October 31

[LadyRaven]

For those who don't celebrate Halloween.

If you're doing something on that night that you don't do any other time of the year, you're celebrating Halloween.

As for myself, it's just another day.

We do something different: we shut off our lights and pretend to be out.

What is it that causes you not to want to participate in Halloween?

Do you believe it to be an evil day?

First off, I dont believe that halloween has to be anything, it is whatever people think it is as a day is a day biblically.

However, since I'm not a pagan, I dont have to participate if I do not want to. I have my own observations which suit me better which take place about that time. Those do not include answering the door and contributing to communal overindulgence in sweets which cost me money for a holiday I do not hold sacred.

It doesn't make sense to me to answer the door or give out candy when it's not my holiday and I'm strapped for cash as it is. Now when I was coming up, when my father took me out on beggars night, the universal sign of 'not participating, do not disturb me' was the darkened porch (which also had no decorations, some people had elaborate decorations and sat on the dark porch).

So if you turn your light out, people aren't supposed to disturb you. The few kids who did knock on the door of a dark house usually ended up ending badly. Usually some cranky person answered and spewed profanities, or some psychopath dished out apples with razor blades in them because they "bothered" him.

[Botz]

For those who don't celebrate Halloween.

If you're doing something on that night that you don't do any other time of the year, you're celebrating Halloween.

As for myself, it's just another day.

We do something different: we shut off our lights and pretend to be out.

What is it that causes you not to want to participate in Halloween?

Do you believe it to be an evil day?

I don't like it. It has its roots in the occult and so I won't give it any mind. It's not an evil day, but people give in to the pattern of the world by celebrating it, and many evil people celebrate it in evil ways. Even as a child, I was keenly aware of the origins.

My sentiments exactly.

[Guest Biblicist]

For those who don't celebrate Halloween.

If you're doing something on that night that you don't do any other time of the year, you're celebrating Halloween.

As for myself, it's just another day.

We do something different: we shut off our lights and pretend to be out.

What is it that causes you not to want to participate in Halloween?

Do you believe it to be an evil day?

I don't like it. It has its roots in the occult and so I won't give it any mind. It's not an evil day, but people give in to the pattern of the world by celebrating it, and many evil people celebrate it in evil ways. Even as a child, I was keenly aware of the origins.

Honey, many evil people celebrate every single holiday in many evil ways. Unbelievers celebrate the same holidays you and I do. What makes those different from Halloween? Each one has some roots in a pagan tradition with evil celebrations surrounding it.

I still think that pretending like you are not home when you are is a lie. If you are going to try to do the right thing you should not have to lie to do it.

[Floatingaxe]

For those who don't celebrate Halloween.

If you're doing something on that night that you don't do any other time of the year, you're celebrating Halloween.

As for myself, it's just another day.

We do something different: we shut off our lights and pretend to be out.

What is it that causes you not to want to participate in Halloween?

Do you believe it to be an evil day?

I don't like it. It has its roots in the occult and so I won't give it any mind. It's not an evil day, but people give in to the pattern of the world by celebrating it, and many evil people celebrate it in evil ways. Even as a child, I was keenly aware of the origins.

Honey, many evil people celebrate every single holiday in many evil ways. Unbelievers celebrate the same holidays you and I do. What makes those different from Halloween? Each one has some roots in a pagan tradition with evil celebrations surrounding it.

I still think that pretending like you are not home when you are is a lie. If you are going to try to do the right thing you should not have to lie to do it.

It's not a lie. It is acceptable behaviour when one doesn't want to be bothered. Should I place a neon sign saying, "Go away!" on my lawn?

I am not lying by retiring to my rec room.

[Guest man]

I don't like it. It has its roots in the occult and so I won't give it any mind. It's not an evil day, but people give in to the pattern of the world by celebrating it, and many evil people celebrate it in evil ways. Even as a child, I was keenly aware of the origins.

If you don't give it any mind, why do shut the lights off and not answer the door? Or is that the way you spend all your evenings?

I think it's funny. You're not gonna celebrate or even acknowledge Halloween, but when that night rolls around, you're going to spend it in the dark. That's funny.

Did you know, that Halloween is probably one of the best nights for witnessing to children?

[LadyRaven]

We turn off our lights and dont answer the door either, if we are home.

Why?

Because it's not my holiday.

And I dont have the money to waste on candy.

And I'm not participating.

Why would I leave the light on and answer the door hundreds of times per night on beggars night to explain over and over that I dont do Halloween?

Why would I waste my money on candy when I'm not celebrating the holiday?

This has got to be, other than Christmas carolling, the only invasive holiday practice out there.

[Guest man]

I still think that pretending like you are not home when you are is a lie. If you are going to try to do the right thing you should not have to lie to do it.

True.

[LadyRaven]

I still think that pretending like you are not home when you are is a lie. If you are going to try to do the right thing you should not have to lie to do it.

True.

Now, would you say this if I had a headache and decided, say, tonight, to turn off my porch light and not answer my door? As I actually have done.

There is NOOOOOOOOO requirement to answer the door, ever, for any reason.

Unless of course there is a swat team outside and they say OPEN UP THIS IS THE POLICE. Even then I dont have to but I would also know that they would be coming in, guns drawn and spraying, causing large amounts of damage and possibly ending my life or the lives of my children. And so I would answer the door then because it would be in my best interest.

A knock on the door means, Can I come in? or can you come out?. Not answering it means 'no.'

I dont have to any other time and I shouldn't be expected to do so on Halloween just because this is a night that someone decided would be a good time to come to my house and ask me for something I dont and wouldn't normally have.

I live in a trailer and do not have a basement or family room. I sit in the living room and just dont answer the door if it is knocked upon. I dont turn out all the lights inside and sit by candle light or anything, just my porch light, though I do, usually draw my curtains closed at night anyway, so they would also be closed. I still play the television or whatever music would normally be playing, I just dont answer the door.

[BFP]

We really ARE having a huge debate about avoiding the very appearance of evil...too funny:>)

[LadyRaven]

We really ARE having a huge debate about avoiding the very appearance of evil...too funny:>)

Maybe not, BFP. I believe the argument is about if it is dishonest to not answer the door. If there is a requirement, for any reason at any time, to answer the door when someone knocks and you are home, then you are lying if you do not do so. Lying is evil.

But not answering the door because you aren't doing Halloween is not lying because there never was a requirement to answer the door when you're home. But this is what happens, I believe, when we start to allow people to take our privacy away.

At one time, knocking more than once if you knew someone was home but hadn't answered was considered rude. Now it is commonplace. In fact I nearly scalped a friend once who repeatedly pounded on my door one day because he knew I was home and wanted to take me out to lunch. I had been trying to get a nap because I'd been out all day running errands. For someone like me that is traumatic (i'm a private individual and and society's general rudeness causes me to have migraines). When I didn't answer he knocked louder and louder until I finally threw the door opened and yelled WHAT???!!! He acted surprised that I was peeved.

I snapped "If I dont answer next time, use the cellphone and call. If I dont answer that, I'm not available." Probably not my best moment in the history of friendship, though he did never do that again... but really, there is a reasonable expectation of privacy that we have apparently lost if people believe that not answering the door is lying.