Shaunti Feldhahn: From the right
Halloween: Respect those who avoid the dark side
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One of the biggest misconceptions about Halloween is that it is "nothing but innocent fun."
Now, children getting excited about trick-or-treating is innocent and a blast, which is why my husband and I allow our children to participate.
But we are also very aware of a dark side to the holiday that is anything but innocent, and are very careful about steering clear of it.
For us that includes no scary costumes and no haunted houses. But many parents prefer to avoid Halloween altogether.
Parents with Judeo-Christian beliefs have struggled with Halloween for centuries.
Two thousand years ago, Nov. 1 was the Celtic new year, the beginning of winter, the time of death. The Celts believed that the night before was the most supernatural moment of the year, when evil spirits walked abroad.
So they celebrated the festival of Samhain with animal sacrifices and by dressing up like evil spirits to ward off the real ones.
As time went on, these occult beliefs became mixed with the spreading Roman culture, so the early church began to try, like many Jewish and Christian parents today, to change the holiday.
In the 800s, Pope Gregory IV designated Nov. 1 as All Saints' Day, to commemorate Christian legends of the faith, and the night before as All Saints' Eve (translated as Allhallows Eve). Parties, bonfires and costumes became the norm of this more wholesome celebration.
But many continued to celebrate Halloween for dark purposes. Today, that has translated directly into very real, very evil Oct. 31 witchcraft and satanic ceremonies, which I have heard something about from two friends who were raised by satanist parents.
As Steve Russo, author of "Halloween: What's a Christian to Do?" described in an interview:
"There is a danger to being desensitized to evil. And Halloween is one of the eight high holy days for Satan worshippers and those that practice Wicca. So that means that there are all kind of things that go on unbeknownst to the average person. I am not anti-Halloween or pro-Halloween, but I do want to provide answers for parents."
I appreciate parents who, like the early church, have consciously tried to change the tenor of the Halloween holiday. But I also respect those who feel it is safer to avoid it altogether.
I won't re-hash what other commenters have said, but I will make a couple of brief points. First of all, this is America, which means that if I want to stand around dancing naked in front of my toaster oven, I am allowed to do so. You don't have to participate, nor must you allow your children to dance and chant along with me, but please respect my right to do it.
One can have a strong sense of faith in their own religion without perpetuating lies about other religions.
Please understand that Pagans and Wiccans have a different view of death and the spirit world than you do. It doesn't make us bad, evil, or Satanists... it just makes us different. If you are indeed trying to share Jesus' message of love and peace, promoting intolerant stereotypes is probably not the best way to present your faith.
blessings,
patti
Patti Wigington
Your About.com Guide to
Paganism & Wicca
With that being said, there is a difference between spouting your opinion (which you did) and reciting fact (which you did not). No where in your article did you provide one letter of fact (except for the fact that, once again, Christians took a Pagan holiday and demonized it).
If you wish to become a respected journalist, then please do your research on your articles instead of buying into evangelical propaganda.
I bet you believe that the Earth is flat and the center of the Universe, too, don't you?
Blessed Be,
Rev. Laurie Snyder
Wicca and Satanism are not the same thing and I would like to point out that NEITHER BELIEVE IN A DEVIL OR ANY FORM OF SATAN. Despite being called Satanists, they do not worship an evil being in any way.
Wicca and Witches worship the nature around us as being sacred.
There is no dark side to Samhain (Hallowe'en) and in fact it is a very religious holiday. The negative connotations were made up by the Church in the early days so that people would be more likely to be Christian rather than Pagan.
Trick or treating actually originates from an old Celtic tradition where people would knock on houses of other villages asking for WHATEVER food they wouk give them. They then returned to their own village and the whole village had a feast where they would eat the food they had collected.
Yes, the ceremonies are very real but they are not very evil; and I fully intend to practise magick on this night.
Blessed Be,
Paige Morgaine Shadowheart