Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

I don’t think Halloween was ever an issue with most CofC people. They made a bigger deal out of how not to celebrate Christmas and Easter.

Growing up, there were no huge issues about Halloween - but it was a Halloween FAR different from today!

You bought a pumpkin about a week in advance, at most, carved it at home on Halloween afternoon, stuck a candle in it, and handed out candy that evening to kids in costumes, often homemade.

A neighbor who went 'all out' might add a random ghost or witch on the front lawn, and one I remember had a motion operated sound recording of maniacal laughter, and - I think - cobwebs? on the porch.

ON HALLOWEEN.

Not before October 31st. Not after October 31st.

And if some parents had a grown up 'Halloween party' that was probably at somebody's house, with cocktails. Not our house, naturally.

Basically - there weren't really any 'religious' overtones to speak of, and those occasional folks who talked about 'satan' around Halloween were widely perceived as radicals. It definitely wasn't anything like Easter or Christmas. More like Valentine's Day.

But if you put all those cobwebs out surely Satan would get stuck in one of those webs.

What made it all even weirder is if December 24th or December 25th fell on a Sunday or a Wednesday. You still had to show up at the church and hear the sermon, but it wasn't a Christmas Eve service at all or a Christmas Day service, either. Just the typical COC BS

candace wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 6:58 pm What made it all even weirder is if December 24th or December 25th fell on a Sunday or a Wednesday. You still had to show up at the church and hear the sermon, but it wasn't a Christmas Eve service at all or a Christmas Day service, either. Just the typical COC BS

Oh, yes. That was their way. You had to be there no matter the holiday, and you knew that there would be no themed service that day or night.
They would pretend that it wasn't a major religious holiday for many or most Christian churches.

Ivy wrote:

Oh, yes. That was their way. You had to be there no matter the holiday, and you knew that there would be no themed service that day or night.
They would pretend that it wasn't a major religious holiday for many or most Christian churches.

As far as I've ever heard or read, only the coC and Jehovah's Witnesses shun Christmas. As for the disregard of Easter, coC stands alone on that one. I remember preachers going to ridiculous efforts on those days to make sure the sermon didn't, even by random chance, cause anyone to have the thought that for the rest of the world who claimed any faith or allegiance to Jesus it was a special day. They are a pathetic lot and it will be well when they pass into the dust bin of history.

zeek wrote: ↑Fri Dec 01, 2023 8:27 pm Ivy wrote:

Oh, yes. That was their way. You had to be there no matter the holiday, and you knew that there would be no themed service that day or night.
They would pretend that it wasn't a major religious holiday for many or most Christian churches.

As far as I've ever heard or read, only the coC and Jehovah's Witnesses shun Christmas. As for the disregard of Easter, coC stands alone on that one. I remember preachers going to ridiculous efforts on those days to make sure the sermon didn't, even by random chance, cause anyone to have the thought that for the rest of the world who claimed any faith or allegiance to Jesus it was a special day. They are a pathetic lot and it will be well when they pass into the dust bin of history.

Isn't it awful what they do to beautiful traditions? How sad for them, and for those they indoctrinate.

Many one cuppers shun Christmas trees and even personal observance of Christmas. The cite Jeremiah 10 in the KJV as direct condemnation of what became known as a Christmas tree.

B.H. wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:03 am Many one cuppers shun Christmas trees and even personal observance of Christmas. The cite Jeremiah 10 in the KJV as direct condemnation of what became known as a Christmas tree.

Oh, no. Seems I do remember that from that couple I knew once. They really objected to Halloween as well. What if the one-cuppers were the "one true churchᵀᴹ" after all?

If the one cuppers were the one true church then I'd build a big hand basket and put myself in it to go to hell in.