Church's Anti-Halloween Flier Upsets Family

IBS ^ | October 20, 2005 | Staff

[Millee]

An Ellettsville family whose home is decorated for Halloween contacted police after someone placed on its porch a flier that suggests Halloween praises the devil.

Dalene Gully told Indianapolis television station WRTV that she took offense to the flier, which was placed outside her home by the House of Prayer Church of Bloomington.

"I started reading it, and I was very, very upset by it. I found it very accusatory and very threatening," Gully said.

The church's pastor, Larry Mitchell, said the people who left the flier would have preferred to talk with Gully, but she wasn't there.

Mitchell said the church didn't intend to upset the Gully family, but rather tell people that Halloween isn't harmless fun.

"Halloween is not fantasy," Mitchell said. "We're training up our children, and obviously this lady was trained up in this. Halloween seems like it is taking just as much prominence as Christmas."

The Gully family filed a complaint with the Ellettsville Police Department. The incident also prompted the family to install an alarm system at the home, the station reported.

"This is my home, and I like Halloween. If I want to decorate my home, I have every right to decorate my home," Gully said.

[stuartcr]

Nuthin' scarier than a room full of punkin'-headed, human fat-burning demons.

[wideawake]

I said nothing about an alarm system.

i reiterate that it was not cool. It wasn't polite and it wasn't called for and it wasn't neighborly.

If she wanted a dose of crazy she would have knocked on the leafleter's door and asked for one.

[Hoodlum91]

It takes some skill, but once it gets going, it lasts all night. The most beautiful glow too.

[wideawake]

Have you? The flyer's recipient said it was threatening.

[stuartcr]

Romantic too.

[DarthVader]

I think God has much bigger concerns than people who decorate their house for Halloween. I think man's inhumanity towards man is something that gets Him a trifle more upset.

[WriteOn]

"not cool"

ha ha. funny.

[San Jacinto]

I buy meat from a guy that works out a pickup truck. The meat is better than anything in the stores and it is less expensive. Give it a try!

And there are a lot fewer stray cats and dogs in the neighborhood!! Good deal all around.

[SuziQ]

"I started reading it, and I was very, very upset by it. I found it very accusatory and very threatening," Gully said.

Ms. Gully need to get a grip! What did she expect them to do, visit her in robes and pitchforks? If it had been me, I'd have just mailed it back to them with a note that said "Thanks for your concern, now leave my family alone."

[Theo]

"Accusatory"? Please post the text from the flyer so that I can be convinced.

FWIW, Christians are called to be "salt" and "light" in society. This may be that church's way of being salt and light. But I don't know, since I haven't seen the flyer you consider "accusatory."

[Larry Lucido]

Reformation Day Pumpkin Carving

Here's an idea that will bring great joy to your Reformation Day Celebration! Use the patterns and follow the instructions below to carve Reformation images into your pumpkins. 
 

Pumpkin carving instructions:

Supplies needed: (Available from grocery stores and discount stores such as Target and Wal-Mart.)

A Poker tool used to outline the pattern
The V Cutter used to create outlines and remove dark pumpkin skin
The Raker, removes skin, deepens and smoothes areas of exposed pumpkin flesh.
  
Directions:
 
1. Prepare Pumpkin Carefully cut opening in top or bottom of a smooth pumpkin. Clean out the seeds and strings with a large spoon or ice cream scoop. Scrape the inner pulp away from the area you plan to sculpt until the pumpkin wall is approximately 1 inch thick.
 
2. Transfer design trim the pattern leaving a 1/2" border around the design. Tape pattern to pumpkin. Using a poking tool, poke holes about 1/8" apart along the black design lines. Remove pattern. If necessary connect the dots with a lead pencil.
 
3. Outline design lines. Use a V cutter (available at most grocery stores near the pumpkins) carefully follow the holes to carve an outline of the design.
 
4. Remove Pumpkin skin. Using both hands to guide the V-cutter guide the tool just under the dark orange pumpkin skin inside the outline you just created.
 
5. Finishing touches. Using both hands to guide the raker, deepen and smooth the sculpted areas of exposed pumpkin flesh.
 
6. If pumpkin is not bright enough, carefully remove additional pulp from the inside of the pumpkin using a scraping tool or ice cream scoop.
 

	Martin Luther's Rose  Pumpkin Pattern (Click to see full scale image)
(before)		(after)
	Face of Martin Luther  Pumpkin Pattern (Click to see full scale image)
(before)		(after)

[Dimensio]

Indeed. A far more appropriate response would be to carve a mean-looking Jack-O-Lantern and leave it on the porch of the person who left the flyer with a knife stuck through it and a note that reads "You". That way, everyone feels better and no harm done.

[najida]

Bbbuuuutttt
Demons need love too! ;)

[GovernmentShrinker]

Yes, that would be a good step one. Step two would be to have the kids dress up as House of Prayer busybodies when they go trick-or-treating, complete with wads of kooky flyers in their hands. All the sane people in the neighborhood would get a kick out of it.

[Theo]

Quit threatening me, wideawake.





From now on, people are allowed to call your comment "threatening," because I considered it so.

[San Jacinto]

I said nothing about an alarm system.

I didn't say you did.

From the article:

"The Gully family filed a complaint with the Ellettsville Police Department. The incident also prompted the family to install an alarm system at the home, the station reported."

A bit over-reactive, wouldn't you say?

[Dimensio]

The flier was left on the porch not the kitchen table.

Littering. Not as bad as B&E, but still a crime.

[cornfedcowboy]

And you know someone that actually fueled their jack-o-lantern that way....or did you read it somewhere?

Heard it from a history professor. The Druids are the ones responsible.

[MineralMan]

I'm doing one of these this year, by the walk to my front door. Boo!