OKWUeagle.com

Hallowe’en: What area religious leaders say about the scariest day of the year

by Trevor Persaud
OKWUeagle.com Contributing Writer
First printed in the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Oct. 28, 2004

Many people call it Halloween. To others, it’s All Hallow’s Eve. Followers of “Earth-centered” pagan religions still refer to it by its ancient name: Samhain. But for American culture in the 2000s, one word seems to define the 31st day of October better than any other – cash.

According to Halloween-news.com, Halloween is second only to Christmas in terms of retail spending, with billions of dollars spent annually on cards, costumes, candy, and everything else that goes into making the holiday as scary as it can be.

Anything that big can attract a bit of controversy, but Halloween is a special case. As the money begins its annual flow into the coffers of manufacturers and retailers, many parents and older children are asking: Is Halloween just an innocent day for costuming, carnivals, and calorie consumption? Or is there something else involved?

Here’s what several local and area religious leaders had to say:

Pastor Darryl Wootton, First Assembly of God Church:

“The celebration of the holiday has dual origins. The ancient Celtic peoples celebrated their New Year on or around the time of our present-day Nov. 1. It was believed that evil sprits would roam freely during the last night of the year (Oct. 31).

“Following the death and resurrection of Christ, many Christians were persecuted and martyred. … The church chose Nov. 1 as ‘All Saints’ Day’ or ‘All Hallow’s Day’ to celebrate their martyred brothers and sisters.”

Wootton points out that there are many alternatives to Halloween these days – similar to those held by churches on graduation and prom nights – which do not honor the occult aspect of the holiday. In recent years, First Assembly of God has participated in two such alternatives: Leadership Bartlesville’s downtown event and First United Methodist’s “Trunk Or Treat” party.

And what about All Saint’s Day? Wootton sees honoring Christian saints as a legitimate reason to celebrate.

“We don’t exalt the saints that go on,” says Pastor Wootton, but in some years they have had services in November to focus on persecuted Christians who are alive. On the annual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), their church has had services emphasizing on missionary efforts to other lands.

Dr. Timothy Jackson, Greater First Baptist Church:

“My position is that it is not a Christian holiday. There are a lot of different meanings” that have been read into Halloween. But since the origin is pagan, “We do not acknowledge it at all. …There are aspects of Christmas that are equally pagan,” he acknowledges. But while he would never have a Christmas tree in the church because of the pagan origin of that tradition, he does celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ. He also celebrates “the resurrection of Easter” as opposed to all the other aspects that have grown up around it, many of which also originate in pagan rituals.

As a child, Jackson did celebrate Halloween, but “I grew up in a family that did not extend … faith outside of Sunday worship.” As he got older, his family became more involved in Christianity, and “our faith informed our lifestyle.” As a Christian, he believes that having a life grounded in faith means staying away from evil, even in a holiday. “If something originates with evil, no matter how you play with it or doctor it up, it is still evil.”

Father Festus Maliwa, St. John’s Catholic Church:

As Catholics, “We go with what society normally does if it doesn’t contradict the laws of God, nature, and the state. How does society view [Halloween]? The good elements are there: The social aspect, and the artistic talents being put into the costumes. … God is also an artist.”

Fr. Maliwa cites Acts chapter 17 in which Saint Paul uses a Greek idol with the inscription TO AN UNKNOWN GOD as an illustration to proclaim the name of the One God to the pagan Athenians.

“Even Christianity, when it entered the pagan world, they tried to take the good side of things; and the bad, they abandoned.”

The church will have three Masses on Nov. 1, which is All Saints’ Day on the Catholic liturgical calendar.

Rabbi Charles Sherman, Temple Israel, Tulsa:

“Holidays … evolve, grow, change as society changes, and Halloween has, obviously, some pagan roots. Today it is simply a good time. I hope … we can teach youth to share what they get trick-or-treating” and learn to give to the less fortunate, adding that he hoped some would be collecting donations for UNICEF.

(On the other hand, a spokesperson for Congregation B’nai Emunah in Tulsa told XPress that “Jews don’t celebrate Halloween.”)

Pastor Joe Colaw, First Wesleyan Church:

“What we do in our celebration is the key … Halloween, for literally hundreds of thousands of Pagans, Druids, or Wiccans, is a holy day … and when we dress up in play that is similar to this event, it is kind of like getting involved with them. If, while dressed up as a princess, or a Cinderella, or a bum, [kids are] going around and asking for candy, that’s pretty innocent. I have a concern with Christian people starting to do things that … unconsciously or innocently, associate … with evil” – such as dressing up as a witch or a goblin.

Lady Electra, an Elder of the Spectrum of the Seven Keys and a professing Witch:

For Witches, “the year is conceived in a cycle … [Samhain] is the time when the people who have died throughout the year are honored and communicated with. … It’s also a transition between the feminine half of the divine essence and the masculine half.

“This time of year, the veil between the two worlds is very thin. One way this manifests itself is to create a ‘feast table,’ a kind of place where you help the spirits focus … You put out their favorite food, and some sacred food, and pictures [of the departed] … in the course of the night you open yourself. “

“We don’t make this up; this really happens. Cultures around the world have felt this to be true,” she says, referencing the Mexican “Day of the Dead” and pointing out the significant meteorological changes going on at that time of year.

“We see people dressing up as ghosts or as people who have died. … That’s really appropriate,” says Lady Electra, adding that when you give one of those children a piece of candy, you’re actually honoring the dead.

Father Lee Stephens, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church:

“In our church, we consider it to be a fun time for children. The issue is keeping them safe. … For us, it’s All Hallow’s Eve, the anticipation of the celebration of All Saints’ Day on Nov. 1 … [which is] a commemoration of the people who have died and a remembrance of them. On All Saints’ Day we celebrate a Eucharist, which is a communion. We have prayers where we remember people who’ve died, especially in the past year.”

His advice to families on Halloween: “Go have fun, be safe, don’t take it too seriously, and on Nov. 1, go to church and celebrate life in Jesus Christ for those who have died.”

Pastor Brad Swygard, Grace Baptist Church:

“Christians should not do it. I’m not against celebrating fall things, but Halloween definitely has overtones that are dark, and we’re commanded in Scripture to think on things above.” As a church, says Pastor Swygard, “We just ignore it. There are enough alternative things going on that we just let parents go to those.” He won’t judge people who celebrate Halloween, but he would encourage them to find an alternative. He also notes something that he says people often forget: “Historically it’s … the day that Martin Luther started the Reformation by nailing the 95 theses to the Wittenberg church door.”

Bishop Matt Coffman, Bartlesville 1st Ward, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints:

“We generally think it’s a fun activity. We discourage masks for the faces, so they don’t start to lose their identity” and do things they normally wouldn’t because they can’t be identified. “But as far as costumes, that’s fine.”

In Bartlesville’s LDS church, the older youth work to put together activities for the younger youth – fishing ponds, bobbing for apples, etc. “We encourage it to be a family-oriented activity,” says Bishop Coffman, suggesting that parents accompany their kids. “Make sure it’s in neighborhoods where you know the people. … Make sure it’s a wholesome activity.”

Imam Ahmad Kabani, Islamic Society of Tulsa:

“Definitely for us, it is not a holiday. We don’t encourage the celebration of Halloween.”

It turns out that Muslim kids have their own day to let loose. During August and September of this year, Muslims observed Ramadan, a month of fasting on the Islamic calendar. “When we see the new moon, we … start the fast,” and when they see the next new moon, 29-30 days later, it will be time for Eid al-Fitr: The Feast of Power. This is the day when “our kids would celebrate, enjoy, put on new clothes … make parties, visit friends and [relatives] … visit Celebration Station, Chuck E. Cheese’s, and so forth.”