Christians against Halloween?

Dr Strange · Post by **Dr Strange** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:37 am

That stuff actually went on in your neighborhood? I'd be calling the cops quick on that joker. I'm sure any Christians who do not like the holiday won't be on this board anyway.

ooga_booga · Post by **ooga_booga** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:46 am

http://www.tne.net.au/~abdaacts/1hween.html
I was googling "halloween festival" to see if there were ANY over here, and I found this. I just looked at it for the lulz.
Whoever wrote this should use his common sense! If the Roman church allowed its celebration, then what is he complaining about? Does he think that Mexico's day of the dead is evil too? And why shouldn't we have our day to honour those who are no longer with us?

Larissa · Post by **Larissa** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:47 am

Oh, don't be so sure! LOL, there are those one or two brave souls out there who make the effort to foray into "enemy" territory to acquire converts. I went to Brandeis undergrad, which is about 70% Jewish, and there was a kid who was sent there on scholarship by his church to try & convert as many of us to Christianity as he could. It wouldn't be nearly as offensive if he hadn't been trying to talk to people during their prayers.

And like FireFaerie said, she was in the "new age" section of the bookstore - they're deluded that pagan religions are new for some odd reason - and someone was there trying to convert her & her friend.

So it does happen. And this would be a perfect place for them to come. Thankfully, I think most of the world, no matter the denomination, is at least somewhat tolerant of the beliefs of others.

Larissa · Post by **Larissa** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:51 am

Well, I don't believe in Satan, but fiendish? I'll take fiendish! I like it!

Winnie Sanderson · Post by **Winnie Sanderson** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 12:07 pm

jadewik wrote:*takes out an 11-foot pole and pokes the thread*

... I didn't want to touch this topic with a 10=foot pole.

There are two topics I try not to get involved in because people (in general) are so passionate about them that it's hard to make much headway. Those topics are politics and religion... and more often than not, someone chooses to be offended... or two stubborn people butt heads and figureatively start writing names in the snow.

I like to think the negative feelings some people have towards Halloween is less of a religion thing and more of an overzealous belief that Halloween is "evil". In either case... to each their own... just let me celebate my Halloween!

That is exactly how I feel too. I am a Christian who loves halloween as many do. I think I am just experiencing culture shock regarding halloween in the south. When I lived in NJ (my whole life) it didn't seem like you were judged as harshly for loving halloween as I am in the south. I think it is more of the idea that if you like halloween you are twisted and evil.

SpookShowBaby · Post by **SpookShowBaby** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 12:28 pm

Well, I didn't want to say anything either, but I might as well add my piece, even though this topic got a little side tracked.

Not to attack the Christians that are here, but I think what some of the other members (be they Pagan or not) were trying to get at is they were tired of being attacked for liking Halloween and celebrating. And those people are usually the Christian sects. They don't like Halloween for whatever the reason, and I am guessing that most of them don't even know it's real meaning (not anyone here). This is what is frustrating to a lot of us non-Christians. Let us have our holiday and don't be a ruiner! Or even be open minded enough to know what Halloween is all about! While they are at it they can take a look at all the other Christian holidays and see that those were once too Pagan holidays, I mean, what do bunnies and eggs have to do with Jesus dying on the cross?? Sorry. Anyways, no matter where you live there will always been some person or possibly a group that is too narrow minded to look at the Halloween and see that it is not evil.

Everyone here is here because we love Halloween, and I don't think that we should let that be a problem and we don't need to get upset about it. Let's look at what we have in common instead.

tantraman · Post by **tantraman** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 2:44 pm

Larissa wrote:Well, that's not a Christian thing, that's a psycho thing.

That is funny. This is funny cause I was just watching the history of halloween on a dvd i have from the history channel (imagine that)lol.
Anyways What they explained was that halloween or what the celts started. Was over 600 years before christianity started. When it came about they wanted to partner with pagens. But ( being hypicritical in myy opinion) The christians where like why worship nature when you can worship the creator. The celts were like, why? What is the diffrence of what you worship? Which adventualiy branched off another group, which started trick or treating.

magickbean · Post by **magickbean** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:11 am

I'm going to approach this topic very delicately and say, as a Pagan, that Halloween is not just my favourite day for all the great festivities, but because it also holds a special significance in my "religious" calendar - it's the Pagan New Year

I have a couple of Pagan friends who share this with me, but most of my friends and family are of different faiths - Christian, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Aetheist, Agnostic etc.. and not one of them makes me feel condemned for my beliefs. They all come to my parties, they join in the festivities, and most of the new people I meet are very open-minded. But I keep it to myself, unless I'm asked, and then I will discuss. I don't preach and no one preaches to me. No one should force their beliefs upon another. And I will say here and now that I have only encountered a small handful of types who have been ignorant enough to suggest that I devil-worship and try to condemn me for my faith in my 22 years of existence.

There are ignorant people in every religion, every community, every part of the world but it's wrong to generalise a particular religious group as having certain attitudes attatched to them and such negative stereotypes as "Christians condemn Halloween" need to be abolished as much as the negative behaviour of the minority that inspired them.

At least, that's what I think.

Haunted Horseman · Post by **Haunted Horseman** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:26 am

Very well said Magickbean!

uncletor · Post by **uncletor** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:02 am

Hey, Doc...forgot to tell you the rest...
yeah, the guy really did that....walked around in his back yard with this grin like a shark all night...half the kids were angry because they didn't get candy, the other half were CONFUSED as Jack Skellington in NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS trying to figure out WHAT this was all about....
I just remember laughing so much it never occured to me to call the police..I assume someone finally did...or he just got bored and went in and watched t.v.

halloweenqueen · Post by **halloweenqueen** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:11 am

Ooga Booga...whoever wrote that stuff in the link you provided is ignorant and really needs to get their facts straight before making such claims.

I too am a christian and absolutely LOVE Halloween!!! It's true that Halloween began 3000 years ago as a pagan holiday called Sawhen (spellcheck?). Which means "November". It was the night that the pagans believed that it went from harvest time to winter time. That night they gave thanks to the earth and its powers for bountiful harvests. It was also a night when they believed that the border between the land of the living and the land of the dead was extremely thin and the souls of the people who had died in the past year could come back for one night only.

when the church was trying to convert pagans to christianity, they took many of the pagan holidays and put a christian twist on them. So for halloween they did this. The declared Nov 1st as All Saints Day. Or All Hallow's Day. Then the night before, the eve, would be All Hallow's Eve. Over time All Hallow's Eve shortened and became Hallow Eve's then eventually to what we know it as "Halloween". That work for some pagans but they still continued to celebrate all the sould who had passed, not just the saints, so the church went a step further and declared Nov 2nd as All Souls Day.

Its all very interesting and can be an extremely touchy if people don't look at the actual history. If someone doesn't understand that pagans worshiped the earth and its resources and not the devil, there's no use in arguing with them.

I suggest watching The Haunted History of Halloween. Its extremely informative and extremely interesting.

Thats my two-cents anyhow...

Larissa · Post by **Larissa** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:03 pm

halloweenqueen wrote:It's true that Halloween began 3000 years ago as a pagan holiday called Sawhen (spellcheck?). Which means "November".

That's pronounced "sowen," but spelled Samhain.

I'd imagine it's a celtic word, there's a lot in Irish, Scottish, & Welsh that's pronounced nothing like it looks.