The War on Halloween

The first volley in the War on Halloween was fired in Puerto Rico, when Coraly Rosa-Ruiz stepped on a prank screaming rug. Rosa-Ruiz is a Christian and she did what Christians do - she sued. Rosa-Ruiz claimed the screaming rug established paganism as a religion. She lost.

One would think that, as a Christian, she'd be completely comfortable with bad rugs.

Over at Pat Robertson's CBN you'll find an entire page dealing with Halloween, complete with godly alternatives.

One of my favorites is Halloween Fun Family Prayer Adventures. Each member of the family grabs a handful of M&Ms and offers prayers based on the colors of the M&Ms they selected. For instance:

For every light brown M & M you chose, pray for Christians in other countries.

The year's most popular alternative to Halloween seems to be the Hallelujah party, hosted by various churches. Lighthouse Assembly of God Church in Harbor Beach is hosting one featuring fun activities such as "The Walls of Jericho" and the "Plague of Frogs." Over at Danielle's Place activities include Fruit of the Spirit Mini-golf, and a beanie baby toss.

Hmm..., I wonder where we toss the unbaptized beanie babies.

For those unclear on the concept of fun, Halloween has been replaced with Reformation Day.

Let's make [Reformation Day] a day where we can learn more about our Reformation roots. Why not have a celebration at church where all get dressed up as characters from the Reformation (I've dressed up as John Calvin, Martin Luther, a peasant, and even John Tetzel (the salesman of those infamous indulgences))?

I much prefer the homemade John Tetzel costumes to the store bought, don't you?

Another godly option is Trunk or Treat. Church members park in the church parking lot. Children wander from car to car,

...with candy served from open car trunks. At our church we'd have to use the side doors from all the minivans.

Children. Candy. From strangers in parked cars. Good times!


In this Trunk or Treat example, a husband and wife dress up like colonialist missionaries. (And, BTW - what IS that THING in the wife's hand??)


This is all marvelous progress, especially after last year's debacle. Donna Brewer, the Christian mother of a fourth grader, didn't want her son to feel isolated by not wearing a costume to the school's Halloween party, so she dressed him up like Jesus on the Via Dolorosa, complete with crown of thorns (though it looks more like he's getting highlights). The school objected to the crown of thorns, so the mother sued through James Dobson's Alliance Defense Fund. It seems the case has been dropped as there are no more mentions about it on the ADF website.

I've tried to help clear up the confusion about Halloween in my own small way by introducing fetal Halloween costumes. Before your child is even born, he can familiarize himself with the holiday, dressing as a witch, a pirate, a cat, or Dame Edith Evans. Fetal model sold separately - in caucasian, or a Christian-from-another-country light brown.