Doug verbally spanks us about Halloween.

[twin2]

Since its been a while, I decided to go back and read Luther's 95 Thesis. I think that if Bill and Ted ever rev up their phone booth again and bring Luther back, he may very well go and nail a few pages to the door at the Vision Forum Headquarters. A vast majority of them deal with the sale of indulgences. Now, Dougie doesn't sell indulgences exactly, but he does seem to sell a whole lot of products that he claims will lead children into a godly life and save their souls. I don't think good old Martin would be down with that. Another hot topic was the Pope and his power ability to set doctrine, which Luther wasn't too down on either. Hmmm, once again, I think Doug may need to take a long hard look in the mirror.

I am beginning to see why fundies are so drawn to Calvinism. I had a revelation a few weeks ago Zsu's fangirl Sarah had a post lamenting against the "false doctrine of good works." The "false doctrine of good works" comes up a lot by our fundie bloggers and headships (Zsu, PP, Kendull, Latisha, Dougie, Pa Maxwell off the top of my head). Calvinism is easy for fundies to follow. They don't have to good things to help their fellow humans to help them get into heaven, they don't have to try treat others well to get into heaven, they can act however they choose since they get to go because they are special. To me, it sounds like the easy way out.

[SunnyAndrsn]

Doug, why am I not surprise that heterosexual sex is scary to you?

To Knight: I have to ask where is the brilliance of Doug? Where are the brains? Doug spends so much time talking about the country being gripped by fear and evil but fails at providing basic, Christian hope. I would have used 2 Timothy 1:7 which says "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind"

My issue is not that Doug looks to encourage his Christian followers to have fear the Lord, but rather that he fails to empower them with God's love and verses such as the above verse.

It sounds like Vision Forumites are a rather fearful bunch, based on what Doug is saying.

Go and be afraid, the rest of us are going to try and do something about the problems in the world. You know, actual action, like Jesus would have done. Dougie needs to look Jesus up in the bible and study his whole life, those he physically gave help to before his death and resurrection. Christians like Doug prefer to hide behind Jesus but sit and turn a blind eye to actually helping their fellow man.

They miss this verse: 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.

[User123456]

Actually, Doug and all his kind can spout on and on about the evils of the season. The louder and longer they spew the misinformation, thus whipping their followers into a frenzy the better it is for me. Our historical seasonal celebrations in no way resemble anything put out there by the preachers. I feel that the more these folks are on the look out for the "Satan" in the season, the more likely they will completely overlook the pagans that live quietly among them.

So all my best wishes for a holy season to Doug and his family. May peace and joy surround them. May they be blest with a bountiful new year. May happiness rule their hearth.

[Maul the Koala]

I always find it hilarious when people start up about Halloween. There's one preacher who made the news here who is telling people to take back Halloween for Jesus! Give out bibles to trick or treaters!

I don't want to see his house November 1st.

One of the Christian school programs makes you sign a contract that states you don't believe in Halloween and you will not let your kids trick or treat on October 31st. Yeah, want to know how many parents actually stick to that? Not many.

[Burris]

It's the same thing every year with this tool: 'This marketing invention is pure evil and only the manliest of men can stand up to it!'

[NurseNell]

One of the Christian school programs makes you sign a contract that states you don't believe in Halloween and you will not let your kids trick or treat on October 31st. Yeah, want to know how many parents actually stick to that? Not many.

Around here there are usually various nights for trick or treating. Thursday night all the major grocery stores here had trick or treat in their stores, it was great, lots of good stuff. No, I didn't get any but I was shopping. Some neighborhoods had their trick or treating on Saturday. Most will be going tonight rather than actually on the 31st.

[Brainsample]

This is old swill. He put this on his blog in 2008. I read there pretty regularly because their spin on the election was pretty entertaining.

visionforum.com/news/blogs/doug/2008/10/4556/

I guess he and the interns thought this was so great, they further immortalized their leader on the VFM site.

[Aurora]

Seven billion people in the world next March and he tells us not to be scared of overpopulation.

Yep, Doug's blog is absolutely the scariest thing I have seen lately.

Antifeminist and anti-gay propaganda - check

Negative comments about the military - check

Revisionist history - check

Five-year-old holding a realistic-looking gun - check

Propaganda films designed to erode support for our public school system - check

Oh, and yes, the conception of Calvin? Weird. Are there really no other Christian events around this time that he could focus on?

[Brainsample]

Seven billion people in the world next March and he tells us not to be scared of overpopulation.

Yep, Doug's blog is absolutely the scariest thing I have seen lately.

Antifeminist and anti-gay propaganda - check

Negative comments about the military - check

Revisionist history - check

Five-year-old holding a realistic-looking gun - check

Propaganda films designed to erode support for our public school system - check

Oh, and yes, the conception of Calvin? Weird. Are there really no other Christian events around this time that he could focus on?

The CONCEPTION OF CALVIN????? Wha.....? Sound of me saying "what?" while my jaw drops. I guess that goes along with preparing a 2 year old for marriage.

[clibbyjo]

Meh, screw them all and the unicorns they rode in on. My son just finished making the blood on his homemade cleaver. Our costumes are ready to go and we will have a great Halloween tomorrow. Dong (misspelled but I like it that way) and his group of scaredy cats can sit in their church and pray, more candy for the rest of us.

[Aurora]

Five hundred years ago, sometime near October 31, a baby named John Calvin was conceived who would dedicate his life to eradicating an ungodly fear of superstitious beliefs and proclaiming the gospel of grace

I just checked your 2008 link and you are right, the post is almost exactly identical. This year he replaced 500 years ago with 502 years ago. :)

[ems]

These sorts of posts are making their way around FB amongst the fundie crowd. So funny that he says the "world" is living in fear. Like VFers aren't afraid? HA! They are scared of everything! EVERYTHING. Like little kids in witch costumes, rock and roll, gay lovers, and the dastardly public schools. Of course VFers aren't scared of things that actually hurt you like guns, swords, war, and global climate change. But you know, God LOVES guns!

Good point. And then he goes and mentions the Reformation as countering fear. If you've ever read Jonathan Edwards' sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (I'm pretty sure he would be considered Calvinist?)....well, it's pretty damn scary.

[Maul the Koala]

Around here there are usually various nights for trick or treating. Thursday night all the major grocery stores here had trick or treat in their stores, it was great, lots of good stuff. No, I didn't get any but I was shopping. Some neighborhoods had their trick or treating on Saturday. Most will be going tonight rather than actually on the 31st.

Ours is always October 31st. No exceptions. That's why I said October 31st. I was saying is that they make you sign a contract that you won't let your kid trick or treat because it's against Christian values. The date overall is completely irrelevant.

[ems]

On a serious note, I am Catholic and one thing that bugs me is Dougie's reference of the Culture of Life. I find many Christians using this strictly to speak against abortion as Dougie does in his letter by saying the CoL is about babies. Ummm, well yes it's about babies, but it's also about the elderly and teens and Muslims and homosexuals and the poor and the disabled and people of all religious faiths and those in slavery, etc. It's about ALL people, hence it's about the CULTURE OF LIFE for all, and yet too often we forget that nugget [and yes, I know even in my own Church some do the same].

This.

[Prek teach]

I have always loved Halloween. In fact my husband and i had a Halloween wedding, with costumes and all that. Back in the late 70's, when I was in elementary school, Halloween was one of the best days. Costume parties, cupcakes, and always a showing of the Legend of Sleepy Hallow film (cartoon/Disney version). The Legend...btw is one of the few stories considered to be an American classic as it did not originate anywhere else but here in America. I'm an ebil public school teacher that spent the last two weeks teaching my students (age 4) all about the life cycle of the pumpkin. On friday we cleaned pumpkins and carved a jack-o-lantern. The kids were amazed.

[Mommy22alyns]

I was creeped about him talk about John Calvin's conception date

Eeew, me too.

I couldn't even read that whole thing. I was waiting for FJ to pounce on it. I just skimmed and :roll: .

[NurseNell]

Ours is always October 31st. No exceptions. That's why I said October 31st. I was saying is that they make you sign a contract that you won't let your kid trick or treat because it's against Christian values. The date overall is completely irrelevant.

OK, I misread and thought you literally meant they couldn't do it on 10/31.

[NurseNell]

Well, the Dougster would love to be my neighbor-snort. I am an ebil public school teacher. My classroom looks like Halloween threw up with all the assorted art the kids made this month.

Does your school allow Halloween to be celebrated? Our urban school district doesn't allow it, we have so many new immigrants and cultures that don't know what it is. so I can understand it. I'm retired as an ebil licensed school nurse but I still sub. The school I subbed at on Friday had storybook character day, the kids and staff dressed as their favorite storybook characters. Lots of ebil Harry Potters. No vampires, I'm guessing a list might have gone home of unacceptable characters. Some Little House on the Prairie characters. One Jesus Christ.

Our school district went to no candy a few years ago, can't sell candy as fundraisers, can't have candy rewards, etc. And birthday treats have to be store bought, no homemade. They just took the joy right out of classroom parties and birthdays.

[Buzzard]

Is it me or is the writing in this tome exceptionally confusing? I consider myself to be fairly intelligent but I have to read this thing a few times to figure out exactly what his douginess was saying.

For example:

The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not make light of evil. Halloween was conceived in evil and has remained a celebration that uses children to promote a fascination with darkness and superstitious fear. Simultaneously, it makes light of things that the Bible describes as evil. Stand against such things, and the world will find you very scary indeed. The fear of the Lord makes men turn from evil (Proverbs 16:6).

I read this with the following assumptions:

1) They are not partaking in the american tradition of halloween.

2) Only people who are participating seek out "scary" things

3) Generally, scaring yourself is a bad thing unless you're a horror film nut like me!

Ok, First thing, DONT WRITE IN THE FUCKING NEGATIVE! Its always confusing! So, to me, I translate:

The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not make light of evil.[/

Into: On Halloween, since we are good krissians and avoiding this ebil holiday, we should make light of evil.

HUH? That makes no sense... moving on...

The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not be fearful

Ok, so dougmeister is telling his flock to be fearful. Ok, thats just tuesday. No biggie... next

The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to completely skip Halloween and remember Reformation Day.

Its scary to remember reformation day unless you only partially skip halloween? WTF?

The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to refuse to watch or allow your children to watch any of the toxic Halloween and horror films emerging from Hollywood.

Ok, so now that we're not writing in the negative I understand that dougie is saying simply to not allow your kids to watch the pro ebil gey propoganda comind out of hollywood. I'm not entirely sure why this is scary. I'm now questioning my assumption that scary = bad which is really confusing me.

The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to get on your knees as a mother and father and pray that the Lord will send you many children who will fear God, not man

Why is it scary for god to send you children that fear god and not man? I thought that dougie said that was YAY!!! :think:

So, am I begininng to think that understanding what dougie is thinking is kinda like trying to figure out what my dog is thinking when he sees a squirrel. (Its a long story but we had a long talk about this because when he sees it he clearly cant thing "squirrel" because thats english... and he doesnt speak english... soooo.... headache...) Regarless - In dougie thought it all comes down to his mantra of "have kids, serve god through means I tell you regardless of what that book says, give me money" in the same sense of it doesnt matter what my dog thinks, he's chasing that fucking squirrel!

[starfish]

Does Dougie Poo really think dressing up and trick-or-treating is scarier or more evil than the way the Williams' treated their children, especially their adopted children?

Cuz that's pure evil.

[finleeport]

I wonder if Doug thinks himself as Jesus? if so he has a messiah complex then.

[Buzzard]

Does Dougie Poo really think dressing up and trick-or-treating is scarier or more evil than the way the Williams' treated their children, especially their adopted children?

Cuz that's pure evil.

I'm maybe gonna dress up as debbie pearl, complete with plumping line around my neck. Either that or I'm going to publix to get dry ice for my front deck... cant decide how much I care!

[Mountain Girl]

Is it me or is the writing in this tome exceptionally confusing?

The scariest thing you can do is try to make sense of anything Dougie says or does. *Raises hand for highfive!*

Okay, I'm not Christian so feel free to educate me about this if I'm wrong. I thought fearing God meant being in extreme awe of God, not literally shaking in your boots scared of God. But that's what Dougie makes it sound like when he says people should (or rather, evil Americans) should fear God instead of...everything else. It's like he's saying, "God is way scarier than a scary monster! Rawr!".

[Mountain Girl]

South Park should do an episode like the one with Al Gore and ManBearPig, but instead have Doug jumping out the bushes in a Jesus costume trying to scare kids. I would so watch it.

[starfish]

South Park should do an episode like the one with Al Gore and ManBearPig, but instead have Doug jumping out the bushes in a Jesus costume trying to scare kids. I would so watch it.

I see Doug as a Zacchaeus type character ("wee little man") without any of the tax-collector's more redeeming qualities.