Does Your Religion Preclude you from Celebrating Halloween?

We should celebrate All Saint's Day on November 1st, but no one really does. Halloween is a corrupted commercial holiday like Christmas, Easter, and so forth. It has no religious context anymore.

I don't ever remember that it ever did other than maybe nature worshipers.

hi,
We are not bowing down to no pumkins...if you have children let them understand what is happening....its time for them to have fun..they are kids...soon to be adults in a very bad world...Let them have FUN! I believe GOD knows everyone's hearts...just explain it to them.

I agree. We will trick or treating this year no doubt.

That is so GOOD. Those precious children need that free stuff. It is fun to get candy..be safe though..they have them glow light now. thank you.

Thanks. We usually go to this one neighborhood that always seems like it is better for safety than others. Also my husband and I always walk with Ethan the entire time.

That is Kool.. If it were I with bag in hand also hoping for a treasure cove of delights.mmmmmmmm.

That is funny you said that. Every year my husband carries small plastic bags in his pockets for when Ethan's plastic pumpkin gets too full. I think sometimes he enjoys it more than our son does.

Hi,
i have been in GOD's flow lately..writing something close to what happens in their lives...It has happened three times in the last 24 hours..lol!
These are simple little things...This one was easy..Yes he checks out the good ones... candies...take care my friend and may GOD bless you and your family.

The same to you. May God continue to bless us all!

thank you so much

When I was active in church it was not a no-no to celebrate Halloween.

She didn't state it was a no no so to speak because I was honest when I told her I was going back to my hometown so Ethan could go trick or treating with his cousins. I just wasn't sure what was implied although I do know they are having a Halleluia day for the kids and they get to come in wearing costumes and play games.

Nope, my Lutheran faith is of the intelligent variety. However, my desire to NOT finance the candy companies via Madison Ave. precludes me from giving out the Advertising Industry sponsored "Trick or Treat" candy. :-)

I guess we all have our own opinons. Thanks for stopping by.

Actually, my comment about "Trick or Treating" is not opinion. Trick or Treating came about in the 1950s as a direct result of Madison Avenue's very successful campaign to sell more candy (see $$$$) for the candy companies.

That portion of your comment I didn't recognize as opinon. When you stated your Lutheran faith was of the intelligent variety I thought you were stating maybe my faith wasn't... anyhow not even trying to refute the amount of money spent and made by candy companies during Halloween - I think we all know.

"I thought you were stating maybe my faith wasn't"

Oh, NO...that was not my intention at ALL! I apologize if you interpreted it that way. To me, genuine faith is a very personal thing for every individual.

I have a tendency to take things personally, please forgive me. I appreciate you stopping by again.

for me no religion means no enforced restrictions on anything~ so nope

I feel that although I have joined this religion doesn't necessarily mean I have to agree with everything. I can go as my heart and conscience guide me.

Nobody believes 100 % the same - even in the same church. Just be wary of extremism.

Good advice Peter. Thank you.

Thanks for posting to GutterGirls~

Love the new photo by the way. the colors are so vibrant.

When our daughter was in school we lived in a town where fundamentalists were a force to reckon with. They had a lot of influence in the schools. The only positive thing was the elimination of the Halloween costume parade. They did it for the wrong reason. They were concerned about Satanism in school, not the insane costume competition. It was the same reason they forced the school district not to buy a new series of readers that had fairy tales (with magic) in them.

huh well I guess we all have to follow our own minds and decide things for ourselves.

As long as the decisions aren't based in delusion it's a good rule.

This is true.

My spirituality doesn't say anything about Halloween one way or another. And I would respectfully submit to you that you have not actually "changed your spirituality." You may have changed religions, but you haven't changed spiritualities.

Actually I went from having no religion to finally accepting one. I guess I went from not acknowledging a spirtituality to accepting one. Thanks for stopping by.

I have attended churches that discouraged trick-or-treating. Instead, they would hold a harvest fair at the church or a celebration of the saints - and kids were supposed to dress as Bible characters.

When I lived in FL, it was in an area that was, at the time, overrun by Satan worshipers and many of the confused teens who decided that was cool claimed Halloween as their day, prompting many of the churches to tell people not to participate.

Wow. Well they are having a little party at the church for the kids. They have decided to hold it both Friday and Saturday so everyone can come which I thought was especially nice. Ethan has been kind of down since we moved here and I am hoping by attending the party and trick or treating it might make him feel a little better about living here.

We are Baptist and we celebrate Halloween. We did when we belonged to the Free Methodist Church too. We have a harvest celebration at church and do trick or treating at the church. Our kids always went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood until they were out of high school. Now that the kids are grown, I take my dogs to Halloween parties. My lab is going to a lodge with us for Halloween weekend with our dog club and the dogs have a costume contest and trick or treating for dog treats. We took the dogs to one Halloween party on Sunday and are going to another tonight.

That sounds like fun. I tried to dress up my dog last year and he wasn't real keen on it. Then I took him trick or treating with us and he just kind of flipped out at everyone being around him and trying to come up to him. He is very territorial but I guess most little dogs are.

Thankfully, we in Scotland are pragmatic about Halloween. After all, the 'Guising' that Scotland celebrates became the US's Trick or Treat. It's a holiday for children - time to kick over the traces - but I am sad to report that the TorTreat crappy stuff is making inroads here nowadays - and I HATE to see it! Our celebrations pre-date the US's celebrations and I like to maintain the traditional ways.

I think keeping in touch with one's culture is important. Good for you for doing so! Thanks for stopping by.

I do not belong to any organized religion. Religion is not about things that do not matter except that too many churches like making mountains out of molehills. Jesus cleary stated that the first two Commandments encompass all that should guide our faith practices. I simply don't recall Jesus mentioning Halloween. Maybe it was lost in translation.

Yeah I agree with that one William. I'm still struggling with it some I have to admit. We went to the party last night and it was great but the lengths that were taken to keep it all seperate when we knew what we were doing was celebrating Halloween was a little over the top in some ways but I kept my trap shut and just let my son enjoy.

Christians, especially the right wing hypocrites, scream about some things, but turn around a say nothing about other things. Halloween has nothing to do with devil worship unless that is the intent. I don't see anyone getting their britches in a bunch over the Christmas tree, which has rites associated with debauchery. I absolutely cannot stand being around these politically correct Christians. They are so filled with anger and false beliefs that they are destructive to hopes of peace and love for others. They are really good at saying Jesus and Amen, but totally devoid of Christ's message in their "Pagan" hearts. I am sick of these divisive people and a dust off my shoes and say 'Get behind me Satan' when they are around. My God is a God of love who cares about others through me as a Child of God. I went to Baptist Bible College in Springfield Missouri. Most of what was taught to me there was condemnation of other faiths. I quit BBC and a year later quit my church. Anger and violence have no place in the House of God.

You are so right William. Thank you for sharing this with me. As I have just recently joined a faith and am trying to make religion a part of my life I have struggled with the thought of possibly loosing my individuality, however I realize I can enjoy the fellowship of the church, and at the same time keep those things about me that make me -me. Thanks again.