Mormons & Halloween: How we celebrate, and what to do if it's on a Sunday

Mormon Times ^ | Oct. 28, 2010 | Christine Rappleye

[Colofornian]

This year Halloween falls on a Sunday, causing some to reconsider traditional celebrations that don't quite fit into usual Sabbath-day activities.

But it can be difficult to avoid the holiday known for scary creatures and costumed children begging for candy.

So we asked Mormon Times readers how they celebrate Halloween — and how their plans might change with the holiday falling on a Sunday.

For some, it's just a matter of moving the ward or branch's fall festival or trunk-or-treat to Friday or Saturday. City officials in a few cities in southern Alberta, Canada...have moved celebrations to Oct. 30 and asked their residents, many of whom are Mormon, to go trick-or-treating a day early...

SNIP

And there are a few who are celebrating this "Day of the Dead" by revisiting their family history — which can be done any day.

Here are a few of the comments readers e-mailed in:

SNIP

"My name is Linda Shattuck. The neighborhood kids called me Sister Shattuck, Sister Shaved Ice or simply 'The Costume Lady.'

SNIP

"However, this year, I'm battling breast cancer. I'm in chemotherapy, and my fourth round will be Oct. 21. I won't be passing out candy this year and seeing the beautiful costumed children on what my family used to call 'Beggar's Night.'

"Instead, I'll be doing what I love most — preparing names to go to the temple. I'm planning on it being a night for me to honor my dead so that they can live forever with their families. It will be an entirely different version of the 'Day of the Dead' and I'm looking forward to an alternate celebration from ghouls and ghosts. I need to rest in peace this year — and so do my ancestors."

Linda Shattuck Cedar Hills, Utah

SNIP

[Elsie]

Don't YOU have some names to compile?

Let me point you to some:

[Elsie]

 

Seekers of truth,

 

 the BIBLE was the ACCEPTED Word of GOD by most Americans before JS claimed it was somehow inaccurate.

I wonder why he said that?

---

KJV

 Galatians 1:6-9

 6.  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
 7.  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
 8.  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
 9.  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
 

 

 

 

ANYBODY???

 

Like this fine looking fellow???

 

 

 

 

 

2 Corinthians 11:12-15

 12.  But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
 13.  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
 14.  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
 15.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

 

 

Like THESE guys??

 

 

 

 

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/js_h/1/19#19

 

 

17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

 

 

---

---

 

Ephesians 2:1-2 

1.  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

---

---

 

1 Corinthians 4:17
  For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

 

1 Corinthians 11:2
   Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:15
   Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

 

2 Timothy 1:13
   Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

 

2 Timothy 3:14-15
 14.  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
 15.  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

[Elsie]

‘Halloween Orange’ colored prairie dresses are not likely to qualify as hyper-sexualized attire.

So true!

It's them frilly print ones that get yer juices flowin!

--MormonDude(Not that I'd EVER have thoughts like THAT; doncha know...)

[Elsie]

There is no concept of family in heaven.

Seems the MORMONs tend to IGNORE certain scriptures to proclaim what they believe.

Romans 7:2

For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.

[Elsie]

 

I post links that “address things”, but I never personally answer a question.

That would involve thought.

It is much easier and cleaner to just post the official links to the cult headquarters.]

---

---

HI!

 

 My screen name is Paragon Defender; but you can call me PD (if you are SINCERE, that is.)

 

I provide TRUTH to ALL who would care to seek it (if they are REALLY sincere) and I do it OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and over again.

I am pleased to offer my services for the Betterment of Mankind.

Please feel free to ask me ANYTHING and I'll sincerely post my link list again.

Remember...

I am normal too; and I am a MORMON!

 

Sincerely,

 PD

[Utah Binger]

Now I know your secret (sacred) approach to submitting names to have speshul work done.

You will note that there are no temples in Kane County however and you have to drive through Colorado City to get to Saint George.

What does that mean? Damned if I know.

[Elsie]

See what I mean!?

[Elsie]

 

Deconstructing Linus: Portrait of a True Believing Pumpkinist as a Young Man

What does the Great Pumpkin offer Linus? Why does Linus spend every Halloween in the pumpkin patch, waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear? Is it about the toys?

"Each year on Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere and flies through the air with his pack of toys for all the good little children in the world."

No. This is about sincerity, a subjective standard by any definition.

I wonder if Linus blames himself every year for not picking the most sincere pumpkin patch for his vigil?

I wonder if other Great Pumpkinists castigate Linus by asserting if he were more in tune with the Spirit of the Great Pumpkin, if he were more prayerful, if he read the Holy Writ of the Great Pumpkin with a greater sincerity, that he could indeed rise to the challenge and, via the Spirit, be lead to choose the most sincere pumpkin patch?

I wonder how many years Linus will feel guilty for this failure and blame himself for receiving no answer no matter how sincere he believes himself to be?

I wonder if Linus ever gets frustrated because there is no objective way to measure sincerity? And if he realizes there is no objective standard for such a thing, I wonder if it ever creeps into his mind that his annual mission is nothing more than mindless busywork?

I wonder, does Linus ever has doubts?

For the time being, however, Linus will put aside his doubts and, perhaps as a means of proving his sincerity, begins to proselyte among his friends for converts. Most shrug him off. But Sally, who has a crush on him, believes Linus and agrees to spend Halloween in Linus’ Pumpkin Patch.

Linus then explains that by using positive language and positive thinking, they may be able to attract the Great Pumpkin to their Patch. He also cautions Sally that negative language and negative thinking will cause the Great Pumpkin to pass them by.

There is no room for doubt when one is a Great Pumpkinist. One should never say if the Great Pumpkin comes but always when the Great Pumpkin comes. "One little slip like that, can cause the Great Pumpkin to pass you by!" It’s hard to imagine a benevolent icon such as the Great Pumpkin punishing TBPs (True Believing Pumkinists) for such a minor infraction, but there you have it.

Sally: The Birth of an Ex-Pumpkinist

Because Sally loves her “sweet baboo” Linus, she sets aside her own Halloween plans of trick-or-treating and a Halloween party in order to spend the evening in the Pumpkin Patch. She converts to Great Pumpkinism because she loves Linus. She respects his opinion. And she wants to make him happy and be supportive. And besides, if it’s really true, WOW! Wouldn’t that be fantastic?

But in the end, the only Being that shows up in the Pumpkin Patch is Snoopy. Linus, believing Snoopy to be the Great Pumpkin, swoons into an ecstatic faint, happy in the knowledge that he has finally deciphered the Great Pumpkin’s standard for sincerity. But, alas, it is a misplaced hope, and when Linus regains consciousness, there is not only no Great Pumpkin there to reward him, there is one upset little girl.

"I was robbed! I spent the whole night waiting for the Great Pumpkin when I could have been out for tricks or treats! Halloween is over and I missed it! You blockhead! You kept me up all night waiting for the Great Pumpkin and all that came was a beagle!"

"I didn't get a chance to go out for tricks or treats! And it was all your fault! I'll sue! What a fool I was. And I could have had candy apples and gum! And cookies and money and all sorts of things! But no, I had to listen to you! You blockhead. What a fool I was. Trick or treats come only once a year. And I missed it by sitting in a pumpkin patch with a blockhead. You owe me restitution!"

Luckily for Sally, she only missed one Halloween. And though she is demanding restitution, because her participation was voluntary, she will never receive said restitution. She’ll simply have to accept the experience as one of life’s absurdities and move on.

However, one can hope that this experience has made Sally a more skeptical person, so that the next time she is presented with such fantastic claims, she’ll perhaps be inclined to do her research before committing any time, money or emotion.

After all, fantastic claims should be supported by fantastic evidence, right?

The question now becomes, has this experience made Linus a skeptic? After yet again not having his Pumpkin Patch recognized as sincere and after having endangered his friendship with Sally, will he continue to believe?

In spite of a complete and utter lack of evidence pointing to the existence of the Great Pumpkin, and a complete and utter lack of the Great Pumpkin’s Promise ever having been fulfilled, Linus is a True Believing Pumpkinist to the core. To even admit the possibility that he may be wrong would be to negate all those years of hard work and sincere belief. Linus simply cannot turn his back on his belief.

So if Linus doesn't become an ex-Pumpkinist, what is his strategy? Well, he’s going to keep on trying, isn't he?

"What do you mean, 'stupid'? Just wait until next year. I'll find a pumpkin patch, and I'll sit in that pumpkin patch and it'll be a sincere pumpkin patch, and the Great Pumpkin will come! Just you wait and see! I'll sit in that pumpkin patch, and I'll see the Great Pumpkin. Just wait until next year!"

 

 

[Elsie]

You will note that there are no temples in Kane County however and you have to drive through Colorado City to get to Saint George.

ONLY if you want to get there in a HURRY!

(What's a fellow like you doing sitting at his keyboard in the dark aNYWAY?)

[Elsie]

 

They post regurgitated propaganda on an almost daily basis.

 

Whacha mean 'almost'?

---

---

These "Caractors" are the only tangible evidence in existence related to Smith's story.

 

 No gold plates, no brass plates, no peep stones, no Urim and Thummim... only these "Caractors," not a single one of which is in the purported languages.

---

 

Smith's translation of the Caractors. According to Martin Harris (Joseph Smith - History, 1:64), "I went to the city of New York, and presented the characters which had been translated, with the translation thereof, to Professor Charles Anthon, a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments. Professor Anthon stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those which were not yet translated,* and he said they were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic; and he said they were true characters."

Speak right up now in all truthfulness. Isn't it revealing how Smith started out making a stab at creating believable "caractors" but quckly gave up and produced nothing but squiggles, ending up wih a series of nothing more than crude little scribbles? Yet Professor Anthon supposedly translated them!

---

*Harris must have had two or three pieces of paper with him—one with characters and a translation of them (on the same paper or a separate one) and one with untranslated characters—quite likely the "Caractors." Some Mormon "scholars" have gone out on a limb, sawed it off, and knocked themselves out trying to translate from these true Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic characters a segment that would correspond with a verse from 1 Nephi.

---

Modern-day experts in Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic. In 1829, any knowledge of these languages possessed by U.S. scholars would have been rudimentary at best. Expertise in them has vastly improved since then. So go ahead, do it. Get any modern expert in these languages to identify which of these "Caractors" are Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac and Arabic. Better still, accept the claim of Mormon apologists that Anthon did indeed so testify and that his appraisal of the Caractors was correct. (Op. cit, pp. 73-75)

Save your money! Samples of Assyriac/Aramaic and Arabic writing:

     .
 

     .
 

      .

 

What say you? Which of Smith's "Caractors" resemble the Assyriac and Arabic ones? No need to pay experts for their analysis. A child could accurately check this out. These writing systems have remained constant for well over 3000 years.

 

[Utah Binger]

And one more thing:

Halloween rules state that if you don’t buy a ton of stuff for the trick or treaters, fifty will show up.

If you do buy a ton of stuff, nobody will show up.

Nobody came last night during Mormon Halloween. This means I have a whole bunch of mini Snickers bars to deal with as there are no non-Mormon Halloweeners down here. Check the phone book!

[Utah Binger]

(What's a fellow like you doing sitting at his keyboard in the dark aNYWAY?)

Just having a nice cuppa coffee in the quiet of the Sabbath morning waiting for the sunrise.

[Utah Binger]

Gordon says it best

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Just having a nice cuppa coffee in the quiet of the Sabbath morning waiting for the sunrise. “

My kinda guy. Cheers [sound of clinking mugs].

Hope it’s a great one for you!

ampu

[Utah Binger]

And it did come up this morning. Too cold out on the front deck though as it is only 25 degrees this morning.

[Vendome]

As it should be.

[Vendome]

That’s sick! What do you have against Linus?

Linus is an introvert and such a sweet little boy. He would never attempt such complicated thinking as you have demonstrated in this post and really wouldn’t stand up for himself. /s/s/s/s

Pick on some one your own size and more suitable for yoru wily ways like that witch Lucy. That little Shrew. /s/s/s/s

/S
/S
/S
/S
/S

Happy Halloween!

Or if anyone misses Halloween there is always tomorrow - Felize’ Día de los Muertos!

[Vendome]

That is True!

4 years ago we turned of the lights and watched TV, on Halloween. Darned if the doorbell didn’t go off all night.

Every other year, except one, has been pretty sparse.

I am expecting more goblins this year, due to the economy, as the kids from the poorer areas are dropped off by their parents into more affluent areas.

[Vendome]

I think it very telling, nay suspicious, there are familiar characters on this parchment such as:

The numbers 4, 6, 2, 7, 8, 9 and 3. Also suspicious is the subtle changes of the characters such as merely adding a slash above the numbers, writing numbers such the number 4 in a different script and making a 5 with the hash lowered into it instead above it.

There are some characters of the Alphabet, which are most surely Latin in origin and still in use today:

A, T, D, V, M, H, C, Z, B, etc.

In fact, there is no resemblance to Egyptian or any other Middle East languages or writing.

It makes no sense to see some 16+ characters that should not have existed in the time this parchment was written and it, as a piece of evidence, is in direct conflict with reality.

Further, how could someone write in Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic languages? That’s 4 different languages on the same parchment!

No way there too many discontinuities with reasonable expectation of how language is structured.

[Vendome]

Where is that? Beautiful!

You are lucky to have that view from the front porch.

Almost looks like a valley in Gilroy, California. Though the structure of rocks in the distance look more like Utah or Idaho.