THIS is why people make fun of Christians!!!

[Heather in Neverland]

Donning my flame retardant suit....

 

So as some of you know, I work at a Christian school. About 75% of our students are professing Christians or are being raised by Christian parents. Still, I would say we are moderately conservative and not "fundies". We do, however, have a few extremely conservative parents and we always keep them in mind when making decisions in an effort to avoid offending them.

 

So in our weekly leadership meeting we had to decide on the yearly request by some group or another to have ... You guessed it... A Halloween party on campus.

 

Sigh.

 

Well, the usual discussion ensued. Honestly, maybe I am just too old and cranky but this topic is so old and boring. The ideas...

 

Let's not call it a Halloween party. We'll just say it is a costume party! (really? A costume party, with candy, coincidentally held on or very near Oct. 31? If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...)

 

Let's have a harvest party! (really? When is the last time any of us harvested anything and if you say we are harvesting souls I will punch you in the throat.)

 

But my favorite... Let's call it a Hallelujah party! (A WHAT? Are you serious??? A hallelujah party??? What is a hallelujah party? Honestly, it makes me embarassed to be associated with Christians when they say stuff like that. And we wonder why people make fun of us!!! I know! Let's all dress up like ghosts and we will call it a Halle-BOO-jah party! No one will suspect! They will think we are still holy! I think I am going to hurl. :banghead: )

 

At least those who have reformation parties are celebrating an actual thing!

 

Seriously, I don't care if you don't celebrate Halloween. I don't celebrate it because costumes are too expensive here and I am too lazy to make one. If you feel strongly about it, fine.

 

But don't make up some RIDICULOUS alternate name for the party and then pretend like you are not "really" celebrating Halloween. Just buy some candy and eat it without guilt because that's all we really want anyways. And stop EMBARASSING the rest of us. :glare:

 

I am sure this offends some of you but I am too exhausted from today's meeting about this topic to really care that much. Maybe tomorrow... :tongue_smilie:

 

 

.

Edited October 10, 2012 by Heather in NC

[Kathryn]

:lol: I agree with you.

[Heatherwith4]

I, for one, totally agree with you. I'm sorry you're having to deal with it!

[momtoamiracle]

:iagree:

[creekland]

I'm ok with either Halloween or "Harvest" or "Fall" parties or whatever. To me, this is a small issue and I try not to sweat the small stuff. Life is too short to sweat small stuff. Call it whatever you want. My kids are likely to be there. ;)

[Laura Corin]

The ideas...

 

Let's not call it a Halloween party. We'll just say it is a costume party! (really? A costume party, with candy, coincidentally held on our very near Oct. 31? If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...)

 

Let's have a harvest party! (really? When is the last time any of us harvested anything and if you say we are harvesting souls I will punch you in the throat.)

 

But my favorite... Let's call it a Hallelujah party! (A WHAT? Are you serious??? A hallelujah party??? What is a hallelujah party? Honestly, it makes me embarassed to be associated with Christians when they say stuff like that. And we wonder why people make fun of us!!! I know! Let's all dress up like ghosts and we will call it a Halle-BOO-jah party! No one will suspect! They will think we are still holy! I think I am going to hurl. :banghead: )

 

.

 

The local missionaries held a harvest party: costumes (nothing scary or in any way controversial), games, sweets. Nothing to do with harvest. We used to go along, as the boys enjoyed it, but it was a weird occasion.

 

Laura

[allymom]

I totally agree. But we'll be going to a "Harvest Party" this year too. But you're right. We're still celebrating Halloween. And I'm not sure a Christian school should do that if they have a lot of families that don't celebrate. I have many friends who would be very offended by such a party if their kids attended there and were asked to dress up on that day.

[2_girls_mommy]

I'm ok with either Halloween or "Harvest" or "Fall" parties or whatever. To me, this is a small issue and I try not to sweat the small stuff. Life is too short to sweat small stuff. Call it whatever you want. My kids are likely to be there. ;)

 

I completely agree. I don't think there is anything wrong with calling it a Harvest party either. Might be silly, sure. I know most of us are not agricultural anymore, but then the kids that aren't allowed to celebrate Halloween can get in on the fun of costumes and candy that everyone else is doing.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

:iagree:

Personally I think this just sends mixed messages. Either a church is okay with Halloween or not. If it is, fine, have a trunk or treat thing if they want to offer a safe place for the night. If not, then go about like it is just a typical night and don't draw attention to it.

[Chris in VA]

At our old church, we celebrated All Saint's Day. The kids could come dressed as an animal, biblical person or other saint. They went around to various "stations," where an adult dressed as a saint told them about his/her life, and they got a treat relating to the saint. At some stations, they did a craft. We had St Nicholas (got a candy cane), St Lucia (got a cinnamon bun and made a wreath or a candle--can't remember), St Peter (key-shaped cookie), Mary (made a little manger with a tiny baby, hay and part of a cut-up toilet paper tube), St Francis (made a peanut butter bird feeder) and a couple others.

 

It was an appropriate and authentic alternative to a Halloween party.

[rwjx2khsmj]

 

I know! Let's all dress up like ghosts and we will call it a Halle-BOO-jah party! No one will suspect! They will think we are still holy!

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[FaithManor]

Donning my flame retardant suit....

 

So as some of you know, I work at a Christian school. About 75% of our students are professing Christians or are being raised by Christian parents. Still, I would say we are moderately conservative and not "fundies". We do, however, have a few extremely conservative parents and we always keep them in mind when making decisions in an effort to avoid offending them.

 

So in our weekly leadership meeting we had to decide on the yearly request by some group or another to have ... You guessed it... A Halloween party on campus.

 

Sigh.

 

Well, the usual discussion ensued. Honestly, maybe I am just too old and cranky but this topic is so old and boring. The ideas...

 

Let's not call it a Halloween party. We'll just say it is a costume party! (really? A costume party, with candy, coincidentally held on our very near Oct. 31? If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...)

 

Let's have a harvest party! (really? When is the last time any of us harvested anything and if you say we are harvesting souls I will punch you in the throat.)

 

But my favorite... Let's call it a Hallelujah party! (A WHAT? Are you serious??? A hallelujah party??? What is a hallelujah party? Honestly, it makes me embarassed to be associated with Christians when they say stuff like that. And we wonder why people make fun of us!!! I know! Let's all dress up like ghosts and we will call it a Halle-BOO-jah party! No one will suspect! They will think we are still holy! I think I am going to hurl. :banghead: )

 

At least those who have reformation parties are celebrating an actual thing!

 

Seriously, I don't care if you don't celebrate Halloween. I don't celebrate it because costumes are too expensive here and I am too lazy to make one. If you feel strongly about it, fine.

 

But don't make up some RIDICULOUS alternate name for the party and then pretend like you are not "really" celebrating Halloween. Just buy some candy and eat it without guilt because that's all we really want anyways. And stop EMBARASSING the rest of us. :glare:

 

I am sure this offends some of you but I am too exhausted from today's meeting about this topic to really care that much. Maybe tomorrow... :tongue_smilie:

 

 

.

 

Oh, I do understand. A couple near here hosted a "Halloween Alternative Party", you guessed it, for Christian kids. Hmmm....bats, spider webs, black cats decorating the place, their entire family dressed up in Wizard of Oz costumes with the mother making a very convincing witch, scary ghost stories with the lights out, skeleton on the wall, etc.

 

When I asked her how that was an alternative to Halloween, her response was that it was an alternative to trick-or-treating which is, afterall, sinful.

 

I can even begin to describe to you the places my brain went. :glare: It wasn't pretty. However, I did manage to excuse myself without saying anything. I'm trying to do that a lOT more of this and my new goal is to not ask anyone outside of my husband and immediate family about topics of any controversy whatsoever. My new plan is to make conversation strictly about the weather, classical music, impressionistic art (seems to be the only group of artists that people can discuss and not get hot and bothered about), the weather, prospects for next year's corn crop, dd's upcoming wedding, the weather, philosophy - because no one wants to discuss it anyway so I can completely shut down any conversation threatening to make a wrong turn into controversy by mentioning, "So, what do you all think of Soren Kirkegaard?", geography, the weather, "Anybody read some Nietzsche lately?", museums, the weather....you get the idea.

 

You are right Heather, "If it waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck, swims like a duck......" it probably isn't a chicken!

 

Faith

[Remudamom]

Yep.

[Heather in Neverland]

At our old church, we celebrated All Saint's Day. The kids could come dressed as an animal, biblical person or other saint. They went around to various "stations," where an adult dressed as a saint told them about his/her life, and they got a treat relating to the saint. At some stations, they did a craft. We had St Nicholas (got a candy cane), St Lucia (got a cinnamon bun and made a wreath or a candle--can't remember), St Peter (key-shaped cookie), Mary (made a little manger with a tiny baby, hay and part of a cut-up toilet paper tube), St Francis (made a peanut butter bird feeder) and a couple others.

 

It was an appropriate and authentic alternative to a Halloween party.

 

I love that word... Authentic. That's the word I needed today. For goodness' sake... Be AUTHENTIC.

 

 

.

[Giraffe]

:iagree:

 

I don't like Halloween and prefer not to celebrate it (and I'm not conservative or a "fundie"). I'm glad we're here and don't need to worry about it, but for goodness sakes if you're going to have a Halloween party, just call it that!!!

[mom2scouts]

:lol: I'm so sorry you have to sit through that meeting on a regular basis.

[Cinder]

But don't make up some RIDICULOUS alternate name for the party and then pretend like you are not "really" celebrating Halloween. Just buy some candy and eat it without guilt because that's all we really want anyways. And stop EMBARASSING the rest of us. :glare:

 

 

:iagree: When the boys were little we went to a couple of those alternate parties. But really, it was just a Halloween party with less scary costumes. None of us like them; the boys didn't like the crowds at all. So since then we just go out to dinner (best night for this btw because the restaurants are empty though you might have to put up with the whole why aren't you trick or treating discussion), stop at the store for a couple bags of candy, go home and pop in a movie. Yes, the dc have readily admitted that all they want is candy and they don't want to go out knocking on doors. We like it this way better.

[GWOB]

I'm with you, Heather. It just seems as though events like "Harvest Festivals" ( or whatever you want to call them) are meant to draw attention to someone's "holiness". Now, I may be misinterpreting the Bible, but I thought we, as Christians, were just supposed to go about quietly doing the right thing and NOT call attention to our "righteousness".

 

Wendi-whose kids will be trick-or-treating right after confirmation.

[justamouse]

:iagree:

[Farrar]

Well, at least here it makes sense to have a "harvest" celebration in the fall. There really are pretty fall vegetables coming in and so forth and traditional fall activities like scarecrow making that genuinely doesn't have to have anything to do with Halloween. Does that make *any* kind of sense in Malaysia? I'm guessing not.

[speedmom4]

:lol::lol:

 

This just makes me laugh!! Our church holds a fall festival but all my younger kids want to do is go trick-or-treating!

 

Elise in NC

[Heather in Neverland]

Well, at least here it makes sense to have a "harvest" celebration in the fall. There really are pretty fall vegetables coming in and so forth and traditional fall activities like scarecrow making that genuinely doesn't have to have anything to do with Halloween. Does that make *any* kind of sense in Malaysia? I'm guessing not.

 

No. We don't even have lawns! I live on a tiny island mostly covered with high-rise apartment buildings.

[*********]

Preach it Sister Heather! :hurray:

[Tess in the Burbs]

I agree. And we don't celebrate Halloween. We did a fall harvest party one year thinking it would be something else. But it was church people dressed up, giving out candy. That is Halloween no matter what name you put on it.

 

I would think in a Christian school you would focus more on a Christmas party and let the fall thing be skipped. If you felt so obliged to do anything have an Apple Festival and make caramel apples. Candy, no costumes, still sweet stuff in the mouth :tongue_smilie::lol:

[shanvan]

:iagree:

Personally I think this just sends mixed messages. Either a church is okay with Halloween or not. If it is, fine, have a trunk or treat thing if they want to offer a safe place for the night. If not, then go about like it is just a typical night and don't draw attention to it.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:We don't do Halloween and it annoys me that every year our church pressures us to attend their alternative.

[Ellie]

But don't make up some RIDICULOUS alternate name for the party and then pretend like you are not "really" celebrating Halloween. Just buy some candy and eat it without guilt because that's all we really want anyway. And stop EMBARASSING the rest of us. :glare:

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[Lisbeth]

We are LDS and as a family celebrate Halloween. I am still stunned this forum allows posts like this however. Substitute another group for the word Christians in the title and how long would it stay up? Just sayin'.

[Heather in Neverland]

We are LDS and as a family celebrate Halloween. I am still stunned this forum allows posts like this however. Substitute another group for the word Christians in the title and how long would it stay up? Just sayin'.

 

You are totally missing the point. I AM A CHRISTIAN. That is the point... Christians who make silly suggestions like "Let's call it a hallelujah party!" make the rest of us look bad. It is because of these situations that people don't take Christians seriously. We have enough battles to fight without making ourselves look even more ridiculous.

 

 

.

[Trish]

The Catholic school my boys went to (before we started homeschooling) held a Harvest Party during the month of October (games, hayrides, etc). Then there was a costume thing on Nov. 1 when the kids dressed up as Saints.

 

Perhaps it's the ghoulish aspect of Halloween that puts some people off. (especially when there are so many real-life examples of ghoulish behavior, such as the recent spate of face-eating "zombies") Our kids celebrate Halloween and go trick-or-treating. We don't let them dress up as anything ghoulish or vulgar. This year I have one Elf Warrior and one Bottle of Ketchup.

 

Some people believe that Halloween (at it's currently celebrated) has demonic overtones.

[mirth]

Well let's have a Saturnalia party but call it Christmas. And if it catches on, it just might replace Saturnalia.

[Paintedlady]

:chillpill: I think you're the one who needs to be embarassed for your poor behavior and witness by publicly gossiping about your fellow brothers & sisters in Christ. I don't agree with them but I agree with you even less. Seems you like to point out how so many Christians are doing things you disagree with in order to make yourself more popular with fringe/nominal Christians or non Christians. Feel better? :glare:

[PiCO]

I am still stunned this forum allows posts like this however. Substitute another group for the word Christians in the title and how long would it stay up? Just sayin'.

 

I think it's fine, because Heather's a Christian who moved to Malaysia to work at a Christian school. It would be a tacky title for one of my posts, because I am not a Christian.

 

As to the OP- I completely agree with you, Heather. And I appreciate hearing that this makes Christians crazy also! Every group has issues like this- sounds like you're trying to do the right thing.

[Ellie]

We are LDS and as a family celebrate Halloween. I am still stunned this forum allows posts like this however. Substitute another group for the word Christians in the title and how long would it stay up? Just sayin'.

You missed the point.

 

It isn't whether Christians should or should not do Halloween. It's that Christians should be upfront about what they're doing. If they want to do Halloween, fine. If not, fine, but don't substitute something that looks just like Halloween, and happens on Halloween, and call it something else. Then you just look silly.

[*********]

Well let's have a Saturnalia party but call it Christmas. And if it catches on, it just might replace Saturnalia.

 

Well I agree with you there too, Mirth. We don't celebrate 'Christmas', either. :001_smile:

 

:chillpill: I think you're the one who needs to be embarassed for your poor behavior and witness by publicly gossiping about your fellow brothers & sisters in Christ. I don't agree with them but I agree with you even less. Seems you like to point out how so many Christians are doing things you disagree with in order to make yourself more popular with fringe/nominal Christians or non Christians. Feel better? :glare:

 

Oh. :001_huh:

 

I'm sorry Heather seems to have offended you. Truly. I don't think that was her intention. She was just expressing *her* feelings on a topic that has recently irritated her. And there are plenty of us on the board who happen to agree with her.

 

It's just like that thread we had going on about 'what were you taught as a child that was evil, but now it's so ridiculous and let's all laugh at it' thread we had going on. I didn't personally care for *that* thread, but it didn't get pulled, did it?

[dbmamaz]

I think its just silly human nature. I'm not a christian and never was (raised jewish), and i used to live in a commune which was totally secular. One of the women used to always make a big deal around christmas . . . she organized caroling and had a tree . . .except it wasnt acceptable to call it christmas, so she called it solstice. Now, solstice was acceptable, but no, there is no such thing as a solstice tree decorated with colorful lights. She (and everyone) would talk about the christma . . uh . . solstice tree.

 

I was pretty anti-religious at the time and the whole thing really annoyed me. On the one hand, I was kinda glad she was making some effort not to push christian holiday on us, except that she really was doing everything she would have done if she HAD been calling it christmas.

 

and then after meeting my inlaws, i started doing a totally secular christmas, for the kids. tree, presents, lots of pies. i call it christmas.

 

we humans, we just dont make any sense

[QueenCat]

:chillpill: I think you're the one who needs to be embarassed for your poor behavior and witness by publicly gossiping about your fellow brothers & sisters in Christ. I don't agree with them but I agree with you even less. Seems you like to point out how so many Christians are doing things you disagree with in order to make yourself more popular with fringe/nominal Christians or non Christians. Feel better? :glare:

 

Ugh?????? That is a rather mean spirited thing to say to Heather. I don't see this at all in Heather's post. She is a Christian, she isn't making fun of Christians. She is frustrated and venting, among friends (well, at least some of us are). I understand her point completely.

[sunnylady303]

:chillpill: I think you're the one who needs to be embarassed for your poor behavior and witness by publicly gossiping about your fellow brothers & sisters in Christ. I don't agree with them but I agree with you even less. Seems you like to point out how so many Christians are doing things you disagree with in order to make yourself more popular with fringe/nominal Christians or non Christians. Feel better? :glare:

 

Yikes! I think Heather was venting. It is appropriate to share feelings of frustration when you see others - even brothers and sisters in Christ - not being authentic. It is frustrating. She was not coming down on either side of the Halloween issue, only asking that other Christians be consistent about their choices. The ways that those folks were trying to be about Halloween seems to me like saying, "I am against drinking alcohol. So let's call this whiskey "Coke" and then I can still drink it."

 

She's not trying to win a popularity contest with "fringe" Christians and if you read some of her other posts you would see that she is extremely dedicated to these people and a solid Christian.

 

And it's hardly gossiping if you are not naming names. That's called expressing your feelings in a safe place.

 

I wish you had a more gentle attitude with your sister in Christ here.

[WishboneDawn]

We are LDS and as a family celebrate Halloween. I am still stunned this forum allows posts like this however. Substitute another group for the word Christians in the title and how long would it stay up? Just sayin'.

 

It was not an anti-Christian rant. It expressed frustration with certain Christian people the poster had to deal with and more generals trends in her own community (she IS Christian herself).

 

Can we not be critical of ourselves and our own faith on occasion?

[GWOB]

:chillpill: I think you're the one who needs to be embarassed for your poor behavior and witness by publicly gossiping about your fellow brothers & sisters in Christ. I don't agree with them but I agree with you even less. Seems you like to point out how so many Christians are doing things you disagree with in order to make yourself more popular with fringe/nominal Christians or non Christians. Feel better? :glare:

 

Whoa! I had no idea I was a fringe/nominal Christian. I guess I can stop studying for my Sunday School lesson I am teaching, tell my daughter she no longer has to study for confirmation, and I will just pass on typing up those minutes from my church's board of education meeting! Oh, and I guess since I'm not a real Christian, I will just cancel all those Advent events I was planning! Thanks for enlightening me about the real state of my soul!

[CheerioKid]

My FAVORITE name so far for a "Halloween Party" (drum roll please.............)

 

HOLY GHOST WEENIE ROAST

 

Some church in the Raleigh/Durham area does this. I used to hear it on the radio every year.

 

I think "Fall Party" or "Fall Carnival" suffices....if you must do it.

[Trish]

I think it's fine, because Heather's a Christian who moved to Malaysia to work at a Christian school. It would be a tacky title for one of my posts, because I am not a Christian.

 

As to the OP- I completely agree with you, Heather. And I appreciate hearing that this makes Christians crazy also! Every group has issues like this- sounds like you're trying to do the right thing.

 

That's like saying it's okay for fat people to make fat jokes. :thumbup:

[Heather in Neverland]

My FAVORITE name so far for a "Halloween Party" (drum roll please.............)

 

HOLY GHOST WEENIE ROAST

 

Some church in the Raleigh/Durham area does this. I used to hear it on the radio every year.

 

I think "Fall Party" or "Fall Carnival" suffices....if you must do it.

 

Oh my goodness. THANK YOU!!! I have not laughed that hard in a while and after this day I needed it. Wow. I feel so much better!!!!!!! :lol::lol::lol:

 

 

.

[*********]

My FAVORITE name so far for a "Halloween Party" (drum roll please.............)

 

HOLY GHOST WEENIE ROAST

 

Some church in the Raleigh/Durham area does this. I used to hear it on the radio every year.

 

I think "Fall Party" or "Fall Carnival" suffices....if you must do it.

 

:eek::svengo:

 

Oh good grief.

 

Just call it a Halloween party for crying out loud. If you don't DO Halloween, don't DO it. If you DO do Halloween, then DO it.

[sunnylady303]

That's like saying it's okay for fat people to make fat jokes. :thumbup:

 

No it's not. One doesn't choose (arguably anyway) to be fat. One chooses to be Christian. And she's not making a joke or making fun of them, she's sharing a frustration. Sheesh.

 

And this is one of my pet peeves as a former minister and a devout (at least I try) follower of Christ. Christians who are not consistent or authentic do make others look bad. After all, why consider a faith whose followers talk the talk but don't walk to the walk. If you believe Halloween is ok, celebrate it and great. If you don't, don't give into cultural temptation and call it something else so you can still have your cake and eat it too.

 

It's entirely different from that. I'll see if I can think of an apt analogy.

[*********]

No it's not. One doesn't choose (arguably anyway) to be fat. One chooses to be Christian. And she's not making a joke or making fun of them, she's sharing a frustration. Sheesh.

 

And this is one of my pet peeves as a former minister and a devout (at least I try) follower of Christ. Christians who are not consistent or authentic do make others look bad. After all, why consider a faith whose followers talk the talk but don't walk to the walk. If you believe Halloween is ok, celebrate it and great. If you don't, don't give into cultural temptation and call it something else so you can still have your cake and eat it too.

 

It's entirely different from that. I'll see if I can think of an apt analogy.

 

This.

 

However, I would add that the same would go for Christmas.

 

Yes, I know, I know. Many here don't agree with me. But that's how I feel. That's me being authentic. :001_smile:

[Parrothead]

:chillpill: I think you're the one who needs to be embarassed for your poor behavior and witness by publicly gossiping about your fellow brothers & sisters in Christ. I don't agree with them but I agree with you even less. Seems you like to point out how so many Christians are doing things you disagree with in order to make yourself more popular with fringe/nominal Christians or non Christians. Feel better? :glare:

Pot meet Kettle.

 

Where's the grace?

[Desert Rat]

My FAVORITE name so far for a "Halloween Party" (drum roll please.............)

 

HOLY GHOST WEENIE ROAST

 

Some church in the Raleigh/Durham area does this. I used to hear it on the radio every year.

 

I think "Fall Party" or "Fall Carnival" suffices....if you must do it.

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[LostSurprise]

People do what their consciences allow them to do. Sometimes you get weird combinations, and sometimes you get things that allow them to do what they really want to do. I don't find it ridiculous; I just find it human.

 

 

Harvest festivals are normal in this part of the country, even for people who do celebrate Halloween. They tend to be early in October when things are being harvested. If folks at your school come from an area like that, its a perfectly reasonable idea, even if they no longer live in someplace where that makes logical sense. People like to do what they've always done.

 

I don't even have a problem with the church down the road who puts on a Halloween alternative at the mall. Its warmer in there, there are more alternatives (games, entertainment, a place for babies and toddlers who are bored), and there aren't teens running around scaring my kids and playing pranks. ;)

 

 

We can't do any of these (okay, we can get away with the Harvest Festival if its not too candy based) because my youngest can't have sweets. Its amazing how many of our cultural celebrations (parades, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, birthday parties) depend on the consumption of sugar. Usually we go away if we can and celebrate with books for everyone and eating out.

[luvnlattes]

I know! Let's all dress up like ghosts and we will call it a Halle-BOO-jah party!

 

:lol: That cracked me up.

 

Sorry you have to deal with this.

[linders]

:iagree: with Heather.