Is Halloween Evil ....

[naomi24]

... and is it harmful to children to celebrate it? What about Harry Potter books and movies? Harmless fun - or dangerous?

[ummmm]

My mum, born again, believes Harry Potter has secret messages in it!

[Bathsheba]

Aww bless her. How did she feel about playing some Beatles LPs backwards?

[Bathsheba]

Bonfire night was evil and dangerous when I was a kid. There didn't seem to be any age limit on buying fireworks, and those small bangers were evil.

[Theland]

Dabbling in the occult is dangerous. I think it is well known how young people, can be susceptible to ouija boards and the like.
Cause of depression and psychological problems. In my opinion.
Some cases been documented in the past. Maybe some ABers will remember them?

[jno]

it's all been taken over by the council now, Bathsheba, the idea of holding private fireworks parties seems to be on the wane. Health and safety, I expect, but we had a lot of fun when we were kids; usually went to my aunt's.

[nailit]

Kids trick or treating is not 'dabbling in the occult'
Why do some religionist have such a hard time dividing fact from fiction?

[woofgang]

as someone whose dogs are terrified by fireworks, I am very glad that private parties are on the wane. I wouldn't mind if everyone stuck to the 5th but we have had them since mid october here.

[nailit]

Agree with woof, animals are terrified the weeks leading up to Nov5th.
Should just be the one night and then only organized displays.
Remember a fire work display at Drayton Manor some years ago and as soon as the fireworks started you could hear the entre zoo going off. Kinda spoilt it for me, realising the terror that the animals must have felt.

[Theland]

Oh no!

[nailit]

Eh? ^^

[Bathsheba]

Steady now Theland!

[Bathsheba]

I am still haunted by "an older boy, 12 or 13," putting a lit banger in my duffel bag when in the queue for the swimming baths. Can't stand the smell of melting rubber even now.

[Arksided]

Just harmless fun for kids a time to dress up etc... I don't think it'd turn them to the darkside at all... so many other influences will do that to them.

What about that jolly fat bloke thats gonna climb down the chimney and empty his sack under the tree.

[woofgang]

Baths a young friend of mine got firework sparks and ashes down her welly from one of theose golden rain type things. She had nylon tights on and they welded to her leg.

[retrocop]

I got a jumpin Jack when I was in junior school from the tobacconist on the way home. I lit it on our back lawn and it got lodged in the long grass so I gave it a kick to dislodge it and it flew straight up the trouser leg of my grey flannel school shorts. Badly burnt thigh and singed school trousers. Mum was not best pleased when she came home from work

[dunnitall]

Course it's not evil..! It's down to humans making of it what they will! Only IMO evil comes from humans! So whatever Halloween is...INMO what humans make of it.

It's bred into the human psyche that spiritual or supernatural is 'different' and summat to be reckoned with. It's not, it's something to gain someone's interest and that's All it is. Good luck to make summat out of what it's not....

[237SJ]

I remember some colleagues of mine got *** in Japan and decided to get some indoor fireworks to set off at the room party. Turned out they weren't indoor ones though. The fireworks bounced off the ceiling, walls, floor and furniture whilst everyone hid under the bedclothes for protection. They then spend the rest of the night trying to hide the scorch marks on the carpet before fessing up to the hotel and paying a massive bill for the damage. Dangerous things, fireworks.

[kvalidir]

And what if it does encourage an interest in witchcraft? Witchcraft in itself is not 'evil' or 'dangerous' but like anyway you work with energy ( from roaring at your co-worked to acting negatively around people you don't like) it can be used malevolently just as it can be used positively too. Samhain is not a festival to be feared and Halloween which has close associations with it is by and large just harmless fun.

[jno]

woofgang, I think it's changed a lot over the last 10 years or so - it used to be the fireworks started in late October and went on more or less till Christmas around here. Now it's just a few nights, incorporating Diwali as well as Guy Fawkes, and some element of holding them on the nearest weekend. I wouldn't mind if it was just the one night, but I should be sorry if that one night vanished.

There's a wonderful Eric Ravilious painting showing November 5 as halfway between civic responsibility and pagan celebration; but that was back in the 30s

https://www.artfund.org/assets/what-to-see/exhibitions/2015/04/ravilious/novfifth.jpg

[tamborine]

halloween is commercial theft unless you grow own pumpkin.

Harry Potter, scary but encourages reading & imagination.