I can’t imagine how you’d think that Catholics would give Satan his own special day when every single day in the Church is devoted to his very antithesis–the Saints. Masses said daily, feast days every day, doesn’t seem like we “consecrate,” as it were, any day to Satan. October 31 is not a day for Satan, it is simply the vigil of All Saints Day–Halloween is a contraction of the Old English for All Hallows’ Eve. Hallows–the hallowed, the holy–in other words, the Saints (saint is etymologically derived from the Latin
sancta, meaning holy). Some people choose to observe satanic/occult rituals on that day, and that is their choice. I don’t think you should lay the blame on Catholicism for making it a day of Satan. In the Catholic Church, every day is a day for the Holy Ones.
Satan doesn’t have any music apart from what people give to his glory. Some people attempt to inject satanic influences into music that simply doesn’t have it (i.e. the “backmasking” thing with Led Zeppelin’s
Stairway to Heaven, as well as other songs–to which I say that records are made to play in one direction and furthermore that if Led Zeppelin or others wished to put satanic messages in their music, why would they even bother to put them backwards? We don’t sit around listening to backward music–I don’t know about you, but I listen to it forwards). Others look at bands that have blatant satanic influences and brand all rock music to have that. My grandmother told me once to quit listening to the wild stuff I was listening to–the Beatles (and their early work, the melodic, unoffensive stuff).
You seem to be branding all music in this way. Right now I’m listening to Scottish music by the Tannahill Weavers, which is hardly satanic. Very enjoyable. I also listen to Flogging Molly, who, apart from a great deal of mention of getting drunk (what would you expect from an Irish band, though?
), are hardly anything sinful to listen to. Occasionally I like Bon Jovi, whose songs are about nothing more than everyday life in America, personal struggle, and loads of other topics that sort of hit home. Nothing satanic there. And while I’ll be called a fool for saying this, I must admit that I listen to Polka and Bluegrass too, hardly tools of the devil (I’ll be called a fool not for admitting to that, but for saying they’re not of the devil–although if you listen to them for a couple of days on end, you are led to believe so
). I could list nearly every song in my extremely varied playlist, every genre from rock, pop, classical, baroque, Irish Drinking Songs, Scottish Celtic music, a couple of rap songs here and there, and loads of others–and nothing suggests to me that we give Satan all forms of music. If this means nothing to you, consider the fact that I go to a Benedictine college, attend Mass every day, serve at the altar, and am majoring in Theology (as well as pursuing a possible vocation to the priesthood). In other words, music is not to be absolutely branded as the root of satanism in our culture–man’s choosing is. I listen to all sorts of music, and give nothing to Satan through it (the Polka, Bluegrass, and Scottish bagpipe music is actually to annoy him and anyone else around…I rather like it). Music does not turn my heart away from God and the Church anymore than does fast food or football.
Complaining about the satanic roots of Christmas? Time for another etymology lesson. Christmas, if broken into syllables, becomes “Christ mas.” It is the Mass for Christ, whose birth is celebrated on that day. The fact that the celebration coincides with pagan festivals doesn’t give it “pagan roots.” My birthday coincides with Earth Day, but that doesn’t make me a tree-hugging hippie (my birthday, oddly enough, is the vigil of St. George’s day, and he’s the patron of Scouts like myself). There are loads of feasts throughout the calendar that were sort of superimposed upon existing pagan festivals in the early centuries. Some say this was to draw in converts, but the real reason is probably more to the tune of something I was talking about above–consecrating days to the Saints. We take existing pagan days and give them to God–we “baptize” them, if you will.
Santa Claus is not anything to do with paganism or satanism or anything like that. Santa Claus is simply St. Nicholas. The tradition is discussed
here, and there is a link in the article to the Saint about whom the legend of Santa Claus is derived. St. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra (now in Turkey), not anything to do with paganism. No pagan roots there.
In short, only what we choose to allow Satan into does he come. If we consecrate every action to God, then there is no room for Satan to enter in.
Ergo sum Explorator Aquila!!
-ACEGC
