Superstition

     It's said that werewolves come out at the full of the moon. That makes it kind of a superstition that recurs every month. I love to look at the full moon, especially on a brisk fall evening such as we've just had. I've never been tempted to howl at it though. The moon is such an amazing display of Creation that I find it hard to believe that it has ever been associated with dark forces. Especially since there's nothing dark about a huge round glowing orb in the sky is there?

     There are other recurring superstitions, such as the weekly belief that my lottery numbers are ever going to come up. And then there's the annual belief on the part of some that Halloween is a celebration of evil and should be avoided. Oh, the people who feel this way don't call it a superstition. I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't even think of it in those terms. But the dictionary defines superstition as "an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear." There is no rational basis for thinking that kids going door to door yelling "trick or treat" glorifies the devil. Ergo fear of Halloween is irrational. Which makes it a superstition. Which, if you've been following my twisty little trail of logic, means that those who are concerned about Halloween are actually involved in the very thing they say they're against. Promotion of superstition.

     Not that that would be in any way unusual for human beings.

     Sometimes, it seems as though those who get worked up about such things as superstition or satanic worship form a lot of their opinions after watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the latest horror movie. And as we approach All Hallow's Eve, we have more than enough opportunities to see everyone from Bela Lugosi to Michael Landon grow hair all over themselves and take a bite out of the latest nubile young woman to run around the woods in a flimsy negligee.

     Or if you prefer, you can go all high tech and watch Wesley Snipes as an anti-vampire use infrared detectors and a really cool sword to dispatch the despicable bloodsuckers who prey on the weak.

     The problem with films like that is not that it lends credibility to the existence of vampires or werewolves. Rather it's that they legitimize violence as a solution to our problems. If you don't like something drive a stake through its heart and it'll disappear.

     Children trick or treating doesn't promote the worship of satanic images. It mocks it.

     How would we react if a church held a Christmas Eve service where everyone dressed up in goofy costumes that parodied God and Christ? If someone dumped a bucket of water on the manger because of an absurd belief that the Light of the World might set the hay on fire?

     That's what we've done to the primitive fears that once fuelled the superstitions around Halloween. We've thrown a proverbial bucket of water on them.

     Our kids think that the devil is a plastic mask with horns and a red suit with a tail that we buy in the costume aisle. And candy kisses and mini-chip bags are hardly offerings intended to appease the spirits of the dead. When my kids made the rounds, they knew full well that the only thing they had to worry about was Dad's fondness for raiding their haul for chocolate bars.

     The very best thing we can do to eliminate any imagined evil influence in Halloween is to promote the continued practice of dressing up in silly costumes and stuffing our faces with gooey confections. Its harmless fun.

     Anything else is just superstition.