Kohl Elementary cancelling Halloween parties
I was saddened to read in the Rocky Mountain News on October 3rd that Kohl Elementary in Broomfield has canceled their Halloween Party and will substitute a “fall party” instead on October 5th. This apparent minor, local event is in actuality symbolic of the loss of our cultural heritage.
As a kid back in Uni Hill Elementary in Boulder the annual Halloween party was a highlight of the year. We kids would proudly wear our costumes. The teachers would take us out on the playground for a parade. Parents would be there taking photographs. (Somewhere, in a box, are my father’s old home movies of these events.) I do not know why Kohl Elementary decided to cancel the Halloween party, but from the short article it would appear that some parents or teachers objected, possibly on religious grounds. The school was apparently concerned how to celebrate “without leaving out anyone.”
We see here the ugly underbelly of “diversity” and “political correctness.” We were told that “diversity” would lead to tolerance and understanding.
Instead, we have increasing intolerance and selfishness. Society is breaking into special interest groups, each with their agenda, each demanding that their values and wishes be accommodated. Then, in the name of political correctness, in order to be “inclusive” and not to “offend” anyone, we are given — milk toast! A fall party on October 5th.
Thus it is, like a rock slowly dissolving in a stream, molecule by molecule, our culture vanishes.
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I'm glad to see kohl elementary school cancelled their holloween party. Holloween is a pagan day and should not be celebrated. People have stopped saying Merry Chrismas and now say happy holidays because they do not want to offend non religious or people that do not believe in God, well it goes both ways....A fall festival is a great way to Celebrate fall, with out offending anyone. Why is it ok for non believers to protest a student for using God in her high school speech
but Christians have to deal with a pagan day like Holloween! Thank you Kohl elementary
People like you Tony are the reason this country is having school shootings and such. Your claim that Halloween is a pagan holiday is incorrect, Halloween is actually a shortenened version for ALL SAINTS DAY, a christian holliday. You and your ilk, the POLITICAL CORRECT, are smug and think things are just relevant to every situation. Yet by trying to make every thing relevant to the situation you erode foundations of Just and Civilized Nature, thus creating Anarchy and Actually increasing an antagonistic society.
Posted by Scott on October 21, 2007 03:25 PMYou know what. Thats it .... ALL HOLIDAYS ARE NO CANCELLED. You want the time off, take a vacation day, call in sick, or don't go to work and not get paid. All this B.S. about its a pagan holiday ect ect. Enough!!
No Christmas, no valentines, halloween, easter, hannaka, kwanza, ramadan, what ever. The damn seculist and the cristian extremist all want to force their way of thinking. FGine heres is mine. You want time off for personal reasons, vacation what ever. Do it on your G.D.time not mine.
I for one will continue to celebrate my holidays. I will take time off from work with vacation time or comp time.
Posted by on October 21, 2007 03:32 PMChristians complaining to the schools, for 30 or so years, about this devil worshiping day, have finally gotten their way.
Tony, pagans did not ever have this as one of their days. Never. And even if they had something going on October 30th, it wasn`t vampires and ghosts. Those were invented much later.
This was a Christian holiday hijacked by costume wearing, candy eating kids.
retailers say the amount of money spent on Holloween, rivals Christman. Folks like to dresss up and be goulish.
Tony, you can`t make up this stuff you know. We will catch you.
Posted by Sharon B. on October 21, 2007 03:32 PMNo the reason there are school shootings is because God has been taken out of the schools. Scott you are the type of person that wants God taken out of school and doesn't want to be subjected to Christianity, because your offended, but yet you have no problem pushing your ideas and have no problem offending others that don't feel the same way as you. All I can say is God loves you!
Posted by on October 21, 2007 04:32 PMActually, that is incorrect, it was a pagan holiday- Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). They believed that at this time, spirits returned to roam the earth the night before, because the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. They would have festivals wearing costumes and so on.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. So the peasants would put on outfits to scare away and confuse the evil spirits they believed were roaming around.
It's also why it became customary to say "bless you" when someone sneezed- they believed when you sneezed, that an evil spirit could enter you.
Posted by fiesty on October 21, 2007 04:38 PMWell put Fiesty! Sharon B. it NEVER was and NEVER will be a Christian holiday, hijacked by costume wearing kids. Who Cares that the retailers are making more from Holloween than Christmas.
Posted by on October 21, 2007 04:48 PMto Tony and anon 4:32
your politically correctness and Christianity fundamentalism's are whats ruining this country , just like the Jihad Islam extremist, you think just cause someone who doesn't share the same beliefs as you that they are a sinner and are going to hell, well f#%k you and burn in your own hell ,
As i am an atheist and have many TRUE Christian friends and family as well as Pagans as family and friends , we all coexist in a peaceful manner because we don't let the religions and /or lack thereof get in the way of how we are family and friends..
political correctness and extreme fundies like you are what ruin the children's fun at school functions as Christmas and Halloween and thanksgiving
oh and the little jesus fish on the back of your car, that is a pagan symbol as well well as Christmas trees, Santa Claus, as well as easter festivities .
if your Christian religions have not stole all the pagan holidays and turned into their own there might be a little more true diversity in this nation.
it also strikes me as odd that besides the 3rd world countries of this earth that America as a superpower has some of the lowest math and science skills but the highest religious fundamental ratings after Islam extremist groups,
making Christianity just as bad in views of an extremist
now i have nothing against Christians, Islamist, Buddhist , taoist, Mormons or any other religion as long as you don't shove it down my neck saying that this is the only one and if you don't believe you will burn in hell , yeah people like you can burn in your own hell,
your local friendly Atheist
Hoimaha C.
Tony, and 4:32,
Thank You!
Y'all are so, so sad. WHO CARES? As we said in the Army, it don't mean nuthin'.
Also, read the other Halloween posts before repeating the same facts and errors as before, please.
Posted by Mac on October 21, 2007 05:59 PMAnon male at 4:48 then just when is all Hollows Eve for the Christians? What day?
Look up the date for me, maybe I am wrong and All Hollows eve is in May or something.
Holloween is just fun, and the schools should let the kids party and wear costumes.
Posted by Sharon B. on October 21, 2007 06:17 PMHoimaha, My family and I will pray for you because you don't believe in God. I'm not pushing my beliefs on you, just don't push your hatefulness on me. Jesus still loves you even if you don't believe in him
Posted by on October 21, 2007 06:58 PMAs far as halloween and its past… the celebration’s roots started simply as a rite of the change in seasons. It has nothing to do with satan or pagans or anything like that. Tony’s (and other bible thumpers’) reference to “devil worshiping” pagans in their celebration of Halloween, couldn’t be farther from the actual truth. In the simplest breakdown, pagans simply believe there is more than one god. Sound familiar? Anyone know any Native Americans out there?
The celt groups never worshiped a “devil” though the druids participated in some odd (and frightening) ceremonial rites. Most modern followers of paganism are Wiccan and are in no way, no how, devil followers. We do not worship satan, nor the devil. Halloween doesn’t even enter the picture. Believing that a dark lord (whatever label you want to give it) exists is a christian and jewish principle, because one has to accept (a single) god to believe in he/she/its opposite. Simple as that.
Tony is a fool in his gleeful and stupid comment about removing a pagan holiday. Halloween is indeed a celebration of the change of the season. A time to observe the dark months coming. Halloween is what the celebrant makes of it and nothing more. What goes around will come around. Banishing christmas and easter as national holidays is just around the corner.
Posted by Rising Sun on October 21, 2007 07:15 PMRising sun, you are wrong for removing God from the school. I think you need to read up, but holloween IS a pagan day! God Bless you
Posted by on October 21, 2007 07:38 PM7:38... I'd have to believe in your god to appreciate that statement. Nice try. Have a nice day.
Posted by Riding Sun on October 21, 2007 07:55 PM7:38... one, no wait, two more things: Actually, the holiday is much older than you are aware of apparently. And two, my early education was in a parochial school, where we prayed each day. We also celebrated Halloween parading in our silly little costumes and enjoyed munching caramel apples right in the same building. There was god all over that catholic school and Halloween was enjoyed by the kids right there in it. And nobody ever needed a exorcist afterward. Imagine that! Like I said, the holiday is what the celebrant makes of it. But you god squadders are imposing your misguided notion that pagan beliefs are satanic beliefs that are somehow tied to that holiday. What rubbish and nonsense.
So it is as above, and so then below. Wait and see, these actions will be returned in kind. Blessed be, 7:38.
Posted by Rising Sun on October 21, 2007 08:14 PMI really don't give a damn about the history of the celebration.
All I know is that we are surrendering our culture in the name of political correctness.
Halloween has been a happy, fun day for a long, long time. It is filled with fantasy and imagination, something that nintendo and the internet have taken the place of in today's children's lives. They expect to be entertained, not invent ways to use their imagination and entertain themselves.
I think the big stink at Kohl was that a Muslim mother wanted the school decorated for Rhamadan (sp?). The school refused and that eventually resulted in the cancellation of Halloween, Christmas, etc. parties.
This is the USA and whoever comes here should assimilate into OUR culture, not expect us to change our culture for theirs.
Keep your celebrations alive in the home and quit expecting us to rearrange or cancel our traditions. If you don't want to partake, pick up your kids from school when the celebrations start. We have a Jehovah Witness family at our local school and the mom quietly comes and signs the kids out when the parties start. No fuss, no objections.
We will lose our culture unless we defend it.
Sharon B.
The feast of All Saints is on November first in the Catholic calendar. It is/was a Solemn High Mass and, as such, is celebrated in monastic life beginning at noon the day before. All Saints Day in Celtic is All Hallows and the Eve is added to show it is the day before a holy day.
That said, what is wrong with allowing the kids to celebrate in what is an almost unique holiday for Americans?
When I was a young college student two girls in my "practice class" were discussing What they were going to do on spring break. I asked them if they were going to go to an Easter Egg hunt and one girl shook her head and explained. Raccie (Rachael) and I are different. I'm Easter, she's Passover, I'm Christmas, she's Haunaka (sp?) but we're both Halloween.
Perhaps the administrators who think surrender is the proper answer to any critic should talk to these girls. They seem to understand things much better. There is no reason for anyone to be offended by a children's holiday that is so far removed from its Christian origins that some Christian groups attack it. That is, if you have any sense at all. I swear I'm going to paint the back bumper of my car with this phrase so at least one person will listen.
LIVE AND LET LIVE.
Are we all becomming three year olds in our social skills this week or what?
Posted by momma y on October 22, 2007 01:58 AMIn my opinion, it's just another day. Why make a big deal out of it either way?
Posted by Satan on October 22, 2007 06:19 AMChristians love to stomp on fun. Believe as I do etc etc. Their belief in the unknowable is just that. Their belief and who knows if it is true. Mental disease really.
Posted by on October 22, 2007 08:00 AMLet the kids have some fun. The nanny P/C state has taken away recess fun. Then it complains the kids are over-weight. Let children play, pretend, and celebrate silly fun traditions like halloween. To some of these posts, pull the stick out of your a$$ and lighten up. Let kids have a childhood.
Posted by Breeze on October 22, 2007 08:30 AMAtheists, how do you explain psychic detectives? There is show on Court TV or something that seems their cases are pretty well documented.
Posted by on October 22, 2007 11:19 AMAtheists, how do you explain psychic detectives? There is show on Court TV or something that seems their cases are pretty well documented.
Posted by on October 22, 2007 11:20 AMAnon at 11:20 give us some real substance to answer to.
Put Holloween back in the schools, call your school and make noise. The kids need this day of nutty fun.
Posted by Sharon B. on October 22, 2007 12:02 PM11:20,
And let's not forget David Copperfield. That guy made the whole Statue of Liberty disappear once. That HAS to be God's work!
So Dan, your explanation is magician's tricks?
I was honestly jusk asking a question, without an agenda. I am really curious because there are real investigations of murders that homicide detectives claim psychics have helped solve.
Posted by on October 22, 2007 02:46 PM2:46PM,
Psychic phenomena have roots in all sorts of theologies and paranormal science. As of yet, no official explanation nor acknowledgement of psychic ability exists among the scientific community. I am not excluding its existence... just saying in terms of science it has yet to be proven or disproven.
Using psychic phenomena to explain the existence of God is a bit of a stretch though, as the tone of your comment tended to insinuate.
Hence the sarcasm.
Posted by Dan on October 22, 2007 04:29 PMOur local elementary school has the party, the costumes and all the fun in an evening event where all the kids and their families participate. I'm going and so are the other members of this family (my husband may need to be surgically removed from his computer chair) and we will celebrate the fun. Sorry that there are too few principals out there like ours. She treats all nonsense equally-she blasts it out the front door. Kids at this school have to maintain standards of academics and behavior or face discipline. It's a plain old public school in a poor area too. Go figure.
I gree with Anonymous..make some noise and be heard. The news media picked up on this because it is pure foolish cowardice or plain bullying on the part of the school. Cowards will change their positions when faced with opposition. Bullies will run from equal or greater opponents.
Posted by momma y on October 22, 2007 09:03 PM