Posted on 10/31/2008 9:49:19 AM PDT by NYer
Ping!
So, he's saying tha one cult's excess excuses another evil.
Great read, great points-Thanks!
There’s no excuse to not have fun on Halloween. If any children show up dressed with Hussein stickers we can redistribute their candy to someone else.
It’s just a holiday for children.
If you’re Christian and you choose not to celebrate Halloween that’s your business. They’re your kids. I can see both sides.
The Christianizers didn’t just base the new calendar around the pagan calendar because they like the pagans... I think more to the point was that they wouldn’t have been able to impose the change without fitting the new celebrations into the existing ones. It was a compromise.
Really good piece though. Thanks.
Merely being "of pagan origin" is not in and of itself evil. We were all pagan once, and therefore much of everyday life is pagan in origin.
The question is whether it is incompatible with Christianity. Paganism, in its better forms, had much in it that was good and true. That which was good and true was redeemed by Christ. That which was evil and wrong must be rejected. But you can't just reject it all out of hand on the grounds of 'paganism'. That leads to the cultish rejection of much that is good.
We have a long tradition of tales, about ghouls and goblins, around campfires and in front of fireplaces. I still remember “Bloody Bones” and share it with the younger generation on occasion. I think it was harmless, I don’t remember any mutilated animals, decapitated corpse (okay maybe one, read about it for days so it was highly unusual) nor people particularly deranged.
I think the most disturbing part of Halloween now is the danger to the children who engage in the practice. It is very sad that one has to discard unpackaged goodie, look for needle marks and check “goodies” with a metal detector. That is why a lot of celebrations are confined to supervised carnivals. Some are advocating an alternative to Halloween, similar to first night for New years, which is also a good idea. It is all in good fun and kids (mostly) love it.
I’m currently working on my Christian defense of pornography.
But you can’t just reject it all out of hand on the grounds of ‘paganism’. That leads to the cultish rejection of much that is good.
All the “good” things about Halloween are what...costumes and candy???
Contemplation of mortality, the tying in of the death and rebirth of Nature with the death and rebirth of Man in the person of Christ, honoring those who have died, confronting fears of death . . . . there's lots of worthwhile food for thought under the costumes and candy.
Our parish does a Hallowe'en party where the kids come as their favorite saint. It makes the underlying issues more obvious, but they are there, regardless.
Exactly! My reasons are many to abstain from H’ween but a key factor is this: Phil 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.
H’ween falls very short here. Im no cultist...thats all I have.
Of course the reality is those dangers while real are pretty rare. There’s always been some jerks out there (legends of poisoned/ trapped Halloween treats go back to the mid 60s) and there’s always going to be some jerks out there. But chances are you won’t encounter them. We’ve gotten pretty hyper paranoid, especially when it comes to kids, in the last few decades, but there really isn’t much evidence to back up that increased paranoia.
While there will be problems, there always are, on an individual kid basis they still have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting tampered Halloween treats.
My reasons are many to abstain from H’ween but a key factor is this: Phil 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.
H’ween falls very short here. Im no cultist...thats all I have.
It’s a shame Catholics haven’t been so historically broad-minded about the celebration of Jewish holidays as they have been the pagan ones.
But I think you're going to have to get Christmas in your sights next, if that is your criterion -- runaway commercialism, blatant greed, drunken holiday parties, spending beyond one's means, are not true, noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable.
Don't mistake superficial human error and excess for the underlying message.
bump for later
Im not judging ANY of you who feel its ok to make this compromise...it is a matter of conscience for me to not do so. I dont believe that the Bible teaches this type of permissiveness.
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