3 Reasons Why Halloween is Stupid – Part 2

Charting Course ^ | 10/17/14 | Steve Berman

[lifeofgrace]

Halloween is a celebration of fear, secrecy, darkness, death, and mayhem.  It ruins children and coats the poison with candy.  Halloween is a holiday for the ignorant, a day set aside to honor a lack of knowledge, by people who don’t care enough to gain it.  Halloween is a feast of stupid self-indulgence.  There’s nothing positive I can say about that day, no matter how much fun it may be to dress up, join a bunch of other people, walk door to door demanding candy, then go home and gorge yourself on it while watching horror movies.

In Part 1, I briefly discussed the origins of Halloween and debunked a few myths about the holiday.  In this Part 2, I’ll get into how Halloween ruins kids and why you shouldn’t observe it. 

Modern Halloween is nothing like the holiday that (even the former, corrupt) Catholic church envisioned, and certainly not in keeping with orthodox Christian values of today’s Catholics and other denominations.  In fact, this leads me to three reasons why you shouldn’t (unless you’re a druid or a member of one other group) celebrate Halloween.

1.  Halloween is a religious holiday but not about Christianity.

The other group that loves Halloween is the Church of Satan.  They love it because it celebrates dead things, dark things, scary things, and above all, self-indulgent things.  This is what Satanists say on their website.

Satanists embrace what this holiday has become, and do not feel the need to be tied to ancient practices. This night, we smile at the amateur explorers of their own inner darkness, for we know that they enjoy their brief dip into the pool of the “shadow world.” We encourage their tenebrous fantasies, the candied indulgence, and the wide-ranging evocation of our aesthetics (while tolerating some of the chintzy versions), even if it is but once a year. For the rest of the time, when those not of our meta-tribe shake their heads in wonder at us, we can point out that they may find some understanding by examining their own All Hallows Eve doings, but we generally find it simpler to just say: “Think of the Addams Family and you'll begin to see what we're about.”

I don’t want to celebrate anything dead, dying, dark or scary.  I don’t want my children celebrating those things.  I don’t care what you think about God and Jesus Christ, or miracles, angels, or Heaven.  We are here on this Earth full of living things, powered by a warm sun which provides 100% of the light on this planet, and we communicate and exist here among LIVING things.  We bury dead things, because they rot, deliquesce, and stink.

I’d just as soon have my kids line up roadkill on the highway and munch candy while cars flattened the dead animals into skid marks than celebrate Halloween.

Satanists stand in opposition to God and everything God stands for.  They hold selfishness as the highest virtue.  Anything Satanists celebrate is something I automatically, by definition, stand against.  If you are a Christian, there’s only one reason you would celebrate Halloween, and that’s the bliss of ignorance.  Now you have no excuse.

Oh, what’s a little Satan-worship, it never hurt anyone, you say?  These demons and dark, scary things aren’t real, you say.  Satanists think they are real.  Whether you’re an atheist, Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Muslim, or Hindu, when you celebrate Halloween, you’re celebrating their holiday.  If it weren’t for the trick-or-treat, dress-up, and candy, you wouldn’t be going to Mass to celebrate All Hallows Day or All Souls Day, so what’s left?  Samhain and the “shadow world”, and you’re participating in its worship.

2.  Halloween ruins children.

I could write ten thousand words on this topic.  I promise I’ll be brief.

Halloween is anti-family, teaches greed and exploitation.  And it’s over-commercialized to boot.

You don’t see movies made about busy executives struggling to get home for Halloween (in fact it’s not one of the top air travel days).  You don’t see college students loading their cars to make the drive to grandma’s house for the traditional Halloween feast.  They’re more likely buying beer and ordering pizza (it is the top beer sales and pizza delivery day).  Halloween is a day when we seek out the worst influences in our lives and encourage mayhem.  When we get older, we stock up on candy, turn on the porch light, and await the parade of children while we hand out treats and pretend to be scared by little ghouls.

There’s no family connection when the tradition consists of dressing up, walking house-to-house, and demanding candy.  This is no Thanksgiving.  Or Christmas.  Or Easter, Labor Day, July 4, or Memorial Day.

Halloween is all about taking, getting, and spending money.  There’s no way to turn “trick or treat!” into a polite request.  I wouldn’t have my kids dress up as zombies on July 4th and go door to door saying “may I please have some candy, if you don’t mind, or I’ll toilet-paper your yard.”  The implied threat of a “trick” is simply brutish.  This is how the kids are supposed to have fun on Halloween.  Getting without earning, and taking without giving are values more in line with Satanists than Christians.  I’d rather have my kids do without the candy than get it trick or treating.

Have you noticed the costumes little girls (and teenagers) are wearing lately?  If holidays are a lens magnifying our society, then Halloween’s microscope reveals a pretty filthy concoction.  We live in a time when former child stars like Miley Cyrus sell sex like candy.  I know of a few parents who actually decided to bring their young children to a Miley Cyrus concert, somehow believing it would be appropriate.  The show is more like a stripper performance in a seedy red-light district:  X-rated.  And they don’t give refunds.

Halloween costumes have become little X-rated versions of their older strippers-masquerading-as-singers.  You don’t have a be a Christian or have Christian values to hate this trend.  Dr. Jennifer W. Shewmaker blogged

These girls are taking cues from our pornified culture that tells them that to present themselves as sexual objects gives them power. They dress, move, and act like women they’ve seen in sexy movies.

But these are real life girls who will be sitting next to these boys in the classroom tomorrow. These are girls who will be taking tests, writing papers, answering academic questions tomorrow. These are girls who know these boys, it’s not a fantasy or a daydream.

These are girls who have bought into the belief that their social power comes from their sex appeal. They have bought into the belief that to make themselves into the object of male desire is a fun and exciting thing. But what they, and many women and girls, don’t know is that when this idea becomes a reality, it is far from empowering.

Letting kids wear whatever they want is a really, really bad idea.  Dressing up as a little puppy or a cowboy is cute, but dressing up as a stripper is not.  If my kids want to dress up, they can do it anytime they want, but I won’t celebrate one night of forced costumery.  If your kids don’t want to dress up on Halloween, don’t force them.  Rent a good family movie, microwave some popcorn, and curl up on the couch with them.  Better yet, turn out the porch lights so you don’t have strangers coming to your door asking why your kids aren’t out there displaying themselves like strumpets.

Retailers love Halloween.  It’s the run-up to Christmas shopping these days.  Used to be, you wouldn’t see any Christmas decorations until Thanksgiving.  Those days are long gone:  now Halloween is the starting line for the big Christmas shopping rush.  Retailers would start Christmas at Labor Day if they could get away with it (they can’t because of back-to-school shopping).  It’s bad enough that Christmas, Easter, and every other holiday on the calendar has become a reason for a sale or commercialization, TV specials, gift-giving, and spending money.  Halloween has little other purpose than retailers to find ways for you to hand over your cash to buy a new costume every year.  God forbid that little Johnny wears the same thing twice, or you make your own homemade costume (that’s so ghetto dad!).

Even taken with a grain of salt and a healthy dose of charm, Halloween has become too commercialized.  When a holiday has no other reason than to take my money, and encourage my kids to take without giving anything back, I must abstain.  If you feel addicted to this greed-fest, a little knowledge will help you step away.

In Part 3, I’ll conclude with some notes on what Halloween is really about, and a bonus reason to avoid it.

[Califreak]

My main problems with Halloween are the idea of demanding stuff from others and how it contradicts the whole “Don’t take candy from strangers” thing.

[ObozoMustGo2012]

Why are you worried about how much is spent? Are there limits to how much business can make??

[elcid1970]

No, of course there isn’t. I am mildly criticizing the current wild sums being spent by adults on Halloween which used to be nothing but kids in homemade costumes trick-or-treating for homemade candy & fruit.

Just now seems all out of proportion, that’s all.

This is unfair, but here it comes: How much of all this Halloween stuff is made in China!!!?

[conservativesister]

If you have any relatives in the police force ask them about incidences of:

1. be-headed cat bodies around a camp fire
2. babies that have been buried recently, dug up
3. puppies that have been “sacrificed”

and any other “ritual” activities they have come across on the night of Halloween.

[CodeToad]

Another idiotic thread. Solid logic does not need so much bs written. This is nothing but liberal garbage.

[lifeofgrace]

I’m no expert on Halloween, but my limited understanding is that it was originally a celebration of harvest, and the death stuff came in because fall also signals the coming of winter, also symbolic with things dying (whereas spring is symbolic of rebirth/life). Now it has evolved into tradition that, IMHO, brings communities together for not just candy giveaway, but other events as well. I think you’re WAY overboard on the devil worship stuff and need focus on the positives of the season. Halloween ruins children? Give me a break.

Read part 1 http://www.sgberman.com/2014/10/16/3-reasons-halloween-stupid-part-1/

And what, pray tell, are the positives of Halloween?

[lifeofgrace]

Part 3 tomorrow.

[lilyramone]

My dad would “inspect” our candy before we could eat it...taking out suspicious or torn packaged candy...but oddly all of the Butterfingers were always taken out too....his favorite.

[Vermont Lt]

I think it’s a fun holiday to break up the boredom of being halfway between Summer and Winter.

I think any Satanic practices need to come with intent—which simply isn’t there.

We all need to relax a little bit. The only part of your article I agree with is the candy is poison. Candy corn should be banned.

[Mich Patriot]

And what, pray tell, are the positives of Halloween?

To begin with, I don't agree with some of your negatives, or at least disagree that Halloween is responsible. I do respect your right to post your opinion as much as my right to disagree. I don't really feel the need to justify my position any further than to say that yours seems extreme to me, and it smacks of trying to tell others what to do with their leisure time...they're not hurting anyone. My argument could end right there, but I'll play along.

As far as the positives go, here are a few:

- Many neighborhoods have get-togethers, which IMO strengthen communities.

- Economic activity (treats, costumes, cider & doughnuts, decorations...) - nothing wrong with that.

- Kids and adults have a fun activity to share.

- Costume day at school was always fun, and you could argue that Halloween activities promote social skills.

- Hayrides, haunted houses, etc. - yes I know you disapprove, but I don't. My local sportsman's club does a haunted forest, which generates revenue for what I consider to be an important community group.

- Kids eating candy pisses off Michelle Obama.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

Perfect!

[Prophet2520]

October 31st is Reformation Day - The day Martin Luther posted his thesis. Celebrate that.

[Prophet2520]

” can’t bear adults dressing up on Halloween. I first knew Al Gore was a jackass when it became known that he threw a fete every year - once dressing up as Frankenstein or The Mummy or some such nonsense. Such immaturity.”

So you think an adult costume ball is immaturity? Interesting.

[miss marmelstein]

I’m not fond of adult’s dressing up in costumes. I think it’s silly. Just my opinion.

[Labyrinthos]

They’re more likely buying beer and ordering pizza (it is the top beer sales and pizza delivery day).

Really? Based upon my research, Halloween doesn't even make the top ten for beer sales (Independence Day is number one) and is a distant number three for pizza (behind Superbowl and New Years Eve).

[lifeofgrace]

I have links in the post. Where are yours?

[T-Bone Texan]

I oppose the many ghetto children that haunt my neighborhood and don't bother to even dress up.

They are not from my neighborhood, but they come here because we will give them free stuff.

Their behavior is atrocious, and it's all about the "gibs" with them. I do not like being threatened by a 12-yr-old thug.

Then their are the mexi-moms that follow their children in their minivans at 1 mile per hour down the street, blocking traffic, because God forbid they actually get off the butts and walk.

Then there are the illegals who roll their babies in strollers up to my door and expect candy because, well, they have a baby. They can't even speak english but they are somehow already well versed in the "Gibsmedat" culture.

[lifeofgrace]

As far as the positives go, here are a few: - Many neighborhoods have get-togethers, which IMO strengthen communities. - Economic activity (treats, costumes, cider & doughnuts, decorations...) - nothing wrong with that. - Kids and adults have a fun activity to share. - Costume day at school was always fun, and you could argue that Halloween activities promote social skills. - Hayrides, haunted houses, etc. - yes I know you disapprove, but I don't. My local sportsman's club does a haunted forest, which generates revenue for what I consider to be an important community group. - Kids eating candy pisses off Michelle Obama.

Why are those positives associated with Halloween versus just doing them anyway? What specific things associated with Halloween itself are positive? For example, Christmas has some pagan roots also, and is over-commercialized, and marked by greed. Yet Christmas celebrates the Biblical account of the Savior's birth, and therefore has a redeeming property regardless of our traditions. Halloween is empty tradition, and stripped of those "positives" offers nothing but darkness, death and mayhem.

[Labyrinthos]

http://pizza.com/fun-facts

http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/top-8-beer-sales-days/

[Prophet2520]

“I’m not fond of adult’s dressing up in costumes. I think it’s silly. Just my opinion.”

I suppose there are many things in society which are silly to some degree. Oversized guys chasing inflated pigskin around a field might be considered silly. The list is large to be sure. But I don’t think God would have us eliminate all of that type of “silly” out of our lives.

Pagan holidays, like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc. are a different matter. False worship is in the heart. Yet actions can have impact on others, no matter where your heart is. If you believe having your children “trick-or treat” is a stumbling block to other believers, then by all means, don’t do it.