Q. I don't like the implications of Halloween, but my husband does, so we allow the kids to dress up as fun/positive characters. Our son is now 7 and is asking to go to a haunted house. I want to keep the negative aspects of Halloween out of the picture. What say you?
A. Halloween may have its roots in ancient pagan rituals, but so do the Christmas tree and the Maypole. Personally, and speaking as an evangelical Christian, I think the brouhaha over Halloween is much ado about nothing; ditto for the Harry Potter books.
I do believe there's evil afoot in the world, but the notion that Halloween somehow lures children to the Dark Side is over the top. The tradition is just pure childish fun, much healthier for children, in my estimation, than the orgy of materialism they're exposed to at Christmas or even the evening news. My kids participated in Halloween, as do my grandchildren, and none of them are more than normally evil.
Copyright 2008, John K. Rosemond
