Posted on 10/28/2020 8:02:32 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
As Halloween approaches, the debate over whether Catholics should join in the celebrations has reignited. Many claim it is a harmless holiday for children that Catholics may freely participate in. Others affirm that it has now descended into dark regions with the return of pagan and Satanic imagery. It should thus be off limits.
And then there are those who look for a third way somewhere in-between. They propose alternative celebrations, All Saints Day commemorations or fall festivals. In this way, Halloween, an originally Catholic feast, can be “re-Christianized” and re-purposed to promote the Faith. They hope to turn Halloween into a teaching moment for all good Christians.
Halloween Cannot be Ignored
Finding a Christian way to celebrate Halloween is a problem for many parents. Halloween cannot be ignored. Their children will necessarily be exposed to it.
It has become a feast that is only surpassed by Christmas in economic terms. Many households now have Halloween decorations inside and outside their homes. It is a huge party night in which Americans spend billions of dollars on costumes and events. It is a big night adventure for children who engage in their traditional quest for “trick or treat.”
However, another point cannot be ignored. The darker celebrations of Halloween glorify the occult, the bizarre and macabre. New developments in costumes make zombie-like outfits much more realistic and horrifying. The increasing popularity of Satanic movements like Wicca has helped popularize Halloween as sacred. The modern focus of Halloween is increasingly focused on a fascination with evil, horror, and gore.
Ironically, a liberal society that deplores the rise of violence and abuse in other fields makes few objections to this bloody and macabre holiday.
(Excerpt) Read more at returntoorder.org ...
“Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1”
This is simply not according to real history. First off, the Nov. 1 date was developed by Christians only.... FAR, FAR away from Celtic Europe, rather in Rome and Southern Europe. Secondly, Samhain was a LUNAR festival—which means it’s holiday moves around, according to the phases of the moon. Apparently Nov.1 lines up with Samhain about once every 30 years or so...so they are NOT the same holiday, or even related. Thirdly, the information we have about Samhain, comes from AFTER Nov. 1 was designated All Saints Day in the AD 700s...
MUCH of the disinformation on All Saints Day (or All Hallow’s Eve) comes from cultic, or occultic sources....who WANT to make it an evil holiday, to discredit the Christian martyrs who it was originally for. They’re happy to lie about things like “Samhain” in order to scare silly Christians...away from their own holiday honoring holy people of the past.
EXACTLY!!!
Christianized again?
Bwahaha!!!
Are we ever really going to allow churches to open up again?
The cathedral door was a common place to post messages/thesis such as Luther’s. It was like a community bulletin board
After New Year’s Eve .. Halloween is the BIGGEST NIGHT FOR ALCHOL CONSUMTION AND DRUNK DRIVIN G ACCIDENTS.
THAT is what Halloween is known for. These days it is PRIMARILY an adult holiday.
Mebbe so. I was being facetious.
I’ve done quite a bit of research into this and I think the pagan connection is baloney.
The connection to Samhain is tenuous at best...and just revolves around their being around the same time of year.
The name itself is not even Celtic but Anglo-Saxon (All-Hallows/Alle Heilige is plainly Germanic).
The earliest Irish martyrologies have All Saints in *April*, and the Irish only changed it to Nov. 1st to get in line with Roman usage. The Romans, of course, didn’t care about Celtic holidays and had it on that day because that’s when the Church of All Saints was dedicated.
On this “dead walking the earth” on Oct. 31 business....I’ve heard the same thing about Mexican paganism and Filipino...where there were no Celts. How likely is that? Far more likely is that the idea of the dead walking the earth came from *Christianity*, as the very first line of Vespers for the Dead, which was said on Halloween, is this: “I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living”.
Plus we don’t get any mention of paganism until...coincidentally...the Reformation, when people like Henry VIII decided they didn’t like the festivals of All Saints that much and needed an excuse to get rid of it.
Yes exactly. And unfortunately their nonsense tends to get amplified by Christians who want to scurrilously demean the medieval Church as superstitious and pagan.
Yes it is. All Hallows is the old English name for All Saints Day. All Hallows Ee'en (Evening) is the vigil of All Saints..
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