Devil's playground or child's play?
Christians seem to be in a real quandary about this one: should they celebrate Halloween in a uniquely Christian manner (All Saints Day); or should they encourage their kids to use their imaginations and have fun while trick-or-treating; or should every good believer shun this festival of Satan? Beliefnet has a whole series on this very question which includes answers from a witch and a piece by Diane Baker (A chilling mixture of an episode of Martha Stewart's Living and Cultic Ancestor Worship 101: "When the children come home from school on Halloween, worn out from the excitement and parties, I have a snack waiting: their own roasted pumpkin seeds, a seedcake, and the bread of the dead we've made the night before. We light candles on the altar and read Samhain stories. Then we cast a circle and stand around our altar and pray together.") For Christians Beliefnet also has an essay by Richard Mouw, "Making Real Decisions About Halloween." Its tone is very similar to some of the stories CT has run on the topic, like Harold Myra's "Is Halloween a Witches' Brew?" and Anderson Rearick's "Hallowing Halloween." Mouw writes that Halloween has become such a popular and prevalent celebration that Christians can "no longer take 'innocent' Halloweens for granted ... we must be especially diligent in teaching ourselves and our children that the real antidote to the threat of evil has been provided through the death and resurrection of the One who is the Lord of all our days and nights."

Halloween Banned? Apparently Christians aren't the only religious group worried about the quasi-religious implications of Halloween. According to this news story, Halloween celebrations are beginning to be routinely ...