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Several years ago, I volunteered at a local organization that operated the local food shelf and did a lot of good around the community. I served on the board of directors. Also on the board were a lot of the local clergy. We were planning a Halloween party for the kids to be held at the grade school. The local Congregational minister had issues with calling it a Halloween party. He said, "I can't participate in something that is called Halloween because that is the devil's holiday." I was wondering if he would participate in it no matter what it was called. So, the first name they came up with was October Fest. Of course, that is usually associated with beer-not really good for school kids. So, they decided on the name October Fun Fest. WOO HOO! And just as I suspected, the Congregational minister did not donate his time to the kids on that night. I still called it a Halloween Party and so did all the kids. They weren't fooled by someone who is afraid of the name Halloween. A rose by any other name...
I grew up in a very conservative town that was overwhelmingly Christian. Halloween was a BIG deal. The city sponsored a kiddie Halloween parade every year. We got to march down the main street in town and show off our costumes. They let us out of school if Halloween fell during the week. None of the churches complained. Some of the kids marched with their Sunday School groups. We had a blast. There was a HUGE night-time parade the weekend before Halloween. Marching bands, floats, celebrities riding in convertibles.
Fifty years later it's still going strong and still called Halloween. The town has not shown any signs of the devil taking over, causing havoc and chaos.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GoCardinals
I am not a Christian so I can't speak on their behalf.
Not celebrating or Celebrating Halloween whichever way one wants is a free choice. And in my opinion the OP is subtly trying to criticize those who may not agree with his ideaology.
For some people Halloween is fun but that doesn't mean it should be fun for everyone else.
The meaning of "fun" could vary from person to person - pretty useless OP in my opinion.
There is no subtly attempted. I'm blatant about my criticism. And blunt.
I am not a Christian so I can't speak on their behalf.
Not celebrating or Celebrating Halloween whichever way one wants is a free choice. And in my opinion the OP is subtly trying to criticize those who may not agree with his ideaology.
For some people Halloween is fun but that doesn't mean it should be fun for everyone else.
The meaning of "fun" could vary from person to person - pretty useless OP in my opinion.
It is not about you having fun. It is about children having fun. If a kid doesn't want candy from a neighbor he is a weird kid or brainwashed by their parents and still weird.
Most mainstream Christians think this as stupid as I do, but I bet there are some on these boards that support the backwards fundie thinking outlined in those articles.
By the way... Do any of you so-called "Christians" know why it's called Halloween? No?
Hallowe'en (that's how it's really spelled) stands for All Hallows Even(ing) that is, it's the Christmas Eve of All Hallows. What is All Hallows, you ask? All Saints Day. The day when we celebrate the saints of God.
Rewind here. Until we got all goofy about witchcraft, say 200-400 years ago, we had Christian missionaries to Germany, Ireland, places like that. We have all this atheist fluff about killing witches. But generally this practice didn't work. What did, was trying to make common ground. Here's an illustration according to Wikipedia:
Quote:
Saxons repeatedly refused Christianization and the rule of Charlemagne, and therefore rebelled frequently. In the year 782 of this period, Charlemagne is recorded as having massacred 4,500 rebel Saxon prisoners in Verden (the Massacre of Verden), and imposing legislation upon the subjected Saxons that including the penalty of death for refusing conversion to Christianity or for aiding pagans who did the same (such as the Capitulatio de partibus Saxoniae). While rebellions continued to take place even after his death (such as that of the Stellinga), Charlemagne succeeded in laying the groundwork for the Christianization of the Saxons, yet was unable to reach the Scandinavians, who remained pagan.
Didn't really work, and they had to kill a bunch of people.
Quote:
The Anglo-Saxon conversion in particular was a gradual process that necessarily included many compromises and syncretism. A famous letter from Pope Gregory to Mellitus in June 601, for example, is quoted encouraging the appropriation of pagan temples and festivals for Christian use.
The temples of the idols in that nation ought not to be destroyed; but let the idols that are in them be destroyed; let holy water be made and sprinkled in the said temples, let altars be erected, and relics placed. For if those temples are well built, it is requisite that they be converted from the worship of devils to the service of the true God .... And because they have been used to slaughter many oxen in the sacrifices to devils, some solemnity must be exchanged for them on this account .... but kill cattle to the praise of God .... For there is no doubt that it is impossible to efface everything at once from their obdurate minds; because he who endeavours to ascend to the highest place, rises by degrees or steps, and not by leaps.
Christmas Tree? Middle ground between pagan tree worship, winter ritual holidays, and Christianity. They were trying to take pagan customs and teach them about concepts of immortality (the Christmas tree is evergreen and never loses its leaves, like the immortality of Jesus, also Jesus is born during the time that is seemingly the coldest and most dead (what, you think that is the calendar date of Jesus's birth?)).
Easter Egg? Symbol of fertility and rebirth. Also, the egg is a Jewish Passover symbol.
Halloween? We have a night, Samhain which is a festival of death. On this night, people dress as creatures, as a sort of "scaring off" of death and fear. They effectively are turning a night of fear or death, into The idea is not to scare people, so much as to enjoy yourself. That you make a fuss about this, means you are afraid of it! The theme of death for Halloween is backlit by the next day, a celebration of the lives and death of Christians coming before.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
10,202 posts, read 7,919,895 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bulmabriefs144
By the way... Do any of you so-called "Christians" know why it's called Halloween? No?
Hallowe'en (that's how it's really spelled) stands for All Hallows Even(ing) that is, it's the Christmas Eve of All Hallows. What is All Hallows, you ask? All Saints Day. The day when we celebrate the saints of God.
Rewind here. Until we got all goofy about witchcraft, say 200-400 years ago, we had Christian missionaries to Germany, Ireland, places like that. We have all this atheist fluff about killing witches. But generally this practice didn't work. What did, was trying to make common ground. Here's an illustration according to Wikipedia:
Didn't really work, and they had to kill a bunch of people.
Christmas Tree? Middle ground between pagan tree worship, winter ritual holidays, and Christianity. They were trying to take pagan customs and teach them about concepts of immortality (the Christmas tree is evergreen and never loses its leaves, like the immortality of Jesus, also Jesus is born during the time that is seemingly the coldest and most dead (what, you think that is the calendar date of Jesus's birth?)).
Easter Egg? Symbol of fertility and rebirth. Also, the egg is a Jewish Passover symbol.
Halloween? We have a night, Samhain which is a festival of death. On this night, people dress as creatures, as a sort of "scaring off" of death and fear. They effectively are turning a night of fear or death, into The idea is not to scare people, so much as to enjoy yourself. That you make a fuss about this, means you are afraid of it! The theme of death for Halloween is backlit by the next day, a celebration of the lives and death of Christians coming before.
It's all good. Christmas, Easter, Halloween. Pagans are cool with these holidays. If we were a bit more cool, we'd be okay with Pagan holidays too.
It's all good, as all of those are usurped pagan holidays anyways. Some Christians actually recognize that, and then there are those, well, love their ignorance.
I stopped celebrating Halloween when I was eleven year old I believed I needed to just grow up , then I became a believer of Jesus Christ thirty years later , and I am still not interested in the Halloween parties or any trick or treat or costumes or supporting the day
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
10,202 posts, read 7,919,895 times
Reputation: 4561
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoCardinals
kinda gets ironic is long it? Non-believers getting worried about having their Holidays" being butted in?
Huh?
Believers seem to want to wrap all things holiday into their skewed perspectives.
They usurped the Winter Solstice celebration, and called it Christmas, from the pagans.
They usurped the Spring Equinox celebration, and called it Easter, from the pagans.
They usurped Halloween celebration, the night before All Hallowed day, from the pagans.
And then got all confused.
They whine and snivel about "taking the Christ out of Christmas" not recognizing that only in English does that even make sense, and now, the move is to instead disavow any connection to Halloween, getting all confused about its history, and now calling it devils work.
Well, sportsfan, Christmas is much more pagan. But oh no, that one you forget all about its roots.
It's bogus.
But then ... "fun tricks" and "tasty treats" are very popular in my sphere.
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I was wondering if he would participate in it no matter what it was called. So, the first name they came up with was October Fest. Of course, that is usually associated with beer-not really good for school kids. So, they decided on the name October Fun Fest. WOO HOO! And just as I suspected, the Congregational minister did not donate his time to the kids on that night. I still called it a Halloween Party and so did all the kids. They weren't fooled by someone who is afraid of the name Halloween. A rose by any other name...
