Another take on Halloween

[Carlene Prince]

[quote] We don't partake in Halloween, I'm a bad parent


me too I guess, I just take my Kids to WalMart and tell them to pick out their own bag of candy and be done with it....B-A-D- M-O-M!!!!

[DeWayneTN]

All I know is I'm dressing up as N.T. Wright. If others can act like him, why can't I?

[n2jesus]

Whether you do or whether you don't it's all your choice...I hear 2 different stories of the origin of Halloween, but no one ever discussed it's origin with me when I was a kid...Thank goodness...I just remember dressing up silly and raking in the candy...What innocent childhood memories I have, oh how I long to go back, but never will be able to...I cried when both of my children were too old to trick or treat anymore...I called my 15 year old daughter at work and said "I don't have any one to take trick or treating" She said "Get a grip Momma" and now her day is coming too with her children...lol...If you are celebrating something evil, then there is something wrong with you other than a costume and a bag of candy...No matter the origin, if that belief stands, then we must all abandon fruit, for that was the first evil we partook of and I know no one believes fruit is evil...Some say your not telling your children the truth to believe in the Easter bunny, tooth fairy, santa and on and on...Well I told my children the truth, I was all of these to them...At Easter I was the Easter bunny, when they lost a tooth, I was the tooth fairy and I did come get their tooth from under their pillow while asleep and replace it with a token gift...I was Santa who ate the cookies, drank the milk, bought and left the presents...Oh what fun to allow children their imaginations...What fun to steal from the enemy something he may have intended for evil and have innocent family fun with it...Now if you are glorifying the darkness with your attire, having seances, calling up the dead and those sorts of things, you have more than a halloween problem...I chose to believe it's a hallowed day just like I chose to believe hallowed be thy name...Some want to make evil out of everything and that the boogey man is on your doorstep waiting daily to get you if you even smile crooked...Of course that is my personal feelings and thank God he allows me to have them...If you don't want to participate then don't but don't try to make it a doctrine for others...I have lots of things I don't feel good about but I don't try to make others feel that way....

Fred Fisher is my uncle on my Dad's side and I grew up playing cards with my Nanny on my Mom's side of the family...Rook, Conasta, Crazy 8, Old Maid, Go Fish, Uno, Skipbo, well you get the pic...We went to Kansas for a vacation to visit my Uncle Fred, I think he was pastoring Olathe, Kansas at the time...Anyway to this day I will never forget, my Mom brings out a deck of cards for us to play and in walks Uncle Fred only to let us know, he didn't allow cards in his home...There was no big deal made, the cards were put away and it was never even brought up again...Of course whether he feels that way or not now, I have no idea...All that being said, we just need to respect and love one another enough to allow for personal boundaries, whether we understand or not...If you don't celebrate that is your business and if I do, then that is mine and it shouldn't be an issue between us...God is going to be the one to have the final say and I would rather be safe than sorry, but some things should be left to personal choices...

[TW]

I guess that it is time for a "History Lesson." At the risk of raising the ire of the crowd that believes that all of our modern holidays are derived from the pagan holidays of the Middle Eastern nations. The Phillistines, nor any other of the tribes of the middle east had anything to do with Halloween. Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (Irish pronunciation: [ˈsˠaunʲ]; from the Old Irish samain). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic New Year". Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them. Trick-or-Treating recalls that the Druid priest would go from house to house, and under the most thinly veiled threat of placing a curse upon the house would extort food or wealth from them.

The holiday has long since lost it's religious connotations and become a cultural event that gives license for adults to act like children again (at least for awhile), and children to extort some candy from adults.


TW

[Russell Roberts]

TW, thanks for taking the time to write that interesting background information. I have read (when I was younger) a brief outline of the history of halloween. An interesting question, with that background in mind is this: Is it wrong for a Christian to celebrate halloween? It doesn't seem like it is to me but there are a lot of Christians who think so. What is wrong with dressing up like ghouls and gobblins? Is it wrong to watch a scary movie or read a book about witches and wizards?

I don't think it is, but that's just my opinion. What is the effect on a Christian if they do such a thing? Are people scared that children will start worshipping demons if they celebrate halloween? I'm just throwing out some questions to think about.

[PastorDaniel]

Lafayette closes down the city square and all the local business hand out candy. It's a safe alternative to walking the neighborhoods and highly attended.

I allow my kids to go as Super Heroes, Bible Characters, or just about anything thats doesn't "glorify the darkside" as PG said.

Travis is going as the Incredible Hulk and Cadan is going as Superman!

And yes...I will help them eat the candy!!

[crispfin]

Travis is going as the Incredible Hulk and Cadan is going as Superman!

Woohoo! Marvel and DC together! Excellent choices!

[pastorables]

We did our celebrating tonight. The local COGOP, as well as an area fire department, had Trunk or Treats this evening. It took only around an hour to visit both and for our son, the pirate (picture later), to collect around one pound or more of candy.

pa

[Ilovebigcats]

Can't we all just get along?



I hope my halloween makes you smile! I know my kids cracked up!!

I need a pick!

[Mike Vande]

All I know is I'm dressing up as N.T. Wright. If others can act like him, why can't I?

With him, is it an act?

[MrDanger]

Dolfan, I had to save that pic and send it to Kimmy. Since she is a big time Bama fan and a Palin fan, it will be a dream come true.

[dolfan]

Dolfan, I had to save that pic and send it to Kimmy. Since she is a big time Bama fan and a Palin fan, it will be a dream come true.

My pleasure!


My daughter's going to be Princess Aurora this year. She was Snow White on her first Halloween at 10 months old.


Then she was Cinderella last year.

[MacUser]

Awesome photos guys.

Here are our carving the pumpkin