[Barbara]

I live in a suburban neighborhood where 'trick or treating' on Halloween is very popular. We have neighbors who belong to a fundamental Christian church. The wife recently scared my six-year-old boy by telling him he will go to hell if he trick-or-treated he would be offending God. My husband confronted her about it, and all she would tell him was that her pastor wants the congregation to get tough on Halloween. I am angry, yes, but I want to understand what the beef is with Halloween. It seems to me that the meaning of Halloween as something religious or anti-religious has been lost, and it is just great fun and a way for kids to get candy. What is the offense of Halloween, and why on Earth would an adult feel the need to tell a six-year-old this?

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Name : Barbara, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 36, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Home-employed, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Craig P.]

I am a conservative Christian who would never tell your child that they would go to hell for trick-or-treating. I understand your neighbors but apologize for their lack of tact. Halloween originated as a highly anti-Christian celebration. You probably know its origin as the evening before All Saint's Day (thus all 'hallows' eve). It was a time for those who wished to either mock Christians or actively promote other gods or religions. Even today there is an undercurrent of violence and inhumanity about it. I have a hard time thinking that the teen at my door dressed as a slasher (or demon) talking about 'tricking' me unless I bribe him with a 'treat' really has my best interest at heart. As a Christian, I firmly believe that those who have not chosen to develop a relationship with God through Christ will spend the rest of eternity separated from Him (i.e. 'go to hell'), but trick-or-treating does not deny that relationship. And scaring a child about Halloween does not show the love that draws people to God.

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Name : Craig P., Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 40+, City : Somewhere in, State : MO Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[KX]

Halloween, like so many other secularized or Christianized holidays, originated as a Pagan holiday. Nov. 1 is the Celtic New Year, and the night before is the Feast of Samhain. According to Celtic tradition, this is a night of heightened spiritual activity, when the borders between this world and the netherworld are blurred and spirits (and humans, for that matter) are able to travel back and forth. Through many different twists and turns, elements of this Pagan holiday have been carried through the centuries and turned into the secular Halloween celebration we have today. You can see why some of the more fundamentalist Christians would take issue with the festivities, and I agree with the other respondent that your neighbor was quite tactless in expressing her disapproval.

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Name : KX, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 27, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : Graduate Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Michelle20547]

I believe Halloween is a 'Pagan' holiday in celebration of the dead. And basically any worship of the dead is against God. Many people who spread the word of the congregation do so because of a strong belief that it is true.

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Name : Michelle20547, Gender : F, City : Fernley, State : NV Country : United States, 

[A. Adams]

Unfortunately, some Christians in their need to spread their 'gospel' are more than a little over-zealous in protecting 'non-believers' (and their kids) from themselves. Some believe it is their duty to turn others from their erring ways and that a bombastic approach is better than having friends, neighbor and loved ones go to hell. If this sounds a little offbeat and Puritanical, keep in mind that they believe they are doing others some good.

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Name : A. Adams, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Dan]

Halloween is of Ancient Celtic origin. I think it's either New Year's Day or a tribute to Samhain (Celtic God of the afterlife and such). Young kids would dress up like deceased ancestors and go from house to house collecting hazelnuts and apples. If the house didn't have any for them, they might play a little prank on them (I think that's how it goes). They used a carved-out turnip as a lantern, hence the Jack-O-Lantern. The Catholic Church later turned it into All Hallow's Eve, the night before All Saints Day (to honor all Christians who have passed on). America's modern concept of Halloween was introduced by Irish immigrants. It's not necessarily an evil holiday, though many things do happen on it (the lunatic fringe who go around killing cats and stupid stuff like that). The lady who flew off the handle like that was way out of line. I would never do that, and would verbally chastise anyone I know who would do such a thing.

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Name : Dan, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : na, Race : Chicano, Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : Los Angeles area, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Megan-L21930]

It's unfortunate your child received a tirade on the issue. There's no excuse for tormenting a child. Your overzealous neighbor is a bit misguided. Does she celebrate Christmas? Most educated people know that 'decking the halls' with evergreen trees, bright colors and candlelight originated in the Yule festivals of pre-Roman Europe, but a lot of us, Christian or no, celebrate Christmas anyway. Highly simplified, All Hallows is the early Christian digestion of the Celtic festival of Samhain. At Samhain (pronounced 'SAH-wen'), the veil between this world and the Otherworld was said to grow so thin that people could converse with the dead and see visions of the future. One drawback was that restless spirits, ones that hadn't made the journey to the Summerland, could take that opportunity to break through and ravage the countryside. Their only satisfaction? A treat. Yes, this event is a religious festival whose true meaning is out of the mainstream culture. Why not have fun? Maybe Halloween just brings out those angry spirits in your neighbor.

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Name : Megan-L21930, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 31, City : Boston, State : MA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Mike W.]

Christians object to Halloween because it is of Pagan origin (Samhain). To be consistent, then, they should also reject Christmas (Yule), Easter (Ostara) and Pentecost (Lugnasað), as well as Pagan holidays co-opted by Christians in an attempt to erase their true origins. They should also reject the Resurrection (Pagan) and the transubstantiation of bread and wine into blood and flesh (Pagan). Christian demons and devils are no different than Buddhist, or even Hindu, ones (not as colorful, though). Christian God-forms (Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the Devil) are just as 'true' or 'false' as any other religion's. In my opinion, Christianity is a confused mess of lies that is destroying society from the inside out. It has destroyed religion with its impoverished philosophy and arrogance. Professing infallibility while preaching nonsense has ruined the whole idea of spirituality for thinking people.

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Name : Mike W., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 44, City : Denver, State : CO Country : United States, Occupation : cataloger, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jason B.]

When it comes to conservative religion, time knows no boundaries. To them, the fact that All Hallow's Eve is the source of Halloween makes it Satanic. (The fact that druids did not worship Satan has no bearing to them.) And as far as many conservative Christians are concerned, fear of Hell is just as good as love of God. My advice is to keep your kids as far away from your neighbors as possible.

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Name : Jason B., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 27, City : Quad-Cities, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : sales, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jaqueline-C20976]

Halloween is an ancient holiday dating back to pre-Christian Europe. When Christianity came to Europe, the Christian church did everything it could to erase the native religions of the area. One of the tactics used was to villify the religious practices already in place. The Christian church did many things to convince people that these religious practices were derived from the devil. Dispite those efforts, many of these ancient practices continue today in some form or another. Other religious practices and customs were incorporated into Christian religion, such as the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, some hard-line Christians feel they still need to fight against and discredit these remnants of pre-Christian Europe. In any case, I do not believe anyone has the right to tell a child they are going to hell for any reason. It is mean, abusive and completly uncalled for to tell a child this.

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Name : Jaqueline-C20976, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 26, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Systems Analyst, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Bryan19298]

I'm not sure about your neighbor's motivations, but I do know that as a father I would have to have a serious discussion with her. I would tell her that I respect her religious beliefs, but if her pastor feels she needs to educate my family on them, she should tell me or my wife what she wants to say, not our children. If we agree with her argument, we will pass it along to them.

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Name : Bryan19298, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Buddhist, Age : 38, City : Milwaukee, State : WI Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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