One of my guilty pleasures is to lie in bed with my iPad and browse Raising Homemakers. I like reading posts from people with totally different views than me. I really like Wednesdays when they have a link party and you can read about all kinds of stuff.Â
Since most of the bloggers lean far to right side of evangelical Christianity, recently there has been a glut of posts about the evils of Halloween. I’ve read them all and have so much to say but I have been refraining from commenting. I figure most bloggers aren’t really interested in comments that disagree with them. I don’t want to be that person who leaves the comment that gets everyone all riled up. So, here’s what I want to say.
Reason why Halloween is bad #1 – My kids need to know that there are real witches out there who hate God and worship Satan and want to harm them.
I’ve spent lots of time in churches and in the pagan community. Let me tell you that the Christians are way overestimating the pagan community. Pagans aren’t going around plotting the overthrow of Western civilization. Getting to a ritual on time is a major undertaking for many. At rituals it isn’t all “Hail Satan.” It is moving some energy around and then having food and drinks. Hard as it may be for Christians to comprehend, the thoughts and intentions of nonChristians aren’t occupied with ways to oppress Christians. Live and let live is pretty much the overall motto.
I understand that in the conservative Christian mindset anyone who is not worshipping their God is by definition worshipping Satan. But, I get the impression that these bloggers think that there is a Black Mass being held on every block.
Reason why Halloween is bad #2 – It isn’t safe.
This sets my Free Range Kids – reading brain on edge. Statistically speaking Halloween is one of the safest days out there. It is probably because it is the one day when people are out on the streets and being neighborly. Poisoned candy and razor blades in apples? Urban myths.Â
One person questioned why she would allow her kids to go up to strangers and talk to them on this day and she forbids it every other day. Wow, I hope those kids never get lost and need to ask for directions or have to buy things in a store or have to interact with society at all in a way that makes them have to talk to strangers.Â
The root of this fear is that someone might abduct her little precioussssses. Let me burst your bubble here. You may think they are so swell that everyone is lining up to steal them from you. But the truth is that 99.99999999999999999999% of the world doesn’t want your brat – especially if they all sugared up on Halloween candy. So, send them out with a buddy and let them have fun.
Of course, I may just be on a rant because I’m sugar free all the way through the Halloween season.
I found point number one to be super interesting, cuz in my experience, I’ve met more Christians trying to oppress the religion of others rather than the other way around. I just spent two weeks in Turkey interacting with a bunch of Muslims, and not only were they much nicer than the average person I’d bump into downtown Denver, not once did they ask if I was Christian and then try to convert me to Islam. I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve been in a church in the US without someone trying to save my soul, but nowhere else have I experienced this.
That being said, I also think Joss Whedon is the closest thing to a god in my world, so I’m not the best source, lol.
Also, do these people read statistics? I think it’s like 9 times out of 10, an abducted child was taken by someone they know reasonably well, like a family member or close neighbor. By that logic, kids should be interacting with strangers more!
I agree with you whole-heartedly
LMAO!!! It’s a wonder most of us survived childhood, what with all those strangers giving us candy and our near-misses with Satanism on Halloween…