Halloween- Harmless or Harmful?

[A-Four]

...........Being that its obvious that I don't know the difference between s*** from clay, when it comes to the history of Christianity, or, for that matter, the Roman Catholic Church, I was wondering here Scottishtourist, how do YOU as a Catholic, see 'All Soul's Day', its meaning and its origin WITHIN the Roman Church.

P.S.- Have noticed that you have not answered my request for you to comment on my written work regarding JC, yesterday, though being Sunday and all that, I can understand your delay.

[Zooropa]

There is only one God.

Antony Knockaert

[Ruby Slippers]

There is only one God.

Antony Knockaert

I was wondering where you'd got to, Zooropa!

[Zooropa]

Hi Ruby, ive been nowhere really, however I am off to Tunisia in the not too distant future.

[Dusak]

Nice to see you back with us Zooropa.

[Zooropa]

Thanks Dusak! I never knew you cared!

[Scottishtourist]

Welcome back Mr Z.
Now...about that wedding of ours.....

[Who2]

To be fair to ST, she obviously knows zilch about the origins of religion! Or of the pre-christian religions of Britain, whose festivals were appropriated by the church in order to propagandise itself, whose sacred sites were often the foundations of church buildings, some of which had pagan figures such as the Green Man built into their fabric!

But! that's what makes for a big religion, loads of 'thicko's that rarely question their existence let alone their given religion. I say given because they don't posses the 'nous to think for themselves, that's why JC called them sheep, an apt description.....

[Scottishtourist]

[quote="Who2But! that's what makes for a big religion, loads of 'thicko's that rarely question their existence let alone their given religion. I say given because they don't posses the 'nous to think for themselves, that's why JC called them sheep, an apt description.....[/quote]

Perfectly true Who2.
It's a "given"religion and one I'm perfectly happy with and don't question.
I was really fortunate to be born into it.
Have never consorted with criminals (other than the ones I've treated in hospital),done time in jail,or scuttled off to a foreign land and tried to redeem myself for past misdemeanours by "helping the community."
I have no need to "question my existence."
Do you?

[Mad Dilys]

What a happy bunny you are S.T. thank you for your lessons in how to win friends and influence people.

I find your posts most informative.

[Dusak]

Thanks Dusak! I never knew you cared!

Having met you, I decided you were an OK guy. People always presume that they 'know' the real person by just reading their posts. Take me for instance... away in a straight jacket.

[LivinginLuxor]

Strange, ST - the person who allegedly founded your religion consorted with thieves and prostitutes, and spent time in jail prior to his execution! Presumably you would never associate yourself with him either.

[Who2]

Quite:I have no need to "question my existence."
Do you?

Every day, since I can remember probably until the day I die. I wont be on my knees when I meet the creator I'll be standing straight ready to ask a few questions.....

[Darkstar]

Today I went to Catholic Mass,celebrated "All Saint's Day."
Tomorrow,I go again,celebrate "All Souls Day"
Halloween is preclude to these two great events in Catholic Calendar...nothing more,nothing less!!
The pagans usurped it...we don't mind!
It doesn't lessen it's meaning..cos it's meaning is true to us.
WE know the true meaning...and anyone who decrys it would obviously be better off just bleating on about the tombs and temples of Egypt...stay clueless!
You got your Gods and religion...and I got mine!

God,spare me from the pagans!
A group of tree hugging nut-cases,all dancing about naked and running around holly bushes at Yule.
It's all just an excuse for debauchery,group sex,fornication!!!
We're all at one with nature...it's a peaceful religion,so they say!
Then they get "blootered" on their cheap home brew,jump brooms...and cast their spells for world peace!!!
Only time I want to be at one with nature is when I'm planted and the worms are composting me.
On issue of Saints...personal favourite is St Jude,patron Saint of hopeless causes!!!
I pray to him daily...so go figure!

ST you don't half come out with sheer crap at times; the feast of Samhain (Halloween) was around for countless years before your beliefs came to our fair isle and corrupted our festivals, Eostre, yuletide, samhain you took them all and demonized our deities except for one, the mother goddess Brigid. The people would not allow her to be treated that way so the Christian church did the next best thing and canonised her into saint bridget!!
What about the rest of the Roman catholic creed? you are so prepared to to pour scorn on my beliefs(yes I am a pagan) let's see what you believe.
1, Walk into any RC church and you are met with a myriad of statues and iconic paintings, isn't that idol worship?
2, at one time you could buy your way into heaven one body part at a time, wtf is that about?
3, Holy relics, such as saints body parts whereby pilgrims flock to these shrines to pray at the piece of bone, toenail, even the holy forskin for healing and blessings. This is pure necromancy, what would your Jesus have said?
4, give to the church the church is poor; what a joke that is, the Vatican is the biggest landowner in the world you even have your own bank, and has been proven to have links with the mafia.
5, the church's neutral stance during WW2, even though catholics were being persecuted.
6, to cap it all, the age of consent for sex in the Vatican state is 12 yrs old. that is pure pedophilia

So when you point the finger of scorn remember there are 3 fingers pointing back at you. Let me state for ther record that I have never taken part in naked drunken debauchery or rode a broom (chance would be a fine thing lol). True paganism is a gentle belief in living in harmony with nature and the seasons. Oh as a last comment I will say that WE have never burnt, tortured or hung anyone because their beliefs were different to ours.

[Bullet Magnet]

Halloween = All Soul's night. The last night of Atlantis before the "fall".
All the Soul's sought refuge in the bodies of the Atlantis people.
A tricky job trying to clear that little mess up I am sure..

I may or may not talk about Spirituality later, that word is Olde Worlde speak, and irrelevant today in all honesty..

Now, regarding Religion, look at it like this.

In A country, your government makes laws, usually to prevent people doing things that they don't want people doing, thus creating criminals,
so the more laws you have, then by default, the more corrupt the government and the more criminals they create.

in religion you have loads of do's and dont's and thank goodness many of those stupid rules are no longer applicable, that is because religion has to move with the times, so you no longer get stoned to death for growing a beard or working on the Sabbath, etc..
But sadly many of the core belief's still exist.. Who says this and that is wrong ? did you ever bother to try it to see how it feels ?
And don't forget, the Lawmakers still do the things they don't want YOU doing, hedonistic lifestyles and the likes, but they have the luxury of privacy in the big houses on the hill, you do not. ( yes, I was dragged around National trust Properties as a kid by my middle class parents and soon realised what was going on, even at such a young age)
So where does that leave religion and its leaders ? have those kiddie fiddling priests taught you NOTHING ??

One night as a teenager, I was outside in the fields by myself, and angry as hell itself..
I thrust two fingers up to the heavens and told God to f off and do one, and after 10 minutes and no lightning smiting me, I thought to myself..
"Well, that clears that one up" now it's down to me..

They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you gotta ride it well.
the World is full of kings and Queens who'll blind your eyes and steal your dreams,
It's Heaven and hell, Oh Well.. ( nothing wrong with some irreverence in your life )
They'll tell you Black is Really White, the Moon is just the Sun at night !
and when you walk in golden halls, you get to keep the gold that falls..
FOOL FOOL, you got to BLEED for the Dancer, FOOL FOOL, look for the answer... //BM thumps heart//

makes you wonder how I can drive my car at 165 mph down the motorway and not get pulled by the rozzers ? No ?
how I can be pulled out of a river by hooded figure on top of a vortex he /she created
how I can die 5 times in various ways and still be here. ( after a bit of persuasion )

Drop the judgement, shut up and listen to the whispering wind, the writing is in the air.. I see it, and so can you all.

It's ALL in your mind, we are simply creations of the mind...

Row, Row, Row, your boat, gently DOWN the stream, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Life IS but a Dream..

Fear not, there is no judgement at the end, you judge yourself, YOU are everybody and everybody YOU know is YOU..
think about that for a while..

LOVE and a Peaceful World.. XXX