Why a War on Halloween?

[pokerfan]

I understand that fundies hate pagan holidays but in this case they are rebelling against the renamed, Christianized version. It would be the equivalent of warring against Christmas because of its pagan origins such as the Yule tree, holly and mistletoe.

Why is the pagan stuff okay for Christmas but not for Halloween? :shrug:

Samhain (SAH-win) was Celtic people's New Year Day -- without the football, I suppose. The night before Samhain, spirits were thought to walk the Earth as they traveled to the afterlife so the people would wear costumes to confuse the spirits.

Samhain was later transformed as Christian leaders co-opted pagan holidays. In the seventh century Pope Boniface IV decreed November 1 All Saints' Day, or All Hallows' Day. (Hallow: to make holy.) The night before Samhain continued to be observed with bonfires, costumes, and parades, though under a new name: All Hallows' Eve and eventually shortened to "Halloween."

So what's the beef?

[dalaigh lllama]

1. Sheer ignorance

I find it especially amusing they rant against Halloween, with its Christianized name, but never wonder where the name "Easter" came from -- that's an old Saxon fertility goddess' name. hehe

[pokerfan]

3. Cool

The modern English term Easter is speculated to have developed from Old English word Ēastre or Ēostre or Eoaster, which itself developed prior to 899. The name refers to Eostur-monath, a month of the Germanic calendar attested by Bede as named after the goddess Ēostre of Anglo-Saxon paganism.<13> Bede notes that Eostur-monath was the equivalent to the month of April, and that feasts held in her honor during Ēostur-monath had died out by the time of his writing, replaced with the Christian custom of Easter.<14> Using comparative linguistic evidence from continental Germanic sources, the 19th century scholar Jacob Grimm proposed the existence of an equivalent form of Eostre among the pre-Christian beliefs of the continental Germanic peoples, whose name he reconstructed as *Ostara.

The implications of the goddess have resulted in scholarly theories about whether or not Eostre is an invention of Bede, theories connecting Eostre with records of Germanic folk custom (including hares and eggs), and as descendant of the Proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn through the etymology of her name. Grimm's reconstructed *Ostara has had some influence in modern popular culture. Modern German has Ostern, but otherwise, Germanic languages have generally borrowed the form pascha, see below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter#Origins_and_etymology

Jack Chick needs to write a tract denouncing Easter! :rofl:

[JerseygirlCT]

5. Yes...

Personally, I think knowing about all of these other, older holidays makes it all much more interesting. And why should it take anything from a Christian's (like myself) celebration or observance?

[juno jones]

9. Yes, we celebrate them because we are human

and humans have celebrated in these ways and times for millenia. I find there's something comforting in that.

The banning of holidays celebrated by the commons smacks of cult indoctrination/behavior and should be a warning in itself.

And it seems they can't get rid of it completely. How many of these mega-churches host 'harvest festivals' with 'nice' costumes and other similar get-up?

[DeSwiss]

6. Exactly. +1

- http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=214&topic_id=224512&mesg_id=224520">But I repeat myself...

[RKP5637]

2. Stupidity, Ignorance, Laziness to search for facts, Brainwashing and an innate Hatefulness. Religion

gives them an excuse to express their hatefulness and be told it's OK. Basically, a bunch of brain dead fucks.

[DeSwiss]

7. That sums it up pretty nicely.

- And one last thing: FEAR. They start out when you're a kid scaring the hell out of you with their devil-snake. And if that doesn't do the trick, then they tell you about what their god can do to your ass. Some people just never get over this bullshit fairy tale. They're as much afraid of the fears it brings, as they are afraid of letting go of that fear. Because if they do -- then what will they hold onto????

[RKP5637]

8. Fear, yes, how could I forget. The stories about hell, satan and damnation, always ready to

fill your head with the evilness, pain and misery you will suffer if you don't believe and obey. What a job they do on children. Excellent pictures, BTW.

[LiberalEsto]

4. Some mega-churches call it Satan's birthday

We used to have neighbors who belonged to one of these nutcase churches. They pulled the curtains shut, turned out the lights and hid every Halloween night. Then their mega-church started having "Harvest" activities on Halloween nights to keep their kids from getting upset about missing trick-or-treating. Buncha assholes.

[moobu2]

10. I think it’s a control issue mainly

Also, it’s a gazillion dollar a year business in candy sales, costumes and party supplies etc and they get zilch. They better be careful because Walmart might open their own Superchurches and save souls for 25% less and put them out of business.

[pokerfan]

11. Beware of demon infested candy!

October 29, 2009

http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2009/10/pat-robertsons-christian.html">Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network Warns Americans Of ‘Demonic’ Halloween Candy

Put aside your fears of swine flu. TV preacher Pat Robertson’s Web site has just issued a bulletin warning Americans of the real threat we face this season: Demons may be lurking in our Halloween candy.

In a column on the Christian Broadcasting Network’s Web site, writer Kimberly Daniels asserts that “demons” sneak into bags of Halloween candy at grocery stores.

“Most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches,” Daniels wrote. “I do not buy candy during the Halloween season. Curses are sent through the tricks and treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door to door or by purchasing it from the local grocery store. The demons cannot tell the difference.”

Stupid demons.... :rofl: