What does October 31st mean to you?

posted by Kenneth

Which of these will you be celebrating on Oct 31st?

HALLOWEEN:

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (Irish pronunciation: [ˈsˠaunʲ]; from the Old Irish samain). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic New Year". Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.

REFORMATION DAY:

Martin Luther was a German monk, theologian, university professor, Father of Protestantism, and church reformer whose ideas influenced the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization. The Protestant Reformation began on October 31, 1517 when Luther nailed his 95 Theses (a refutation and challenge of particular Catholic doctrines) to the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a universal priesthood. According to Luther, salvation is a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church. Luther's translation of the Bible into the vernacular of the people made the Scriptures more accessible to them, and had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. Martin Luther was not a perfect man, but the Reformation that God started through him has put God's Word in the hands of common people, like you and me, and has fought against justification by works so that the grace of God would be exulted in as a free gift, so that no man can boast!

MY POINT:
It is interesting to note that most churches in America recognize that Halloween is inconsistent with what Christianity stands for. Proof of this is seen in churches offering alternatives by renaming the holiday to "fall festival", "harvest festival", ect. But, it's generaly just a halloween party with Thanksgiving looking flyers. My qestion is; Why not celebrate Reformation Day on Oct. 31st? There are no rules on how to celebrate it...we could even make it fun for kids! My point is that for the sake of children not being deprived fun, we forsake a perfect opportunity to praise God for, and educate our children on one of the most significant moments in Christian history! We celebrate Columbus Day because we're happy that he found America, Martin Luther King Day because we're happy that racial injustice is not tolerated in America, and Presidents Day because we're happy that we have leaders who will step up and lead America. What about Reformation Day because we're happy that we have Bibles in America?! I'm just throwing this out there for some serious consideration.

I recommend that if you do not know much about Reformation Day that you watch this movie.