# Halloween - Doctrine of the Practices of that Day



## C. Matthew McMahon (Oct 15, 2004)

Though we know October 31 as Reformation Day (Luther pins the Theses to the door of Wittenberg) many still practice Halloween.

Do you like learning about the way of the heathen?

The Way of the Heathen: Understanding Halloween


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 15, 2004)

Not only is October 31 Reformation Day, this year it is also the Lord's Day. We ought not to celebrate the pagan or Roman Catholic holidays but rather the one day in Scripture that is commanded by God to be kept holy. And we thank the Lord for His work of Reformation in ages past and pray for more to come.

The article is great. Thanks, Matt!


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## Arch2k (Oct 11, 2005)

bump


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## WrittenFromUtopia (Oct 11, 2005)

I was about to correct Andrew, but then I realized he posted that a year ago. Oct. 31 is on a Monday this year.


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## C. Matthew McMahon (Oct 11, 2005)

See: http://www.apuritansmind.com/WhatsNew.htm

Articles Dealing with the Satanic Holiday "Halloween":

The Way of the Heathen
by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon 

The Devil's Advertising
by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon 

Necromancy
by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon 



Articles for Reformation Day (October 31st)

The Life of Calvin
by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon 

A Short Summary of Calvin's Institutes
by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon

A Long Overview of Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion
by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon

Overview of Interpreting John Calvin (Ford Lewis Battles)
by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon 

John Calvin: Theologian, Pastor and Social Reformer
by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon 

A History of the Reformation
A 250 Page sketch of the major characters of the Reformation
by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon

Gradual Reformation Intolerable:
A Brief Inquiry into the Actions of Luther and the Writings of Calvin in Reforming the Church Against False Worship
By Dr. C. Matthew McMahon 

Martin Luther's 95 Theses

The German Reformation 
By Dr. C. Matthew McMahon 

The Swiss Reformation
By Dr. C. Matthew McMahon


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 11, 2005)

> _Originally posted by WrittenFromUtopia_
> I was about to correct Andrew, but then I realized he posted that a year ago. Oct. 31 is on a Monday this year.


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## Arch2k (Oct 11, 2005)

Looks good Matt.


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## Scot (Oct 13, 2005)

> The Way of the Heathen
> by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon



I printed this article and will give it to my ten year old daughter tomorrow. I think it will help her understand a little better why we don't celebrate halloween.


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## Scot (Oct 13, 2005)

Not that I agree with this article but I thought I'd post it to see some of your thoughts. 

Concerning Halloween

It has become routine in October for some Christian schools to send out letters warning parents about the evils of Halloween, and it has become equally routine for me to be asked questions about this matter. 

"Halloween" is simply a contraction for All Hallows' Eve. The word "hallow" means "saint," in that "hallow" is just an alternative form of the word "holy" ("hallowed be Thy name"). All Saints' Day is November 1. It is the celebration of the victory of the saints in union with Christ. The observance of various celebrations of All Saints arose in the late 300s, and these were united and fixed on November 1 in the late 700s. The origin of All Saints Day and of All Saints Eve in Mediterranean Christianity had nothing to do with Celtic Druidism or the Church's fight against Druidism (assuming there ever even was any such thing as Druidism, which is actually a myth concocted in the 19th century by neo-pagans.)

In the First Covenant, the war between God's people and God's enemies was fought on the human level against Egyptians, Assyrians, etc. With the coming of the New Covenant, however, we are told that our primary battle is against principalities and powers, against fallen angels who bind the hearts and minds of men in ignorance and fear. We are assured that through faith, prayer, and obedience, the saints will be victorious in our battle against these demonic forces. The Spirit assures us: "The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly" ( Romans 16:20).

The Festival of All Saints reminds us that though Jesus has finished His work, we have not finished ours. He has struck the decisive blow, but we have the privilege of working in the mopping up operation. Thus, century by century the Christian faith has rolled back the demonic realm of ignorance, fear, and superstition. Though things look bad in the Western world today, this work continues to make progress in Asia and Africa and Latin America.

The Biblical day begins in the preceding evening, and thus in the Church calendar, the eve of a day is the actual beginning of the festive day. Christmas Eve is most familiar to us, but there is also the Vigil of Holy Saturday that precedes Easter Morn. Similarly, All Saints' Eve precedes All Saints' Day.

The concept, as dramatized in Christian custom, is quite simple: On October 31, the demonic realm tries one last time to achieve victory, but is banished by the joy of the Kingdom. 

What is the means by which the demonic realm is vanquished? In a word: mockery. Satan's great sin (and our great sin) is pride. Thus, to drive Satan from us we ridicule him. This is why the custom arose of portraying Satan in a ridiculous red suit with horns and a tail. Nobody thinks the devil really looks like this; the Bible teaches that he is the fallen Arch-Cherub. Rather, the idea is to ridicule him because he has lost the battle with Jesus and he no longer has power over us.

(The tradition of mocking Satan and defeating him through joy and laughter plays a large role in Ray Bradbury's classic novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes, which is a Halloween novel.)

The gargoyles that were placed on the churches of old had the same meaning. They symbolized the Church ridiculing the enemy. They stick out their tongues and make faces at those who would assault the Church. Gargoyles are not demonic; they are believers ridiculing the defeated demonic army. 

Thus, the defeat of evil and of demonic powers is associated with Halloween. For this reason, Martin Luther posted his 95 challenges to the wicked practices of the Church to the bulletin board on the door of the Wittenberg chapel on Halloween. He picked his day with care, and ever since Halloween has also been Reformation Day. 

Similarly, on All Hallows' Eve (Hallow-Even - Hallow-E'en - Halloween), the custom arose of mocking the demonic realm by dressing children in costumes. Because the power of Satan has been broken once and for all, our children can mock him by dressing up like ghosts, goblins, and witches. The fact that we can dress our children this way shows our supreme confidence in the utter defeat of Satan by Jesus Christ-we have NO FEAR!

I don't have the resources to check the historical origins of all Halloween customs, and doubtless they have varied from time to time and from Christian land to Christian land. "Trick or treat" doubtless originated simply enough: something fun for kids to do. Like anything else, this custom can be perverted, and there have been times when "tricking" involved really mean actions by teenagers and was banned from some localities. 

We can hardly object, however, to children collecting candy from friends and neighbors. This might not mean much to us today, because we are so prosperous that we have candy whenever we want, but in earlier generations people were not so well off, and obtaining some candy or other treats was something special. There is no reason to pour cold water on an innocent custom like this.

Similarly, the jack-o'-lantern's origins are unknown. Hollowing out a gourd or some other vegetable, carving a face, and putting a lamp inside of it is something that no doubt has occurred quite independently to tens of thousands of ordinary people in hundreds of cultures worldwide over the centuries. Since people lit their homes with candles, decorating the candles and the candle-holders was a routine part of life designed to make the home pretty or interesting. Potatoes, turnips, beets, and any number of other items were used.

Wynn Parks writes of an incident he observed: "An English friend had managed to remove the skin of a tangerine in two intact halves. After carving eyes and nose in one hemisphere and a mouth in the other, he poured cooking oil over the pith sticking up in the lower half and lit the readymade wick. With its upper half on, the tangerine skin formed a miniature jack-o'-lantern. But my friend seemed puzzled that I should call it by that name. `What would I call it? Why a "tangerine head," I suppose.'" (Parks, "The Head of the Dead," The World & I, November 1994, p. 270.)

In the New World, people soon learned that pumpkins were admirably suited for this purpose. The jack-o'-lantern is nothing but a decoration; and the leftover pumpkin can be scraped again, roasted, and turned into pies and muffins.

In some cultures, what we call a jack-o'-lantern represented the face of a dead person, whose soul continued to have a presence in the fruit or vegetable used. But this has no particular relevance to Halloween customs. Did your mother tell you, while she carved the pumpkin, that this represented the head of a dead person and with his soul trapped inside? Of course not. Symbols and decorations, like words, mean different things in different cultures, in different languages, and in different periods of history. The only relevant question is what does it mean now, and nowadays it is only a decoration.

And even if some earlier generations did associate the jack-o'-lantern with a soul in a head, so what? They did not take it seriously. It was just part of the joking mockery of heathendom by Christian people.

This is a good place to note that many articles in books, magazines, and encyclopedias are written by secular humanists or even the pop-pagans of the so-called "New Age" movement. (An example is the article by Wynn Parks cited above.) These people actively suppress the Christian associations of historic customs, and try to magnify the pagan associations. They do this to try and make paganism acceptable and to downplay Christianity. Thus, Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc., are said to have pagan origins. Not true.

Oddly, some fundamentalists have been influenced by these slanted views of history. These fundamentalists do not accept the humanist and pagan rewriting of Western history, American history, and science, but sometimes they do accept the humanist and pagan rewriting of the origins of Halloween and Christmas, the Christmas tree, etc. We can hope that in time these brethren will reexamine these matters as well. We ought not to let the pagans do our thinking for us.

Nowadays, children often dress up as superheroes, and the original Christian meaning of Halloween has been absorbed into popular culture. Also, with the present fad of "designer paganism" in the so-called New Age movement, some Christians are uneasy with dressing their children as spooks. So be it. But we should not forget that originally Halloween was a Christian custom, and there is no solid reason why Christians cannot enjoy it as such even today.

"He who sits in the heavens laughs; Yahweh ridicules them" says Psalm 2. Let us join in His holy laughter, and mock the enemies of Christ on October 31.

James B. Jordan


Mr. Jordan writes several newsletters including Biblical Horizons, Biblical Chronology, Open Book and Rite Reasons. The above article appeared in the August, 1996 issue of the Open Book Newsletter. For more information on Biblical Horizons please visit www.biblicalhorizons.com.


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## fredtgreco (Oct 13, 2005)

Matt, Matt, Matt...

Don't you realize how wonderful and Christian Halloween is? How wonderfully helpful the Church calendar is, and in particular Halloween?

How Halloween is simply a mockery that is a way to show the victory of the gospel? How all the witches, ghosts, blood, fires and ghoulishness is simply a way to show Christianity?

Well, I suppose you didn't. Maybe you should spend more time reading that paragon of Reformedom - Jim Jordan:

http://www.ransomfellowship.org/D_Halloween.html


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## Scot (Oct 13, 2005)

> Matt, Matt, Matt...
> 
> Don't you realize how wonderful and Christian Halloween is? How wonderfully helpful the Church calendar is, and in particular Halloween?
> 
> ...





Thanks for the link Fred. A friend sent me the article in an e-mail so I couldn't post a link.


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## Saiph (Oct 13, 2005)

*sarkizein to derma*, does not hallow us either, those who are robed in the righteousness of Christ.

I often wonder if some of the ministers mocked here on PB ever read these posts.


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## fredtgreco (Oct 13, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Scot_
> 
> 
> > Matt, Matt, Matt...
> ...







Dan,

You mean you do not believe that Jordan is the greatest exegetical and theological giant of the 20th and 21st centuries??!!??

You mean you are not blown away by his "kingdom speak" ??!!??

Wow.

Sarastically yours,


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## Pilgrim (Oct 14, 2005)

> You mean you do not believe that Jordan is the greatest exegetical and theological giant of the 20th and 21st centuries??!!??
> 
> You mean you are not blown away by his "kingdom speak" ??!!??
> 
> ...




Fred (and others), have you seen the latest BH, where Jordan calls those opposed to FV "the liberal party" in the PCA?


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## Bladestunner316 (Oct 14, 2005)

oh boy


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## Poimen (Oct 14, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Pilgrim_
> 
> 
> > You mean you do not believe that Jordan is the greatest exegetical and theological giant of the 20th and 21st centuries??!!??
> ...



http://www.biblicalhorizons.com/bh/bh177.htm



[Edited on 10-14-2005 by poimen]


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 14, 2005)

Bushes and trees in our neighborhood have been decorated with orange Halloween lights for about a month now.


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## Scot (Oct 14, 2005)

> Bushes and trees in our neighborhood have been decorated with orange Halloween lights for about a month now.



Wow. You should consider yourself lucky to live in such a godly neighborhood! Don't you know that those lights are representative of the gospel?

(sorry, Fred's sarcasm must be rubbing off on me)


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## Puddleglum (Oct 15, 2005)

Honest question here:

Can someone explain the difference between the "don't practice Halloween because it's associated with this bad stuff" argument (which is what I think I'm hearing here) and the "don't listen to rock music because it's associated with bad stuff" argument (which seems to not be a popular position here)? 

Thanks,

-Jessica

[Edited on 10-15-2005 by Puddleglum]


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## WrittenFromUtopia (Oct 15, 2005)

What's next? Aborting babies to show some picture of the Christian faith? I don't think so. I'll leave Halloween and other holy days to the pagans and papists.


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## sola_gratia (Oct 15, 2005)

Some christians I know are having a party on halloween, and I know people will be dressing up and all that. They want me to come, and I don't know if I should. What do you think? I told them I won't be dressing up if I do, but that I am still thinking about whether or not I am going to come.

[Edited on 10-15-2005 by sola_gratia]


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## WrittenFromUtopia (Oct 15, 2005)

> _Originally posted by sola_gratia_
> Some christians I know are having a party on halloween, and I know people will be dressing up and all that. They want me to come, and I don't know if I should. What do you think? I told them I won't be dressing up if I do, but that I am still thinking about whether or not I am going to come.
> 
> [Edited on 10-15-2005 by sola_gratia]



Dress up as the pope. It only seems appropriate.


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 15, 2005)

Christians should take a stand against all things that are representations of evil. Halloween is a day that devil worshippers and witches hold dear. It is only right that we reject the day and all things that are associated with it.

I have no problem with having a Christian party on that day celebrating the reformation. It would give believers an opportunity to glorify Christ and pray for the world.


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 15, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Puddleglum_
> Honest question here:
> 
> Can someone explain the difference between the "don't practice Halloween because it's associated with this bad stuff" argument (which is what I think I'm hearing here) and the "don't listen to rock music because it's associated with bad stuff" argument (which seems to not be a popular position here)?
> ...



Jessica,
Halloween is directly associated with evil. Music, per se, is not. However, I know there are many music groups that subscribe to the worship of devils. I suggest, for the believer to as well, reject those whom hold evil and the devil dear.


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## Gregg (Oct 15, 2005)

Does anybody know what the pumpkin symbolizes with halloween (other than it being harvested in the fall)? Or is that mainly it?


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 15, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Gregg_
> Does anybody know what the pumpkin symbolizes with halloween (other than it being harvested in the fall)? Or is that mainly it?



from what i have heard, it is a lantern of sorts. Likened to a lighthouse for demons. It directs them where to go.


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## WrittenFromUtopia (Oct 15, 2005)

That would make the Smashing Pumpkins a Postmillennial band name, then?


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 15, 2005)

> _Originally posted by WrittenFromUtopia_
> That would make the Smashing Pumpkins a Postmillennial band name, then?



They are anti-halloweenies!


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## sola_gratia (Oct 15, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Gregg_
> Does anybody know what the pumpkin symbolizes with halloween (other than it being harvested in the fall)? Or is that mainly it?




Halloween:The way of the heathen


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## Scott Bushey (Oct 15, 2005)

Quoted from the above link:



> Jack-o'-lanterns were originally carved from large turnips. The Celts carried these carved lanterns through their villages in an attempt to ward off evil spirits. Later, Irish folklore resulted in a tale explaining the use of "œjack-o'-lanterns": a man named Jack tricked the devil into climbing a tree. Once the devil was in the tree, Jack carved a cross on the trunk, "œpreventing" the devil from coming down. The devil then made a deal with Jack promising to keep him out of hell after he died if only he would remove the cross from the tree. After Jack died, he could not go to hell, and he was not allowed to enter into heaven. He was forced to wander around the earth with a single candle to light his way. The candle was placed in a turnip to keep it burning longer. When the Irish came to America in the 1800's (during the potato famine), they adopted the pumpkin instead of the turnip. Along with these traditions, they brought the idea that the black cat was considered by some to be reincarnated spirits who had prophetic abilities.


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## turmeric (Oct 15, 2005)

It's not the pumpkin itself but the carved face on it - it's to scare away the dead, I think.


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## Peter (Oct 15, 2005)

> _Originally posted by WrittenFromUtopia_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by sola_gratia_
> ...



I'll wait for Nov. 5th.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 15, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Scott Bushey_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by Puddleglum_
> ...



 I would also note that Halloween originated as a religious holiday --whether in honor of Samhain (pagan) or All Hallow's Eve (Roman Catholic) -- and religious holidays can never be adiaphora like music, etc. Simply apply the Regulative Principle of Worship to Halloween -- holiday that is acknowledged by most to honor the Satanic -- and see whether there is any Biblical warrant to observe the rituals associated with this holiday.


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## Puddleglum (Oct 16, 2005)

Andrew,

You mentioned that Hallooween was originally a religious holiday (both pagan & RC). Does this mean that it is necessarily a religious observance today - why? Obviously, if it is intrinsically an act of worship, it's wrong. But I don't see how my 8-year-old (hypothetical) neighbour who dresses up as a pirate and goes trick-or-treating is worshipping pagan deities or saints anymore than he would be worshipping God if he were to attend a liberal church on Easter with his aunt. 
Also, how does the RPW apply? 

Scott,

Some music obviously worships the devil. Some obviously doesn't. And there's some that it's not obvious. 
Some people celebrate Halloween in a way that obviously worships the devil. Some people engage in activities related to Halloween in a way that, at least to me, obviously doesn't - I knew a couple of guys from church who got together last year to carve pumpkins. It wasn't related to devil-worship. And there are some people who do some things that it isn't that obvious quite what they're really doing. 
I'm still struggling to see the difference. The only argument that I can think of for something such as carving pumpkins being necessarily wrong, is that it has been, at times, associated with bad stuff. But do you say that anything that has ever been associated with something sinful is now necessarily wrong? 
Back to music . . . I've been told that there is backtracking in some bands songs (i.e. Led Zepplin) which your brain can supposedly pick up, and that the backtracking is devil-worship. I still enjoy Led Zepplin. Do you see that as wrong? (I'm trying to figure out where you're coming from). 
Also, a lot of music, while not celebrating devil-worship, celebrates worship of many other things other than God. worshipping anything other than God is sinful - so would you think that that is also "off-limits"? 
(Sorry if I'm turning this into a music thread!)
Maybe I'm not explaining the similarities that I see between the music arguments & the Halloween arguments . . . and maybe this is somewhat semantics. Are you saying that if you are celebrating Halloween, then you are worshipping the devil (and thus, if you are not worshipping the devil, you are not celebrating Halloween)? If that's the case, semantics may be part of the issue - I tend to think of celebrating Halloween as doing anything that has become culturally related to that date (such as pumpkin-carving), even if its not worshipping the devil (or saints, if you're RC).


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 16, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Puddleglum_
> Andrew,
> 
> You mentioned that Hallooween was originally a religious holiday (both pagan & RC). Does this mean that it is necessarily a religious observance today - why? Obviously, if it is intrinsically an act of worship, it's wrong. But I don't see how my 8-year-old (hypothetical) neighbour who dresses up as a pirate and goes trick-or-treating is worshipping pagan deities or saints anymore than he would be worshipping God if he were to attend a liberal church on Easter with his aunt.
> Also, how does the RPW apply?



I think what you are suggesting is that by simply calling a religious holiday "secular" (or letting "culture" do so over time) it loses its religious association. Granting for the sake of argument that this is possible -- which I do not in fact believe -- I would then ask the person who wants to go "trick-or-treating" why does he want to do this? What is he "celebrating" or "observing" exactly? If dressing up as a pirate to get candy is the ultimate goal, then why pick a day set apart by pagans for the worship of the devil or the Catholics for prayers for the dead? Why the need to "trick" people or scare people? It is just good harmless fun to obtain as much candy as possible from people? It this wholesome activity or gluttonous? If a young person wants to have fun in a wholesome way on this day why not observe the annual commemoration of Reformation Day (which is not a religious holiday but a civil holiday, a distinction of crucial importance, I might add)? Halloween is, as I mentioned, acknowledged by most today to be a traditional holiday for the celebration of that which is occultic and evil. Why would Christians want to partake of an evil holiday? The customs are not so innocent really. If someone wants to dress up as a pirate on the grounds that they have the Christian liberty to do so, then I will grant that dressing up as a pirate per se is not evil, but to do so to participate in an evil holiday makes it a religious act, whether the person is conscious of the fact or not. 

The fact remains October 31 is _still_ a date that pagans and Catholics set apart on the church calendars for religious observances that are unBiblical. Walk into a pagan or Catholic church on that date and see that the ancient religious observance is still going on (on second thought, don't walk into such churches). It has never stopped being a religious holiday to the people who invented the holiday and who continue its traditions and observances to the present day. That makes it a religious holiday whether atheists and agnostics (and Christians) want to partake of the traditions and rites or not. That being the case, religious holidays must be tested by the RPW, and there is indeed no warrant for such a religious holiday.

The Westminster Assembly's Directory for the Publick Worship of God was very conscious of the church calendar espoused by the Roman Church (and others) and -- on the grounds of the Regulative Principle of Worship -- banished all such holidays that lacked Scriptural warrant. That leaves only one religious holiday for Christians to observe -- the Lord's Day. 



> AN APPENDIX,
> Touching Days and Places for Publick Worship.
> THERE is no day commanded in scripture to be kept holy under the gospel but the Lord's day, which is the Christian Sabbath.
> 
> ...



[Edited on 10-16-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]


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## Puddleglum (Oct 18, 2005)

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> I think what you are suggesting is that by simply calling a religious holiday "secular" (or letting "culture" do so over time) it loses its religious association.



Yeah . . . letting "culture" remove some of the religious associations over time. 



> Granting for the sake of argument that this is possible -- which I do not in fact believe . . .



Okay - out of curiousity (and if it isn't too far off the point), why would you disagree?



> . . . I would then ask the person who wants to go "trick-or-treating" why does he want to do this? What is he "celebrating" or "observing" exactly? If dressing up as a pirate to get candy is the ultimate goal, then why pick a day set apart by pagans for the worship of the devil or the Catholics for prayers for the dead? Why the need to "trick" people or scare people? It is just good harmless fun to obtain as much candy as possible from people? It this wholesome activity or gluttonous?



Yes, Halloween can be wrong. 

Possible reasons a person could want to do it - to get candy, to have fun doing it with friends, because they're bored, because it's the "thing" to do . . . not necesarily because they're thinking of worshipping the devil. 

Yes, there could be other reasons why it could be wrong - such as greed, gluttony. 

But isn't it a possibility that a person could have ok reasons for doing that?



> If a young person wants to have fun in a wholesome way on this day why not observe the annual commemoration of Reformation Day?



If they have that option . . . (btw, I've never been trick-or-treating, and think that Reformation Day parties can be good fun). 



> (which is not a religious holiday but a civil holiday, a distinction of crucial importance, I might add)



So you're saying that if something is a "civil holiday" it can be okay, but if it's a "religious holiday" then it's not possible for it to be okay? How come? 



> Halloween is, as I mentioned, acknowledged by most today to be a traditional holiday for the celebration of that which is occultic and evil. Why would Christians want to partake of an evil holiday? The customs are not so innocent really. If someone wants to dress up as a pirate on the grounds that they have the Christian liberty to do so, then I will grant that dressing up as a pirate per se is not evil, but to do so to participate in an evil holiday makes it a religious act, whether the person is conscious of the fact or not.



I guess where I'm not following you is that I don't get how the fact that _some_ people celebrating Halloween in a sinful way makes it intrinsically sinful for everyone, whether or not they intend to worship pagans or saints. 



> The fact remains October 31 is _still_ a date that pagans and Catholics set apart on the church calendars for religious observances that are unBiblical.



Agree. 



> Walk into a pagan or Catholic church on that date and see that the ancient religious observance is still going on (on second thought, don't walk into such churches).







> It has never stopped being a religious holiday to the people who invented the holiday and who continue its traditions and observances to the present day.



Agree. 



> That makes it a religious holiday whether atheists and agnostics (and Christians) want to partake of the traditions and rites or not.



This is where I'm not following you. 



> That being the case, religious holidays must be tested by the RPW, and there is indeed no warrant for such a religious holiday.
> 
> The Westminster Assembly's Directory for the Publick Worship of God was very conscious of the church calendar espoused by the Roman Church (and others) and -- on the grounds of the Regulative Principle of Worship -- banished all such holidays that lacked Scriptural warrant. That leaves only one religious holiday for Christians to observe -- the Lord's Day.
> 
> ...



Sunday is the only "holy day" - yes, I agree. The church doesn't get to make more "holy days" - agree. Halloween should not be a "holy day" - agree. And if Halloween falls on a Sunday, I would agree that Christians shouldn't celebrate it, because I don't think that celebrating Halloween and celebrating the Sabbath go together. 

I don't see how if some non-Christians say that a certain day is a "holy day" we have to grant them the privilidge of getting to call a certain day a "holy day". They aren't treating it as a true holy day (i.e. the Sabbath). We know that it isn't a holy day. So why should we worry about unbelievers calling a day something that it isn't, when they can't even pretend to have any authority to do so? 

Thanks (& sorry for my delay in replying - life is crazy!),


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 18, 2005)

Jessica,

I understand about crazy schedules, believe me! No problem. 

I'll try again to explain what I am getting at about Halloween. There are several issues at play here. We agree that Halloween started as a religious holiday by pagans and/or Roman Catholics. We agree that it is still considered such by the people that invented the holidays. From their perspective it is a matter of Satanic, occultic or superstitious religious observance (for pagans it is an 'unholy' day, for Catholics it is a 'holy day'). We also agree that there is one holy day appointed by God's Word, and no one has the warrant to invent new religious holidays (based on the RPW). 

Where our views may start to diverge is whether "secular culture" is the final arbiter on whether the holiday can be celebrated or observed in such a way that those doing so are not partaking of a religious holiday. First of all, as I tried to make clear, it is not as if a majority of Americans agree that Halloween is a non-religious holiday. Most people, I think, acknowledge that Halloween is a celebration of the supernatural. The cultural fascination with ghouls, witches and goblins, I think, proves that. In Detroit, it is celebrated as "Devil's Night."

I tried to point out that those who invented the holiday still consider it to be a religious holiday because I think it is not up to individuals outside of pagan or Catholics circles to decide whether something like Halloween is religious or secular. That would be like me trying to partake of the rituals associated with Passover or Ramadan and doing so on the grounds that I can say those holidays have become secularized in the West and therefore it doesn't matter what their origins are or whether large numbers of people today consider them religious holidays, it only matters what my secular culture or my opinion has to say about it. Holidays don't work that way. Religious holidays are religious because their purpose is to honor God (or demons) in a special way. That is their _raison d'etre_. We can't just appropriate days consecrated by other religions (paganism, Catholicism, Islam, etc.) and partake of their rituals and claim that our conduct is innocent of their false religious beliefs. The Christian can and should recognize that every day is created by God and belongs to him, not to false gods, and likewise God created the food that is "sacrificed" to idols (in this case, candy). We can and should point this out and demonstrate our Christian liberty whereby we have been set free from being beholden to the superstitions associated with the day. Being set free from those superstitions means that we will not partake of those rituals. It does not make the candy unholy in itself -- it is not what goes into the mouth that makes us unclean but what comes out of the heart -- but that doesn't mean we can act as if we are free to celebrate a Satanic holiday in the name of Christian liberty. If a person wants to dress up and eat candy (in moderation) let them do so in a way that manifests their liberty in Christ, not being a slave to the day. For example, have a costume party in September. Take advantage of the Reformation day festivities. But when a Christian says "I want to celebrate Halloween in the name of Christian liberty" then I consider that to be a contradictory statement. We have been set free from celebrating religious days not appointed in God's Word. I have the liberty to eat a lamb and engage in other activities associated with Passover. But if I do it on the day that Jews celebrate their annual observance my activities will be become intertwined with theirs and thus a religious observance regardless of my claims otherwise. My protestations will ring hollow, no matter if I am acting out of ignorance or boredom or some other misguided or naive motive. If I abstain from fish on Fridays like traditional Roman Catholics still do today, I am intertwining my own activities with a false religious observance. If I light a bonfire to celebrate Devil's Night, it will be understood that I am partaking of a Satanic holiday. If I light a bonfire in celebration of Guy Fawke's Night, it will be understood that I am celebrating the historical commemoration of a providential deliverance from Popish schemes of domination.

The Fourth Commandment teaches us to 1) keep the Lord's Day holy 2) working in some manner on the other six days of the week, and 3) _not_ observing other so-called 'holy days.' All Hallow's Eve falls into that latter category. The Second Commandment teaches us that whatever in the worship of God is not commanded is forbidden. Neither of those commandments allows us to pick and choose rituals from false religious holidays and partake them as we wish in the name of celebrating false religious holidays in a secular manner. 

Candy and costumes are not the issue. Occultic and Catholic superstitions are the issue. They are the reasons for the rituals. Christians are taught to 'learn not the way of the heathen.' Yes, October 31 is good (which is why we can have our own wholesome fun in celebrating Reformation Day or else observing the Lord's Day); yes, candy is good, which is why it's cool for Christians to take advantage of after Halloween sales  ; yes, costumes are fun, which is why I propose costume parties. But when those rituals -- not to mention other unwholesome activities -- are partaken of with the specific intent of celebrating Halloween -- a holiday acknowledged to celebrate the supernatural in an unBiblical way -- then all those rituals are indivisible from the false religions with which the day is associated. 

Now, about the distinction between "religious" and "civil" holidays. Some days like the Fourth of July are instituted by the civil magistrate. There is nothing religious about it. Yet, Christians may lawfully observe such days if there is nothing sinful required of them. Religious holidays are of a different character because when something is religious it is either Biblical or not Biblical. Biblical religious holidays are those commanded by God's Word and that is only true today of the Lord's Day. Purim is an example of a civil holiday in Scripture. It is used by the Westminster Assembly as justification for the right of magistrates to call for special days of celebration (like our Thanksgiving). But when the Pope invokes his authority to "consecrate" a day like Easter or Christ-mass or All Soul's Day, then such holidays are by their very nature religious. It does not matter if some people observe them without going to church, the Westminster Assembly says that such festivals, vulgarly called holy-days, having no warrant in the word of God, are not to be continued. True Christian liberty in such cases is not about partaking of the rituals associated with those days, but rather forsaking the rituals associated with those days. 

So, again, bottom line: candy in moderation = good, costumes = fun, civil holidays = generally lawful, religous holidays = need Biblical warrant to partake of them, if there is none than those rituals should be shunned in the excercise of our Christian liberty. We should not be beholden to engage in lawful activities on a day that is superstitiously observed. If we want to celebrate something, let's celebrate Reformation Day or the Lord's Day. We should not partake of Satanic or Catholic holidays in the name of Christian liberty. We should rather pray about and testify against this wicked superstitious holiday.



> December 10, Session 17, 1638.
> 
> And next in particular, concerning festival days findeth that in the explication of the first head of the first book of discipline it was thought good that the feasts of Christmas, Circumcision, Epiphany, with the feasts of the Apostles, Martyrs and Virgin Mary be utterly abolished because they are neither commanded nor warranted by Scripture and that such as observe them be punished by Civil Magistrates. *Here utter abolition is craved and not reformation of abuses only and that because the observation of such feasts have no warrant from the word of God.* (The Acts of the General Assemblies of the Church of Scotland, pp. 37-38)




[Edited on 10-18-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]


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## Saiph (Oct 18, 2005)

I disagree with all of you. Halloween is not satanic. It is just cheesy.

The best argument for not celebrating it in my opinion is not the catholic origin, or witch-hunter paranoia misinformed occult label of "satanic", but because it is just plain ridiculous.

We are called to love God with our whole mind. So how can you be excercising that love when wearing red tights and rubber horns begging door to door for candy ?

I will close with the words of a fifth grade friend of mine, that made me never want to celebrate it again (and hopefully I won't get banned) :

"Dude, your going to dress up and go trick-or-treating ? ? That is so totally gay."


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## Puddleglum (Oct 19, 2005)

Mark,
LOL.  

Andrew,
So you're saying that celebrating Halloween would be like fasting during Ramadan? Though I'm not sure if fasting during Ramadan would be wrong - though it would be confusing if people knew that I was fasting; they'd assume I was a Muslim. 
You said that "all those rituals are indivisible from the false religions with which the day is associated". I could make a division in my head. Is the point that people who see me won't be able to tell?
On religious v. civil holidays - I'm getting confused, because while Catholicism, for example, is a religion, the Pope is just another person, and he doesn't have any authority to change the status of a day. People may think differently - but if he said that the Sabbath was now Wednesday - so what? I'd still keep Sunday as the Sabbath. And I'd still go to RUF (which is very similar to a worship service, except that we don't have a call to worship - I'm assuming since it's Wednesday not Sunday) on Wednesday, even though it might look like I was going to church cause the Pope said Wednesday was now a holy day. But I'd know that Wednesday wasn't a holy day. 
I guess I'm wondering why I should worry about people calling certain days "holy". They may think they are - but I know they aren't - so should I try to make it obvious that I know they aren't just to try to not confuse people? (For the same reason that I wouldn't wear my rainbow-colored T-shirt in Seattle on Gay Pride Day; there's nothing wrong with doing it, but it could definately confuse people & end up really embarassing me).


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 19, 2005)

Jessica,

The people who dress up and go trick-or-treating for Halloween intend to celebrate a holiday. It is a religious holiday whether they confine themselves only to the outward, non-overtly religious aspects of it or whether they don't even think about what they are doing, which is the case for many Americans today, I'm sure. It is a holiday devoted to the celebration of the supernatural without Biblical warrant. Yes, how other people view your activities is a reason to avoid the appearance of evil. But the Puritan argument against participating in false religious holidays is grounded in the Biblical truth that only one religious holiday is commanded for us to observe, the Lord's Day.


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## Puddleglum (Oct 19, 2005)

Okay. 

So why is it a religious holiday even if people "don't even think about what they are doing"? Are you saying that it's still a religious holiday because other people think that it is / created it to be one?


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 19, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Puddleglum_
> Okay.
> 
> So why is it a religious holiday even if people "don't even think about what they are doing"? Are you saying that it's still a religious holiday because other people think that it is / created it to be one?



People can go to church and go through the motions of religious worship without thinking of what they are doing or why. This is merely partaking of rituals in a vain manner. It is religious, but the acts are vain. Likewise, when people go through the motions of celebrating a religious holiday like Halloween without consciously trying to worship the devil, whose holiday it is, they are nevertheless partaking of the rituals of a false religious holiday in a vain manner.

There is no reason to partake of the rituals of a Satanic holiday. Christians are told to abstain from false religious rituals throughout the Scriptures (see Deut. 12.30, for example). Matt's article covers this very well, I think.

[Edited on 10-19-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]


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## ChristopherPaul (Oct 20, 2005)

Halloween: A Distinctly Christian Holiday

< woops, the article was already linked and quoted >



[Edited on 10-20-2005 by ChristopherPaul]


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## pduggan (Oct 20, 2005)

If basicaly nobody (except neopagans who have a vested interest in spoiling innocent fun) views dressing up in a costume as 

1. Giving them 'good luck'
2. honoring to any diety, real or imagined
3. honoring or celebrating the subject of their costume if it is associated with things considered threatening by the superstitious(*)

then I don't see how the claim that haloween represents a religious celebration or a celebration of supernatural evil is at all credible. It strikes me as a form of supestition itself.

Caspar the Friendly Ghost is not a 'celebration' of supernatural evil.

Count Chocula cereal is not a breakfast food that attacks the noahic prohibition on drinking blood.

(*) this has to be qualified because there can be many reasons for a particular costume choice. Kids dress up as batman or cinderella because they like imagining they are batman or cinderella because those are 'cool'. Kids do not dress up as ghosts or vampires for the same reasons, I suspect. They do so because its fun to pretend to be "scary". When mom pretends to jump at junior with a bedsheet going "boo", the child is amused. It doesn't mean he's celebrating the supernatural.

And wierd adults might dress up in costumes that do represent the wearers interest in promoting his own sinfulness, such as the typical slutty costumes that teen or older girls might wear around haloween(see Mean Girls for the skinny on that), but that doesn't alter the intent and meaning behind the choice of costume for small children.

[Edited on 10-20-2005 by pduggan]


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## Saiph (Oct 20, 2005)

Paul,

When we have a great Christian celebration of the Reformation on the same day, why bother with Halloween ?

While everyone is outside running around in costumes of demons, and ghouls, and villians, my friends and family will be inside singing the words of Luther in juxtaposition to the heathen festivities.

Though devils all the world should fill,
All eager to devour us,
We tremble not, we fear no ill,
They shall not overpower us.
This world´s prince may still
Scowl fierce as he will,
He can harm us none,
He´s judged; the deed is done´
One little world can fell him.

[Edited on 10-20-2005 by Saiph]


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## pduggan (Oct 20, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Saiph_While everyone is outside running around in costumes of demons, and ghouls, and villians, my friends and family will be inside singing the words of Luther in juxtaposition to the heathen festivities.
> [Edited on 10-20-2005 by Saiph]



Isn't that rather insular? Is the reformation just for tight little groups huddled in homes (seemingly) in fear of contamination from people doing stuff that is pretending to be like things that are partially maybe associated with goofed on versions of evil (several steps removed here).

I like this quote from Justin Taylor (quoting Tim Challies)


> I am guessing my neighbourhood is all-too-typical in that most people arrive home from work and immediately drive their cars into the garage. More often than not they do not emerge again until the next morning when they leave for work once more. It would be a terrible breach of Canadian social etiquette for me to knock on a person's door and ask them for a small gift or even just to say "hello" to them. Yet on Halloween this barriers all come down. I have the opportunity to greet every person in the neighbourhood. I have the opportunity to introduce myself to the family who moved in just down the street a few weeks ago and to greet some other people I have not seen for weeks or months. At the same time, those people's children will come knocking on my door. We have two possible responses. We can turn the lights out and sit inside, seeking to shelter ourselves from the pagan influence of the little Harry Potters, Batmans and ballerinas, or we can greet them, gush over them, and make them feel welcome. We can prove ourselves to be the family who genuinelly cares about our neighbours, or we can be the family who shows that we want to interact with them only on our terms.


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## Saiph (Oct 20, 2005)

> Isn't that rather insular? Is the reformation just for tight little groups huddled in homes (seemingly) in fear of contamination from people doing stuff that is pretending to be like things that are partially maybe associated with goofed on versions of evil (several steps removed here).



One night a year to celebrate the Reformation is hardly insular. 
I am not saying to hide away from the world all the time. But if MardiGras is going outside of my window, you bet I am staying inside.



> or we can be the family who shows that we want to interact with them only on our terms.



Or we can be the family who shows that we want to interact with them only on *Christ's* terms.

[Edited on 10-20-2005 by Saiph]


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## pduggan (Oct 20, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Saiph_
> But if MardiGras is going outside of my window, you bet I am staying inside.



See i don't see them as equivalent. You have rampaging drunks and girls flashing their private parts on halloween, sure then don't pariticpate.

My neighborhood it's not at all like that.


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## Saiph (Oct 20, 2005)

Fair enough Paul. It is not sexual debauchery, but it is pagan idolatry. So how about a gay pride parade going down your street ? 

Would you pass out water bottles to the marchers ?


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## heartoflesh (Oct 20, 2005)

deleted-- moved to new thread

[Edited on 10-20-2005 by Rick Larson]


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## Puddleglum (Oct 20, 2005)

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> This is merely partaking of rituals in a vain manner.
> . . .
> There is no reason to partake of the rituals of a Satanic holiday. Christians are told to abstain from false religious rituals throughout the Scriptures (see Deut. 12.30, for example).



Hmm . . . I'll have to think about that! Thanks, Andrew.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 20, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Puddleglum_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> ...



You're welcome, Jessica. God bless!


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## pduggan (Oct 20, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Saiph_
> Fair enough Paul. It is not sexual debauchery, but it is pagan idolatry. So how about a gay pride parade going down your street ?
> 
> Would you pass out water bottles to the marchers ?



Not at all.

I also don't see any second commandment violations. Nobody is burning incense, or bowing to statues, or slaughtering animals on altars, or kissing icons.

They're wearing goofy costumes. Where is that a sin?


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## Saiph (Oct 20, 2005)

> I also don't see any second commandment violations. Nobody is burning incense, or bowing to statues, or slaughtering animals on altars, or kissing icons.



Anything not done in faith is sin remember.

He that is not for me is against me.

And didn't the Beatitudes reveal that idolatry is a heart attitude, not just prostration before a statue ? ?


Brother, you have the liberty to do whatever you want on Halloween.
It falls on a Monday this year. :bigsmile:

I personally want to contrast the inane celebrations and trick-or-treating with a thanksgiving party for the reformation.

If you choose to evangelize your neighbors, great, and seriously, my prayers are with you.

I think I will save that for the other 300+ days of the year.

[Edited on 10-21-2005 by Saiph]


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## Peters (Oct 28, 2005)

> I disagree with all of you. Halloween is not satanic. It is just cheesy.
> 
> The best argument for not celebrating it in my opinion is not the catholic origin, or witch-hunter paranoia misinformed occult label of "satanic", but because it is just plain ridiculous.
> 
> ...



Brilliant"¦and I cracked up too. 





> Anything not done in faith is sin remember.
> 
> He that is not for me is against me.
> 
> ...



I agree with you, brother.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 28, 2005)

Suicide mistaken for Halloween decoration


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## Plimoth Thom (Oct 28, 2005)

Many of the practices of the modern American celebration of halloween can be traced to the Puritan New England celebration of Pope's Day, Nov. 5th.

On Pope's Day, large rolling stages would be built which were pushed through the streets at night. On the stage were usually large lanterns on which were scrawled "uncouth figures and rhyms," (in Portsmouth, instead of lanterns, carved pumpkins were used), a mimic Pope, monks, friars and other hated figures like Admiral Byng, and a large Old Nick with tail, horns and pitchfork. These figures could be worked like marionettes. Dancing around on the stage as it rolled through the streets were boys dressed in tarred and feathered coats to represent the Devil's imps. They would play with cards (the Devil's picturebook) on the Bible and kiss the Pope. The procession beating their popes drums and blowing their whistles and horns would stop at affluent houses throughout the city where they would recieve food and drink, or the purser would collect money for food and liquor. If such were denied, retribution could be expected from the mob, hence our "trick or treat." Throughout the night the procession would be followed by a large crowd of men and boys, which would eventually end with a large bonfire and the Pope would be burned along with much of the stage and anything else flamable that could be found nearby. In the smaller towns the celebration was mostly harmless. But in Boston the two rival North and South gangs each had their own Popes and they would meet on the bridge across Mill Creek (the dividing line between North End and South) and do battle for the other side's Pope. Rocks and paving stones were thrown, clubs and cudgels swung, and it was not uncommon for men to be injured or killed in these Pope's Day battles. Eventually one side would get their Pope across the bridge and then both gangs would proceed peacefully to Boston Neck and burn their Popes in a huge bonfire.

[Edited on 10-28-2005 by Plimoth Thom]


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