For a split second, I thought it said that the author was Mark Driscoll… which was much more horrifying than any movies or decorations I might see this Halloween.
As a European, I regret the spread of Halloween in our culture over the past decade. That said, I find Father Mike Driscoll’s conclusion remarkably measured: dressing up as a witch, a devil, or a ghost does not mean embracing any kind of cult, just as dressing up as a pirate does not mean wanting to plunder coastal villages. There are more pressing battles to fight.
Still, we can let American ghosts haunt our streets without letting our own traditions turn into ectoplasm. :)
Ask any kid and they'll tell you that Halloween is their favorite holiday. By the same token it is disturbing to see adult Catholics who go to fortune tellers and the like and buy into what they are told. The church has not always done a good job in educating Catholics about this.
Christmas is still holding its own, I think. :) My mother, for instance, celebrated St. Nicholas rather than Christmas as we know it today (we’re from northern France), while in Spain, gifts are traditionally given at Epiphany. The American Santa Claus has helped standardize all these traditions.
When I was a child, Mardi Gras was when we dressed up in costumes. Black Friday, meanwhile, has become a fixture here over the past three or four years. Why should a European take part in the commercial celebration of the day after Thanksgiving?
That’s what I meant: Halloween is hardly a frontline theological battle. Kids can enjoy it. But it is another imported cultural artifact in the ongoing transformation of Europeans into Americans (a people I have great respect for, by the way :) ).
As for the occult, I fully agree with you. We still have plenty of "rebouteux" around here (traditional folk healers who claim to treat various ailments). Turning to them is not always a good idea. Interestingly, it is priests from Africa, who have come to France to help make up for the shortage of vocations, who have helped remind us of the dangers of such practices.
Very nice!! Finally, an essay based on reason! Thank you!
For a split second, I thought it said that the author was Mark Driscoll… which was much more horrifying than any movies or decorations I might see this Halloween.
As a European, I regret the spread of Halloween in our culture over the past decade. That said, I find Father Mike Driscoll’s conclusion remarkably measured: dressing up as a witch, a devil, or a ghost does not mean embracing any kind of cult, just as dressing up as a pirate does not mean wanting to plunder coastal villages. There are more pressing battles to fight.
Still, we can let American ghosts haunt our streets without letting our own traditions turn into ectoplasm. :)
Ask any kid and they'll tell you that Halloween is their favorite holiday. By the same token it is disturbing to see adult Catholics who go to fortune tellers and the like and buy into what they are told. The church has not always done a good job in educating Catholics about this.
Christmas is still holding its own, I think. :) My mother, for instance, celebrated St. Nicholas rather than Christmas as we know it today (we’re from northern France), while in Spain, gifts are traditionally given at Epiphany. The American Santa Claus has helped standardize all these traditions.
When I was a child, Mardi Gras was when we dressed up in costumes. Black Friday, meanwhile, has become a fixture here over the past three or four years. Why should a European take part in the commercial celebration of the day after Thanksgiving?
That’s what I meant: Halloween is hardly a frontline theological battle. Kids can enjoy it. But it is another imported cultural artifact in the ongoing transformation of Europeans into Americans (a people I have great respect for, by the way :) ).
As for the occult, I fully agree with you. We still have plenty of "rebouteux" around here (traditional folk healers who claim to treat various ailments). Turning to them is not always a good idea. Interestingly, it is priests from Africa, who have come to France to help make up for the shortage of vocations, who have helped remind us of the dangers of such practices.