Do you realise what you are wearing? The spiritual threats of popular symbols

Started by Arcanas, September 26, 2018, 02:10:19 PM

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Josephine87

I know trads who think the word "Halloween" shouldn't be uttered because some Satanists said it's intrinsically evil.  It seems superstitious to me.  Can a word have a moral weight like that?
"Begin again." -St. Teresa of Avila

"My present trial seems to me a somewhat painful one, and I have the humiliation of knowing how badly I bore it at first. I now want to accept and to carry this little cross joyfully, to carry it silently, with a smile in my heart and on my lips, in union with the Cross of Christ. My God, blessed be Thou; accept from me each day the embarrassment, inconvenience, and pain this misery causes me. May it become a prayer and an act of reparation." -Elisabeth Leseur

Maximilian

Quote from: Josephine87 on October 16, 2018, 03:19:50 PM

Can a word have a moral weight like that?

Oh yes, of course words have moral weight. Nothing could be more certain. "The words that come out of a man's heart are the overflowing of his heart."

Start with creation. God said "Fiat."

Then there's the Second Commandment.

On a positive note, "In the beginning was the Word."


Gardener

Halloween is just All Hallow's Eve, or All Holy Eve. It's the day before All Saints Day. When one divorces the liturgy from life, one loses the meaning and purpose of secularly retained terms.
"If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother." - St. Maximilian Kolbe

Josephine87

Quote from: Maximilian on October 16, 2018, 05:25:17 PM
Quote from: Josephine87 on October 16, 2018, 03:19:50 PM

Can a word have a moral weight like that?

Oh yes, of course words have moral weight. Nothing could be more certain. "The words that come out of a man's heart are the overflowing of his heart."

Start with creation. God said "Fiat."

Then there's the Second Commandment.

On a positive note, "In the beginning was the Word."

Thank you. It was a sloppy question.  Can a word in and of itself, not depending on the context in which it's used, be intrinsically good or evil, should have been my question.
"Begin again." -St. Teresa of Avila

"My present trial seems to me a somewhat painful one, and I have the humiliation of knowing how badly I bore it at first. I now want to accept and to carry this little cross joyfully, to carry it silently, with a smile in my heart and on my lips, in union with the Cross of Christ. My God, blessed be Thou; accept from me each day the embarrassment, inconvenience, and pain this misery causes me. May it become a prayer and an act of reparation." -Elisabeth Leseur

Maximilian

Quote from: Josephine87 on October 16, 2018, 07:55:03 PM

Can a word in and of itself, not depending on the context in which it's used, be intrinsically good or evil.

Matthew 5:22
And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council.
And whosoever shall say, Thou Fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.


Gardener

"If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother." - St. Maximilian Kolbe

Daniel

Quote from: Maximilian on October 16, 2018, 08:32:32 PM
Quote from: Josephine87 on October 16, 2018, 07:55:03 PM

Can a word in and of itself, not depending on the context in which it's used, be intrinsically good or evil.

Matthew 5:22
And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council.
And whosoever shall say, Thou Fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
But isn't that only because of what that particular speech signifies? If the words 'raca' and 'thou fool' are intrinsically evil, and if they automatically bring a curse upon whoever speaks them, then we are left with the absurd conclusions that Christ is cursed for having spoken those words in his sermon and that St. Matthew is cursed for having recorded them in his gospel. Clearly the curse is incurred through the intention, not through the word itself.


That said, the Church does seem to say that some words do have intrinsic power. e.g. The holy name is said to have power over the devil. (But even so, the holy name's power still comes from God. I doubt that the name had that sort of power prior to the crucifixion.)

The word 'Halloween' probably does not have any intrinsic power at all, since its etymology is pretty obvious. (Whatever satanists claim it means is probably just plain wrong.)


But maybe the sigils and the magical formulas and the occult symbols do have power. My guess is that God probably gives the devil power over anyone who uses these sigils and formulas and symbols. (The sigils themselves are probably not evil, since they are derived from the very numbers which are in God's nature.)

Chestertonian

I remember in the 90s there were a lot of people with peace signs and yin yangs often on charm bracelets, necklaces (usually on a ball chain) or a wallet chain.  Also smiley faces.  My sisters had a lot of stuff with peace signs... probably they bought them with their baby sitting money. 

I think intent matters here and there's a difference between wearing it because you believe it has special demonic powers vs. some dinky keychain that you put on your backpack in middle School because the cool kids are doing it.  I think it's giving the devil too much power to say that you can accidentally end up demon possessed because you're one of the many dorky middle schoolers who wore a t shirt with a peace sign on it. 

Also the fact that they included a Celtic cross on here makes me think the source is anti Catholic.  I have a rosary from Knock with a Celtic cross on it that was given to me by a traddy priest when he went to Ireland.  The cross has a little vial of holy water from Knock.  If anything I think the devil would want me to be scrupulous and anxious about it, ultimately pushing me away from the Rosary.

"I am not much of a Crusader, that is for sure, but at least I am not a Mohamedist!"

Bonaventure

If you're gonna post a cheap copy pasta, at least thrown in a picture of the TLM instead of the novus ordo
"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

martin88nyc

Quote from: Bonaventure on October 17, 2018, 10:57:20 PM
If you're gonna post a cheap copy pasta, at least thrown in a picture of the TLM instead of the novus ordo
nah we already have enough labels  ;)
"These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you shall have distress: but have confidence, I have overcome the world." John 16:33