Is It Really Just Innocent Fun?

For the past few weeks, I have felt the Lord pushing me....  pushing me to write a post about a difficult subject. I have put it off since I have been busy... and tired.... and there is so much to do....  and a part of me wanted to avoid this. You see, I am new to blogging and have been at it less than a year. My blogs have grown wonderfully well... I have been so blessed by comments from readers... and I am working to make my blogs grow even more. So, writing a post like this means that I may lose readers... I may upset people.... and I don't like to do that for a lot of reasons. After all, my blog name is Gentle Joy.

However, God continues to put a burden on my heart and I want to be obedient. I have prayed much about this and have studied and today, it is time to just get started.

As a Christian woman who wants to honor my Lord, I seek to follow scripture and to teach my children to do the same. I encourage them to follow Him and His ways. I teach them that God hates sin. I teach them that God holds us responsible for our actions and even the thoughts of our heart. Yes, He forgives, but He also expects obedience.... and there is a price for disobedience. All through scripture we see that sin is rebuked, not excused... and sin is dealt with very strongly.

In our culture, the lines are blurred.... good is said to be bad and bad is said to be good.... people call these "gray" areas. I often hear such comments as "My convictions are just different from yours." Sometimes, this is used appropriately, but many times it is used to deflect justified criticism or rebuke. God calls sin sin and He gives us many clues as to what sin is... and how to avoid it, in His Word. Our culture says we can't "judge" and that we are supposed to keep our convictions to ourselves so that we don't offend others. The Bible is disrespected for the most part, so we are expected to keep it quiet and not be too strong in our convictions, since that may be "offensive" to others.

God and Christians have become the target of jokes, ridicule, criticism, disrespect, and hatred. Many Christians try to "win" the lost by softening their own views, and  by giving in a little on issues so as not to offend.  Eventually, "convictions" are not based much on the Bible, but on what is popular.. or what will be accepted... and all this does is to show the lost that there isn't really any strong conviction. Ground continues to be given... parts of the Bible are ignored... or explained away. The standard we are to keep and follow becomes vague with such treatment. Also many Christians rarely read their Bibles. They may listen to a pastor or speaker or they may watch a "Christian" movie and they absorb some Bible talk.... but there is no substitute for reading, studying, knowing and following God's Word.

I am teaching my children that it is not my job to save people; nor is it theirs. Our job is to obey and to tell others of Christ and His Word ... it is up to God to save those who are willing to repent. We are to obey scripture whether we like it or not... whether it is popular or not. It is sad that we will try to manipulate people into heaven and doing so means we really don't have a right understanding of Scripture. The terrible thing is that some people may become convinced they have become Christians when they follow some watered down version of "salvation".... and they remain condemned to a Christ-less eternity, yet are convinced they are "saved" because someone told them they are. We dare NOT do this.

This season is always troubling to me... so much evil is present and is very openly celebrated. It is almost impossible to avoid it, but we do not have to participate in it. Our family has been able to function well as we have trained ourselves to ignore such even though it is all around us.

I have hated the whole death look and obsession with death in our world... and it gets worse each year. I have been greatly saddened over seeing pictures of cute little girls and boys dressed up and painted to look like gruesome specters of death.... and I wonder why anyone would ever want their precious child to look so hideous. I have been horrified over desserts or "fun" treats being shared online - the recipes excitedly passed around and I wonder WHY anyone would be interested in treats that look like severed body parts..... especially Christians... and I feel ashamed of the shame being brought on the name of Christ by such activities among Christians.

Every year the ugliness seems to increase. For many years, babies have been savagely murdered on a regular basis here in our country and throughout the world. This is done to celebrate "choice" and "rights" and it is a child sacrifice in the worship of self. The pictures of these murdered children are sometimes shown to draw attention to the horrible wrong being done and people who share these are strongly criticized as being "insensitive", yet the gruesomeness at this time of year is defended and the ongoing exposure to such hardens hearts more and more.

Years ago, the Romans cheered the violent deaths of Christians while they sat and watched with an endless thirst for blood and more violence. Christians have been hated and have been "fair-game" for attacks for many years. Christians have been torn asunder, their bodies have been burned, they have been killed in vile ways.

 In other countries, Christians are tortured just for being Christians... and this year things have greatly escalated as evil marches onward in the name of what is defended as a "peaceful" religion, yet it is one that wields the sword and induces terror. Unspeakable atrocities are being carried out against our precious brothers and sisters in Christ. Blood is being shed.

In our world, video games are popular.. even ones that show violent deaths and ugliness and the desensitization of our people continues. Violence in schools or workplaces follows and it seems that some people have no conscience at all. Panic sets in as frightened people say that this has to stop... no more bullying... no more school violence, etc. People are only learning what they are being taught.... selfishness is rampant... others are seen as less important... God's Word is ignored when it contradicts personal wishes.

The decorations and treats and the activities are defended as being "all in fun". How can such "fun" be defended as "family friendly".  I have been shocked at the abundance of things offered as party ideas... things that are in poor taste, at best... and things that are exceedingly gruesome. I wonder WHY such horrible "treats" can gain any kind of positive attention... especially from Christians. Why would anyone allow their child to consume fake body parts as part of holiday "fun"(or even to SEE them)? Do they not know that evil people REALLY do this... with REAL body parts? Why would anyone think this is funny? People are REALLY being dismembered, so why is that funny? Such hideous things should not even be spoken of... and I am using the most careful words I can to get my point across without glorifying the ugliness.

There is so much to appreciate about this time of year... fall leaves, changing of the seasons, beautiful colors, bountiful harvests, bonfires, family times and more. Yet, the thing that dominates this time of the year is a celebration of evil. Those who love evil, love this time of year... sin is more tolerated and they say that evil spirits are more active. There is a desire to scare people more and more... costumes are used, terrible displays are glorified and the dark side is prevalent.

The Bible says that bad company corrupts good morals... and such behavior is definitely "bad company".  Even the so-called "innocent" things of halloween have definite bad connotations... you can look them up. The jack-o-lantern is a symbol of a soul lost for all eternity... not so innocent after all. Trick or Treat has had various uses in history... but it all seems to be a form of extortion. One source said the "trick or treat" idea is from a time when evil men went to homes demanding a "treat" and if it wasn't given... the "trick" they gave, was death.
 

I want my children to learn to know and love God... to learn to follow His ways... and in Him is no darkness at all. Whether it is politically correct or not, I want to honor God and follow Him. Being a light in a dark world means more than naming the name of Christ. The light grows dim when evil is mixed with it..... and many are fooling themselves and need to search their hearts to see if they even know Christ as their Savior.

May we learn to evaluate what we think and allow ... in the light of God's Word and may we be courageous enough to eliminate whatever doesn't match up with Scripture. May we make sure our salvation.... and grow in Christ as we follow His Word and His way. May we reject anything that doesn't honor or please Him - no matter what is going on around us in the world. May there be a distinct difference between "Christian" and non Christian practices...

 # halloween  #haunted  #evil  #scary   #wicked   #trickortreat


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