Halloweenies -- The ghouls of political correctness take the fun out of being a kid

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Saturday, November 01, 2003 | Francine E. Rose

[Willie Green]

Halloween is over, but I can still see beaming ghosts and goblins, witches and sorcerers, monsters and hip-hop stars parading around outside my local elementary school yesterday. They were the lucky kids; many schools offered only "harvest celebrations" yesterday.

The harvest celebrators saw Halloween as someone else's holiday. When my children were in preschool, both Jewish and Christian schools objected to Halloween. The Jewish preschool teachers explained to me, a Christian, that Halloween celebrated a Christian holiday, All Saint's Day. Though I grew up Catholic, this was news to me, but OK, no Halloween party in Jewish preschool. One year later, in a Christian preschool: no Halloween party because Halloween was a devil-worshipping, Satanic holiday.

[Dec31,1999]

It wasn't the PC police that turned Halloween into a harvest festival, it was the Christians. Oh, nevermind... :)

[Willie Green]

Another Spidey tyke saw of our dogs and was ready to abandon Trick or Treating in hopes of befriending the dog.

LOL! My cat was a hit with the little ones as well.
She's wary, but friendly with strangers.
And since the front porch is "her territory", she's also brazen enough that nobody's going to scare her away. She just plopped herself right on the bench next to our front door, and lay there where she could watch everybody and meow at them as they came and went. As long as nobody messed with her food or water bowls, she was cool to the whole idea. (Much better than the 4th of July. Fireworks freak her out and I have to let her hide indoors.)

[Gringo1]

YOU are one of the kooks who ruin simple fun for kids.


Just though you should know.

[Gringo1]

thought

[karen999]

That pantload of pseudo-information re: Halloween half-truths you posted. I suppose you don't celebrate Christmas either, as most likely your anti-catholic puritanical forebearers didn't. "Where is Dec. 25th in the bible?"

[lizma]

I was surprised to read that Jewish teachers were telling the preschoolers that Halloween was a Christian holiday.

My kid's school is about 30+% Jewish. I was talking to a bunch of Jewish moms Friday during our school's Halloween party and the fact that Jewish schools didn't celebrate Halloween came up.

They all felt that was ridiculous. What once was a pagan, then Christian holiday has evolved into a celebration that is a non-religious holiday, part of American culture and fun for their kids. I agree. Couple hundred years can change a few things

[bluelowrider57]

To tell you the truth Halloween does in fact have satanic roots, dating back to cults such as the early Celts, who "invented" bonfires, and others.

[bluelowrider57]

Exactly my point.

[Willie Green]

What once was a pagan, then Christian holiday has evolved into a celebration that is a non-religious holiday, part of American culture and fun for their kids.

The next thing you know, somebody will condemn Mardi Gras because it has something to do with Ash Wednesday.

What a bunch of dour party poopers!

[ConservativeLawyer]

Same thing here. . . guess the PC weenies have won. . . THIS round. . .

Don't forget that this time it was on a Friday night. Since it was the start of a weekend, there were many more Halloween parties than usual. Many who might otherwise be trick-or-treating were likely at parties.

[Willie Green]

Many who might otherwise be trick-or-treating were likely at parties.

I suppose that's a possibility.
I had figured that many would stay out longer/later since it wasn't a school night. But that theory didn't pan out.

[LibertarianInExile]

Druids still do human sacrifice in Stonehenge?

Try puffing that crackrock a little less hard. You might have had a shot at convincing me until you put that little nugget of nonsense in your screed. No one else here is eager to have the U.S. be Northern Ireland, as much as you might wish it, Orangy Von Orangenstein.

[nmh]

And of course Satanism and witchcraft isn't on the rise either in the U.S.. Silly one ... .

[PresbyRev]

Just about everything in our religion (Christian) finds an antecedent further back in history - Christmas, Easter, Lent, baptism with water, sacred suppers/communing with a divine savior in the elements of bread and wine, even motifs of virgin born saviors who die and rise again from death all find their place in religion and mysticism long before Christianity.

Getting in a tizzy about Halloween is silly. It is a harmless children's holiday. Do a search on the Christianity Today website on Halloween, they have a couple good articles on a positive evangelical take on Halloween.

We personally had a Reformation Party at church for the children and enjoyed Halloween as well.

[Hildy]

You're right! I was on the other side of Long Island (Plainview) and we would start over on the Hicksville side and trick or treat until we had no more room in our bags. In those days we were given UNICEF boxes and everybody would put a few pennies in your box and the next day you'd hand your UNICEF container over to the school. It was a reminder how lucky we were to be in the US. We would look forward to Halloween all year long. It's a shame that kids don't have the opportunity to just have fun on ONE DAY of the year.

[nmh]

Dear Willie, denial is not becoming to you. Check U.S. history and Catholic literature. It's all there. BTW, you'll also find support for unions by these folks also. That ought to cheer you up a bit!

Irish records tell of the fascination the Catholic monks had with the powerful Druids, and Druids soon became important members of their monasteries. Pope Gregory the Great decided to incorporate the Druids' holiday into the church. He made the proclamation, "They are no longer to sacrifice beasts to the devil, but they may kill them for food to the praise of God, and give thanks to the giver of all gifts for His bounty." Pope Gregory III moved the church festival of October 31st to November 1st and called it All Hallows or All Saints' Day. Pope Gregory IV decreed that the day was to be a universal church observance. The term Halloween comes from All Hallows Eve.

The founding fathers of America REFUSED to permit the holiday to be observed because they knew it was a pagan holiday. Halloween was NOT widely celebrated in the U.S. until about 1900. In the 1840's there was a terrible potato famine in Ireland which sent thousands of Catholic Irish to America. They brought Halloween with them.

[SuziQ]

I was surprised to read that Jewish teachers were telling the preschoolers that Halloween was a Christian holiday.

Well, it started out that way, as "All Hallow's Eve" or the eve of the All Saints Day. But it hasn't really been connected with anything remotely resembling Christianity for years! It is, or was, just a fun night to dress up in a silly costume and go begging door to door for candy! Our daughter is 15 and she went out with a few of her friends around one of their houses. Our son is 13, and he went with one of his friends in their neighborhood. They had fun, and I've noticed more kids in their early teens still having this fun time.

We didn't have many tot'ers. ALL the kids from our street, and who are mostly under the age of 10, went as a group and came to our door all at one time! There was one other set of boys who had come a few minutes earlier than the others, but that was all I saw. I had to leave to take the kids to their parties, and when I did, I just left the bowl on the porch. When I returned 45 minutes later, the bowl was empty, so I just turned off the front porch light.

This whole hoo ha about Halloween not being pc is the stupidest thing I have EVER heard!

[nmh]

"Getting in a tizzy about Halloween is silly. It is a harmless children's holiday. Do a search on the Christianity Today website on Halloween, they have a couple good articles on a positive evangelical take on Halloween."

I'm not in a "tizzy". Just calmly giving a reason why we don't find anything to celebrate in Halloween. Christianity Today is just a tad on the liberal side, to put it nicely. I'm sure they could come up with something positive for anything.

As for me, I find Perfection to be the best Advisor.

What the world thinks of as "ghosts" are not the spirits of dead people, but rather EVIL spirits which we are warned about in the Bible (Lev. 19:31; 20:27; II Kgs. 23:24; Mat. 10:1; Mar. 3:11; Acts 8:7; Rev. 16:13). Why would a Christian want to decorate their home with such wickedness?

In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" (I Tim. 4:1) Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Eph. 5:11) The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." (Rom. 13:12) I suppose the answer is in there as to why "Christians" would celebrate this holiday.

"We personally had a Reformation Party at church for the children and enjoyed Halloween as well."

That's amusing ... you have a Reformation party and also celebrate Halloween and your moniker is that of a Rev.? I'm sure you can imagine what is going through my mind. As for us we find a Reformation celebration to be sufficient and avoids hypocrisy.

[sfRummygirl]

I think two or three things is going on here. A lot of families don't let the kids trick or treat out of fear of violence or not knowing the neighbors anymore. That's one thing.
Then there is the PC police about the costumes. Not wearing a 'violent' costume or sexist one.
Then there are the folks who are against the Pagan aspects of the holiday. These are usually a different group of folks then the above two. Christain families, or Orthodox Jewish ones.
However, not all Christain families stated above forbid the kids from trick or treating. They emphasize the harvest part, but with costumes that are not witch related and stuff like that.
I know alot about all of this, as I am a former witch. (I'm Christian now). And it is true, folks, that halloween is very much turning into a religious holiday. I live in San Francisco, and trust me, if you want to see what is coming your way soon......
Anyhoo, my two cents is, I support kids having a blast with their imagination. But I would make sure the religious overtones wouldn't creep in.
So, it's about two or three factors that are causing the shift in the holiday.

[nmh]

"Druids still do human sacrifice in Stonehenge?"

I didn't say they still do that today. Of course you can believe what you wish.

"Try puffing that crackrock a little less hard. You might have had a shot at convincing me until you put that little nugget of nonsense in your screed. No one else here is eager to have the U.S. be Northern Ireland, as much as you might wish it, Orangy Von Orangenstein."

I suggest you follow your own advice ... I've never suggested the U.S. become part of northern or southern Ireland. Apparently you are partial to southern Ireland? Ah, more ad homs since you can not post anything substantial.