in the minority on this holiday and that is just ludicrous. The day I walk into a store around Halloween and don't see mummies and costumes of murderers and the majority of television shows aren't about fear and evil spirits and when people stop dressing as witches and such, then I'll reconsider.

It's very surprising to find such a relaxed attitude towards these things. This is not good. I've made my point and I'm done because I'm really sad to have discovered that what I thought was a major subject with common and obvious agreement among Christians just...isn't.

 

[annsni]

I like how you write.

However, what's there to interpret? Is witchcraft wrong? Is death a bad thing? Is it good to be afraid? I see no room for interpretation on these things. To take a day and dedicate it to these things is wrong, to participate is wrong. Where on earth do you find any scriptural support for gaining enjoyment from pain, fear, suffering, and incantations?

There are people who are trying to do only good on this day, to provide alternatives and have no involvement with the dark side of this celebration. Good for them. Yet others insist that the evil side just doesn't exist or is in the minority on this holiday and that is just ludicrous. The day I walk into a store around Halloween and don't see mummies and costumes of murderers and the majority of television shows aren't about fear and evil spirits and when people stop dressing as witches and such, then I'll reconsider.

It's very surprising to find such a relaxed attitude towards these things. This is not good. I've made my point and I'm done because I'm really sad to have discovered that what I thought was a major subject with common and obvious agreement among Christians just...isn't.

Do we not celebrate death every time we receive the Lord's Supper?

 

[Fred's Wife]

Do we not celebrate death every time we receive the Lord's Supper?

No..

1 Corinthians 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

The Apostle Paul tells us that the Lords' Supper is a memorial not a celebration.

 

[annsni]

No..

1 Corinthians 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

The Apostle Paul tells us that the Lords' Supper is a memorial not a celebration.

Yes, we remember His death. We have an entire ceremony to remember it. So death is not a bad thing to Christians.

 

[plain_n_simple]

We love it. It's a great time for the kids in dressing up and getting candy for mom and dad

For those who don't have kids and stay home...great evangelism tool. Only one night a year the lost come to your door one at a time!

What a great perspective! Use it to preach the Gospel, you go man!

 

[Melanie]

It is a little thing in New Zealand....really I think it only biggish in the USA.

All Saints Day is a big event for my community this year as it is the 25th anniversary of the community here....so it will be church (as it is a Holy Day of Obligation) and then festivities following the procession. Hope the weather is kind.:flower:

 

[Gina B]

Well grrrr. Tis that time of year again.
We have a big billboard on the highway to downtown advertising a play chock full of chainsaws, gore, fright, guts, and evil.
Lots of commercials for costume stores, many focusing on costumes for adult Halloween parties.
Stores filled with tombstones, skeletons, weapon-wielding bloody representations of murderers, the whole nine yards.

I really miss what used to be a seasonal focus on hayrides, hot apple cider, and harvest! It seems the focus on Halloween just gets bigger each year and takes over everything for at least the entire month. There are even Halloween TREES now, decorated with little glowing skeletons and such.

Am sticking to the stores on the AFB and online for now to avoid having to walk in and see the nasty, bloody displays decorating the local stores. Blech!

Even worse, followed a link on CNN about costumes for little girls and came to this blog: http://blog.pigtailpals.com/2011/10/from-candy-corny-to-downright-porny/

At least there are SOME people who weren't trying to find gory stuff, but it's sad that they found THAT type of stuff while looking for cute ones for their little girls.

 

[Thousand Hills]

Well grrrr. Tis that time of year again.
We have a big billboard on the highway to downtown advertising a play chock full of chainsaws, gore, fright, guts, and evil.
Lots of commercials for costume stores, many focusing on costumes for adult Halloween parties.
Stores filled with tombstones, skeletons, weapon-wielding bloody representations of murderers, the whole nine yards.

I really miss what used to be a seasonal focus on hayrides, hot apple cider, and harvest! It seems the focus on Halloween just gets bigger each year and takes over everything for at least the entire month. There are even Halloween TREES now, decorated with little glowing skeletons and such.

Gina I think you'll like this blog posting goes along with what your saying.

http://www.challies.com/articles/my-halloween-theory

 

[Gina B]

The author did a great job on the article.
The only part I tend to disagree with may be the "longing for community" factor, as most adults I'm aware of that get into the parties and such (apart from those doing alternatives or such for churches) just use them to get together and drink a lot and party a little harder than they typically would, feeding off the costumes and such.

I seem to remember it being more community-centered in the past rather than the way it is now.

Maybe, just maybe, this will end up another thing that, given time, Christians will turn around to make into a good thing. From what I've seen, alternative parties often do a decent job of attracting people away from the evil aspect of Halloween. I'm seeing schools get on board with either not recognizing it during school anymore or insisting that no scary costumes are worn. Although I don't think it's so much a concession to Christians by the schools, it's more an issue of safety but hey, whatever works to discourage the kids in school from focusing on the blood and guts part!

I need to bookmark Challies. It's a site I used to read but keep forgetting about whenever I move, until someone brings it up again.

 

[Gwen]

Agreed on not celebrating all the evil/scary stuff!! I hate that it has become that way now. When I was a kid, it was more of a fall festival thing. We dressed up in home made costumes like hobos, scarecrows, etc., and there was not really an emphasis on evil. Sadly, it is more so now, but still not so much in my little town.

Maybe we could celebrate Reformation Day instead!

 

[InTheLight]

It's mostly harmless fun.

 

[webdog]

Had fun taking the kids Trick or Treating last night.