Photos by Alan Mars.
Fright night in Buggytown
Herald-Gazette and barnesville.com reader Alan Mars snapped a nice array of photos of the ghosts, ghouls and goblins who paraded on Thomaston Street in Barnesville Halloween night
Just because people don't believe the same way you do doesn't make them wrong. Who are you to go about telling people they should be ashamed because they believe differently than you. Grow up and act like an adult instead of trying to push your views on everyone else.
I say, I agree that unleashed religious dogs should be put on a leash.
Tumenie Parsons
I got dat right.
Tumenie Parsons
Remember to seek God first and foremost, and come as you are, he can help you.
God is a loving God, so say your heart is, he will always love you.
I would like to thank the people who take the time to buy the candy, decorate the house and make Halloween a fun and enjoyable experience.
And to the group I witnessed marching down Greenwood Street, carrying a huge cross & screaming "sinner, repent!" and various other things...do you really think that scaring little kids will make them more receptive to the messages of your faith? Why not try hosting an event at your church on Halloween (as many churches do)? Feed the hungry, offer fellowship to the hurting, show by example what God's love is all about. I'm betting that if Jesus walked among us today, THAT is what he'd do!
Now that's about the scariest thing I have ever heard.
Sounds like that is one group of Christians with some backbone...about time we saw some!
GOD BLESS!!
God Bless,
Joseph Truluck
As for Halloween, who cares. Im not a paygan or celtic or anything else that believes that this is nothing but fun to play around and pass out candy and get candy. I dont think really anyone out trick or treating were casting spells on anyone. I could be wrong but i would go out on a limb and say that.
It has been said that "participating in halloween doesnt make you anymore a satan follower or there alike, than someone that just goes to the Church makes them a Christian". Its all about how deep you go into it or what you want to get out of it.
Think about it.
baptist church... anyway if you have researched Halloween you will see if actually started as the end of summer and beginning of fall... when days shorten and nights grow longer...
The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces. Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames. Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.
Christian attitudes towards Halloween are quite diverse. In the Anglican Church, some dioceses have chosen to emphasize the Christian traditions of All Saints’ Day, while some other Protestants celebrate the holiday as Reformation Day, a day to remember the Protestant Reformation.
Many Christians ascribe no negative significance to Halloween, treating it as a purely secular holiday devoted to celebrating "imaginary spooks" and handing out candy. Halloween celebrations are common among Roman Catholic parochial schools throughout North America and in Ireland. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church sees Halloween as having a Christian connection. Father Gabriele Amorth, a Vatican-appointed exorcist in Rome, has said, "[I]f English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on one night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, there is no harm in that."
Most[citation needed] Christians hold the view that the tradition is far from being satanic in origin or practice and that it holds no threat to the spiritual lives of children: being taught about death and mortality, and the ways of the Celtic ancestors actually being a valuable life lesson and a part of many of their parishioners' heritage. Other Christians feel concerned about Halloween, and reject the holiday because they believe it trivializes (and celebrates) "the occult" and what they perceive as evil. A response among some fundamentalists in recent years has been the use of 'Hell houses' or themed pamphlets (such as those of Jack T. Chick) which attempt to make use of Halloween as an opportunity for evangelism.
Some consider Halloween to be completely incompatible with the Christian faith because of its origin as a pagan "Festival of the Dead." In more recent years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a "Saint Fest" on the holiday. Many contemporary Protestant churches view Halloween as a fun event for children, holding events in their churches where children and their parents can dress up, play games, and get candy. Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween because they believe anything that originated from a pagan holiday should not be celebrated by true Christians.
Religions other than Christianity also have varied views on Halloween. Celtic Pagans consider the season a holy time of year. Celtic Reconstructionists, and others who maintain ancestral customs, make offerings to the gods and the ancestors. Some Wiccans feel that the tradition is offensive to "real witches" for promoting stereotypical caricatures of "wicked witches"
Yes! Yes! sister. I know of what you speak. I remember those things in my wilder days...of course that was before I saw the light you know. I was in that place you speak about. Oh yes! it was on Stewart Avenue in Atlanta next to Nalley Chevrolet. That inviting place filled with go-go dancers was called "The Den Of Iniquity". Except on Sundays that is. The "I" was changed to an "E" on the sign and it became "The Den Of Eniquity".
The church folks liked that. Anyway, I digress, as I do recall one of those gogo dancers was a blonde skinny girl who displayed some mighty big "false prophets".. of molded foam origin.
I remember Matthew Seven (the tallbouncer) pointing out those false prophets to me. Oh yeah! and that portly Judge Christ and his crew were howling like wolves..wooo---wooo. The Judge passed out many rewards too. He deftly poked dollar bills down the areas of the "false prophets". Yes, Sister Tiffany, it was a social club filled with an abundance of false prophets AND they were in it for the MONEY. On many Sunday mornings at the church up the street, I recognized many of the same "worshipers: from the night befor at the "Den". One of those skinny girls was named Tiffani...hmm...change the "y" to an "i"..naah...not a chance. Is it?
Call N. Alcars
Former Playah
That said, the whole point in my reply about Matthew chapter 7 is that there are those who use the name of Jesus to excuse hurting or killing those who don't believe like they do. This is not biblical...it is not a teaching of Jesus Christ. So anyone who believes or teaches this is a false prophet. And just because someone says that they are a Christian does not make them one. Therefore, you needn't judge the church of God because of the actions of a few nuts. The true church of God is not violent.
To ALL - Jesus DID carry the cross for us, He DID call people to repentance, and John the Baptist WAS sent to tell people that the kingdom of God was at hand. They DID do those things whilst on earth.
Please let the love of God minister to you. The group on the streets during Halloween showed you what Jesus went through, not just the pain, but the ridicule. You think that people didn't say the same things that you are saying about these people as the people said about Jesus as He carried His cross? Do you not think John the Baptist was persecuted and told he was nuts because of what he said? Do you think each of the apostles who died for Christ's sake were not told they were fanatics? Yet still, they stood strong, and their faith never wavered.
Jesus showed the ultimate love for people. Take heed and accept Him. All of you who are claiming to be Christian here and are bashing these people who were demonstrating what you say you believe Christ did for you, why aren't you shouting with joy? Why are you saying they shouldn't do it? Because it would ruin some 'holiday'? If it had occurred on any other day, would you have so many negative things to say about it or would you have been pleased to see it? Think about it...
It may be an impersonal thing to sit down and watch The Passion, but its allows a comfortable median to those that do not believe. And of course it ends, but so does the Bible. Though amazingly we have done well and still preach on it. Use The Passion as a tool, or starting basis. After its over talk to those that just bore witness to it. Teach them! Tell them all they want to hear about the word!
As far as getting out of your comfort zone, or teaching those about the word who need to hear it. You should consider going 45 minutes either north or south (Atlanta or Macon) find a drugged out homeless man, take them to dinner and discuss the word of god. Believe me its effective. That homeless man, even if he does not convert, will always remember the nice Christians that took him to dinner and explained Christ to him. And if he does convert, then he will remember that night ten fold. If you still think that the method used on Halloween was effective, then take this test. Still go up to a drugged out homeless man but this time instead of asking him to dinner, stand in front of him, point to him (As I was pointed at on Halloween) and shout repent at him at the top of your lungs. Call me crazy but I am certain he will throw something at you. Plant the seed, not shove it down there throats! Just remember, you reap what you sow, and all that was sown into me the other night was a bad taste.
People have been getting it wrong for centuries and still are...look beyond the words that you preach.
As far as your comments on forgiveness goes, according to Matthew 5:23-24 you are completely wrong. You do have an obligation to attempt to reconcile with your brother, and from your comments and the comments of #20, I think it would be safe to assume that your group hasn't done that. You come across as being a very arrogant person. Who are you to tell people what the correct venue is for speaking their minds? In fact, I think that is what got this whole thing started. Kind of ironic isn't it?
As far as your little comment about God's anointed, It is God (not man) who determines who is anointed and who is not, and it is displayed by the life they live and the fruit they bear. Those that are truly anointed of God bear a much greater responsibility than others and should be very careful what they say about and how they treat others (even sinners) because they represent Jesus Christ.
This link discusses current and historic Christian Extremism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_violence#Acts_of_violence_by_Christians
Feel free to research each of these independently if you really want to know what attrocities are carried out in Christ's name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_terrorism
Im not talking about David Koresh type "Christians". Im tlking about people that live life by the word of God and try to strive to be like Jesus. We all fall short but we have to keep on pushing through.