Evangelicals and Halloween

[Steve Hayes]

I recently read an interesting blog post by John Morehead:

http://tinyurl.com/lfkp3r

in which he called for an Evangelical reassesment of Hallowe'en, and gave
some suggestions for further reading on Christian-pagan dialogue.

As we approach October, Evangelical blogs and websites, mostly in the USA,
but also increasingly in other places where American cultural influence
has spread, begin to get their knickers in a knot over Hallowe'en, and
start to mutter darkly about "the occult".

But I tend to think that responding to that with books about
Christian-pagan dialogue is, to mix metaphors, putting the cart before the
horse, hair of the dog that bit you, begging the question, and ignoring
the elephant in the room.

In the matter of Hallowe'en, the Evangelicals have become the victims of
their own propaganda -- having created a bogey man, they are now running
away, scared of their own creation. Having cried "Wolf" to frighten
others, they are now running from their own imaginary wolf.

Because Hallowe'en is not primarily about "the occult", it is about the
saints.

The idea that it is about "the occult" was made up by the Evangeli8cals
themselves, or by their predecessors, the radical Reformers.

I've blogged about it in more detail here:

http://khanya.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/evangelicals-and-halloween/

Perhaps it's time to start talking about the elephant in the room.

[news]

Post by Steve Hayes
As we approach October, Evangelical blogs and websites, mostly in the USA,
but also increasingly in other places where American cultural influence
has spread, begin to get their knickers in a knot over Hallowe'en, and
start to mutter darkly about "the occult".

B - and people also have to realize that sometimes things are occulted or
"hidden" is because in days of old you'd get burnt for just having ideas
outside the church and people were very afraid. Things can also be
"hidden" because like one doesn't hand a child a sharp knife until he/she
is old enough to understand how to use one some things are powerful enough
to keep hidden until one is "ready" for it. There is little "evil" about
it at all. Do not give pearls to swine.

I'm Wiccan as well as Christian (yes I believe you can be both as both are
just ways to the devine) and hear plenty from both groups about
misinformation, assumption, prejudice and such. Until you know or
understand what a person or group or holiday is all about, you are just
aping and slandering and libeling without anything firm to base it on.


Blessings to all for a lovely Samhain (summer's end in Gaelic) and/or
Hallowe'en (the Christianized version) and All Saint's Day (day after
Hallowe'en).


Bren