Okay, this story about southerners concerned that Halloween falls on a Sunday this year came across a Fields of the Nephilim list I’m on – where a few of us have been, not unnaturally given the band’s name and inspirations, discussing some theological items.

Now, to save you from having to read it all, here are a couple excerpts which convey the sentiments of those interviewed for the story:

“It’s a day for the good Lord, not for the devil,” said Barbara Braswell, who plans to send her 4-year-old granddaughter Maliyah out trick-or-treating in a princess costume on Saturday instead.

“You just don’t do it on Sunday,” said Sandra Hulsey of Greenville, Georgia. “That’s Christ’s day. You go to church on Sunday, you don’t go out and celebrate the devil. That’ll confuse a child.”

Let’s talk about what dumbfucks these people are.

First, apparently they’re not concerned with ‘celebrating the devil’, only doing in on Sunday – which, as those of us in the know, isn’t the right (i.e. seventh day of the week) day to be worshipping on anyhow, it was chosen to help convert pagans since they were used to worshipping on that day. Note that orthodox Christians worship on Saturday.

I would think that if one is Christian celebrating the devil is always bad. I think this speaks volumes about how serious these people really take their faith. This is lip service, not devotion.

Second, Halloween doesn’t celebrate the devil. The holiday doesn’t have shit to do with Christianity. Even in it’s original form, it didn’t celebrate evil in any way, it was a time to recognize and celebrate the chaotic nature of the world (more or less, I know this is a gross over-simplification) and for peoples who otherwise lived in a highly structured society to blow off some steam, that is, to party.

If your little Susie or Bobby is using Halloween to celebrate the devil, then that’s almost certainly your screw up, not Pope Gregory and his calendar’s. Maybe you should get your head out of your ass long enough to educate yourself and your grand/kids. But then fundamentalists never encourage education – that might lead to questioning the more asinine aspects of their particular corruption of Jesus’ message and church.

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at this idiocy, after all half of this country appears poised to vote a moron into the most powerful office in the country, and probably the world, a second time.

Aren’t you glad I got that off my chest?