Who has ever been to Mardi Gras?

[His By Grace]

Hey ya'll. I'm off today due to Mardi Gras. We always have that on our school calendar-2 days off. I haven't been in years! I was just wondering if anyone on this site had ever experienced it? It's quite a sight to see! I'm not talking about a good sight either! When I was a teenager, I went with a friend and her parents. I can see why people get trampled on and even how someone could get shot and you would never know it. We were on Canal Street. I was surrounded by people; so much so that I was feeling like a sardine in a can. This drunk guy almost fell on me several times and did step on me. Maybe he couldn't see me well. I am small in stature! LOL! Anyway, be praying for the witnessing teams down there. It's rather sad and dangerous. I don't get why that's so fun. I have gone to Mardi Gras parades here in my town to see the little kids from my school on the floats so I could catch the beads, candy, and holler back to them. That was fun. But that's a whole different atmosphere. I'm sure it's got to be part pagan. I know it's part of the Catholic Church's celebration too, though. Good ol' Fat Tuesday is right before Ash Wednesday which starts Lent, when they give up something they really like as a sacrifice until Easter. I have some good friends that participate in this. I know, you may be thinking, "to obey is better than sacrifice."(1 Samuel 15:22) I thought the same thing. But I can't judge their mindset. It's between them and the Lord.

 

[tim_from_pa]

Until I was gainfully employed by a large corporation when I was young and managed to see (and hear about) more of the world, I never knew that Mardi Gras was such a big thing in New Orleans. Before then I was stuck here in my little ol' eastern Pa world with Pa Dutch traditions and having our Donut for "Donut Day".We had an evangelist come to our church and tell us racy stories about what they saw in New Orleans, and how they witnessed for Christ. But this evangelist was himself the "slain in the spirit" type so I figured that he was just as nuts as the party-goers there at Mardi Gras. They were the same type of people at two different ends of the camp and probably in a sense fit he in with them. Before I was laid off, I managed to travel somewhat to places where I could not afford to visit now with this new job, but New Orleans during Mardi Gras is not one of them. I've seen enough pictures not to want to visit there (not my cup of tea).

 

[His By Grace]

Interesting input! You haven't missed anything. It's not my cup of tea, either.

 

[ForYou]

Mardi Gras,Is a sinful party in most places,beads for breast,Not what the LORD would want us to participate in,But I have been to clean ones,where they just throw out beads and I run like a crazy person and attack people for them

ahahaha,Just stay away from the bad stuff

 

[jodycour]

It's definately a holiday of sin.It's filthy! I remember going to New Orleans when I was a teenager before I got saved and I thought it was a filthy city back then, I even witnessed a guy get stabbed in the back.A friend of mine went one year and brought a wooden cross and a bullhorn and preached in the streets across from a Gay bar. The Gay guys eventually came out and beat them up believe it or not. Pretty discusseding stuff!It's roots come from the Catholic Church and the cajun culture.

 

[His By Grace]

Now, that's a shame; getting beat up for sharing the gospel. It's not surprising though. Yes, "Mardi Gras" is French and does come from that culture. I did receive an e-mail about the Billy Graham crusade in N.O. that was a blessing. Last time he preached there (it's been a while now-at least 8 months to a year), he decided to walk down Bourbon Street. People were drinking and partying as usual. When some began to recognize him, they began to weep and fall down on their knees in the streets to pray. That happened all the way down the street. People confessing sin and weeping before the Lord and asking Bro. Billy to pray for them was a beautiful sight to behold, so say some witnesses. I can't even imagine it. I just pray it had a lasting effect on their lives.

 

[jodycour]

Wow,That's pretty incredible!

 

[stone]

(His By Grace;33906)
Now, that's a shame; getting beat up for sharing the gospel. It's not surprising though. Yes, "Mardi Gras" is French and does come from that culture. I did receive an e-mail about the Billy Graham crusade in N.O. that was a blessing. Last time he preached there (it's been a while now-at least 8 months to a year), he decided to walk down Bourbon Street. People were drinking and partying as usual. When some began to recognize him, they began to weep and fall down on their knees in the streets to pray. That happened all the way down the street. People confessing sin and weeping before the Lord and asking Bro. Billy to pray for them was a beautiful sight to behold, so say some witnesses. I can't even imagine it. I just pray it had a lasting effect on their lives.
If that did happen, it was probably faked by the religious leaders in the area. Graham is really working with the catholic church and is pretending to be a protestant. At his crusades, people that were catholic that go forward in an alter call are referred to catholic workers to be received back into the catholic church. [Protestant churches and ministries have catholics pretending to be members of other religions. Catholicism has been putting spies in other churches for centuries. See THE VATICAN PAPERS, by Nino Lo Bello, or History protestantism by Wylie.]Read about Billy Graham's relationship to catholicism:http://www.chick.com/reading/books/153/153_08.asphttp://www.chick.com/search/SearchResults.asp

 

[His By Grace]

I have never heard anyone defame Billy Graham. Well, let me be careful here. I shouldn't say it that way, as I don't wish to offend my Catholic friends. I know Billy Graham claims to be Presbyterian, I believe. I wonder if your info. can be verified by any other source. I will attempt to find out more about the N.O. crusade as well. I know sometimes e-mails can be bogus. I really hope that it's not. You know, I have found out some very interesting things about the Presbyterian Church that I never knew. I have been reading about the old-time revival preacher, Charles Finney. He came up against some of their doctrine; specifically the doctrine of predestination. I found it to be most interesting!

 

[His By Grace]

Well, this is why I am liking this site soooo much!!! You are challenging me to do my homework! Guess what! I owe you all an apology! I did google the event in N.O. with the Billy Graham crusade. It is said to be a false e-mail that was sent around. How sad that someone would do this! I thought it was such a wonderful testimony too! Oh well, I always like to believe the best when I can! I guess I need to check things out first. Sorry

 

[jodycour]

Yes, I'm sad also.I'd like to think that something good would come out of his crusades.But some people are so pesimistic!I choose to believe that God still uses ministers to effect peoples lives all around the world!

 

[bullfighter]

(jodycour;34013)
Yes, I'm sad also.I'd like to think that something good would come out of his crusades.But some people are so pesimistic!I choose to believe that God still uses ministers to effect peoples lives all around the world!
and when i seen it on tv years ago i felt great destress and never awhere of such ungodly behavioer by a city...i never judged anyone particular ,just the whole thing..sorry if i am wroung maybe i need to be there to see if i am feeling right about it..

 

[His By Grace]

Yes, I know what you mean,about the pessimism. It can really bring you down. However, I did just spend a lot of time reading about Billy Graham. I do have to say that the report was true, but only part of the truth was shared. Billy does have Catholic counselors present at his crusades as well as Protestant counselors. He wants people to feel comfortable with who they are talking with. I was disappointed in some of the things I read that were quotes from him where he has compromised. But, I do not live in a glass house like he does. I am sure it's been tough for him. I think he has done a lot of good. I thought he was Presbyterian, but in truth, it was Ruth that was Presbyterian all of her life. I didn't realize Billy was ordained as a Southern Baptist minister!(Or more than likely I forgot; I've got that sometimer's disease.Sometimes I remember things and sometimes I don't!LOL!)

 

[stone]

(bullfighter;34020)
and when i seen it on tv years ago i felt great destress and never awhere of such ungodly behavioer by a city...i never judged anyone particular ,just the whole thing..sorry if i am wroung maybe i need to be there to see if i am feeling right about it..
I live in New Orleans. Grew up going to the mardi gras parades. I was a catholic agnostic, not saved. Then later I got saved. I am not catholic anymore. I am a saved non denominational protestant now.The mardi Gras parades in New Orleans are named after pagan false god's.Bacchus, false god of wine, Zeus, Hermes, Thoth, Venus, and endemyon, a greek word meaning Devil.The names of the parades are an abomination to God.During mardi gras in New Orleans, people get drunk all over the city.If the temperature is warm, on Mardi Gras day, people, men and women will walk around half naked. The police will allow it that day. any other day they would be arrested. I once heard of a women dressed in clear plastic on mardi Gras day. There are many men walking around in athletic supporters, only, if the weather is warm. There is a homosexual show where males dress up like women to see who will win the prize for the best female impersonator. That is right out on the street in the French Quarter. People in the crowds will fight over the cheap daubloons and trinket beads that are thrown from the floats. I did that when I was a young child also. Mardi Gras now has become worse. There are people shooting people at or near the parades. I think rival drug gangs when they see each other out at the parades will sometimes shoot at each other. There were 5 shootings at or near the parades this year that I heard of. Several innocent people hit by bullets.

 

[His By Grace]

Yes, they had that on our local news in Baton Rouge about the gun shots being fired, Stone. Since Hurricane Katrina, our lives have been so different around here. Crime has escalated. Our schools were more managable than they are now. I would not teach at a Jr. High for love nor money! I certainly wouldn't teach at a high school. I worry about my own girls being there each day. But I am not in the city limits or within the parish of East or West Baton Rouge, so that's a blessing. Our parish is more traditional and not as violent. Anyway, we have so many people here now that the traffic is terrible. I rarely go into BR unless I have to. Of course, that's where the malls are. I don't think I even went to the mall at Christmas time though because of people, traffic, etc. I also just received an e-mail (through the school from the police station)warning women not to be out alone at night due to new gang initiations going on in BR. They are told to shoot someone as part of the initiations. What an evil world we live in. It makes me so sad and sick. How must the Lord feel to see the ones He created to love Him act this way with their bodies! We need to intercede for our country before it's too late.