Children 'will go to hell if they celebrate Halloween', says church leaflet
Daily Telegraph
16 Oct 2009
Children who go trick or treating on Halloween are "siding with the devil", a church group has claimed.
A leaflet titled "Halloween Isn't a Treat - Don't be Tricked" was recently posted to about 500 homes in the Vale of Belvoir, Leics.
The letter, published by nine parish churches, said children were ''siding with the Devil'' and would go to hell if they participated in the celebrations on October 31.
The letter, which appeared in a monthly magazine called the Belvoir Angels, also said they would be turning to ''blackmail and extortion''.
Children, it added, would be taking part in a ''concentration on evil and making fun of potentially dangerous situations''.
"On this evening, normally law-abiding people damage the property of those whom they should be good neighbours," it said.
"In some cases, they bring fear, especially to the elderly.
"The practice of 'trick o' treat' - which is only using extortion and blackmail to prevent vandalism - is condemned as criminal the rest of the year."
It concluded: "Celebrating Halloween means we are siding along with the Devil and all his works."
Parents last night criticised the article for 'scare-mongering.
''I take my kids trick-or-treating every year and it's a great night that's full of fun with real community spirit," said one mother, Mariel Heald, 36.
''The letter is so intense. It's saying that anyone who celebrates Halloween is devil worshipping and that they will go to hell.
''We don't think of it that way because it's just a bit of fun. The church gone over the top and I find it quite offensive and upsetting."
Troy Jenkinson, head teacher at Stathern Primary School, which is conducting a Halloween family disco, said: "I can definitely say we are not siding with the Devil.
"This is just a nice way for families to have fun and be safe, without trick or treating at people's homes."
Newsletter editor Peter Briant defended their Halloween warning.
''The letter was written by a member of a local Christian group," he said
''It had been approved by a team vicar before being published and if people didn't like then that is their opinion.
''It is a warning that Halloween can be dangerous. It is a slippery slope and it opens doors for sinister things.''
Christians do not celebrate Halloween - an American festival - because it has links to witchcraft and ghosts.
Daily Telegraph
16 Oct 2009
Children who go trick or treating on Halloween are "siding with the devil", a church group has claimed.
A leaflet titled "Halloween Isn't a Treat - Don't be Tricked" was recently posted to about 500 homes in the Vale of Belvoir, Leics.
The letter, published by nine parish churches, said children were ''siding with the Devil'' and would go to hell if they participated in the celebrations on October 31.
The letter, which appeared in a monthly magazine called the Belvoir Angels, also said they would be turning to ''blackmail and extortion''.
Children, it added, would be taking part in a ''concentration on evil and making fun of potentially dangerous situations''.
"On this evening, normally law-abiding people damage the property of those whom they should be good neighbours," it said.
"In some cases, they bring fear, especially to the elderly.
"The practice of 'trick o' treat' - which is only using extortion and blackmail to prevent vandalism - is condemned as criminal the rest of the year."
It concluded: "Celebrating Halloween means we are siding along with the Devil and all his works."
Parents last night criticised the article for 'scare-mongering.
''I take my kids trick-or-treating every year and it's a great night that's full of fun with real community spirit," said one mother, Mariel Heald, 36.
''The letter is so intense. It's saying that anyone who celebrates Halloween is devil worshipping and that they will go to hell.
''We don't think of it that way because it's just a bit of fun. The church gone over the top and I find it quite offensive and upsetting."
Troy Jenkinson, head teacher at Stathern Primary School, which is conducting a Halloween family disco, said: "I can definitely say we are not siding with the Devil.
"This is just a nice way for families to have fun and be safe, without trick or treating at people's homes."
Newsletter editor Peter Briant defended their Halloween warning.
''The letter was written by a member of a local Christian group," he said
''It had been approved by a team vicar before being published and if people didn't like then that is their opinion.
''It is a warning that Halloween can be dangerous. It is a slippery slope and it opens doors for sinister things.''
Christians do not celebrate Halloween - an American festival - because it has links to witchcraft and ghosts.
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