thoughts on Halloween

Halloween is an awkward time of year for me; I am always uncomfortable with the demonic symbolism and occultish connotations of the ever grotesque costumes and the scrupulous ploys by retailers to make more money from the occassion. In many respects it has just become another pathetic 'festive' cashcow for shops, symptomatic of an amoral capitalist enterprising society. However there is a darker side to the occassion, one which seems to be increasingly brought to the fore (seen in the customes) but at the same time ignored or overlooked. It seems very much that society's conscience or spiritual eyes have been shut.

Many churches around the country will hold 'light' parties or some other Christian 'alternative' to Halloween to try and prevent the impressionable young minds of children from becoming absorbed in this dark event. Whilst this is commendable I think that Halloween itself is just one manifestation of the insiduous encroachment of paganism upon the Western world. Films and television have become more 'graphic' sexually and violently as peoples' minds, imaginations and values have become desensitised; violence is more gratuitous and sex more explicit. How does this relate to Halloween? Because with the sacriligious attitude toward godliness has also come an acceptance of the demonic. The two are intrinsically linked, like the two faces of a coin.

Through the philosophy of liberalism and post-modernism people may no longer think in terms of idolatry and paganism but human nature has not changed. We may not sacrifice children to pagan gods or perform perverted sexual rituals to them, conversely abortion has become a viable and acceptable course of action towards an unwanted pregnancy and pornography is rampant and ubiquitous through television, magazines and the internet. The Bible warns:

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness..." Isaiah 5:20

Encouraging people (of whatever age) to revel in the dark and ghoulish nature of Halloween is to distort spiritual principles of good and evil, right and wrong, light and darkness. This distortion will inevitably lead to the infringement of the demonic upon society's values, philosophies and way of life. Jesus taught that no good tree bears bad fruit. To put it another way we reap what we sow. If we sow seeds of darkness, ungodliness and evil then we will reap that within society. It is already so evident in so many ways from the break down of the family, to crime rates, raping, murder etc

The answer is repentence. We need to turn back to God and restore the right order and way back to the world: God's way. We have lost our holy and reverent 'fear' of the Almighty God. We need to regain that perspective once again for the sake of society and humanity.

The beautiful things in life: Nature

Continuing my series on the beautiful things in life I want to talk about nature. Nature is so varied and beautiful it never ceases to amaze and intrigue me. Just as we have our own unique finger print, every snow flake is unique as is leaf on a tree. I love the diversity of nature: the multitude of shades of green on trees, the seasons each with its own special character and the rugged and rustic environments of mountains and the highlands. People may joke that the British always talk about the weather but nature is never boring! There is something almost ethereal about nature at times, such as low lying mist clinging to fields of a morning (or evening); seeing the moon in broad daylight never fails to fill me with awe and wonder.

One of nature's virtues is the theraputic and healing effect it can have; nature is a great panacea to many of life's everyday stresses. I love commuting to work every day because of the scenary and views I get as I travel across the marshes and fields. I remember very clearly one afternoon as I left work after having several bad classes and taking a back road seeing the gentle sloping fields and on the horizon the coastline with its inlets and esturies: I was immediately uplifted. The Bible speaks of nature testifying to the greatness of its creator God:

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." Psalm 19:1

When I look at nature I am always reminded of its creator. Again the Bible says:

"And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good." Genesis 1:31

Nature is there for us to admire and to draw our attention to the one who created it. Imagine if we did not have the biodiversity on this planet that we enjoy, what a more miserable place to live it would be. There would be less incentive to travel and explore the world; and we would lack a very powerful and accessible form of inspiration in our art, poetry & music. No wonder many soldiers in the trenches during WWI longed to see England's 'green and pleasant' land again and used the beauty of the English countryside as an evocative reason to continue fighting for King and country. Nature has inspired many of the great artists throughout the ages. May it long continue to do so. Nature definitely makes life more beautiful as we think about its purity and simplicity.

the beautiful things in life: music

I want to talk about the beautiful things in life, which make life more meaningful to me. I am going to start with music. Music to me is one of the most, if not the most profound and dynamic forms of artistic expression. Music touches us on so many levels and stimulates many of our senses: musically, lyrically, spiritually, emotionally & intellectually.

One of the things I love most about music is the purity of the self expression and how music can have a huge impact on our feelings and outlook on life. Because music is so multi-sensory as well as evocative I can usually find a song or an album that will suit my frame of mind or the mood I am in. My main passion in music (although my taste is broadening to incorporate more styles) is metal. I love the gratuitous dissonance and brutality of the genre(s), the overtly rebellious and self confident belief in itself. Metal has an amazing cathartic quality to it, as well as an empowering effect caused by the intelligent, technical and unapologetic wall of sound it produces.

Another thing I love about music in general is the way in which everyone interprets it and appropriates it to their lives individually and uniquely. Music is at the same time personal and collective. We can listen to the same songs yet can appreciate them for totally different reasons. Music is so wonderfully versatile. Music can also bring us together and be the bond of many close friendships even relationships. One of the reasons music is so powerful is that it is a universal language and can communicate through different wavelengths; it can touch us in a primitive almost spiritual way through its overtones and sonic soundscape. Music crosses barriers and breaks down walls of separation.

I believe the world would be a much duller and more depressive place to be without music and our existence would be lesser because of the lack of it, such as clipping a birds wings so that it could not fly. I believe music is a gift from God and contributes to defining who we are as human beings. Music can shape culture and civilization.To me the ability to create music and the ability to listen and appreciate music makes life more worthwhile and beautiful. Life is celebrated through music, life is reflected through music and life is shaped by music in so many ways. The art of music of whatever genre and category is beautiful.