So begins a piece by Claire Lampen on News.Mic. Without giving away too much, it's fair to say that Claire isn't convinced. Apart from a link to UCG's website, she's wisely not getting bogged down on UCG's dubious biblical arguments (the same ones used by a host of related Churches of God) but seeks to provide some wide-ranging perspective on this very American festival.
It's a well written piece, but one the lads in Milford probably won't appreciate.
5 comments:
Of course Halloween is evil.
It exists because American Corporations are out to make profit.
The very same motivator involved in the existence of the UCG corporation.
No matter which you may be:
Halloween = profit.
UCG only differentiates from the rest by the campaign it uses to make the money.
Sweet.
Interesting that the writer, having queried what evil is, then goes on to use much the same material as the Beyond today article uses.
The main difference would seem to be what the writer deems to be 'evil', and what the Beyond today article considers to be evil.
Both articles largely agree on with the facts that are presented.
It exists because American Corporations are out to make profit.
Christmas is naturally #1 and Halloween #2 for money-making holidays.
Nowhere I lived outside of the USA was there the slightest interest in Halloween. Now it is gaining some popularity in China. But in China, both Halloween and Christmas are seen as 100% secular in nature.
What is evil concerning customs and manners is always a matter of viewpoint and motivation. Armstrongists will self-righteously eschew Halloween and be proud of themselves. Then you mention that wedding rings are also pagan (I have met Armstrongists who will not wear wedding rings) and almost all of them will cruise by that without comment. You mention that the post-Christmas bargain shopping period is just as much a part of the Christmas tradition as the Christmas tree and they will cruise by that as well. In this realm, it is clear that evil is a selective matter.
Hoss, you nailed it.
In one of my previous website / blogs, there were a number of elements focused on the United States -- leaning to the patriotic. Then I realized that the audience was world wide, so I changed the focus. There were many comments from those in other countries who enjoyed the website much more when it focused on the core of what the website was supposed to represent.
The Cult of Herbert Armstrong Mafia sects seem to have forgotten that the United States isn't really the center of the world as much any more. They should have gotten the idea when China hosted the Olympics. The world has transformed.
And yet the CoHAM has become parochial to the point of self-indulgence. The issue of Halloween is not really that interesting to, say, Western Europe. Christmas, yes. Easter, yes. But we might as well completely focus an issue of the flagship publication on Labor Day. Most Brits would say, "What?". Even Thanksgiving has limited appeal, since it is kept in Canada, but the rest of the world, not so much.
The Armstrongists have become so self-absorbed that they truly can't fathom that there is a whole world out there and they -- the Armstrongists -- are seriously out of sync with it.
Currently, over at Banned! is the entry of The Troubled World of David C Pack and the Restored Church of God. You know, it isn't clear whether or not the slide into madness is going to result in a People's Temple Jim Jones scenario. I personally don't think it will get that far, but it might. Armstrongist leaders have just LOST IT! They don't compare their behavior with the rest of society and don't have any way to measure their lack of sanity. They are irrelevant to the rest of the world and have no realization how stupid they look.
Let us hope that the Armstrongist leaders don't plunge their hapless helpless membership into a Halloween fright night resulting in the not so living dead.
Even a year ago, I would see any suggestions of danger in terms of hyperbole, but maybe we should start preparing for the worst.
After all is said and done, maybe with a tragedy there could come some good and the people left will begin to realize that they are not safe and abandon a long failed experiment in insanity.
Post a Comment