How do you spend Oct. 31. Do you regard the day as popular culture does? Do you only regard Reformation Day? Etc.

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Traci
Lynnwood OPC
"I have taken all my good deeds, and all my bad deeds, and cast them through each other in a heap before the Lord, and fled from both, and betaken myself to the Lord Jesus Christ, and in him I have sweet peace."--David Dickson

My kids dress up (this year both my girls are princesses, last year they were tigger and pooh, the year before that my oldest was Yoda, before that she was a hatching chicken).

We go out and get candy. I eat all the candy.

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Benjamin P. Glaser, M. Div, Licentiate, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
Member Fairmount ARP Church
Pittsburgh, PA

Deo Vindice

I have a big desk calendar at work. I crossed out the label on Oct 31st and penned in Reformation Day. I also drew a barfy next to United Nations day. Just because someone else celebrates a day or event doesn't mean I have to. No, I don't do Halloween. If a student tells me "Happy Halloween", I respond " see you tomorrow" or wave and say "have fun", but do not return the same greeting.

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Rich Koster
1689'er
Browns Mills NJ USA
Often Goofy Reformed Eccentric
Romans 7:14-25

I dressed up in a Confederate Uniform one year and that really scared some people. I had a big ole Stars and Bars Flag also.

We celebrate the Reformation and remember Luther's 95 thesis. I also hand out gospel tracts to the trick or treaters.

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Norseman Moderator

R. Martin Snyder
1689er
http://www.puritanboard.com/blogs/puritancovenanter/

"Our object should not be to have scripture on our side but to be on the side of scripture; and however dear any sentiment may have become by being long entertained, so soon as it is seen to be contrary to the Bible, we must be prepared to abandon it without hesitation."
William Symington

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James Helbert, Wytheville, VA
Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCUS
TheBibleAlone.com / The Edinburgh Inn
"Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” - Zechariah 3:2

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I celebrate Reformation Day on October 31.

We also acknowledge October 27.
















October 27, 1553 - the burning of Michael Servetus.

Considering the theology of some of our contemporaries, they probably would not have lasted as long as Servetus!

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Dennis E. McFadden, Ex Mainline Baptist (in Remission)
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

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This is my first poll.

Congratulations on your first poll!

We have an empty nest, so there isn't really anything going on around here on that day. If we are going to be home, I'll hand out candy.

It was fun for our sons to dress up when they were little, but by 5th grade or so it was all about candy, so we just pulled the plug on the whole thing. We found that it was a great night to go to the Science Museum and Omnitheater in St. Paul, so the guys weren't all that disappointed.

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~Carolyn Martinson~
Covenant Presbyterian - OPC (Baldwin, WI)
River Falls, WI

We recognize Reformation Day, and we hand out candy. Not sure what we'll do when Peanut gets older....

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Anna
Wife of Tim/Marrow Man
Louisville, KY
Member of Midlane Park Presbyterian (Associate Reformed Presbyterian)

Do you "toast" the occasion?

Take Peanut Treating!

i voted the first one. I have a great Michael Myers mask. Last year I was Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men. This year, not 100% sure yet, but I am leaning towards Kim Jong. It's a pretty simple costume.

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Andrew S.
Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Abilene,TX

I think the rat brains option bears a remarkable resemblance to the Bull Moose Party in the 1912 election.

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Austin
EE student at Texas State University
Member of Church of the Cross (PCA) in San Marcos, TX
Ps. 8:3-4 "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"

I do the whole nine yards and watch old Abbott and Costello horror comedies and listen to otr horror on my mp3 player I love the holiday season

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Doug
Baptist
Hemet, Ca
Old Time Radio Podcast

I am scared of making polls...lol. Too complicated!

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Kathleen M
nondenominational
Montana

Is there a plain "nothing at all" possibility. It felt too weird to vote "rat brains" whatever that is

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Rev. Adam King
Minister in the RPCNA
Pastor,Trinity Reformed Church
Wichita, KS

I was tempted to vote "rat brains" too...

Just Reformation Day on my end. I have no desire to participate in Halloween. Whether it's an explicit pagan / satanic holy day, a commercialized holiday focused on the ghoulish and macabre but without any "real paganism," or somewhere in between, I don't think that it's appropriate for this Christian family to partake.

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Eric
Woodgreen Presbyterian (PCA)
Calgary, Alberta CANADA

We put up a saw horse over our front sidewalk with a sign saying "Sorry, no treats, may you be blessed by God. Happy Reformation Day!"

And then we sing old Lutheran Hymns with organ accompaniment while leaving only the screen door closed. Most people find it scary enough.

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Raymond Victor Bottomly
Providence Reformed Baptist Church, Tacoma, WA

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My skin crawls just imagining that.

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Andrew Thornquist My Photo Album
Calvinistic Baptist
Ukiah, California
To follow Christ was the best decision God made for me!

This is not as straightforward as I thought.
I need to make sure I understand properly before I vote...sorry to be slow!
If I picked the first option, would I be saying a)that's what I think it's for, and that's actually what I do on Oct 31st.....
or b)that I see nothing in Halloween except for
"ghoulish decor, ....the whole experience" implying that it's unredeemable and therefore I wouldn't touch it with the tongs?
Also, what does the last option mean?
Thanks!

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JennyG
Church of Scotland (Presbyterian)
Fife, Scotland

We don't celebrate Halloween in our home. It's Reformation Day as well as one of my daughters Birthday.

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Serving Christ in Tennessee.
Judson
Elder - Reformed Baptist
Hixson, TN

www.christschurchofchattanooga.com

I grew up with celebrating Halloween with costumes and everything. I used to do some pretty wild pranks involving stuffed clothing, ketchup and cars as well. When I became a man I put away childish and devilish things. Now, if we do anything it is a celebration of the Reformation. Often we invite friends over and watch the older movie, Martin Luther. This year I will be participating in a Reformation 'party'. I'm to do a first person of William Farel. (I wish I'd known I'd be doing this a month ago. It would have given me an excuse to grow out my reddish hued beard Well, what hasn't turned white. )

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We shall not adjust our Bible to the age; but before we have done with it, by God's grace, we shall adjust the age to the Bible. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Lawrence Underwood, Jr.
Pastor - Providence Family Fellowship / Mobile, Alabama
1644/46 LBC
My Blog - Imprimis

Now that we are empty nesters, we usually go over to my son's and hand out candy while they take the granddaughters around the neighborhood. Their neighborhood is full of young couples who seem to really get into the trick-or-treat costume thing. I just sit back and enjoy the smiles and laughter. The little girls love doing it.

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Jim
1689 LBCF
Independent Bible Church
North Texas, USA

I personally celebrate the Reformation on 31 December.

Passes me by completely without notice. One of the benefits of living in the bush!

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Paul
No denomination, affiliated with FIEC
"Deliver me from worldly dispositions, for I am born from above and destined for glory" - Valley of Vision
"They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation" - Peter

I recognize that it is Reformation Day, but unless there's a conference or something, I don't do anything about it. We trick or treat, too. (Again, unless there's a cool conference or something better to do.) I'm not die hard either way.

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Shalom,
jessi
PCA
Steelers fan exiled to Virginia


“Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.”
Martin Luther

About the time for the trick-or-treaters to come out, we'll take the girls out for ice cream (8 & 2). We'll mess around for a while, then head back home about the girl's bed-time. Sometime during the evening, my 8-year old will ask why people celebrate something so "yukky" and we'll explain again why we don't do it. Then I'll tell her again about something great that happened on this day, for which we can give thanks.

That's pretty much our Halloween routine. I do start looking forward to the ice cream in early October-- as we use this as a rare occassion to go for the best.

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Timothy
Member, PCA
Kingsport, TN

oh! reformation day is on Oct 31st. I wonder why Luther picked this day to post his papers on the door?

-----Added 10/16/2009 at 09:26:55 EST-----

The Catholics failed to drown out Halloween by inserting All Saint's day.

Is reformation day on Oct 31st another failed attempt to drown out halloween

Is there another solution to drowning halloween out that might work? Any suggestions?

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Dao
PCA
Atlanta, GA

"Free will," says Charles Spurgeon, "has carried many souls to hell but never a soul to heaven."

If it's the Lord's Day, I regard it as the Lord's Day only. Otherwise, it's just very loosely referred to as Reformation Day, but no "holy day" by any means.

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Josh Hicks, Chloë's Dad
Christ Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCGA
Facebook - The Calvinist Vent
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It is God that multiplies our sorrows.... God, as a righteous Judge, does it, which ought to silence us under all our sorrows; as many as they are, we have deserved them all, and more: nay, God, as a tender Father, does it for our necessary correction, that we may be humbled for sin, and weaned from the world by all our sorrows; and the good we get by them, with the comfort we have under them, will abundantly balance our sorrows, how greatly soever they are multiplied. - Matthew Henry

Dao, raise taxes on candy sales in October??

P.S.

One thing we DEFINITELY do is go to Chipotle! If you put foil on your body in some way to look like a burrito, you get a free burrito!! We have done this for the last three years and their burritos are HUGE. This year the kids will be old enough to eat one, so we'll even put foil on them!

Weird picture, but like this:

None of the poll options apply. In our home, October 31 is our son's birthday.

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Mark Hettler
PCA
Central NJ

God answers prayers in one of two ways: "Yes," or "I have something better."

Wow! How does your husband wear his? I'm totally gettin' a free Chipotle Burrito this year!

I forget what exactly we did for him, but somehow we got foil to stay on his head. You could probably cover a baseball hat or something.

This is NOT my husband, but here is a guy doing it:


I just called my Chipotle to make sure it is on for this year, and the lady said it is from 6pm till 10 this year, just so you know : )

So does it have to be on one's head?

umm might work. The Government raise taxes on cigarettes. The effect cuts down on health problems. Taxes on Candy would cut down on health problems, too. Sweets probably kills more than cigarettes. Yesterday my wife was telling me that more people are killed from sleepy drivers than drunk drivers. How do we ban sleepy drivers and sweet toothers

Well, I was going to say it isn't the government's concern whether we choose to eat candy and get cavities or not, but then I remembered...the government doesn't actually care what is and is not its concern.

You might get denied from health insurance if you have cavities.

Rat brains! is very esoteric. You either get it or you don't.

-----Added 10/16/2009 at 11:21:13 EST-----

Adam, I thought of making a nothing option. I didn't because I thought that the majority of the Reformed would acknowledge or remember the Reformation on that day, and pick that option for non Halloween observance.

Without any pretence of judging anyone else's motives, it just strikes me that "Reformation Day" is just a modern attempt by reformed Christians to substitute their own party for Halloween. I would be very interested in knowing when this phenomenon started. It is remarkably like "Harvest Parties" that everyone (believer and unbeliever alike) knows is the evangelical substitute for Halloween parties. There are just too many events in church history that are worthy of commemorating that we don't have special days and parties for: 'Council of Nicaea Day' or 'Solemn League and Covenant Day'. But then again neither of those coincides with a special holiday in the world.