From Pagans To Pumpkins

Halloween is an innocent time of year for children to dress up as pirates and princesses and coax treats from their neighbors under threat of tricks. Yet, some Evangelicals feel the festivities are a trap-door to Satan's playground."Halloween used to be called Samhain and is still celebrated as an ancient pagan festival of the dead by witches all over the world," writes William Schnoebelen in a creed for fundamentalist Chick Publications of Ontario, Calif."If you allow your children to participate in Halloween," he continues, "you are allowing them to play on 'the devil's turf,' and Satan will definitely press his home court advantage."Most of the eager ghosts and goblins who adorn their homes with plastic witches cauldrons and synthetic spider webs are unaware of the religious origin of the secular celebration held Oct. 31 and its ties to Christianity.