Student ghosts unmasked in Newton Primary school cancels Halloween celebration

Boston Globe ^ | 28 October 2005 | Matt Viser

[takbodan]

"PS: I think Satan prefers Festivus."

me too haha. Can't stands ya!

[KC_for_Freedom]

I look forward to the day when a "handful of complainers" are told that they may complain and they may keep their kids from school but the celebration will continue. And I hope this occurs for every holiday supported by the majority. Halloween is really just a fun day, but the school assembly should all Christmas carols in December and Easter egg decoration in the spring. And the kids who stay home can learn from the experience too.

[SONbrad]

Festivus isn't over until someone pins me!

[Phantom Lord]

They just better keep their hands off of Robanukah!

[retrokitten]

LOL!!

You know, yesterday I was on another thread that somehow took a turn to Festivus.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Festivus...everywhere you go..."

[Gay State Conservative]

Ya know,you could be right, but the only religious groups I've ever heard of that protest Halloween are Christian in nature.

I think it would be more productive to think of this in political terms rather than religious.Those responsible are much more likely to have been motivated by political philosophy,IMO,in spite of what's been reported or what might have been said to this school official.

As for Christians protesting Halloween,I'm not familiar with any such protests.If it's "conservative" denominations that do that,let me assure you that there's not a Southern Baptist or "Evangelical" Church to be found in Newton...or within 10 miles of there,for that matter.And I've never heard of Catholics having a problem with Halloween.

Perhaps you can enlighten me here.

[bigsigh]

we have witnessed the death of common sense over the "right to not be offended."

[SONbrad]

"Kruger...My son says your company stinks!"

I crack up everytime I see that episode!

Remember the way Elaine looked from spending all that time in the shop that was filled with steam. LOL!

[Turbopilot]

What would Christian parents have against Halloween? It's a secular children's holiday, except (as I mentioned) to certain pagan groups. Banning kids from having fun because you're offended is a wacky-lefty thing to do, and those people are going to be the pagans whose holiday is being "disrespected," not the average family.

[Final Authority]

I listened to this story being aired on WRKO Boston this morning and found out that many of the complainants of observing religious holidays and those non religious are the Haitians, Jehovies, Native Americans, and others.

I was thinking why someone who worships dead chickens and most likely here illegally would object to our traditional holidays, and then it hit me, it is what Jay Severin and Michael Savage have been saying on the radio for some time now, and that is, these fringe groups seek to deconstruct our traditions, our language, our celebrations, our culture. Michael Savage has been saying for years, what the struggle is all about is, Borders, Language, and Culture, and when these groups get their way they begin the dismantling of all of these.

It is time to affirmatively take back the western European culture and language that has made the USA the best place on Earth, for if we don't. we will begin the process of the race to the bottom of the heap. Do we want to be just like Mexico?

[Born Conservative]

[Phantom Lord]

As for Christians protesting Halloween,I'm not familiar with any such protests.

If your not familiar with any such christian objections to holloween celebrations you haven't been paying attention.

[retrokitten]

Right! LOL! The Kramer comes in with the two creepy guys from the off track betting place. It is a classic episode.

[Gay State Conservative]

If your not familiar with any such Christian objections to Halloween celebrations you haven't been paying attention.

OK...fair enough.Enlighten me,please!

[MineralMan]

You might try here:

http://www.cpcnewton.com/cpcn/news.html

There are also some other churches that might be involved, but they don't seem to have websites. Lots of evangelical Christians don't think Halloween should be allowed. You may not know their churches in your area, but they're there.

[Phantom Lord]

In addition to MineralMan's post, ever seen a sign for a "Trunk or Treat"? Anti-holloween chrsitian event.

[SONbrad]

By the way....Your Blog is a hoot! LOL!

(and so true when it comes to discussing family members and get-togethers! I have an Aunt and Uncle that are 82 and 81 respectively who fight like cats and dogs. So much so that my Aunt is now talking about getting a divorce at 82 years old! I can just see the look on the divorce lawyer's face when she walks in!)

[Zetman]

The kids get to dress up and have a party and no religious fanatics can get offended unless their religion bans books. My kids found library books about a witch and a vampire so those are their costumes.

Well, in articles I have seen posted here on FR recently, it appears that public libraries are also increasingly purchasing children's books advocating homos and lesbians. If using a children's public library book to select a costume is a major criteria, it will be interesting to see what sort of costumes the children will be wearing in a few years!!

I have a certain amount of sympathy for these Christian parents. After all, in recent years, they have seen the ACLU systematicly target their religion specifically for removal from the public schools. No crosses, no prayers, and increasingly, not even the Pledge of Allegiance, because it contains those "offensive" words "under God". In those cases, only a VERY few parents complained about the presence of Christian symbols (probably fewer parents than are complainig about halloween), and yet the ACLU has still seen to it that there are no more Christmas pageants, and such, in the public schools.

So, maybe eliminating halloween from the public schools on "religious offensiveness" grounds will help to point out how stupid the ACLU has been about it's attacks on Christianity in "the public square", and there will be a rolling back of all of this silliness.

However, I wouldn't count on it. I see that some parents in the article are saying that they may show up in front of the school on Monday in halloween costumes in order to "protest" the cancellation of halloween. I wonder what would happen if the Christian parents who have been similarly "victimized" showed up in front of that same public school, and protested by waving Crosses, Bibles, and other Christian symbols. I suspect the halloween supporters would earn a giggle and a friendly wave, whereas the Christian protesters would probably be arrested. That's "tolerance" and "diversity" in action!!

Like others have said; although Halloween, Christmas, and Easter are Christian holidays, they were originally pagan holidays, according to what I am told (correct me if I am wrong). I have heard that The Church put their major Christian feast days on these pagan holidays centuries ago, in order to help re-focus people from pagan beliefs to the Salvation of Jesus Christ. It seems to have worked out well. So, although these holidays are indeed VERY Christian holidays, the reason they are celebrated on specific dates is because the early Church fathers put them there (smack dab on pagan holidays) for a good purpose.

Having said all of that, my child will go to school on Monday, wearing a halloween costume, and my child's Catholic school will have it's annual "halloween parade" at lunch time (I checked it out last ear, it was cute, and emphasis was placed upon halloween being a time to "laugh at the devil" - with no excessively "scary" costumes allowed).

My biggest concern is that modern "real" pagans and witches, wiccans, etc..., all celebrate halloween VERY seriously, in it's original pre-Christian context. With the rise in popularity of these beliefs because of their promotion in our modern mass-media culture, my biggest concern is that halloween will begin to serve more and more as a "recruiting day" for these people. Indeed, I think it already does, but so far not in great enough numbers to attract the attention of the general population.

Halloween is becoming more and more commercialized, and most of us treat it as "fun". However, some of the trends I see with halloween DO cause me to pause and take note. I am starting to see more and more houses decorated for halloween just as elaborately as people normally decorate for Christmas (a Christian holiday that became over-commecialized decades ago). Many of these house's decorations are becoming more elaborate, realisitic and graphic each year in their depictions of death and/or the occult. I can think of a few examples around my neighborhood.

In addition, adults are celebrating halloween in greater numbers than the kids. Although I like the "childlike fun" of the holiday, it seems to me that very gradually, this is becoming a more and more important celebration for adults. That celebration is becoming more and more ingrained into our culture - with an accompanying "loosening of inhibitions" becoming more evident each year.

To the extent that halloween is becoming more commercialized and popular, I am sure the "real" pagans and witches are happy to see it. It probably serves their purposes just fine. The more "effort" that adults are putting into halloween, the more "open" to the message of pagans and wiccans they might be in a few years. Hence, greater vigilance is in order to keep this as a fun holiday for the kids, and nothing more.

If we as Christians are "laughing at the devil" on halloween, that is a lesson which we should be teaching and acknowledging more explicitly. Otherwise I am concerned that all of this crass commercialization will at best just serve to make us all even more materialistic, or at worst coarsen our society even further, and gradually descensitize us to various occult concepts.

Nothing ever happens overnight. I am still OK with the celebration of halloween, as long as it is "good clean fun", and keeps it's Christian perspective. However, with all the "things" that are happening in our society, I am keeping a careful eye on it too.

[Desron13]

''When I hear that kids won't come to school because of what we're doing on Halloween, I have a problem with that," Castelline said.

SO WHAT!! When I hear that scummy little commie libs like you are given full access to American children in order to fill their heads full of this PC nonsense, I have a huge problem with that you pin headed, empty suit, moonbat!

[Junior]

The school's principal said yesterday he acceded to the complaints of a handful of parents who said that because the school's traditional Halloween celebrations offended their religious beliefs, they would not send their children to school if the revelry continued this year.

What do you want to bet these same parents would be the first to ridicule Moslems, Jews, atheists or Buddhists who found something at the school unpalatable?