Oct 07 2007
Take Halloween Back from Christians
Perusing Christian blogs today it was revealed to me that there is a plot for Christians to hide Christian messages in Halloween candy bags this year.
Forgive my alarmist tone, but I thought I’d play it the religious way and build some narrative of plots, wars and threat to peace. There is no plot really, but The Wimpy Witness Christian Evangelism Blog claims to have found new meaning in Halloween, and it has to do with sharing “the joy of the Lord”:
Thank God! I finally woke up to see that Halloween is such a great opportunity for evangelism. What other time of year do people actually flock to my door? Children come for candy, neighbors are outside just waiting for someone to say a few nice words. …
Now I stock up not only on bags of candy, but also Christian tracks and pens with Christian messages. I include a little witness card or “Jesus loves you” mini bears. Anything that will get the message out.
I have a few comments to this one:
1. Kids go trick or treating on Halloween, so if you’re gonna put Jesus messages in their candy, you might as well leave the candy out because you’re not treating you’re tricking. So leave tricking to politicians and sex workers.
2. Aren’t mostly children visiting from house to house on Halloween (the writer of the post above hates Halloween so I wouldn’t presume to assume he/she throws parties for adults)? Isn’t it unethical to “evangelize” to children outside their homes and without parental supervision?
3. First Christians stole the winter solstice from other believers claiming Jesus was born in December, so I’d hate for Christians to claim another holiday just to spite the nonbelievers or because Jesus doesn’t play nice with others so he needs his exclusive rights to celebrations.
4. What the hell happened to just having a good time, go to a party, dress up, eat some candy? Is the Christian right so sickly obsessed with their evangelism that there can’t be one day for them to relax and pretend to be whoever they want to be?
I would like to promote a different ploy for Halloween. Halloween is the day when we play out our fantasies in public (less the nudity part, but there are clubs for that). You can pretty much be whoever you want to be and it’s acceptable. You can play the role all day and all night. You can keep the mask on or off. There will be no prejudice (unless you live in the Wimpy Witness Christian neighborhood).
I’d like to declare Halloween freedom day.
14 responses so far
Great post! Next, Christian parents are going to accompany their children door-to-door and evangelize while their children are getting candy.
I think your second point hits the nail on the head. Although evangelism annoys me, so does Nascar, but I don’t see either as unethical. However, when you throw kids in the mix, then the ethical issue really bears its head.
I think we should give all children a copy of the Necronomicon and ask them to pray to “the old ones.” This will counter the Christians easily. They should also seek Yog-Sothoth for consult when they (the old ones) will be released into our world and open up a can of limitless and unimaginable whoop ass.
Or a nice alternative…
Tell trick or treaters that yes it is true that Jesus turned water into wine but Chuck Norris then turned it into beer and kicked his ass.
Also, when the old ones return… it would be a good idea to seek refuge with Chuck Norris. Sure the world may end as we know it but there will still be Chuck Norris.
P.S. I can’t wait to see Chuck Norris throw a roundhouse kick on Cthuhlu… I bet he sends Cthulhu back to R’lyeh dreaming KO style.
I’m sorry if my article offended you. My intention was to motivate Christians to stop hiding and start participating. You are correct in that Halloween was and is a Pagan holiday and not in the least Christian, however, Christians have had Halloween forced on us for decades. I cannot see the difference in your sending your children to my house dressed in Demonic Costumes and my sending my child to your house dressed as a Biblical Character. If it’s ok for you to give my Child candy shaped like Ghost and Goblins, why is it not ok for me to OFFER your child a Jesus loves you Bear?
I do realize that many Christians, including myself, have been guilty of trying to shove OUR Faith down YOUR throats and for that I am truly sorry. It took some time, but I did come to realize that shoving anything down someone else’s throat only causes them to GAG. What I actually do on Halloween is to give plain candy and OFFER a toy or bracelet. If the Parents are there, I always ask them first. I would hope that if a Parent found the toy or bear inappropriate that they would do the same thing I have had to do, and that is to use it for an opportunity to discuss our beliefs.
I am a Wimp when it comes to sharing my faith. I don’t like being called names or having people scream at me, but I continue to share my Faith because I actually Believe it. For me not to share what I know, would be cruel and selfish. I don’t get “brownie points” in heaven for each time I hand out a tract. My attitude is always one of Offering not forcing and I do respect your Free Will. As I see it, we all get to choose what we believe. I’ll respect your choice and hope you will respect mine.
Though you may not want them, you have my Blessings and Prayers
Karen
The Wimpy Witness
To Whimpy,
Just as a FYI many people consider Christianity to be pagan, I am one of them. Concepts to bring to the forefront… Sacrifice, the trinity, eating the flesh of Jesus, drinking his blood symbolic or not, crosses, a son-man-god-deity that dies and is resurrected, crucifixes other graven images etc. Many Christian holy days are actually pagan or other in origin. What would your definition of pagan be? Anything non-Christian?
I would love to have your child over seeing him dressed as say Moses that would totally rock, honestly I would love it. What would your daughter be?
No matter what biblical character your child dressed up as it would fit with my experience of Halloween. Role playing, make believe (demons etc. don’t exist) , pretending to be someone or something else, and in general having fun.
I need a Chuck Norris costume.
Postifthen.
I pray that you atheists, pagans, etc. will come to know how much Jesus loves you, but you must choose Him in this life. Don’t wait for Judgement Day; that’s the day you’ll be…um judged! Postifthen, demons do exist; I was formerly demon-possessed (no my head didn’t spin around) so I know first hand. If you read the New Testament with an open mind, God will show you that it’s the truth.
Lenny, your comment raises an interesting question. I’ve known a handful of people who claimed (or their parents claimed for them) to have been possessed by a demon but I don’t know any atheists or agnostics to have ever been possessed by a demon. Why is that? I also hear demons leave demon marks but no one can show me theirs… So where’s the proof?
At the time I was examining new age, eastern and wiccan philosophies. Christianity was not on my list at all. I was raised secular Jewish and had declared myself an atheist as a teenager, but began to doubt atheism after viewing admittedly a propaganda film that showed that all snowflakes looked different. I have no “proof” of possession, although dozens of people witnessed my ‘channeling’ sessions. I did have notebooks of channeled material but destroyed them. I’ve never heard of ‘demon marks’; I just know that the voices ceased when I came to Christ 17 years ago. My experience was the proof I needed to know that demons, and by extension God existed.
I found this blog as I was doing my own research in preparation (albeit late) for Halloween in 2 days. Although I have been a believer in Christ for most of my life, my family has always enjoyed dressing up for Halloween. From silly to scary, Biblical characters to Frankensteins. As a child I remember handing out tracts in my neighborhood as I trick-or-treated with other kids. In fact, many people did. I also distinctly remember the next day the streets being littered with tracts that people had thrown to the side. I was sad and disappointed that so many people didn’t care what I had to say and about what I believed in. After several, SEVERAL years, I’ve decided to try again. I agree with Wimpy in that it is selfish of us not to share what we believe. You have a right to choose not to hear it, but we have the right to say it. Just the fact that we can all have our say right here in cyberspace is an amazing freedom.
When it comes down to it, Christian or not, God chooses us. That’s right I made the controversial comment- we don’t choose God, He chooses us. Some of us sooner, than later. It really isn’t like the cartoons- a little devil on one shoulder and God on the other- the Big Guy is all-powerful, He could/will/does take Satan down. He also hardens some hearts so that His purposes might be filled. In the end, I don’t know what His ultimate plan is, I don’t know who “will come to the Father through Christ”, but He has called me to share my story and my beliefs. So, I will put on my Halloween black and orange, dress the dog up like Batman and the baby up like a strawberry, and hand out candy, smiles, and His words of encouragement. This IS who I am AND who I want to be, and it is FUN!
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.” (John 3:16-18- The Message)
“You have a right to choose not to hear it, but we have the right to say it.” I don’t think I challenged the right, I challenged the ethics behind “sharing” certain values with children without their parents’ supervision. If Americans don’t even trust teachers to educate children related to scientific facts, why would anyone trust believers to share their Jesus message with unsupervised children who are out for candy, and play not for church education?
Lenny and Kris… i was raised Christian. Today I see it as complete nonsense.
Proselytizing here is pointless. Don’t waste this one and only life waiting for an afterlife that will never come. Jesus the man died on the cross like tens of thousands of people did during his time. It didn’t save anyone and it meant no more than any other person’s death or life for that matter. Wait all you want for his return… it won’t happen. Never. He is long dead.
http://www.thejesusmyth.com/douglas-adams.htm
[...] my publishing of a series of “Irreverent Halloween” posts, which started with Take Halloween Back from Christians, my blog scored more pro-Christian comments than atheist comments. I’m not complaining, but [...]
Wow! Wimpy christians? Isn’t that what the church has become.? Stuck in traditions that aren’t even biblical. Then, everyone looks at you as a freak if you don’t conform. Well, I was thinking at the last minute to be “wimpy” thank you for helping me stand up andbe strong. Yes, one day judgement is around the corner. I want my example of loving Christ show–niot that I followed the world’s traditions or conformed to man. I just want to set the example to my family and friends that’ it is ok to step out of the black and white!!!Halloween biblical??? Neither is Christmas–yes, he is my savior, just wasn’t actually born in December. TRADITION!!!–BLABLABLA—Thanks for helping me not be wimpy yet creative and showing Christ’s love!!!!!!!!!!!