Halloween Pearl-clutching

[MonkeyMomma]

Re: Reformation Day, when I was in a Catholic volunteer program, my housemates and I came back from a night of Halloween revelry - to find that the local Lutheran Volunteer Corps house had duct taped the 95 theses to our front door. It was awesome. :lol:

That being said, Halloween has always bee one of my favorite holidays. When my mom went through her "fundie Catholic" phase, Halloween was banned among our friends. Instead, we celebrated All Saints' Day with the kids dressing up like a saint and getting candy from parents stationed around a friend's farm ... that only lasted a year or two until my mom came to her senses and remembered how awesome Halloween was. Now that I have a kid, I'm super excited to celebrate again!

[QueenNocturne]

Two years ago, someone I was in undergrad with went around telling people that all Halloween candy was prayed over by witches and it was a sin to eat it. Apparently she got it from a blog that was linked to on the 700 Club or a similar website. I should probably mention that this girl was guzzling the fundie (for the most part) kool-aid at that point and had a stunning lack of bullshit detection or critical thinking skills (particularly for someone in college who always bragged about her high GPA).

There's an IFB church not too far from where I am now, so we'll see if there's any local pearl-clutching this year,

[Avalondaughter]

Has any child been enticed by Paganism/Satanism just by celebrating Halloween in the traditional American way (dressin a costume and get candy from strangers)? The only people who are "celebrating" the pagan customs of the season are likely pagans already! My attraction to paganism came during college when I wanted to explore spirituality that had to do with feminism and nature. It had nothing to do with trick-or-treating!

[PBrooke]

I love Halloween, but up here in the Northeast they don't seem to do it the same way. Houses are more spaced out without sidewalks, so there's no trick-or-treating; kids do something in the middle of town, I think (I don't have kids myself yet so I'm not sure). I'll see my share of pumpkins around, but I get the feeling that even Halloween lights might be considered "tacky" around here (and it's not a rich, "fancy" town). I almost miss the South and their over-the-top decorating, though I'm not a fan of the giant airblown decorations from the past ten years.

When I was in high school I knew a Christian family who didn't do Trick-or-Treating because it was too Pagan, and a Jewish family who didn't do it because it was too Christian. That kind of blew my mind.

EDIT The "praying over candy by witches" thing is from a very famous Jack Chick tract, I think.

[kpmom]

. I'm actually surprised America never co-opted Purim--it's a holiday where you are COMMANDED to drink!

Well there's always St. Patrick's Day! :lol:

[PBrooke]

I must have conflated my early fundie knowledge - I actually read a few Chick tracts and I couldn't find what I thought I remembered. In other news, those tracts are just terrible and I feel dirty now.

[Swamptribe]

Two years ago, someone I was in undergrad with went around telling people that all Halloween candy was prayed over by witches and it was a sin to eat it. Apparently she got it from a blog that was linked to on the 700 Club or a similar website. I should probably mention that this girl was guzzling the fundie (for the most part) kool-aid at that point and had a stunning lack of bullshit detection or critical thinking skills (particularly for someone in college who always bragged about her high GPA).

There's an IFB church not too far from where I am now, so we'll see if there's any local pearl-clutching this year,

We pray over the candy now? Must have missed that memo. I thought we just ate it, like always.

[snarkykitty]

I love Halloween, but up here in the Northeast they don't seem to do it the same way. Houses are more spaced out without sidewalks, so there's no trick-or-treating; kids do something in the middle of town, I think (I don't have kids myself yet so I'm not sure). I'll see my share of pumpkins around, but I get the feeling that even Halloween lights might be considered "tacky" around here (and it's not a rich, "fancy" town). I almost miss the South and their over-the-top decorating, though I'm not a fan of the giant airblown decorations from the past ten years.

When I was in high school I knew a Christian family who didn't do Trick-or-Treating because it was too Pagan, and a Jewish family who didn't do it because it was too Christian. That kind of blew my mind.

EDIT The "praying over candy by witches" thing is from a very famous Jack Chick tract, I think.

I'm not sure where in the northeast you live, but everywhere I have lived, we've done Halloween. The poor neighborhoods, the middle-class neighborhoods, the rich neighborhoods. I lived in a neighborhood for 11 years in which each house had at least 2 acres, so trick-or-treating took a lot of hoofing around. I even went trick-or-treating my senior year in high school in my friend's neighborhood (upper middle class); we went as a youth group.

You likely live in a neighborhood where it's not done as much, but I can assure you, that at least in the two states I have lived, it's done, and often done well.

[Nothing2CHere]

Two years ago, someone I was in undergrad with went around telling people that all Halloween candy was prayed over by witches and it was a sin to eat it.

I didn't realize that Hershey's and Nestles had witches on their payroll, to pray over the candy that gets sold in October :lol:

[formergothardite]

Well if witches are going to put spells on the candy, can it pretty please be a spell that makes people lose weight instead of gaining it? And then send all that ebil Halloween candy to NC and I'll buy it.

When I was little back in the late 70's early 80's even the IFB churches around here had Halloween parties where all the kids dressed up. I don't remember hearing any of the Halloween hate till I was older.

[Freed]

We had tracts about the horrible things that awaited people who celebrated Halloween. The week after I turned 18, I broke my mother's heart by going trick-or-treating for the first time. I had a blast! We always had a 'harvest' festival at church, but it just didn't compare (except the hay ride, that was awesome). I still cannot understand the logic. Christianity co-opted Easter and Christmas from the 'pagans,' why not Halloween?

[jenny_islander]

I think IFB churches have been frantically trying to feel separated and pure for a long time. When they get anxious about how un-special they really are, they pick another "worldly" thing to make up stories about, so they can quit doing it (or make up a pale, dull substitute for it) and feel that they are separated and pure once again. The first church to start flinching exaggeratedly at something tends to start a trend. Halloween just wasn't at the top of the list yet when you were a kid.

Halloween is a pretty big deal here in the Subarctic, but adjustments have to be made. We have an afternoon candy scramble at downtown businesses that is well attended (packed!) not because people are obsessed with stranger danger, but because Halloween falls in the season when black ice tends to form on all sidewalks as soon as the sun goes down; I can report from my own childhood that this is No Fun At All. Plus, even if it's dry out, it's usually cold enough to make your hands hurt. So we have a lot of Spiderman-in-a-Parka and Disney-Princess-with-Mittens costumes. In my family, the kids have to decide on their costumes by July because if they pick something that's traditionally drafty, we have to have it custom made so it won't be. Last year my oldest (in first grade) was an Alaskan mermaid with two coordinating layers of insulation under her costume, a knit cap decorated with starfish, "seaweed" on her color-matched knit gloves, and black cannery boots.

ETA: Do any of these people have a clue that modern American Halloween was created by nice Christian folks in the first place? Halloween was traditionally "Hell Night," when little hoodlums would go around tipping over outhouses and setting fires in trash cans. Getting them to come to the door in costume and demand treats was an effort to civilize the whole thing, seeing as how kids were going to sneak out and run around regardless.

[formergothardite]

I think IFB churches have been frantically trying to feel separated and pure for a long time. When they get anxious about how un-special they really are, they pick another "worldly" thing to make up stories about, so they can quit doing it (or make up a pale, dull substitute for it) and feel that they are separated and pure once again. The first church to start flinching exaggeratedly at something tends to start a trend. Halloween just wasn't at the top of the list yet when you were a kid.

Halloween is a pretty big deal here in the Subarctic, but adjustments have to be made. We have a candy scramble at downtown businesses that is well attended (packed!) not because people are obsessed with stranger danger, but because Halloween falls in the season when black ice tends to form on all sidewalks as soon as the sun goes down; I can report from my own childhood that this is No Fun At All. Plus, even if it's dry out, it's usually cold enough to make your hands hurt. So we have a lot of Spiderman-in-a-Parka and Disney-Princess-with-Mittens costumes. In my family, the kids have to decide on their costumes by July because if they pick something that's traditionally drafty, we have to have it custom made so it won't be. Last year my oldest (in first grade) was an Alaskan mermaid with two coordinating layers of insulation under her costume, a knit cap decorated with starfish, "seaweed" on her color-matched knit gloves, and black cannery boots.

Can't even fathom cold like that. Occasionally we had to wear a jackat to go TT, but usually we were okay with just our costumes and sometimes we actually got too hot.

[clibbyjo]

There is one house by me that put on a big puppet show/movie/popcorn maker machine in their yard etc...which was a Christian church trying to save us heathens. We stopped once thinking it was cute kids thing until the puppets started talking about Jesus(as soon as the religion started we left). We avoided them every year after that and last year they just turned out their lights and didn;t even bother. I guess all the Satan worshiping 3 year olds in their bumble bee costumes won this round. :dance:

Halloween IS my favorite holiday. We have having a Halloween ball and trick or treating and all that fun stuff.

[MrsYoungie]

Can't even fathom cold like that. Occasionally we had to wear a jackat to go TT, but usually we were okay with just our costumes and sometimes we actually got too hot.

Ah yes. The Canadian Halloween experience. Working on a fab costume only to have to cover it with a parka. Alternatively - making the costume 4 sizes too big so you can wear heavy clothes under it.

Mittens were standard. At least those were my memories. Maybe it's the global warming, but lately Halloweens have been a bit warmer and less likely to have frost. Makes it easier to identify the costumes when they kids come by for candy. This is all in the Greater Toronto area.

[docmom]

We do Halloween and Purim in my family. You can repurpose costumes and get twice the candy! I carry a drink with me while I take my kids trick-or-treating, so it is very similar to Purim.

Oh, I am so adopting this! Usually I can persuade my husband to take the kids door to door to door to door...but a drink might just make it bearable.

[deelaem]

I hope the above mentioned screed is a joke, because if not then it is in very poor taste-seriously.

Why is that poor taste?

[formergothardite]

Why is that poor taste?

Yeah, I've been sitting here trying to figure out what made that in poor-taste. I can't figure it out.

[saraelise]

My birthday is on Halloween. I once had someone accuse me of being a witch to which I replied with a hearty "what the actual fuck".

ETA: I have nothing against wishes, but my accuser certainly did. No offense meant to any FJ witches :)

[LynnKaboom]

Last year, there was a crazy blog post about halloween that had me rolling. It was featured here. I remember Samhain being mentioned in the post which led me to dressing in Celtic garb and carrying a small pumpkin with a candle in it. I can't remember who it was but it was good.

Generation cedar blog has a screed against halloween. It's not new. But, it's a start.

I'm pretty sure that was Latisha/Jessica of The Chad, because I remember my friend Daiyu telling me about it- she used to comment on her blog. Anyway, it was so crazy that Daiyu was like "WTF?" And that's saying something, because Daiyu hates Halloween too (although not for religious reasons- one of her friends committed suicide on Halloween nearly eight years ago and she was the one who found him dead).

[TMS]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Halloween!!!! My kids love it, and most years we have neighborhood parties at our house for Halloween. But then, I'm an evil Catholic, so that's what's wrong with me!

Candy usually writes about Halloween, so I'll be watching her blog.

[MonkeyMomma]

I didn't realize that Hershey's and Nestles had witches on their payroll, to pray over the candy that gets sold in October :lol:

Well, I think they're more likely independent contractors. ;)

[LynnKaboom]

Someone said there was Generation Cedar post on Halloween? I've been looking for it, but I can't seem to find it.

[Guest Anonymous]

Someone said there was Generation Cedar post on Halloween? I've been looking for it, but I can't seem to find it.

I found two. This one: generationcedar.com/main/2009/10/true-history-of-haloween-should-christians-celebrate.html

And a follow up post here: generationcedar.com/main/2009/11/halloween-clarifying-yesterdays-post.html

I think most of the quality wackiness takes place in the comments of the first post.

[LynnKaboom]

I found two. This one: generationcedar.com/main/2009/10/true-history-of-haloween-should-christians-celebrate.html

And a follow up post here: generationcedar.com/main/2009/11/halloween-clarifying-yesterdays-post.html

I think most of the quality wackiness takes place in the comments of the first post.

Thanks!