Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Is the United States the only place in the world that observes this holiday?

We had a good party here in the Uk. Though we blame the Us fo comercialising it.

Originally posted by Wulebgr
Whereas, Xmas and Easter are xtian holidays that result from the xtian church hijacking pagan holidays, Halloween is a secular holiday rooted in an xtian one: the evening prior to All Saints Day. Yet, it too, has roots in paganism. So, like the easter bunny and Santa Claus, the creepiness of Halloween reflects the persistence of ancient pagan celebrations despite the efforts of the Church to replace these pagan celebrations with xtian ones.

from the following Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_and_folklore_of_Halloween

Originally posted @ Wiki
Halloween had its beginnings in an ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of the dead. The Celtic peoples, who were once found all over Europe, divided the year by four major holidays. According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to November 1st on the modern day Gregorian calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested and stored. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle.

It's an excellent Wikipedia article, and underscores that the Christian missionaries were up to their tricks centuries before Cortez landed in the New World and proceeded to eradicate yet another culture that did not align with the Jesus worldview. Consider this passage that highlights insidious Christian syncretism:

Originally posted @ Wiki
As a result of their efforts to wipe out "pagan" holidays, such as Samhain, the Christians succeeded in effecting major transformations in it. In 601 A.D., Pope Gregory I issued a now famous edict to his missionaries concerning the native beliefs and customs of the peoples he hoped to convert. Rather than try to obliterate native peoples' customs and beliefs, the pope instructed his missionaries to use them: if a group of people worshipped a tree, rather than cut it down, he advised them to consecrate it to Christ and allow its continued worship.

Originally posted by David C
from the following Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_and_folklore_of_Halloween

Originally posted @ Wiki
Halloween had its beginnings in an ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of the dead. The Celtic peoples, who were once found all over Europe, divided the year by four major holidays. According to their calendar, ...[text shortened]... cut it down, he advised them to consecrate it to Christ and allow its continued worship.

Welcome to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page


What is Wikipedia?

Click edit this page at the top of the page to change an articleWikipedia is an encyclopedia written collaboratively by many of its readers. Lots of people are constantly improving Wikipedia, making thousands of changes an hour, all of which are recorded on the page history and the Recent Changes page. Nonsense and vandalism are usually removed quickly, and their creators banned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Introduction

Originally posted by ivanhoe
Welcome to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page


What is Wikipedia?

Click edit this page at the top of the page to change an articleWikipedia is an encyclopedia written collaboratively by many of its readers. Lots of people are constantly improving Wikipedia, making thousands of changes an ...[text shortened]... moved quickly, and their creators banned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Introduction

Your point? Surely you aren't going to contend "it's all anti-christian lies", are you?

Originally posted by David C
Your point? Surely you aren't going to contend "it's all anti-christian lies", are you?

Ivanhoe's had too much spiritual whine; it's turned him sour.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Ivanhoe's had too much spiritual whine; it's turned him sour.

Ever seen Monty Python's Holy Grail? Whenever I see Ivanhoe post, I'm always reminded of the scene where a procession of robed acolytes are trudging through the mud chanting in a Gregorian fashion pausing on beat to smack themselves in the head with a board.

Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem.
[smack]
Pie Iesu domine...
[smack]
...dona eis requiem.
[smack]
Pie Iesu domine...
[smack]
...dona eis requiem.

Originally posted by David C
Pie Iesu domine...
[smack]
...dona eis requiem.

Every sperm is sacred.

Originally posted by David C
Your point? Surely you aren't going to contend "it's all anti-christian lies", are you?

A pinch of salt and maybe two are necessary when reading Wikipedia.

Originally posted by ivanhoe
A pinch of salt and maybe two are necessary when reading Wikipedia.

However, you have to admit that since any and all visitors are able to edit it, egregious errors are unlikely to stay up (unless they are commonly accepted errors). Therefore, the information is a good starting point for any research...it can provide you with enough foundational knowledge to know where else to search. Certainly, it isn't something you would want to use as a citation in an academic work or research paper; however, it is a very good source of mostly reliable information.

Originally posted by ivanhoe
A pinch of salt and maybe two are necessary when reading Wikipedia.

Yes, but if RBHILL is contributing, the reader will know instantly. Gross illiteracy cannot prevail in such democratic space.

No source anywhere in cyberspace, nor even in the best libraries is fully trustworthy. There are no shortcuts to knowledge. Read everything critically, and get your information from several sources. Learn which sources prove credible more often than not, and which reveal the opposite tendency.

Originally posted by echecero
However, you have to admit that since any and all visitors are able to edit it, egregious errors are unlikely to stay up (unless they are commonly accepted errors). Therefore, the information is a good starting point for any research...it can provide you with enough foundational knowledge to know where else to search. Certainly, it isn't something you woul ...[text shortened]... ademic work or research paper; however, it is a very good source of mostly reliable information.

I have my reservations concerning Wikipedia.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Every sperm is sacred.

Yep. As we were driving back from the junkyard where we had picked up some parts for my Dodge, my father explained the implications of the so-called pro-life position by elucidating its extremes.

Sperm is alive, so it must be given a chance to come full term. Why else would God strike Onan dead for spilling his seed on the ground. But, if you never ejaculate, the sperm that remains in your body also dies. So, your responsibility is clear: if you are pro-life, you must plant your seed in fertile soil. Failure to copulate with a fertile mate is as much a sin as masturbation in the eyes of God.

Originally posted by ivanhoe
A pinch of salt and maybe two are necessary when reading Wikipedia.

That's fine. So, none of the article that I linked should be taken seriously? The RCC didn't co-opt the Samhain celebration, turning it into 'All Saints Day' or some unfounded celebration of the Virgin Mary?

If you have any children, Ivanhoe...do you let them enjoy Halloween or do you prohibit its' celebration?

Originally posted by David C
That's fine. So, none of the article that I linked should be taken seriously? The RCC didn't co-opt the Samhain celebration, turning it into 'All Saints Day' or some unfounded celebration of the Virgin Mary?

If you have any children, Ivanhoe...do you let them enjoy Halloween or do you prohibit its' celebration?

What is the origin of All Saints and All Souls Day. Are they linked with paganism and Halloween ?

http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0199.html


David C: "If you have any children, Ivanhoe...do you let them enjoy Halloween or do you prohibit its' celebration?"

I have no problem with Halloween whatsoever. Enjoy.

Originally posted by ivanhoe
[b]What is the origin of All Saints and All Souls Day. Are they linked with paganism and Halloween ?

http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0199.html


David C: "If you have any children, Ivanhoe...do you let them enjoy Halloween or do you prohibit its' celebration?"

I have no problem with Halloween whatsoever. Enjoy.[/b]

http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0199.html

Did you apply the recommended two pinches of salt before you chose to believe this article as factual and accurate? Given that it comes from a site called 'catholiceducation.org', may I suggest three?

I have no problem with Halloween whatsoever. Enjoy.

Super. We did.