As someone outside the US I can't understand how anyone who follows the God of the Bible would in anyway be able to justify celebrating Halloween. It blows my mind
As an Orthodox priest quipped in a 2010 article about Halloween, “And let’s be honest: modern Halloween for you and me-and even the Wiccans down the street-has nothing to do with virgin sacrifice or black magic. It’s about having fun in a costume and eating things your dentist wouldn’t approve of. No one was ever possessed by the devil because he or she dressed up for Halloween or passed out licorice or read a Harry Potter book. Our modern lives have way too many other avenues for temptation to enter, and these things are the real cause of our spiritual problems." When we celebrate Halloween, we are definitely participating in a tradition with deep historical roots. But those roots are firmly situated in the medieval Christian past, not an ancient pagan one.
@@themarriedlifewithJoeAndKrissy With respect to Ramirez, I've seen quite a few of his videos - I have no doubt that Mr. Ramirez has gone through a traumatic childhood and early adulthood; however, to put it bluntly, he’s a relatively latecomer to the so-called ‘Satanic Panic” conspiracy theory that swept America in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, and he wants *so* hard to bring it back! As a self-appointed “ex-Satanist”, he doesn’t seem to have much concrete knowledge of their actual practices (or beliefs for that matter). I do think he was exposed to some Santería ceremonies as a kid, and that’s what’s sticking in his mind. I really think it’s these fragmented memories from his childhood that he’s relating to his audiences. Ramirez tells us that his family was all “witches and warlocks” and that they “lived on witchcraft.” He claims that his family “had a contract directly with the devil himself.” Further, he says he witnessed demonic spirits coming into his home, his father worshiping them, and his father “speaking in demonic tongues.” By the time he was seven years old, he says he was “going to witchcraft church” to be “trained to be a warlock.” Generational claims, such as the above, are extremely common in Satanic Panic ‘testimonies’ and have little validity in the world of reality. Further, Satanism and earth based religions such as Wicca are diametrically opposed to one another - you can't be both. As a linguist, I can tell you unequivocally that 'tongues' are a completely self-created phenomenon. Most of what he describes sounds like he conceptualizes it in a metaphorical sense. He never gives any concrete details about what Satan looked like or sounded like (though he supposedly has met him). I mean, it’s not like I’d believe him, but he never even _tries_ . He never reveals the names or locations of these other Satan worshipers, nor talks about going to the police to report all these murders they’re allegedly committing (even if by astral projection). One gets the distinct impression that all of these things and events he describes happened only in the realm of his very active imagination. It’s very clear however, that his fans think he’s talking literally. Indeed, in listening to the subject matter in many of his videos, it’s painfully obvious he’s making a lot of it up as he goes along (you can kind of see the tells). His story too, seems to change each time he tells it. If you listen to a number of his videos on Halloween, these points becomes painfully obvious. His brand of fear mongering apparently sells well with many of today’s Christians. His message hits all the high notes we expect out of a Satanic Panic holdover; he ticks all the boxes of the Satanic Panic rhetoric and then some. He also ticks all the boxes of a typical con man as well; he preys on the gullibility and fear many Christian groups apparently have at this time of year - the more one listens to him and what he talks about in some of many of his videos, the more one realizes that he’s got a captive audience and is “preaching to the faithful”. He totally realizes it and is making stuff up as he goes along. Why? Because that’s exactly just the kind of juicy tidbits his audience is craving to hear. It’s scare tactics at its best - a prime example of the old “Satanic Panic” era rhetoric. I’m just not buying much into the story he’s selling. His videos lead one to conclude the man doesn’t need Jesus; he needs a good therapist.
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Thoughts on church trunk or treats?
As someone outside the US I can't understand how anyone who follows the God of the Bible would in anyway be able to justify celebrating Halloween. It blows my mind
100%
As an Orthodox priest quipped in a 2010 article about Halloween, “And let’s be honest: modern Halloween for you and me-and even the Wiccans down the street-has nothing to do with virgin sacrifice or black magic. It’s about having fun in a costume and eating things your dentist wouldn’t approve of. No one was ever possessed by the devil because he or she dressed up for Halloween or passed out licorice or read a Harry Potter book. Our modern lives have way too many other avenues for temptation to enter, and these things are the real cause of our spiritual problems."
When we celebrate Halloween, we are definitely participating in a tradition with deep historical roots. But those roots are firmly situated in the medieval Christian past, not an ancient pagan one.
Interesting. Maybe look up john ramirez testimony who is an ex satanist and his history with Halloween.
@@themarriedlifewithJoeAndKrissy
With respect to Ramirez, I've seen quite a few of his videos -
I have no doubt that Mr. Ramirez has gone through a traumatic childhood and early adulthood; however, to put it bluntly, he’s a relatively latecomer to the so-called ‘Satanic Panic” conspiracy theory that swept America in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, and he wants *so* hard to bring it back!
As a self-appointed “ex-Satanist”, he doesn’t seem to have much concrete knowledge of their actual practices (or beliefs for that matter). I do think he was exposed to some Santería ceremonies as a kid, and that’s what’s sticking in his mind. I really think it’s these fragmented memories from his childhood that he’s relating to his audiences.
Ramirez tells us that his family was all “witches and warlocks” and that they “lived on witchcraft.” He claims that his family “had a contract directly with the devil himself.” Further, he says he witnessed demonic spirits coming into his home, his father worshiping them, and his father “speaking in demonic tongues.” By the time he was seven years old, he says he was “going to witchcraft church” to be “trained to be a warlock.”
Generational claims, such as the above, are extremely common in Satanic Panic ‘testimonies’ and have little validity in the world of reality. Further, Satanism and earth based religions such as Wicca are diametrically opposed to one another - you can't be both. As a linguist, I can tell you unequivocally that 'tongues' are a completely self-created phenomenon.
Most of what he describes sounds like he conceptualizes it in a metaphorical sense. He never gives any concrete details about what Satan looked like or sounded like (though he supposedly has met him). I mean, it’s not like I’d believe him, but he never even _tries_ . He never reveals the names or locations of these other Satan worshipers, nor talks about going to the police to report all these murders they’re allegedly committing (even if by astral projection).
One gets the distinct impression that all of these things and events he describes happened only in the realm of his very active imagination. It’s very clear however, that his fans think he’s talking literally.
Indeed, in listening to the subject matter in many of his videos, it’s painfully obvious he’s making a lot of it up as he goes along (you can kind of see the tells). His story too, seems to change each time he tells it. If you listen to a number of his videos on Halloween, these points becomes painfully obvious.
His brand of fear mongering apparently sells well with many of today’s Christians. His message hits all the high notes we expect out of a Satanic Panic holdover; he ticks all the boxes of the Satanic Panic rhetoric and then some. He also ticks all the boxes of a typical con man as well; he preys on the gullibility and fear many Christian groups apparently have at this time of year - the more one listens to him and what he talks about in some of many of his videos, the more one realizes that he’s got a captive audience and is “preaching to the faithful”. He totally realizes it and is making stuff up as he goes along. Why? Because that’s exactly just the kind of juicy tidbits his audience is craving to hear.
It’s scare tactics at its best - a prime example of the old “Satanic Panic” era rhetoric. I’m just not buying much into the story he’s selling. His videos lead one to conclude the man doesn’t need Jesus; he needs a good therapist.