Lergnom

Pat Robertson's CBN posted a piece by Kimberly Daniels with the title above. It's since been pulled off the site, after having a sort-of disclaimer attached to the front about it being her personal view. Ah, but thanks to Google, the cached page lives on, so here is the link to the column.

It's a terrific example of old-style belief, one filled with superstition, one that would burn "witches," and remarkably intolerant.

Here are a few paragraphs and, no, they aren't taken out of context and this isn't a joke:



Me again, so remember not to stand near any bonfires, don't eat that Snickers bar and don't carve a pumpkin because you might unleash the vortexes of hell. And don't sacrifice any babies 'cause that's bad any time of year.

cottonwood513

Gee, I'm just on my way out to pick up some curse-free chocolate to hand out later.

MaineLonghorn

I think it's funny, because I was raised in a very strict fundamentalist home - I couldn't cut my hair, go to movies, swim if boys were around, etc., etc., etc. But my parents had no problem with Halloween! So it suprised me when I grew up and started attending a more mainstream kind of Christian church and learned that some of the parents wouldn't let their kids celebrate Halloween. ?!?

HarrietMWelsch

But cottonwood, Might as well buy the curse-rich kind.

Hunt

Even if you believe in demons, this seems a bit nutty. Why would demons be able to attack innocent children through ordinary candy?
I do think there is a kernel of truth in this column though; I think Halloween (along with gruesome movies, etc.) has gone too far in desensitizing people to violence, suffering, and pain. I also think that the costume industry is a culprit in the premature sexualizing of girls. I was pretty much repulsed by much of what was on offer at the Halloween store.

SimpleRules

Good tips - I just sent H to buy some candy with instructions to avoid any that will send our neighbor's kids to the dentist on Monday but I'll give him a quick call and remind him to get some curse free ones too.

We were also going to sacrifice babies after the demons disguised as kiddies in colorful costumes had come around but maybe we'll just make a nice dinner and watch a movie instead. Better safe than sorry!

cottonwood513

?? "Most of the candy has been dedicated and prayed over by witches."

At the candy factory? At the big box warehouse?

mantori.suzuki

I strongly believe that being a parent involves sacrifice.

Marian

Although this article does get carried away, there are some Christian groups who remember that Halloween had a religious origin and who object to the almost-inescapable exposure to celebrations of the highly secularized holiday that it has become.

Such people are rarely taken seriously -- but I think they should be.

I think it's noteworthy that even in the most politically correct school systems, Halloween is one of the few holidays that is still celebrated in school -- an awkward situation for those who object to its observance. And even if children are homeschooled, it is hard for them to escape from the modern incarnation of Halloween in the community.

When my son (now 23) was in elementary school, I was a Cub Scout den leader. One of the boys in our den came from a family that objected, on seriously thought-out religious grounds, to the celebration of Halloween. These people were not loony; they were intelligent, thoughtful people who took their religious beliefs seriously. This particular family homeschooled their children, and they considered the opportunity to avoid school celebrations of Halloween to be one of the fringe benefits of homeschooling. But they could not completely avoid the holiday -- even in Cub Scouts. Each year, they would ask the den and pack leaders whether any Cub Scout events would include Halloween-related activities, and if any did, their son would not attend those events. (Notably, they did NOT ask the Cub Scout pack to avoid celebrating Halloween -- they just wanted the opportunity to avoid exposing their son to it.) At the den level, this worked out fine, but there was an instance when the pack leadership forgot, and their son ended up attending an activity that his parents found objectionable.

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.

I think there's a real problem here.

mom2collegekids

The only dangers from celebrating Halloween are from this world....calories from candy and perhaps some tainted treats.

mom60

I thought this thread was going to be about the danger of Halloween on college campuses.
Mom2collegekids- I wish the only danger was calories from candy. I live in a college town that will have many kids ending up in jail or at the hospital tonight. The local schools, including the high schools, local law enforcement have been vocal in trying to get the word out that too much drinking can be dangerous and lead to possible death. The high school district has sent out messages that parents should know where their high school kids are going tonight. That it is dangerous but also with the advice if a high school student does make the decision to go to the college area that they should carry ID and a cell phone.
With Halloween falling on a Sat night this year it has the potential to be a very dangerous night.

Naturally

I am forwarding this to everyone I know so they can know the danger of CURSED CANDY.

I wonder how much being a Halloween Candy Witch Curser pays? Do you need a degree for that, or just to weigh less than a duck?

swimcatsmom

So do they go into walmart and pray over the candy, or does the factory grant them special dispensation to come in and pray over it before it is shipped? I ate some mini snickers and milky ways last night (that's the real danger of halloween for me - we don't usually have any trick or treaters as we live out in the country but some years we do so we have to buy candy 'just in case', and then I can't resist eating it - hope none of it was cursed . Though I guess I could blame my fat tummy on all the cursed candy I have eaten in the past).

I have no problem with people having religious objections to Halloween. But this is a lot over the top! Kind of like an Onion piece. Was it suppposed to be serious?

Naturally

I ate those exact candies last night, swimcatsmom--mini Snickers and Milky Ways. It must have been the curse that made them irresistible. It certainly is not my fault that the candy bowl is a little emptier this morning.

swimcatsmom

We both ate the same candy - see that just proved it is cursed