The Danger of Celebrating Halloween - Page 3

cartera45 · 10-31-2009, 03:58 PM

Those same witches that made me break open the candy last night have forbidden me to go to the gym today. They even suggested that I go out and get a nice bottle of red wine to sip whilst I give the cursed candy to the neighborhood ghouls. What's that you say? I am to raise a glass to Pat Robertson?

Lergnom · 10-31-2009, 04:04 PM

BTW, a Delaware professor has researched claims of candy tampering going back to the 1950's and found they're hoaxes or false reports. He notes the claims went up in the early 70's, which I well remember because then it was supposedly candy laced with LSD and the like. He notes a few cases were in-home poisoning, one by a father who wanted insurance money more than his kid and the other a kid who got into his relative's drug stash.

Also btw, from a Jewish perspective - my wife teaches at a religious school - the Orthodox generally don't celebrate Halloween at all and Jewish organizations tend to ignore it, not because it's pagan demon worship but because of Christian origins. Silly.

Hunt · 10-31-2009, 04:11 PM

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BTW, a Delaware professor has researched claims of candy tampering going back to the 1950's and found they're hoaxes or false reports.

I'll bet his "scientific" techniques wouldn't detect curses, though.
I remember a church youth group Halloween party when everyone was supposed to come as a character from the Bible. One guy came as a "noisome pestilence."

Naturally · 10-31-2009, 04:17 PM

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Those same witches that made me break open the candy last night have forbidden me to go to the gym today. They even suggested that I go out and get a nice bottle of red wine to sip whilst I give the cursed candy to the neighborhood ghouls. What's that you say? I am to raise a glass to Pat Robertson?

Darn those witches! DARN THEM TO HECK! *eats another Snickers, oh the agony*

cartera45 · 10-31-2009, 04:58 PM

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One guy came as a "noisome pestilence.

Poor Pat Roberson was born that character.

MommaJ · 10-31-2009, 07:15 PM

Back in the day my kids attended a Jewish nursery school that offered "Orange Day" for the kids to dress up in lieu of Halloween. Silly, no? I think the contemporary holiday is so divorced from its origins (most kids don't have a clue) that it's unnecessarily rigid to prohibit its observance. And it's certainly out of line to expect schools and youth groups to avoid the celebration of this very innocent and enjoyable holiday to satisfy the objections of a tiny minority who can easily adhere to their beliefs by abstaining.

I bought a lot of non-chocolate candy--do you think the demons might have overlooked it?

mantori.suzuki · 10-31-2009, 07:45 PM

Halloween the way we celebrate it in America is a great tradition. If you don't like it for religious reasons, then don't participate, but boo on you for being a party pooper! Lighten up, dress up, and join the fun! Hardly anyone thinks of it as a religious holiday anymore. It's just a chance to be crazy. American culture needs more of that. Pretend craziness, that is; we have plenty of actual craziness, but that's not very much fun.

AnudduhMom · 10-31-2009, 07:54 PM

I'm wondering if anyone had the experience of Halloween after 9/11/2001, walking into a party store and seeing all the pretend gory body parts and thinking, this is really wrong.

I don't know. I wonder why people go so far with Halloween. I was in the movie store the other day and they had tons of (what I would consider) the worst kind of horror movies, a huge display. Are there people who have some sort of need to watch that stuff?

It's not that I'm opposed on religious grounds. Pumpkins and candy and kids in creative costumes, great. But I don't understand why some people go so extreme on Halloween. Anyway, that's just my opinion, you don't have to agree.

garland · 10-31-2009, 07:57 PM

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If the situation had involved a Jewish or Muslim child whose parents did not want him involved in Christmas celebrations, you can bet money that the pack leadership would not have forgotten. But wishing to abstain from participation in Halloween is considered outside the mainstream and is not treated with respect.

The difference is, though, that it is not, whatever the past, now in any way celebrated as a religious holiday. I find it really patronizing and, well, ignorant, to object to others' celebrating and assigning meanings that just aren't there. I wouldn't expect a child from another faith to celebrate Christmas, but if they had an objection to Labor Day or Arbor Day or July Fourth, or any other secular holiday, well, that's a personal choice and not something I'd feel an organization needs to honor.

morrismm · 10-31-2009, 08:00 PM

I's almost 8 o'clock. The little kids (I mean demons) are home counting their candy (I mean souls). The older, more experienced demons are now showing up. H just went to the door. Those sly demons were polite and said thank-you. They will do anything to catch a soul. They might even show up w/o a 5 yr old dressed as a princess as a way in!

starbright · 10-31-2009, 08:03 PM

I'm just not sure this cursing candy business is working for them. I've been eating halloween candy for over 40 years and aside from a few extra pounds, I've had an incredibly blessed life.

They really ought to get their act together on this one.

starbright · 10-31-2009, 08:04 PM

Quote:

If the situation had involved a Jewish or Muslim child whose parents did not want him involved in Christmas celebrations, you can bet money that the pack leadership would not have forgotten. But wishing to abstain from participation in Halloween is considered outside the mainstream and is not treated with respect.

The difference is, though, that it is not, whatever the past, now in any way celebrated as a religious holiday. I find it really patronizing and, well, ignorant, to object to others' celebrating and assigning meanings that just aren't there. I wouldn't expect a child from another faith to celebrate Christmas, but if they had an objection to Labor Day or Arbor Day or July Fourth, or any other secular holiday, well, that's a personal choice and not something I'd feel an organization needs to honor.

Absolutely agree Garland. Well said.

cartera45 · 10-31-2009, 08:12 PM

I'm very disappointed. I have only had about 8 little demons so far and it is getting late. I usually see many, many more. The weather here is awful - raining, windy - but at least it is warm. It is actually pretty spooky looking out.

NJres · 10-31-2009, 08:40 PM

Halloween is how we teach our children at an early age the practice of extortion.

Trick or Treat

Your money or your life

$700 billion or the end of the world as we know it.

AnudduhMom · 10-31-2009, 09:00 PM

^ ^ Larry David had a funny bit about that, a friend of mine posted it today on facebook. You could probably find it on youtube.