This from AOL News....http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=2&guideContext=65.73&pmmsid=1421999WHY? It's just Halloween!

See here, if the heathens can give Christmas the boot, shouldn't the Christians be allowed to give Halloween the boot?
Maybe it isn't the Christians.  News reports I've read say only that some parents feel the Halloween celebration is offensive to their "religious" convictions.  The only religious people I've ever heard of being hung up over Halloween have been Christian fundamentalists....but I wouldn't put it past conservative Jews or Muslims.

Here's the part I like:

The school plans to replace the Halloween party with a fall celebration next month, in which students can dress up as their favorite literary characters.

So my favorite book is Milton's "Paradise Lost," and as we all know, the most intriguing character in Milton is
SATAN
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/nl/1/1d/Satan.jpg
Muuuwahahahaha!!!
See you in November, my children!

This BS goes on every year. There is only a very very small percentage of the US population that actually views Halloween as a religious holiday. For everyone else it's just a bit of fun. Like Xmas. I loved the Xmas parites we always had at school... and the Halloween parties.

I'm a christian, and Halloween is probably my favorite Holiday of the year!

I got two words for you on this Principal in Massachusetts  "AH BOO!"

Wow.  Halloween was so unpopular when I was young, now it's insanely popular.

I don't know who is opposed to this: right-wing Christians or left-wings PC Wiccans, but this is absurd.  Halloween is suppose to be some stupid fun holiday for young children.

Well, being a " left-wing PC Wiccan", I think of Oct. 31st as two different "holidays" (so to speak). The first one is Samhaim which is a religious holiday. I practice this in my own way and it doesn't effect anyone else (well, maybe Carlos  ;) ). The other is Halloween which (or is that witch  ;) ) is about having fun and dressing up. I will be celebrating Halloween by passing out candy to the local ghosts and goblins who come knocking on my door when the Sun goes down. And I may actually dress up myself (which I have done in years passed.)


A few years back, the orginazation that I used to volunteer for decided to hold a party for the kids at the elementary school on Halloween. One of the board members (a Congragational minister) objected to call it a Halloween party because Halloween was the "devil's holiday" or he wasn't going to participate. I was going to ask him if he was going to participate anyway but held my tongue. So we had to call it "October Fun-Fest". And of course, that minister didn't help out with it.  ::) But if you asked any of the kids who were there, they told you it was a Halloween party.




Cat

Holloween has a long tradition that goes back to Celtic rituals, has nothing to do with devil worship, and has been commercialized to the nth degree (but haven't all holidays?).  For the Goddess's sake, let the  kids have some fun (just don't let them eat all that candy at once).

Holloween has a long tradition that goes back to Celtic rituals, has nothing to do with devil worship, and has been commercialized to the nth degree (but haven't all holidays?).  For the Goddess's sake, let the  kids have some fun (just don't let them eat all that candy at once).

Yeah, my Halloween candy never seemed to last very long no matter how much I picked up trick-or-treating.  I didn't learn the value of economizing until I was older!  ;D

The school plans to replace the Halloween party with a fall celebration next month, in which students can dress up as their favorite literary characters.
Well, what about Count Dracula and Frankenstein's monster? Both of them started out as literary characters.

I'm so f**king glad I got to be a kid in the 70's and 80's instead of today, where now you have all these anal baby-boomer parents who are overprotecting their kids and taking all the fun out of childhood.  >:(

Well, what about Count Dracula and Frankenstein's monster? Both of them started out as literary characters.

I'm so f**king glad I got to be a kid in the 70's and 80's instead of today, where now you have all these anal baby-boomer parents who are overprotecting their kids and taking all the fun out of childhood.   >:(

You said it, pal!  This sh*t is loony-toony!

I shoulod have read this before my response in the Don't You Hate It When thread. 
This really gets to me.  Adults just want to ruin it for the kids.  >:(

I shoulod have read this before my response in the Don't You Hate It When thread. 
This really gets to me.  Adults just want to ruin it for the kids.   >:(


"People are always ruining things for you."
--Holden Caulfield

Mass has a history of things like this.

Once upon a time, celebrating Christmas was illegal in Mass, so why not Halloween?

I shoulod have read this before my response in the Don't You Hate It When thread. 
This really gets to me.  Adults just want to ruin it for the kids.  >:(



I thought you did read this-that is why you posted in the "Don't You Hate" Thread.





Cat

I thought you did read this-that is why you posted in the "Don't You Hate" Thread.





Cat


Nope, I heard another story like that one in Mass, somewhere in Canada (since I live near the Canadian border I get some Canadian radio/TV stations). 

Didn't they used to burn people in Mass.? Nothing changes.

Well, what about Count Dracula and Frankenstein's monster? Both of them started out as literary characters.

I'm so f**king glad I got to be a kid in the 70's and 80's instead of today, where now you have all these anal baby-boomer parents who are overprotecting their kids and taking all the fun out of childhood.   >:(
Those same parents are the parents who start teaching their kids reading, writing and 'rithmetic when they're six months old! Yes YUPPIEDOM is still alive and well with parents nowadays!

They might as well start banning stuff like the 'baccalaureate' pre-graduation ceremonies in some public high schools because they might offend people of other religions!

Didn't they used to burn people in Mass.? Nothing changes.

For the last gol darn time, the witches at Salem were not burned, they were hanged.  I am so sick of my Puritan ancestors being ridiculed like a bunch of medieval inquistors because you people can't get your facts straight!
:-\\

For the last gol darn time, the witches at Salem were not burned, they were hanged.  I am so sick of my Puritan ancestors being ridiculed like a bunch of medieval inquistors because you people can't get your facts straight!
:-\\


they were also dunked in freezing cold water if Im correct. 

they were also dunked in freezing cold water if Im correct. 


And had large rocks placed on them one at a time until the couldn't breath

And had large rocks placed on them one at a time until the couldn't breath



Giles somebody (or was it something Giles-can't remember and too lazy to look it up). And his last words were "More weight"




Cat

The weirdest part of all was that none of them were actually practicioners of any kind of witchcraft or deviltry. They were all upstanding citizens, with too many jealous neighbours.

Giles somebody (or was it something Giles-can't remember and too lazy to look it up). And his last words were "More weight"




Cat


it was Giles Corey in "The Crucible", and I think that was a name taken from history. 

it was Giles Corey in "The Crucible", and I think that was a name taken from history. 



Yeah, that was the dude's name.  And yes it was a name taken from history. In fact, most (if not all) of the names in "The Crucible" were "real" people in Salem back in 1692.




Cat

Mary Beth Norton's recent book on Salem is excellent, and presents the episode in a whole new light.  All of the accusers had fronteer experiences with indians and the French, and witnessed atrocities, so probably suffering from post tramatic syndrom.  Most of the book, though, is written almost as a journal from the point of view of the participants, but set in a context broader than just Salem.  Boyer and Neisenbaum's Salem Bewitched is also interesting.  Hangings, one crushing (Giles Cory) no burnings, no immesions.

Let's be mindful there are people who do not celebrate Halloween. They shouldn't be ridiculed. Everyone doesn't celebrate Christmas or other holidays as well.

I take my son trick or treating, but that's the extent that I consider the day.

Yeah, that was the dude's name.  And yes it was a name taken from history. In fact, most (if not all) of the names in "The Crucible" were "real" people in Salem back in 1692.




Cat


For those adverse to reading there is a video with Vanessa Redgrave called "Three Sovereigns for Sarah" that gives a great treatment of the real issues involved in the witch trials.  Ignorance and greed, as ever and always.

they were also dunked in freezing cold water if Im correct. 

TALKING POINTS
The Jedidiah Stoddard Factor
November 4, 1693
Look, you got some broad made a pact with the devil, we're not gonna be able to save her soul without a little coercion.  Some cold water never hurt anybody...OK, well maybe a little, but look, we only hurt these witches a lot more by letting the go burn in hell for eternity.  So what's worse, huh?  An icy dip today, or searing flamest tomorrow, the next day, and for eternity!
And that pressing under stones technique was working just fine until the NECLU started this nonsense about how, "Oh, they'll say anything if their ribs are cracking under boulders!"  OK, a few of them died too, but we got to save their souls for the most part.  Would you rather get crushed and go to heaven, or live a life of sorcery and go burn in hell forever, just because some soft-on-witchcraft liberals said it's none of our business what individual people want to believe!

Let's be mindful there are people who do not celebrate Halloween. They shouldn't be ridiculed. Everyone doesn't celebrate Christmas or other holidays as well.



I know that other people don't celebrate the day but is it offensive to them when we do?  Does it actually hurt their feelings knowing that some people are celebrating a religous festival (such as Christmas) at a time when they are not celebrating?

I know that other people don't celebrate the day but is it offensive to them when we do?  Does it actually hurt their feelings knowing that some people are celebrating a religous festival (such as Christmas) at a time when they are not celebrating?


The majority of the people that don't celebrate the holiday don't get offended when others do.  It is just the loud obnoxious ones who get the publicity.