Yesterday was an anniversary, one that is important to everybody that is reading this. On October 29, 1969, the very first message was sent on ARPANET from Room 3420 in Boelter Hall at UCLA to Stanford Research Center. The type of message was based on the work of British engineer Donald Davies and American Paul Baran. One could say the test was successful. Today we know ARPANET’s successor as the internet.
More at Fast Company.
The AdaptiveCurmudgeon had a dream (or something) about last weekend and it’s impossible to give you an excerpt because it makes as much or more sense than Washington last weekend. Go there, read it. It’s funny. You’ll laugh out loud.
My main point today comes from Holly Scheer at The Federalist.
Christians, it’s time to have a heart to heart about the way we’re letting pagans claim our celebrations. For too long we’ve let the secular world redefine our traditions, rewrite history, and steal our holidays. It’s time to put a stop to it.
Halloween is a sad victim of this revisionist attack on Christianity. Some would have you think that this day is passed down from ancient times, steeped in pagan lore, sacred to civilizations lost to time. That it’s worldly and cool to trick or treat, visit terrifying and over-the-top haunted houses, and Christians need to mind their own business about how grotesque the day’s observances can get.
After all, what do lame, prudish Christians even know about fun or Halloween? Nothing, right?
This isn’t the truth, though. Christians used to do Halloween far better than pagans, and it’s not too late for Christians to remember this and start taking Halloween back.
She’s correct, of course, and she’s also right that we should be taking it back.
The early church didn’t shy away from the idea of dying in and for the faith. Early Christians understood the sad truth that they could, and often would, die for their beliefs, and recounting the stories of fellow martyrs served as an encouragement and an opportunity to strengthen the hearer’s faith. It makes perfect sense that they would remember the deaths of their loved ones and notable figures in Christianity.
Christianity has long celebrated a holiday commemorating the saints who have gone before us: All Saints Day. All Saints Day (or All Hallows Day, where the name Halloween comes from), starting at sundown on October 31. Those familiar with either the Old Testament or Judaism will recognize the start of the feast coming at sunset.
The day itself is filled with church, remembering faithful Christians who have gone before us into Heaven and are sorely missed, and spending time with loved ones who surround us in this life. The trick or treating that we still see today goes back to when children in medieval Europe (1300-1500) went door to door, asking for food or other gifts in exchange for prayer.
There’s obviously nothing pagan or evil about children praying, and attempting to link this to Samhain is misguided at best, and dishonest for those who do due diligence. The honest weight of historical records rests with these being Christian traditions, and not even from Celtic areas. These are not derivatives from Samhain and never have been.
Again correct. It is such an important holiday (which comes from Holy Day, remember) in our churches that it marks the start of pretty much all western churches year.
You know, we’ve been steamrollered pretty much on Christmas, which has become a grotesque effort to make Chinese slave drivers rich, that few remember that it is the birthday of a poor Jewish carpenter (although like the British Queen’s official birthday, it is probably not really the day Jesus was born).
In many ways, we’ve lost sight of the reason for Easter itself, the crucified and risen Lord. You’ll note that Islam hasn’t, they still like crucifying Christians. But our secular society thinks it’s about eggs and cute bunnies. I have nothing bad to say about eggs and cute bunnies, but the day is far more important than that. So is Christmas, and so is All Saints’ Day Eve.
It’s about time we all stood up for our Holy Days, and remember why we call them that. Nor would it hurt to remember our friends and family that we will see again on the other side.