In a criticism of Halloween, a pastor condemned a Scandinavian custom
where loved ones visit the graves of the departed on that day to light
candles of remembrance as a form of mourning.
Unless participants are expecting to communicate with the dead through
this custom, what passage of Scripture expressly forbids this practice?
The pastor insisted that Christians aren't to celebrate death but rather life.
As proof, he quoted the Scripture that the death of His saints is precious in the sight of the Lord.
Once again, a Scripture or doctrine has been invoked that has little
bearing on the issue at hand in order to perpetuate the fraud of happy
face Christianity.
In most instances, families do not visit graves to celebrate that the departed are six feet under.
The grave is visited as a grieving mechanism to honor what the individual meant to you.
Yet, from the impression given by this fanatic pastor, you are just
about committing the unpardonable sin if you do anything but blot the
existence of the departed loved one from your memory and never mention
them ever again.
In Christian teaching, the grave site is also visited in recognition
that the human physical form also possess value as we are not Gnostics.
But even more importantly, it is from that particular spot that the
interned individual will rise in their glorified state during the
Resurrection.
By Frederick Meekins