Should Christians/Others Celebrate Halloween

[JoeyKnothead]

Should Christians/others celebrate halloween?
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I don't see anything wrong with it, how 'bout y'all?

[Goat]

Should Christians/others celebrate halloween?
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I don't see anything wrong with it, how 'bout y'all?

It's a good excuse for a party.. Woo whoo

[onefaith]

Personally I don't think there's anything wrong with it unless the christian is trying to talk to dead people or something. Giving out candy-yes! Getting candy-even better!

[kiwimac]

Given that it has been a Christian celebration, All Hallows Eve, for around 1500 years I don't see why not.

[myth-one.com]

Christmas: Satan Claus comes with toys for all good children.

Easter: The Easter Bunny hides colored eggs and other sweets for children.

Halloween: No central godly figure although Charles Schultz once tried to create "The Great Pumpkin" in his comic strip "Peanuts." Charlie Brown would stay awake Halloween night, awaiting the Great Pumpkin who would rise up from the pumpkin patch and reward him for believing.

Religions: Virtually every religion believes in one all powerful unseen supernatural being who will reward those believing in Him accordingly.

Notice a pattern?
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Religious families want their offspring to believe in their God. But what if their children draw a parallel between what they are told about God and what they were told about Santa, Easter, and Halloween? Santa and the Easter Bunny appear on the two holiest Christian days. If they have been lied to about the above by family and religious teachers, you may lose much credibility. If there is no Santa, Easter Bunny, or goblins; perhaps there is no God either.

Although Halloween is not as dangerous as some of the myths we foolishly teach about Christmas and Easter, it is not harmless! If you "lie" to children through these "harmless" myths, they may seek advice elsewhere in the future.

Having said that, we will never rid ourselves of Santa, the Easter Bunny, or Halloween. Describe them to your children as silly fables created for the amusment of other children, although all may enjoy them. Then, steer your children towards the giving side which all three of these customs provide.

My grandchildren dress up in costumes and go trick or treating for awhile. Then they come to Grandma and Grandpa's highly decorated house where they hand out candies to other children knocking on our door. The first year we had to drag them there kicking and screaming, the second year they asked to come, and now it is the best part of their Halloween. They are thrilled by the smiles they cause on the faces of the other children!

[JoeyKnothead]

Is there any way to distinguish between the Santa myth and the God myth? Why is one unprovable claim more valid than the other?

[Skyler]

Halloween, or "All Hallows E'en" originated, I believe, as a Christian counterpart to a pagan festival of the Dead. Correct me if I'm wrong on this. It was dedicated to "warding off evil spirits".

As a Christian, I think that we don't need to engage in physical "devices" to ward off evil spirits. Not only would they be ineffective, but we would be leaning towards works to ward off evil rather than trusting God to take care of it.

Atheists, if you shoot at that last paragraph, I'm going to ignore you. It wasn't intended for you.

So is the "modern" Trick-or-Treat style of Halloween celebration wrong? I don't think it is, in and of itself. But because of its historical focus on demons and how to appease the evil spirits, I will not take part in its celebration.

That being said, I do intend to do my part to "ward off the evil spirits" this evening in my prayer closet.

Is there any way to distinguish between the Santa myth and the God myth? Why is one unprovable claim more valid than the other?

The Santa myth violates Occam's Razor by positing causes beyond necessity. The God "myth" posits causes(or rather, a cause) for unexplained effects such as morality, logic, induction, and the existence of the universe itself.

[McCulloch]

That being said, I do intend to do my part to "ward off the evil spirits" this evening in my prayer closet.

Oh good. You know that the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. You've given us something we can test. If the evil spirits have been warded off this evening, then we will know that it is because you are righteous. And my cat is effective at keeping away gnomes.

The Santa myth violates Occam's Razor by positing causes beyond necessity. The God "myth" posits causes (or rather, a cause) for unexplained effects such as morality, logic, induction, and the existence of the universe itself.

Actually, the God hypothesis has been used to explain much of what had been unexplained. But as we find explanations for these things (death, disease, pain in childbirth, legless snakes, rainbows) the God-of-the-gaps gets pushed further and further back. In spite of the unfounded claims by theists, scientists are looking for explanations for morality. The claim that God created logic is ridiculous, but perhaps that should be for another debate.

[Skyler]

That being said, I do intend to do my part to "ward off the evil spirits" this evening in my prayer closet.

Oh good. You know that the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. You've given us something we can test. If the evil spirits have been warded off this evening, then we will know that it is because you are righteous. And my cat is effective at keeping away gnomes.

Someone missed yet another smiley... should I start using two instead of just one?

The Santa myth violates Occam's Razor by positing causes beyond necessity. The God "myth" posits causes (or rather, a cause) for unexplained effects such as morality, logic, induction, and the existence of the universe itself.

Actually, the God hypothesis has been used to explain much of what had been unexplained. But as we find explanations for these things (death, disease, pain in childbirth, legless snakes, rainbows) the God-of-the-gaps gets pushed further and further back. In spite of the unfounded claims by theists, scientists are looking for explanations for morality. The claim that God created logic is ridiculous, but perhaps that should be for another debate.

Perhaps we should take the same attitude towards the existence of your posts? Sure, a hypothetical McCulloch somewhere off in a dark room, pecking at a keyboard, might theoretically result in some posts like yours; but as we find explanations of how logic and reasoning can arise from chaos, the need for a McCulloch "somewhere on the Internet" becomes irrelevant. We don't know all the details just now, but science is working on it.

And I didn't say that God created logic. That would, as you say, be ridiculous.

[McCulloch]

Someone missed yet another smiley... should I start using two instead of just one?

Forgot to put the smiley on my post.

The God "myth" posits [...] a cause for unexplained effects such as [...] logic[...].

And I didn't say that God created logic. That would, as you say, be ridiculous.

I find it difficult then to figure out just what you did say. God did not create logic yet God is the cause for the unexplained effect known as logic. The distinction goes right over my head.