I truly loathe religious nutbags
Being someone with Pagan leanings, I obviously also understand the meaning of the holiday for many Wiccans/Neo-Pagans, which is why I find fundamentalist Christian douchebags, who attempt to malign Halloween or Samhain every year so particularly odious.
I have no problem with any religion that doesn't instruct its followers to a) behead or otherwise maim or kill infidels or b) scare small children into accepting their faith c) try to convert those who have no interest in their myths by knocking on their door, preaching to them or pressuring them in any way.
I'm not particularly super religious. I have my beliefs, and they're MINE. I expose my kids to various faiths and let them read up on different religions. Teeny has been to church with her friends. Both Teeny and the Redhead attend synagogue with my dad every so often, and they've both attended other Christian gatherings with our neighbors. They've read about Paganism, Judaism, Christianity and even Mormonism! I would venture to say they're much more informed and intelligent than your average frothing Pat Robertson follower.
So when I read about these drooling zealots maligning others' faith and spreading misinformation in order to scare their followers into believing that those of different faiths are evil, I want to gather up the lot of these maggots, bind them with duct tape, and let your average Taliban member go at them with a rusty scimitar.
Enter the shitstains at CBN. One of these festering douchebags decided to do some "research" into Halloween. I wonder what kind of sites this cowardly moron visited when attempting to gather information to malign and castigate those who hold a different faith than his own. I can only imagine... Fred Phelps would be proud.
There's just no end to this guy's douchebaggitude! I did a little research into this particular scrote. "Eric Watt is the Senior Pastor of Greenbriar Church in Chesapeake, Va. and the President of RUN Ministries, a global ministry committed to equip and empower first generation believers to bring the revelation of God and His kingdom to unreached peoples."“Shock” is the only word to describe what I found. Halloween is a real, sacred day for those who follow Wicca. In fact, it is one of two high and holy days for them. The Celtic belief of spirits being released is current, along with the worship of Samhain (the lord of death) – both are promoted as something to embrace on that day. There is no question in my mind that to those who believe and follow the practices of witchcraft, Halloween represents an opportunity to embrace the evil, devilish, dark side of the spiritual world.
So after discovering this, what is a reasonable conclusion? As Christians you and I are placed in this world to be a light in a world of darkness. (And the Jews believe they're the chosen ones. Want to have a cage match, asshole?) There is no lasting benefit to ignore a holiday that exists around us, but it also does harm to celebrate Halloween as it has originated and grown over the centuries. (Emphasis and commentary mine)
In other words, this shitslurp has made it his mission in life to pester others into adopting his beliefs, while maligning other faiths. Charming, asshole.
For starters, no matter how many times frothing fundamentalist fruitcakes try to perpetuate the myth of Samhain as the "Lord of Death," that claim is patently false. There was, nor is there now, no major Celtic God called Samhain. I'll quote a religious scholar on this one. PASTOR Dr. Richard Bucher writes:
Oh, but this was on a Lutheran website! They're evil. Not real Christians, right? I'd like to know how many fundamentalist kooks were thinking that very thing right now. Go ahead. Tell me!Myth # 2 — The earliest Halloween celebrations were held by the Druids in honor of Saman, lord of the dead, whose festival fell on November 1. It was the Druid's belief that on the eve of this festival, Saman called together the wicked souls that within the past 12 months had been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals. They were released in the form of ghosts, spirits, witches or elves, etc.
Nothing in the extant literature or in the archaeological finds supports the notion that there ever existed a god of the dead known as Samam (sometimes spelled, "Samhain," pronounced "sow -en"), though hundreds of gods' names are known. Rather, Saman or Samhain is the name of the festival itself. It means "summer's end" and merely referred to the end of one year and the beginning of the new. (Emphasis mine)
For those of you who want to subscribe to the drooling dumbassery of CBN, be my guest. The only thing I can do is tell you that:
1 - Samhain honors and remembers those who have passed. Celtic lore says this is a time when the veil separating the the world of the living and the world of the dead is thinnest. To me, it's a time to remember those who have died, and many Pagans feel closer to their loved ones, whom they miss very much, on this day.
2 - Samhain is the beginning of winter. It was traditionally a time to prepare for the winter months, stock up on food, grains, etc.
3 - Samhain is sometimes described as the "Celtic New Year."
4 - But mostly, Halloween is fun. It's a celebration of harvest, of fall and of leaves turning pretty colors. For my kids, it's a time to gorge on sweets, which is something they don't normally do the rest of the year, as I limit sugar in the house. It's a time to get together with friends, walk around the neighborhood and get reacquainted with those who live there.
You want to call that evil? Be my guest.
You want to spend Halloween sitting around in your church's basement praying that the evil Pagan tradition doesn't place its evil, clammy paws on you on this night? Up to you.
You knock on my door, spread lies to my kids and attempt to make them out to be evil, and your ass is mine. I don't tolerate prejudice and lies, and I won't allow you around my family.
Got it? Good.
Hope that's clear.
Hahahaha, wait until they are older. Then the little dears can put away the Bratz doll costumes of tonight and go out as the upstairs maid from a Parisian townhouse. Did I forget to mention alcohol?
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Actually, they're going as dead baseball players this year.
Are you seriously implying that Halloween causes sluttery and alcohol abuse? If so, you're a genuine douchebag who obviously has no concept of parental responsibility.
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Dr. Kill... Just what are you trying to say? Alcohol is bad? That people that live in townhouses in Paris are bad... exactly in what manner of dress do they differ from other humans? Or maybe I'll just put it this way.. You Sir are a DUMBASS. (niki you got to get a better class of troll.. this one's weak). Here's a thought for ya der slick... the man that presumes to know the mind of GOD is a narcissitic idiot.
My tolerance of others "faith" or lack thereof, works like this... If you're not hurting anyone else (physically, mentally, emotionally).. I DONT CARE
You worry about your soul, I'll worry about mine. I wont "judge" you... its not my place.
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Troy, I can't control the level and quality of trollage, but I can make fun of it when it shows up! LOL
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Not trying to defend someone you consider a troll, but I think dr kill is right on the money. My daughter is a freshman in high school. The other day they had a sort of Halloween dress up day since the kids will be out of school on the 31st for "Nevada day."
Oh. My. Lord.
I lost count of the French maids and Playboy bunnies parading about in what closely resembled a bikini. My daughter dressed as a pirate and I was concerned that she was showing too much cleavage, even though the rest of her was completely covered in pants, shirt, bodice, and even a hat.
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I agree that some of the costumes are outrageous and inappropriate for kids. But he's trying to say Halloween is the CAUSE of sluttiness and alcohol abuse. The CAUSE is lack of parental control. If my little ones tried to go out like that, they'd be promptly locked in their rooms. They know better. It's the parents who should be castigated for letting their kids go out dressed like sluts - not the holiday.
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I did not say, nor did I imply that Halloween is the cause of sluttiness and alcohol abuse. I did not accuse you of bad parenting. I will ignore the rest of your comments as a simple misunderstanding.
I completely agree with your main contention, which I read as hating religious nutbags. And I also agree with your small l libertarian views.
In my opinion you and your boys are slightly eager to take offense where none is intended. I ended up here at your blog from an American Digest. If that makes me a troll then I suppose I'm guilty. Thank you.
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Drkill, if that's the case, I apologize. You didn't make yourself clear in your initial post.
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Some of the best relationships begin with a misunderstanding. I look forward to reading many more of your rants. I will provide a snark threat alert level with my next comment if appropriate. Kindly give my best to the dead baseball players.
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Also, Nicki, I couldn't agree more with you about the religious nutjobs who try to demonize Halloween - and I'm a Born Again Christian. I think it's like any part of organized human thought, i.e., politics, religion, sports; everyone wants to think their team is better than the other's.
My main belief as a Christian is that it is not my place to judge others. It's not always the easiest belief and I struggle on a daily basis, but I believe that everyone has a right to their own belief and I would appreciate they allow me my own.
AND I believe the whole Wiccan community is very misunderstood. I love the earthy quality of their beliefs and think they have a better grip on worshipping than most people do.
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I LOVE Halloween and always have. Even when attending church twice a week during my high school years I dressed up every Halloween and went trick or treating. My church didn't preach against Halloween exactly but they held their own Fall Festival several times and it was a lot of fun.
I do think some of the costumes for kids (and teens) are ridiculous and slutty though. For adults who cares if they dress like sluts and drink? It'd be the one time a year I'd dress provocatively (not that I will) since that is not my nature at all.
And I LOVE LOVE LOVE handing out candy to kids. It's so much fun and I always get bummed when we don't have more kids come to the house but so many parents have been scared off of taking or letting their kids go out.
On the other hand ... I do have concerns about promoting witch craft and paganism. I guess that makes me a hypocrite. I'm very uncomfortable with paganism ... but maybe it's just that I relate paganism to satanism and I've been told that they are in no way related. So that's just my lack of education.
Whatever...I just love Halloween. BOO!
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I agree about some of the costumes being absolutely inappropriate for kids, which is why we usually make our own at my house. If my kids tried to go out dressed like hookers, their tiny little asses would be promptly locked up.
I'm sorry you're uncomfortable with Paganism. I think part of it is the fact that there's a campaign of misinformation about it, and recently satanism somehow got dragged under the Paganism umbrella. Wiccans do not believe in Satan, and therefore, they can't worship him/her/it whatever.
I've never been comfortable with the idea that there's an entity out there that's responsible for the evil that men do. I've always believed that we are accountable for our actions, and we should be held responsible for them. The concept of some being hopping around out there tempting people to evil is bizarre to me. We have been given a brain. We have choices. We use our minds to make choices. I can't understand the concept of worshipping something bad or evil.
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Time to paint the bullseye on my back...
There's just no end to this guy's douchebaggitude! I did a little research into this particular scrote. "Eric Watt is the Senior Pastor of Greenbriar Church in Chesapeake, Va. and the President of RUN Ministries, a global ministry committed to equip and empower first generation believers to bring the revelation of God and His kingdom to unreached peoples."
In other words, this shitslurp has made it his mission in life to pester others into adopting his beliefs, while maligning other faiths. Charming, asshole. [emphasis original]
In other words, what Rev. Watt is doing is what is often referred to as "The Great Commission": to spread the Gospel in order that all people may be saved through Jesus Christ. He's a pastor: he's SUPPOSED to do that sort of thing. Indeed, all Christians are.
I would like to emphasize that, for Christians, this is a direct order from Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Due to societal pressures, many Christians feel uncomfortable doing it, but it doesn't change the fact that we are REQUIRED to do it. I realize that it's fashionable in some circles to deride Christians for this: we're alleged to be holier-than-thou and 'who the hell asked you to save my soul in the first place???', but the reality is that Christians who proselytize are fulfilling the tenents of their religion and not hurting anybody... just as a pagan who dances under the full moon (or whatever) is fulfulling the tenents of his religion and not hurting anybody.
Please also consider what most Christians believe about sin and the afterlife: if a person dies without being saved, they go to hell and suffer an ETERNITY of torment and agony. Rev. Watt and other Christians go out of their way and risk ridicule NOT to "pester" people (though I admit that it must feel that way) but rather to try to save them. If he went to bang on people's doors to warn them of an approaching tornado or dam about to break, would he be a pest... or a good samaritan?
Do some Christian go overboard? Sure; Fred Phelps leaps to mind. Is Halloween some eeeevil holiday that lures children into worshipping the devil? Not in my experience: most kids look at it as an opporunity to dress up and get free candy. Some Christians, however, don't see it that way, and they are no more "shitslurps" for this than Muslims who bow to Mecca, Jews who keep kosher, or Hindus who don't eat beef.
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Docjim, what makes them douchebags is:
1 - LYING about other people's faiths to scare folks into thinking the way they do
2 - SCARING people into believing
3 - Castigating others for what they believe.
This jerk is quite obviously of the latter persuasion, given that he's spreading lies about something he's obviously completely uninformed about.
For the record, I don't mind people talking to me about religion, I don't mind people discussing it with my kids. I DO mind lies about other people's faith and those who try to frighten people into having faith.
http://libertyzone.blogspot.com/2008/05/jesus-illusion.html
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I agree with much of what you say, but I suggest that there is a fine line beween strong, honest proselyzing and trying to bully people into believing. Consider that, as a Christian, I would have to say of (for example) Islam that:
--- It is a false religion.
- That Muslims should accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and the Son of God, and should try to live according to His commandments and teachings and earnestly seek forgiveness for their sins.
- That anybody who rejects Jesus Christ as his savior and the Son of God is in peril of hell.
- That anybody who denies the divinity of Jesus Christ and that He is the only way to salvation and everylasting life is uninformed or deceived at best or else a liar working (perhaps unwittingly) in the service of the devil.
Hard words, but an honest and logical expression of my beliefs. I would expect a Muslim to say similar things. Neither of us would be lying if we honestly believe these things. Neither of us would be trying to scare anybody into believing, though fear of hell seems perfectly reasonable to me. Neither of us would be castigating anybody; saying that somebody is wrong is not castigating.
Now, do some people go to far, using underhanded or even bullying tactics to get converts? Certainly. Are they wrong? Yes, I think so. But, again, there's a line between proselytizing and being a thug for one's religion. Based on what you've written above, I'm not sure that Rev. Watt has crossed the line. A google search of "samhain lord of the dead" returned 26700 hits. A quick inspection shows that many dispute the existence of a "Lord Samhain"... but not all. The website religioustolerance.org has this to say:
Isn't it possible that Rev. Watt honestly believes what he wrote, and that he's therefore not lying but merely misinformed? (though this would hardly be to his credit; a minister especially should be careful when discussing other religions). It's not hard to understand how he could be: popular culture often portrays Halloween as grisly and even satanic. If so, then he's not trying to scare anybody into becoming a Christian. Rather, he's doing his duty as a pastor by warning his flock of what he perceives as a real danger to their souls.
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(1) http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_sa.h
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Here's the problem: to people like that, EVERY religion other than their own is a false religion, and that's a repugnant idea. There's a difference between telling someone why they should accept Christ, or whatever, and telling them that other religions are evil. You believe what you believe. That's fine. You're entitled. Guess what! I don't believe in the existence of hell, so I'm not going there. You can't prove or disprove your religion, much like I can't prove or disprove my beliefs. The only thing you can do is tell me what you believe and be convincing about it - without lies and without assertions of fact, because there is absolutely no scientific, factual evidence to support these beliefs.
You'd be lying if you tried to pass these things off as fact, instead of as your beliefs.
As for the "good" reverend, it doesn't take a whole lot of research to pull up unbiased information about Samhain and about Halloween. It takes one lousy Google search. His assertion of this BS as fact is a typical example of doing "research" to support a preconceived notion, and that is absolutely repulsive to me as a human being - especially coming from someone who is supposedly an authority and a spiritual leader.
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Here's the problem: to people like that, EVERY religion other than their own is a false religion, and that's a repugnant idea.
While the idea that all religions are "true" has appeal, it makes no logical sense to a religious person. Imagine:
"I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Oh, and Allah, too. Shiva is another personal favorite, and of course I'd take Buddha over Zeuss any day of the week. When I'm not worshipping Gaia, that is."
From a moral standpoint, most religions have many similar tenents of "correct" behavior, i.e. murder, theft, lying, etc, are bad. Outside of that, there isn't always a lot of commonality. Obviously, people haven't got a right to foist their religion on other people through force or deceit, though not all religions - or their adherents - see it that way.
Guess what! I don't believe in the existence of hell, so I'm not going there.
I certainly hope not.
You can't prove or disprove your religion, much like I can't prove or disprove my beliefs...
That IS why it's called "faith"...
I would like to object to the use of the term "evil" to describe other religions: "false" is not the same as "evil". Muslims or Buddhists or Confucionists or atheists can be good people; conversely, a person can be "Christian" and be utterly wicked. History is full of examples, I'm sorry to say. At worst, I would say that other religions are used by the devil to lure people away from the "right" religion, which is Christianity; this does not make them necessarily inherently evil.
As for Rev. Watt, you may be completely right: either he won't bother to do more research on Samhain because he doesn't dare to find out that he might be wrong, or he KNOWS that he's wrong but tells a lie in pursuit of (he thinks) a "greater good". However, I suggest another alternative: he doesn't research the subject because he honestly thinks he knows the correct answer and doesn't see the need to read further. Consider the quote I offered above:
Or maybe he DID do a Google search and found plenty of religious websites - which he would naturally consider accurate - that told him that he was right. Consider this from a Catholic website:
From Bible.com:
He may be wrong, but he may also be honestly wrong.
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(1) http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0199.html
(2) http://www.bible.com/bibleanswers_result.php?id=170
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I am not saying all religions are true. I'm saying all religions are true to those who hold those faiths. It's insulting to tell someone that their faith is shit, in essence. That's what this particular "reverend" is doing. His article reeks of the "other faiths are evil, while Christianity is the light" mantra.
I know plenty of folks who consider themselves Evangelical. One of my closest friends is an Orthodox priest. But none of them are so rude as to tell me my faith is evil or that I'm going to hell.
If you read the link I provided earlier, that is exactly what a DARE officer told my little boy! How the hell does someone in authority get off telling a bunch of 10-year-olds that they're going to hell, that they're enemies of God and that they will die unless they accept Jesus!?!
THAT's the kind of crap I take serious issues with.
Christians may believe their faith is the only truth. Muslims may believe their way is the way to go. Buddhists may believe the same. But telling people they're evil because they follow a different path is repugnant. If Christians have a mission to spread the gospel, so be it, but I've never seen anything in the Bible that told Christians to malign and lie about other faiths to do so.
As for Watt, he claimed in the article, that he did research on the subject. The very first hit on Google for "Samhain" is the Wikipedia article, which explains it very well. Several other articles follow that do not treat Samhain as an evil anti-Christian holiday. One has to dig pretty deep into Google to locate links that perpetuate the lie. Same for Halloween. This tells me that a) he went only to Christian websites to do his research, which is intellectually dishonest or b) he read about it and chose only those sources that fit his agenda. That's not honesty. It's intellectual charlatanism.
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I am not saying all religions are true. I'm saying all religions are true to those who hold those faiths.
Agreed. This fact has caused quite a lot of suffering and death through the years: "Mine is the true faith!" "No, MINE is!" "Heathen! I'll kill you!"
It's insulting to tell someone that their faith is shit, in essence.
Yes. I suppose it's also insulting to tell a smoker that his habit will cause cancer, or a chubby person that his spare tire will cause heart disease (I know this one from personal experience), or a person who likes to sleep around that he may get a social disease. "Mind your own damned business!"
Here's the thing: for Christians (and Muslims, I believe), hell is a real and unpleasant place, real and much more unpleasant than lung cancer, a heart attack, or AIDS. I've been told that I'm going to hell, so I know how insulting that is. But what is the good Christian to do in the face of behavior that his faith tells him is sinful, i.e. places another person in danger of hell? If you knew somebody who was swapping needles, don't you think it would be a good idea to politely suggest that he stop, and perhaps mention the danger if he doesn't? Or do you say to yourself, "Gee, it would insult him for me to say that, so I'll just let him live his own life and hope he doesn't die from HIV or an OD"?
Most people choose the latter option: it's easier. I don't say that screaming at people, "You're going to hell!" is a good strategy, but neither is pretending that there is no danger.
This tells me that a) [Watt] went only to Christian websites to do his research, which is intellectually dishonest or b) he read about it and chose only those sources that fit his agenda. That's not honesty. It's intellectual charlatanism.
I think your case is good, but not iron-clad. The implication is that he should somehow know that the Christian websites he reads (probably on a regular basis) are wrong and that the others are right even though they disagree with not only with what he has long believed to be true, but also what many of his fellow pastors also believe. According to everything I've seen, "Samhain = Lord of the Dead" is quite a common belief among Christians. I would also wager that Rev. Watt, like every pastor I've ever had, has quite an extensive library of Christian / theological books and could produce several that state such a belief as historical fact. If so, then I'd say that this absolves him of the charge of intellectual charlantanism.
In an effort to get to the truth, I've tried to contact Rev. Watt through his RUN Ministry about his reference to "lord of the dead". If he replies, I will let you know what he says.
BTW, the thing about "seeing Jesus" was a rather silly thing for the deputy to do, and I share your objection. Children should get religious instruction in church to build the foundation of a godly life, not magic shows in school. That IS charlatanism.
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I suppose it's also insulting to tell a smoker that his habit will cause cancer, or a chubby person that his spare tire will cause heart disease (I know this one from personal experience), or a person who likes to sleep around that he may get a social disease. "Mind your own damned business!"
The difference there being that the above are scientifically verifiable facts, while "My religion is better than yours. Yours is crap." is simply an opinion. And we all know about opinions...
"But what is the good Christian to do in the face of behavior that his faith tells him is sinful, i.e. places another person in danger of hell?"
I would think that would depend on what the behavior is, and how much the person means to them. I've had a very good friend tell me that she believes that if I don't accept Jesus into my life, I'll be going to hell. That is her belief. I said, "Thanks for your concern. I don't believe in hell. But I appreciate the fact that you care." On the other hand, if she showed up on my doorstep and told me "Your faith is wrong, and you're going to hell for it. You're the enemy of God," I'd tell her to go fuck herself with a sideways two-by-four. If she showed up at my house and told my children they were going to hell unless they started believing in Jesus, I'd slap her. There's a difference between showing concern for people and telling them their faith - which I'm sure they hold just as dear as Christians hold theirs - is crap.
If you knew somebody who was swapping needles, don't you think it would be a good idea to politely suggest that he stop, and perhaps mention the danger if he doesn't? Or do you say to yourself, "Gee, it would insult him for me to say that, so I'll just let him live his own life and hope he doesn't die from HIV or an OD"?
Again, completely different scenarios. Swapping needless is factually proven dangerous practice. Faith is just that.
The implication is that he should somehow know that the Christian websites he reads (probably on a regular basis) are wrong and that the others are right even though they disagree with not only with what he has long believed to be true, but also what many of his fellow pastors also believe.
No, the implication is that there is a WEALTH of information out there, and if this was a well-read individual, who - by the way - says that he did actual RESEARCH into a subject that he supposedly didn't know too much about (which negates the theory that he long believed this to be true or that his extensive library of theological works supported his cause), he would read as many of the sources available, instead of cherry picking sources that would support his predisposition. As I said, the first dozen sources that pop up during a simple Google search negate his claim. It's instructive that he chose to ignore them. I would love to see his response if you get one from him.
I will tell you, though, that based on my personal experiences with such people - and I've had plenty - they're intent on perpetuating their beliefs with lies, obfuscations and spin. They're intellectually and spiritually dishonest, and while I'm not Christian, I would think God would have a problem with that.
Yeah, the deputy was a real assbag. I didn't tell the Redhead that, because he liked the guy, but I found it to be absolutely repugnant that he would use scare tactics, lies and insults to push little kids into a religious belief. I seriously thought about pushing the issue and getting the guy fired, but the school promised to keep a closer eye on what he gave the kids during the program. I have to say, this is not the first time he's used such tactics, though. Based on what my son told me he taught them in DARE, I'd say scare tactics are his MO.
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The difference there being that the above are scientifically verifiable facts, while "My religion is better than yours. Yours is crap." is simply an opinion.
Careful: to its adherents, global warming is "scientifically verifiable" (a position opinion that I think is crap, by the way). It is not scientifically verifiable that obesity WILL cause heart disease, though it certainly increases the probability. Even so, does "scientifically verifiable" make it any less insulting to a chubby person to be told that, if he doesn't get rid of the spare tire, he's going to die of a heart attack? No.
People don't like to be told unpleasant things, whether based on "opinion" or "scientific fact", especially if accepting the information will require them to make changes in their own behavior. "What do you mean, I should stop doing this and start doing that??? Mind your own damned business!"
I would also note that, for religious people, the tenents of their faith carry the weight of "fact"; otherwise, religion is nothing more than play-acting. Can I prove the existence of God? No. Do I believe that He exists just as I believe that the sun is shining? Yes. If I didn't, then my religion would be a sham.
As I said, I think you make a strong case against Rev. Watt, especially in light of the fact that at least two articles on CBN's own website identify Samhain as a day, not a deity. One says that it is "an ancient Celtic holy day. The feast is seasonal and marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter." (1) We shall see what (if anything) Watt writes in response to my e-mail.
I will tell you, though, that based on my personal experiences with such people - and I've had plenty - they're intent on perpetuating their beliefs with lies, obfuscations and spin. They're intellectually and spiritually dishonest, and while I'm not Christian, I would think God would have a problem with that.
I agree.
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(1) http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/onlinediscipleship/halloween/Halloween_ANS04.aspx
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Actually, global warming is a fact. It's part of the cyclical nature of weather. The debate is whether it's caused by human activity and to what degree.
We can argue the scientific validity of things all day - and the extent of their veracity. The problem is that you are - at least in part - speaking from the point of view of faith. When you start to debate faith, there can be no debate, because no amount of reason can change that faith if it's true and genuine.
To my thinking, Christians are free to spread the Gospel, and do what they have to do to follow their faith. They have that right. I also have the right to slam the door in their face if they annoy me, or beat the shit out of them if they frighten or otherwise harm my children from a position of authority in order to perpetuate their faith. And yes, I'm willing to face the legal consequences.
Do I consider Christians who run around accusing my kids of being Satanists or evil simply because they like dressing up on Halloween and gorging on sweets to be worthy of my scorn? Absolutely. It's a disgusting and obnoxious way to practice one's faith. God and Goddess help the first asshole who heaps that kind of abuse on my kids this Halloween!
My daughter asked me when I got back from Kosovo last year, "Mom, is it OK to be an atheist?"
I told her it absolutely was, but that she may want to do a little research to find out if she really doesn't believe in anything at all. But let me tell you... some of the kids she goes to school and cheerleading with weren't too magnanimous when she told them she didn't believe in God. A couple of them told her she was going to hell. Others just walked away from her. Someone ridiculed her, if I remember correctly. Not a very humane way to behave. And yet, I'm sure they believed very strongly in their god and the fact that she was going to hell!
Point is, while you're free to glorify your faith and tell others about it, you're also free to face the consequences of your actions if you do it in a false, obnoxious, rude way. (By "you," I mean a general "you," and not you personally.)
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I agree.
Oh, and good one on the global warming thing.
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I grew up Lutheran, my wife Catholic, we are raising our children (15, 11, 11) in the Lutheran Church but sending them to a Catholic School. Halloween is our second favorite holiday of the year.
The dress up, and beg candy from the neighbors is our kids favorite part of the holiday. It was my favorite part as a kid also. When I was in high school our church decided to hold a Halloween party to keep all us kids off the streets. We all showed up for the party, then in the middle (led by our Pastor) we all went trick or treating. Then returned for the rest of the party.
Ask my kids about the history of Halloween. They will tell you all about it, then roll their eyes, lower their voices to a whisper and say "But that's all old stuff. Today Halloween is about fun dress up and candy."
We have neighbors a few streets away who are ultra-bible thumpers. Even they decorate their house (in a religious theme) and pass out candy. Each small candy bar they give out has a small slip of paper with a bible verse printed on it wrapped around the candy. They started putting a trashcan at the end of their sidewalk, so the kids would stop littering the street with the bible verses.
Religion and secular holidays do not have to be mutually exclusive. We celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ, but decorate with wreath's and bows and lights and Santa Clauses. We do all the appropriate religious observances of the holiday including going to Church at midnight on Christmas Eve, but still get up early in the morning to tear open packages and stockings and spend the day playing with new toys and eating way too much.
If you don't want religion in your holiday - fine, but don't deny my family the right to have it in ours. If you don't think there is enough religion in the holidays - fine, but don't force your beliefs on the rest of us.
Our families response to both sides of the religious vs secular holiday argument is "Shut Up and Stop Trying To Destroy My Holiday!"
My dear sweet wife actually yelled that at a woman outside of Walmart last year when she tried to get us to sign a petition banning nativity scenes in town. After yelling she blushed and in her sweetest voice possible wished the woman a "Merry Christmas!"
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Your wife sounds like a RIOT! I think I'd like her.
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Hi Nicki
Recently discovered your blog and I really like it.
I love Halloween. It is one of my fave holidays. I lean a bit towards the Pagan side of things too, so I know whereof you speak.
I am very much live and let live, but the "in your face" way some zealots try to shove their religion down my throat makes me angry.
People ask "what would Jesus do?". I honestly think He would do a face-palm over the antics of his supposed followers!
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Hi, Jennifer. Welcome.
Thanks for your kind words about the blog. I hope you stick around. I aim to piss off everyone at some point!
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My, but you are hateful!
No one thinks little children wearing fun costumes is evil. Use wisdom.
Maybe my reasoning will resonate with you!
Here">http://nathanbriscoe.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/i-hate-halloween/">Here is why this Christian doesn't celebrate Halloween
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Yes, I'm hateful when assholes deem it necessary to call my children evil for having a little fun, and who think it's acceptable to call me evil because I don't worship the way they do.
You're more than welcome to celebrate or not celebrate Halloween. No one is forcing you to do it, and no one is putting pressure on you to do it. Just don't lie and twist the facts to support your cause.
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Follow-up:
After several days, I have heard nothing from Rev. Watt regarding my question to him about Samhain. It may be that the question never got to him or that he is simply ignoring it.
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Well, it could be either one, I suppose. Is there any other way to contact the guy? I can't remember offhand, but did the article I linked to include contact info?
In any case, I appreciate your trying to get at the truth.
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