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Halloween Decorations
About ten years ago, the fundamentalist complaint du jour in my town was Halloween. They asserted that Halloween was an evil, Satanic holiday designed to turn children into godless demons. At that time, they made a lot of trouble for local public schools, harassing them about school Halloween decorations and celebrations.
In reaction, many fundie churches began sponsoring what they called "fall festivals". These were children's parties at the church with pumpkins and other harvest/autumn decorations, but no witches, devils, ghosts or goblins. Most of the churches allowed the kids to dress up in non-spooky costumes, but a few of the more extreme ones banned all sorts of costumes.
While driving around this fall, I've noticed for the first time that many homes are extensively decorated for Halloween. And it's not just pumpkins anymore. People now have elaborate illuminated ghosts and witches, with orange candles in the windows and orange lights outlining their homes. It's every bit as elaborate as some people's Christmas decorations are.
What's most interesting is that many of these decorated homes also sport those tacky metal Ten Commandments signs in their yards as well. And, although I still see church signs advertising "fall festivals", I don't hear fundies railing against Halloween much anymore.
Could it be? Could many of them be reconsidering Halloween?
It would be nice to think so -- and that they could start reconsidering a lot of things while they're at it.
Thoughts?
Many of the Christian churches in my area have "haunted houses" whose basic
theme is "this is what hell is like." I've heard complaints that they're
much scarier than the commercial haunted houses.
I wrote a letter to the editor about this very thing last year...
With all the Halloween decorations I see for sale in the stores, I see it
becoming the new 'Christmas' in terms of yard decor. Easter is a distant
third with the egg trees. I wish more kids trick or treated on my block. I
am lucky to get more than three door bell rings.
Completely unrelated to this blog, I laugh every time you use the word
"fundies." It sounds like some kind of religious snack food.
Part of the spirit of Halloween is allowing the demons to roam free for a
night. That its a pagan holiday is its charm and draw. Its a chance to step
outside your normal life and be someone else for the day or explore another
reality.
Samhain started out as a festival to welcome the winter solstice, and a
time to SCARE AWAY DEMONS, not worship them! I don't know when Halloween
ever morphed into Satan worship.
I think the "fundies" as you call them just like to take the fun out of any
thing. If they actually thought people were having fun at church they would
probably find something wrong with that too!
