Presbyterian and Catholic Trick and Treating


BY JOHN FEA


How Did We Forget Halloween?

I realize this post is late, but I think our blog needs to say something about Halloween. As for me and my family, Halloween night was a bit anti-climactic. My town has managed to control all the mischief by ignoring Halloween in favor of a “Trick or Treat Night” every year on the Thursday before October 31 (between 6pm and 8pm!) This means that my kids have been on a sugar high for about a week now and I have swiped far too many Baby Ruth bars from their bags.

Over at Tolle Blogge my friend Russ Reeves has a great post on the Catholic and Presbyterian roots of Halloween. (Yes, you read that correctly!) It is worth a look, especially in preparation for the next time you are asked to speak about the religious roots of this so-called “pagan” holiday at your local church or Moose lodge. (BTW, I hope to write about my experience speaking in such venues in a forthcoming post).

Comments

Kathryn Lofton said…
Along with all the thoughtful, cultural studies remarks one might make about Halloween, I'll just advocate this bit from McSweeney's: http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2007/10/31oberman.html
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the great link, John! As a Presbyterian, I now have another annual occasion to bemoan our loss of cultural influence.

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