On Hallowe'en

[Natasha]

Moscow bans "morally damaging" Halloween

MOSCOW (Reuters)

Moscow city authorities have told children not to celebrate Halloween because it is psychologically damaging and not in line with educational aims.

Moscow's education department sent a letter on Friday asking schools to ban the pagan festival, which it said was based on a "cult of death". Celebrations fall on the eve of the Western Christian All Saints' Day.
"The religious elements of Halloween...go against the secular nature of education in state educational institutions and are destructive for the psychological, moral and spiritual well-being of the pupils," Alexander Gavrilov, spokesman for the department, told NTV television.
Russia's Orthodox Church swiftly agreed there was no light-hearted way of looking at what is originally an American celebration where children dress up as witches and vampires and knock on front doors to ask for sweets.
"The Church knows from its spiritual experience that you cannot associate with evil forces in jest," said Church spokesman Vsevolod Chaplin.

[尼古拉前执事]

You are welcome. The night of 31 October, is a Vigil for 1 November, Saint John of Kronstadt.

[Daniel]

You are welcome. The night of 31 October, is a Vigil for 1 November, Saint John of Kronstadt.

That's what we did. Provided a great opportunity for avoiding the kids running around the neighborhood

[Julianna]

Halloween's a holday for the evil one. I hate seeing people trying to rationalize it. Sadly too many put they're own fun before they're faith. Satan loves such foolery!

[Tessa]

Hello everyone I am new here but this is just great. So glad I found this place!!!

About Halloween. I have celebrated it my whole life (gag) and now that I have children and have discovered my Orthodoxy I AND MY FOREIGN BORN HUSBAND are both ompletely opposed to it. You can't serve two masters. Unfortunately many don't see it that way. A member of clergy I know (I am not saying names) is soooo against it, November 1st his daughter gives my daughter some of her Halloween candy. I asked where it came from. "We didn't dress up, we just went for the candy," she tells me.

DOES ANYONE SEE THE LOGIC HERE? :shock:

[sue57]

I've been following this thread, off and on, since it was first posted. This is a tough one. I celebrated Halloween as a kid, and had fun doing so. I am really mixed in my view of this. For example: for eighteen years I had a black cat, who was my baby. When I saw "halloween" hand towels in the store with cute black cats and bats, I wanted one! Not, of course, to celebrate evil, but because I think cats and bats are cool animals.
Now, on the other hand, last semester, I had a student who was obsessed with horror films. This person was mentally unstable, and his attraction to horror films was not healthy. It was quite disturbing in fact. On a wider note, go to a Borders or a Barnes & Noble, and compare the "Religion" section with the "Occult" or "New Age" section. It's pathetic. Last year, I looked for a book on Orthodoxy. Good Luck. People reject Christianity, but will embrace anything. I suppose the growth of Halloween may have something to do with this. Personally, I think it is always important for Christians to question things that violate their beliefs, on the other hand, a bunch of little kids dressed up to get candy doesn't worry me as much as many other things in society does. Perhaps if society was more innocent, Halloween might not seem so threatening.
(On a funny note: When I got out of college, years ago, I babysat for an Orthodox Jewish family. On Halloween, they bought tons of candy for the kids because they weren't allowed to celebrate, trick or treat, etc. The reason, as one of the kids told me, was because it was a "Christian holiday" (!!!!)

[Liudmilla]

:bump: