14. Black cats are possessed by the devil on Halloween and are bad luck. Deuteronomy 29:29; Revelation 22:18 & 19; I Timothy 4:7; II Timothy 2:16, 17 & 23; Ephesians 4:14; 5:6; II Corinthians 10:5; Genesis 3:1 TEACHER: There is not a single reference to cats in the entire holy, eternal, inerrant, written Word of God. Thus this is simply a superstition unworthy of the children of God.
15. You should avoid cemeteries at night during Halloween because ghosts will be wandering and you might wake the dead. Job 14:5, 11, 12; Hebrews 9:27; II Corinthians 5:10; Job 7:7-10; Luke 16:26; Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:20; 12:6 & 7
TEACHER: Absolutely untrue (see number two). Cemeteries are the creation of man and there is not mention of cemeteries in the Word of God nor of church sanctioned cemeteries in the Book of Acts or writings of the Apostles. The belief that cemeteries are the dwelling place of dead spirits and somehow cursed or to be feared or that the property around churches is holy ground and the dead there are more blessed are equally superstitious. The desire to be buried with family, in a church plot so that you might be close to them. The desire to not be buried next to people you do not like, or next to pagans or religions you do not like, are equally superstitious, dating back to the Roman Empire and are unworthy of the children of God.
It should be a great embarrassment to Christians that in some denominations the funerals of those who commit suicide or of family members not associated with that church, will not be conducted in the church nor are they to be buried on “church ground” or “holy ground”. Of equal embarrassment should be the practice of some denominations in maintaining cemeteries for the exclusive use of their denominations for “the eternal rest and fellowship of the departed”. Equally so should be the selling of space in church walls, “that they might be always near”. The Word of God gives no spiritual significance in the place a person is buried. There is no command in Scripture for the burying of bodies in cemeteries, for the placing of tomb stones and memorial stones and for the conducting of a funeral service. These things are not wrong but they are not commanded in Scripture. Those who have loved ones who have died in war, at sea or in other circumstances where a funeral was not conducted, the bodied not placed in a coffin or urn, a stone or memorial marker not erected, Scriptures not read and prayers not said – these do not reside in a second class state, their spirits are not restless waiting to be properly interned and the families should feel no guilt, no shame nor fear. We are not Mormons who go about being baptized for the dead because they did not have a “Christian Funeral”.
The location of the dead is of no spiritual consequence to the dead nor to the living, nor does the dead person’s spirit nor any mystical or spiritual presence reside at that spot. If you do not know where the dead body of your loved one lies or if you live too far to visit that spot, you are not missing out on fellowship, nor does your love one feel neglected. When a person dies he immediately enters the presence of God. He stands before the judgment seat or Christ. If he is a Christian he is pronounced “Not Guilty” and enters heaven. If he is not a Christian he is pronounced “Guilty” and enters hell. Both are eternal states. As long as the present heaven and earth exist, the souls of men and women dwell in those two states. Where their physical bodies reside is of no spiritual consequence what-so-ever – they return to dust and are nothing more than a part of the decaying physical world. In God’s perspective dead bodies have no moral or spiritual nature whatsoever and the spiritual life, identity or personality of the person is in no way attached to it nor to its location.
16. The devil and his demons are afraid of the Bible. God supplies us with the Bible and other religious symbols to protect us. We can hold up the Bible and the devil will flee. We can sleep with the Bible under our pillow to keep us safe. We can also hang religious symbols around our neck and place them in strategic places to keep the devil and his demons away. Genesis 3:1-5; Luke 4:10-11; II Peter 2:1 – 3; I John 4:1 & 2; Leviticus 17:7; Revelation 13:14; Matthew 8:32; II Timothy 4:3 & 4; Leviticus 17:7; Revelation 13:14; Luke 8:27; Matthew 6:7 TEACHER: Nowhere in the holy Scriptures is satan depicted as afraid of the Bible, neither its physical appearance, nor its written Word, nor the chanting or incantations of it’s spoken word. From the very first encounters with man satan has both known, spoken and distorted the Words of God. During the church age he raises up false teachers and prophets who will use the Bible to their ends. The Word of God knows of no mystical or magical power of the Bible as a physical object, nor of any Christian symbols including the bread and wine used in the Lord’s supper. There is no indwelling of the Holy Spirit in inanimate objects nor in animals. There is no indwelling of inanimate objects, animals nor people by angels. The use of “holy water”; the elements of the Lord’s Supper; so called blessed objects such as icons or religious medals, items taken from Israel or other physical locations associated with the historical work of God throughout the world, Bibles, pages of the Bible, etc. are completely worthless in terms of combating satan, warding off evil or acquiring the blessing of God. God, angels or blessings do not associate, indwell or impute power to inanimate physical objects. This however is not true of satan and his demons. Demons associate themselves with, indwell and animate inanimate objects (Leviticus 17:7; Revelation 13:14). Demons can indwell animals (Matthew 8:32) and demons do indwell people (Luke 8:27). This practice then of spiritualizing physical objects plays right into the hands of satan and his demons.
17. Now read I John 4:1-10, what can we learn about the Christian, his relationship with God and the power of the devil? What if a person is not a Christian? What about you? TEACHER: The teacher at this point has three goals in concluding the study First: To help the students see the importance of basing their beliefs on the holy, eternal, inerrant, written Word of God and not on experiences, the media, superstitions or fables (as passed around by word of mouth in their extended family, in the Christian and in the non-Christian community). Second: To give the students confidence in their position in Christ and the spiritual power and authority that comes with this position. With this comes a freedom from fear. The Christian life should be one of confidence and joy and not overshadowed by superstitions, especially those associated with pagan rites or the calendar year. Third: This should be a time of reflection as the students take stock of their relationship with God. It is here that the teacher gives a clear presentation of the gospel with the exhortation that only those who know Christ as Savior can face the spiritual world in a fearless and confident manner.
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