Pat Robertson says Halloween is the day when ‘millions of children…celebrate Satan’

a reply to: Gryphon66

Well, seeing as Satan is as real as Santa Claus and the Tooth fairy... then nope, children are not worshiping Satan on Halloween!

I had an acquaintance on facebook, a nice lady I met when I went to college. She was a newborn Christian, an evangelist. Yesterday she posted this on facebook:

"In this house we will not celebrate Halloween as it is a Pagan tradition and we only celebrate Christian festivities".

To which I commented:

"Did you know that Christmas is actually an ancient pagan tradition that Catholics converted into a Christian celebration in the middle ages?"

...she has now deleted me from facebook.... ~rolls eyes~

a reply to: Agartha

So much for "the truth shall set you free" eh?

Aside from my growing suspicions about what Mr. Robertson is really doing with these seemingly "crazy" public announcements, I was really shocked this year (he does this virtually every year) that the focus was on CHILDREN worshiping old Scratch.

That seems designed to strike differently than the old saw about "the Devil's Holiday."

One of my favorite costumes as a kid was a devil with a pitchfork. Perhaps that's where the all the trouble started with me.

Thank god.

a reply to: galadofwarthethird

I would say the difference is when a nut job cleric or Imam starts brainwashing people, people condemn it because there is a real risk of violence in the aftermath.


People treat "Christian" nut jobs with kid gloves by comparison.


But that doesn't make them any less dangerous in their indoctrination.

originally posted by: CharlieSpeirs
a reply to: galadofwarthethird

I would say the difference is when a nut job cleric or Imam starts brainwashing people people condemn it because there is a real risk of violence in the aftermath.


People treat "Christian" nut jobs with kid gloves by comparison.


But that doesn't make them any less dangerous in their indoctrination.

Even more notable when the Christian-in-question has been a fundamental part of setting the current policies of the Republican Party, and is courted by Republican Presidential Candidates, AND whose university helps train future leaders (including around 150 in the Bush Administration.)

from Bostom.com c. 2007

Regent University School of Law, founded by televangelist Pat Robertson to provide "Christian leadership to change the world," has worked hard in its two-decade history to upgrade its reputation, fighting past years when a majority of its graduates couldn't pass the bar exam and leading up to recent victories over Ivy League teams in national law student competitions.

But even in its darker days, Regent has had no better friend than the Bush administration. Graduates of the law school have been among the most influential of the more than 150 Regent University alumni hired to federal government positions since President Bush took office in 2001, according to a university website.

One of those graduates is Monica Goodling , the former top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales who is at the center of the storm over the firing of US attorneys. Goodling, who resigned on Friday, has become the face of Regent overnight -- and drawn a harsh spotlight to the administration's hiring of officials educated at smaller, conservative schools with sometimes marginal academic reputations.

I think we are making fun of satan and not celebrating him. It's kinda like letting him know, he's has no power over us.

a reply to: Gryphon66

To me, that's a sure sign of creeping theocratic intrusion.

Can't beat em, join em mentalities in the sense that these people as you say are future leaders and law makers.

a reply to: CharlieSpeirs

Yep.

Seven Mountains Dominionism, the idea that right-wing Christians should institute a "virtual theocracy" in America by gaining control of the "mountains" of business, government, media, arts and entertainment, education, the family and religion throughout the nation

Seven Mountains Dominionism - Right Wing Watch

originally posted by: mOjOm
Anyone who thinks Holidays (Holy Days) are anything other than make believe needs to grow up. Unless they're a kid of course and even then they should know the truth and not believe in such superstitious BS.

Halloween = Celebration of the changing seasons. It's Fall. Which is the point where things in nature die off before winter. Hence all the symbols of death and stuff. Good times. Dress up. Party. Wear Costumes. Get Candy. What's to complain about???

I like pumpkins and harvest stuff, I was born in October and enjoy the change of season. However, I think it's naive to discount the amount of black magic and witchcraft that goes on at this time. I remember a few years back there were more than a few reports of satanic cult activity, murders, bizarre rituals in cults of witchcraft. There's a lot of it here in my little town and they are politically active.

originally posted by: ThirdEyeofHorus

originally posted by: mOjOm
Anyone who thinks Holidays (Holy Days) are anything other than make believe needs to grow up. Unless they're a kid of course and even then they should know the truth and not believe in such superstitious BS.

Halloween = Celebration of the changing seasons. It's Fall. Which is the point where things in nature die off before winter. Hence all the symbols of death and stuff. Good times. Dress up. Party. Wear Costumes. Get Candy. What's to complain about???

I like pumpkins and harvest stuff, I was born in October and enjoy the change of season. However, I think it's naive to discount the amount of black magic and witchcraft that goes on at this time. I remember a few years back there were more than a few reports of satanic cult activity, murders, bizarre rituals in cults of witchcraft. There's a lot of it here in my little town and they are politically active.

Considering almost every link you provide to back up your claims is from a Christian site.

I expect there is a lot of prejudice hype behind your claims.

a reply to: Agartha

All hail Satan!
And Chocolate!
Definitely chocolate!

Just kidding (in poor taste, I know!)

I've had friends since childhood delete me when I point out something factual to them that disagrees with their preconceived notions OR sheds truth in the face of the lies that they have been fed over years...
Most times I really could care less of their beliefs and was just trying to be funny and bring a little levity...

It was NOT appreciated so c'est la vie!
I suppose we weren't truly friends after all

originally posted by: TNMockingbird
a reply to: Agartha

All hail Satan!
And Chocolate!
Definitely chocolate!

Well you know what they say about the Dark Side and cookies. They could use chocolate, less labor intensive, easy to package. Sign of the times. They're just modernizing.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

hahaha I could definitely worship chocolate!!
lol

The "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s and 90s (a belief in widespread ritual Satanic abuse, murder cults, etc.) has been roundly discredited and proven to be non-existent except as a form of cultural hysteria. The only people harmed by the Satanic Panic were the innocent individuals charged with all sorts of heinous crimes for which there was no evidence.

The Real Victims of the Satanic Panic

Witchcraft is a contemporary religion whose main tenet is "An ye harm none, do as ye will."

... and the only Black Magic is a song popular in the 40s, 50s and 60s by Johnny Nercer.

originally posted by: ThirdEyeofHorus
I think it's naive to discount the amount of black magic and witchcraft that goes on at this time. I remember a few years back there were more than a few reports of satanic cult activity, murders, bizarre rituals in cults of witchcraft. There's a lot of it here in my little town and they are politically active.

Most likely just "Satanic Panic." Unless you have some news reports to share.

en.wikipedia.org...

originally posted by: Gryphon66
a reply to: Agartha

So much for "the truth shall set you free" eh?

Aside from my growing suspicions about what Mr. Robertson is really doing with these seemingly "crazy" public announcements, I was really shocked this year (he does this virtually every year) that the focus was on CHILDREN worshiping old Scratch.

That seems designed to strike differently than the old saw about "the Devil's Holiday."

One of my favorite costumes as a kid was a devil with a pitchfork. Perhaps that's where the all the trouble started with me.

Thank god.

Actually the truth did set her free. Agratha was freed of a hypocritical person. The only thing christmas was to be about was a round about estimate of Christ birth. Now a days its not about that. its been commercialized.And th e catholic church once again has the blame and id wager kickbacks for doing so.

originally posted by: yuppa

Actually the truth did set her free. Agratha was freed of a hypocritical person. The only thing christmas was to be about was a round about estimate of Christ birth. Now a days its not about that. its been commercialized.And th e catholic church once again has the blame and id wager kickbacks for doing so.

Hmm. Strictly speaking we're talking about Halloween not Christmas, and yes, in a roundabout way, truth did set someone free ... just not the person who claims that truism as a tenet of their religion.

They say the Devil's greatest deception is to convince people that he doesn't exist. Fact is, the Devil really doesn't exist, nor does God. The real deception is that religion seeks to convince people that he does, for without the Devil, religion has no practitioners and no support, and would simply wither and waste away like a dead limb.

Religion is a deceiver, but has many acolytes who deceive themselves by clinging to the absurdity. They make this world a rank and rancid and stagnant cesspool of horror.

originally posted by: elysiumfire
They say the Devil's greatest deception is to convince people that he doesn't exist. Fact is, the Devil really doesn't exist, nor does God. The real deception is that religion seeks to convince people that he does, for without the Devil, religion has no practitioners and no support, and would simply wither and waste away like a dead limb.

Religion is a deceiver, but has many acolytes who deceive themselves by clinging to the absurdity. They make this world a rank and rancid and stagnant cesspool of horror.

I have met religious people who act with love and charity toward their fellow humans.

I have met religious people who want to destroy, jail or kill anyone who disagrees with them in the slightest.

These are the extreme edges of a normal curve, so while am no fan of religion, and see clearly that it harms more than it helps in almost every form I know of, I still feel, and least in the context of this thread, that religious folks do have a Constitutional right to their beliefs and practices as long as those do not spill over onto others.

My interest in pointing the light of inquiry in Pat Robertson's direction (aside from making a Halloween-themed post) was to encourage fellow ATSers to consider his bifurcated presentations ... on the one hand, he seems almost like a comic figure in his extremism, but he is, at the same time, at the center of a media and business empire that has influence all over the world and inside our government ... and he acts like, although he denies it publicly, a Christian Dominionist who favors an American Theocracy ... and he has built an incredible network that is making strides toward that goal.

a reply to: Gryphon66

An "American Theocracy"? "Making strides towards that goal"?

The evidence would say he is failing miserably as the US has gone the other way demonstrably.



Christianity in the United States - Wiki

Christianity is the most popular religion in the United States, with 70.6% of polled American adults identifying themselves as Christian in 2014.[1] This is down from 86% in 1990

From NPR

The Pew survey found the number of Americans who describe themselves as Christian dropped almost 8 percentage points, from 78.4 percent in 2007 to 70.6 percent last year. During the same seven-year period, those who describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or "nothing in particular" increased from 16.1 percent to 22.8 percent.

If that's the goal in the US, it is failing.

a reply to: Blaine91555

Why would movement toward a theocratic government (or more accurately, control of govenment, education, entertainment, etc.) be limited to the number identifying as Christians? (Which is what your information demonstrates and while there are other measures that show smaller negative trends over the last few years ... but that's a quibble only.)

If anything, seeing a trend toward in their membership numbers would goad the zealots who believe in Dominionism to accelerate the program ... wouldn't it? While they still have a clear majority to work with?

EDIT: Further, hasn't there been an argument for years that a small number of people are controlling Hollywood, and are thereby controlling public perception? Aren't there only (according to the theories) a small elite cabal in control of the government, already?