War against Halloween has begun

Well, it has started already. I usually don't see these letters showing up in the local paper until about October 20 or so. I guess the fundie nutjobs are worried they will be overshadowed by talk of a huge Obama victory that they will fly under the radar. Yes, the war on Halloween has begun.

From the Fargo Forum, Oct 12, 2008:

Jessica Fercho, Fargo, Letter: Halloween’s roots deep in pagan rituals

Published Monday, October 13, 2008

Witches, ghosts, pumpkins and bonfires. Halloween is just around the corner, but where did this holiday actually come from? Halloween is also called All Hallows’ Eve or the Eve of All Saints’ Day, which is supposed to be a Christian name.
However, Halloween dates back to a time before Christianity, to a Celtic celebration called Samhain, meaning “summer’s end.” This celebration was the beginning of the new Celtic year. They had bonfires that were supposed to frighten away evil spirits.

During this festival, it was believed that the human and supernatural worlds parted and spirits roamed the Earth. Families would put out food and drinks because they thought their dead would return to them that night and cause them misfortune if there was nothing put out for them.

However, in Ecclesiastes 9:5, the Bible states that “the dead are conscious of nothing at all.” Bobbing for apples is a practice of divination that originated from the Celtic celebration.

In 1 Samuel 15:25, the Bible talks about the “sin of divination.” Although most people see Halloween as a Christian holiday, its origin is from pagan religions. So, before your children go out trick-or-treating from house to house, remember that they are re-enacting the ancient rituals of Samhain, a pagan festival.

I guess it won't be long before the letters against those pagan decorated evergreen trees start to show up. Oh, wait. I guess it is ok to celebrate saturnalia since it's much closer to Jesus' birthday than the Celtic new year. Of course it was the early Christian church that set the celebration of Christmas to coincide with the pagan winter solstice to woo new believers. Anyway, remember, Halloween is bad and only invites the devil into your heart.