I have told this story before on FR, regarding Halloween, guess I will tell it again...
Many years ago, when I took my boys trick-or-treating, we came to one house where the two children of the house, were sitting on the fence outside of their house, and handing out religious tracts to the other kids, all the while, telling them how sinful they were for participating in Halloween activities...mom and dad stood in the doorway, just beaming over their childrens activities...
Many months later, there was a great big ruckus at this house...Paramedics, and police were at this house...seems dad came home early one day and found mom in a 'compromising' situation with another man...dad proceeded to shoot mom...dad was taken to jail, mom to the hospital...
I guess children participating in Halloween activities were sinful, but adultery and attempted murder were somehow not considered sinful in this household...
An extreme case, I would grant you..but it just shows great hypocrisy on these parents part...It was easier to point out others sins, than to deal with their own sins..
There are those who will find evil, and sin, no matter where they look...but only sin and evil in others...better these busybodies look into a mirror, and to their own families...
Well, that's a pretty atypical story, I'd think.
Still, self-righteous people who attempt to stop other people from celebrating a holiday are stupid in the extreme. Their silliness does nothing to promote their beliefs.
Christianity is not, or should not be, an angry, threatening religion. Sadly, some of its followers didn't get that message. Instead of spreading the "good news," they spread something else, and it's smelly stuff.
Wow, those poor kids' heads must have been seriously messed up. I hope they got sent to live with saner relatives, or a decent foster home after that episode.
My mom was not allowed to go trick or treating when she was little for religious reasons, and she hated not going out.
My mom went over board with her own kids. She loved getting us dressed up, and she made the best popcorn balls to hand out as treats. She didn't have great Halloweens as a kid, but she made it great for her kids.