Halloween

[Donna77]

Why is Halloween OK to have trunk or treat and all the devil stuff but Christmas is all about some pagan winter festival? I am so glad I don't have kids and have to deal with my exinlaws over that stuff anymore. I know some Presbyterians who don't do Halloween but they celebrate Reformation day (I am sure it is a good party, not). They sound just as crazy and miss out on the fun.

[bigscaryatheist]

When I was a kid, my mom would explain to us every year that she didn't agree with participating in Halloween, but our dad wouldn't let her NOT take us trick or treating. She said she would only let us dress up in "non scary" costumes. Also, my grandma's baptist church held a "fall festival" every halloween and didn't allow satanic or scary costumes, so we got to go to that after going to a few shut-in's houses to trick or treat. I think that fact that we were dressing up and going to visit lonely shut-ins is really the only reason we were allowed to trick or treat. I could tell it was a moral dilemma every year for my mother. I don't know how they justify it nowadays though, with the trunk or treats and such. That was just my experience growing up in the CoC

[Ivy]

When I was a kid, my mom would explain to us every year that she didn't agree with participating in Halloween, but our dad wouldn't let her NOT take us trick or treating. She said she would only let us dress up in "non scary" costumes. Also, my grandma's baptist church held a "fall festival" every halloween and didn't allow satanic or scary costumes, so we got to go to that after going to a few shut-in's houses to trick or treat. I think that fact that we were dressing up and going to visit lonely shut-ins is really the only reason we were allowed to trick or treat. I could tell it was a moral dilemma every year for my mother. I don't know how they justify it nowadays though, with the trunk or treats and such. That was just my experience growing up in the CoC

bigscaryatheist, I understand where your mom was coming from. I didn't let my kids (now in their 30s) celebrate Halloween because I was so religious when they were growing up. There was this big push in churches during the 80s not to participate in Halloween because it was "satanic". I have since apologized to my children for denying them that fun because of my own personal beliefs and hang-ups at that time. They tell me they forgive me but that they still need therapy and I should pay for it. However, my parents didn't have any problem with Halloween, so we had a blast trick or treating back during the 50s / 60s.

[agricola]

I grew up 'mainstream' coc and we did Halloween and went trick or treating - back in the 50's and 60's it wasn't any kind of issue at church. Of course, nobody did anything about it at CHURCH! I think they would have viewed a 'trunk or treat' or hell house thing as horribly denominational!

Church didn't celebrate ANYTHING at church. If you only knew 'church', you'd never know Christmas or Easter were religious holidays at all.

The closest the church got to celebrating Christmas was putting poinsettias on the podium - very daring.

Of course if the songleader chose to lead a Christmas themed hymn at some point in December, there was always an obligatory mention of how 'we don't know when Jesus was born' and 'we celebrate his DEATH not his birthday' and so forth. Didn't happen often.

As far as I can tell (from a great distance), they are a lot more relaxed about that sort of thing nowadays.

At home, growing up, there was never a hint of religious stuff in the Christmas decorations. Even an angel on the tree was considered problematic. And we were never allowed to join any carolling groups. No nativity scenes. No angels. Singing Christmas carols was okay, just not at church - and not in a group or with instruments.

[B.H.]

Hell House

Could you imagine a CoC version of hell house? Someone dressed up as Foy Wallace or Batsell Barret Baxter or Roy Cogdill would take you through different rooms showing different punishments in hell for members of different false churches. For the Catholics you'd see the pope having that staff he carries around being taken and shoved up his butt. For the Baptists you'd see Billy Graham being eternally being drowned in a bapistry for denying baptism was essential for salvation. The Christian Church preacher would keep having to listen a giant demon play a child's xylophone for all eternity driving the poor preacher nuts because he used instruments in worship. A woman preacher gets her tongue cut out. So on and so on. At the end you will see heaven and the church of Christ there with a few Jews from old testament times and babies who died before the age of accountability. They are all playing scrabble or Skipto or working on one of those question answer booklets about the Bible. And then Foy or Batsell or old Roy would invite you too to join their ranks in such bliss.

[Ivy]

BH, I had to read that and I haven't had my coffee yet.

[gordie91]

I grew up in the very conservative CoC and anything celebrated was not celebrated at the building. So all parties, potlucks and fall fest/halloween was always at someone's home or the local community center. Some would not even eat a sandwich in the building if they were alone doing work!

I always had trouble understanding why Easter was so bad, that was the one event that could be nailed down with certainty! I never really bucked the system on Christmas because of the uncertainty. Of course, now, it is not a big deal and is kind of refreshing to hear the priest talk about not really knowing the date of birth but because of the way the calendar is set up Dec. 25 fits in nicely. Something about the March date for the Annunciation so Dec. 25 is 9 months later. Nice and easy.

[B.H.]

I remember when I was very little my family went to church the Sunday before Halloween at non-class church. The preacher was having a haunted house for all the kids in town and he asked mom and dad if we might stope by. I remember touring his home and seeing things that were supposed to be spooky but fun and the last thing was the preacher jumped out of a closet in a werewolf costume being as loud as he could be. That scared the crap out of me and my sister. He realized he really scared us and quickly took the mask off and told us it was him. Then it was okay, at least for me. I think is scarred sister for life. His wife gave us some good punch and a lot of candy that night. So I guess it was worth it, sister's feelings aside.

[B.H.]

BH, I had to read that and I haven't had my coffee yet.

You should eat some of those candy corn pumpkins.

[Ivy]

I remember when I was very little my family went to church the Sunday before Halloween at non-class church. The preacher was having a haunted house for all the kids in town and he asked mom and dad if we might stope by. I remember touring his home and seeing things that were supposed to be spooky but fun and the last thing was the preacher jumped out of a closet in a werewolf costume being as loud as he could be. That scared the crap out of me and my sister. He realized he really scared us and quickly took the mask off and told us it was him. Then it was okay, at least for me. I think is scarred sister for life. His wife gave us some good punch and a lot of candy that night. So I guess it was worth it, sister's feelings aside.

That is really a bizarre story, BH. No wonder you completely changed religions.