Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: convex!cash@uunet.uu.net (Peter Cash) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Halloween Message-ID: Date: 11 Oct 89 09:23:28 GMT Organization: Convex Computer Corporation, Richardson, Tx. Lines: 39 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu [This is a continuation of the discussion of Halloween. The question, of course, is whether the pagan background of the holiday makes it inappropriate for Christians to celebrate it. I commented on a previous posting that I was a bit worried about the attempt to rid the world completely of all fairy tales, ghost stories, etc. The immediate comment to which the following responds is the claim that Halloween was derived from Satanism. -clh] Well, you're right and you're wrong. First of all, Hallowe'en may have a Christian name (All Hallow's Eve), but it's a Celtic (and ergo Druid) holiday that far predates Christianity. The Celtic (no connection with the basketball team) new year began on about November first. (Since we are going back several calendar reforms in time, we must be talking about approximate time here...). Hallowe'en was the Celtic New Year's Eve. It was called ``Samhain'' by them, and celebrated with human sacrifices, and other nasty stuff. The Christians dealt with it the same way they dealt with a lot of other pagan holidays--they took them over, and made them "Christian". But the fact is, if you are going to be overly fastidious about these things, you can't celebrate ANY holydays--including that crypto-bunny fertility feast (Easter), and the Saturnalia (a.k.a. Christmas). I'm afraid we Christians didn't make up any holidays, we just took them over. (Yes, and now the pagans are taking them back. I know, I know...) I guess the key lies in what we are thinking when we celebrate these things. If you like carving pumpkins--and feel reasonably sure that you are not making any little demons--then by all means carve away. If the idea bothers you, don't go near anything orange. As far as the moderator's liking for stories of the supernatural goes (and I here assume he does not mean those stories that dwell on evil, death, and darkness, but rather those that reveal something of the mystery that lies at the bottom of the universe)--why he is in good Christian company. Unless you think that C.S. Lewis was a pagan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | The fleshe is bruckle, the Feynd is slee -- | Peter Cash | timor mortis conturbat me! | cash@convex ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~