Those
who long for a great Christian revival in the States from the dead branches of
Roman Catholicism and/or Protestantism had better not get their hopes up. Most people have probably heard of the rise
of the ‘nones’, the religiously un-affiliated, but there are other cultural
markers that portend spiritual death rather than life. One of these is the attitude toward Hallowe’en.
Halloween retail spending
is projected to be $9.1 billion in 2017. That's a new record. So is
the number of people celebrating at 179 million.
Source: Kimberly Amadeo, https://www.thebalance.com/halloween-spending-statistics-facts-and-trends-3305716,
opened 5 Dec. 2017
One
sees something different happening in Orthodox Russia:
A Russian Lower House MP
known for his pro-Christian and anti-gay stance has proposed an official ban on
Halloween celebrations in schools and kindergartens. Vitaly Milonov addressed
the proposal to the Education Ministry.
In
his letter to Education Minister Olga Vasilyeva, Milonov wrote that in
his view celebrations of Halloween by kids were unacceptable “both from the
point of view of studying and upbringing and the position of spirituality and
morals.” He also wrote that the necessity to shield children from the “decaying and negative influence of
Halloween” was long overdue. He concluded the letter with a call
for a nationwide ban on Halloween celebrations in primary schools and
kindergartens.
Milonov also noted that in his opinion the ministry should explain to teachers
“the real meaning of Halloween
and its consequences for children” which he described as “the most powerful psychophysical, emotional
and suggestive influence.”
The
Education Ministry’s press service issued a reply to Milonov’s letter in which
it said that Halloween is not on the list of holidays and memorial dates
officially recommended to schools.
Russian
politicians and activists at both regional and federal levels routinely address
the topic of Halloween, as its popularity in the country has increased –
largely through marketing events.
For
example, in 2014 members of the Russian Public Chamber asked the government to
issue an official recommendation for businessmen to abstain from Halloween
celebrations, saying that horror-themed parties “induce lowly feelings,” and “turn into orgies.”
In
2013 an official representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vsevolod
Chaplin, called Halloween dangerous. “At
first, people play with the evil spirit as a joke, but then they begin to play
seriously with these things. This leads to serious problems: sickness, sadness,
and despair,” Chaplin was quoted as saying by the popular news site
Lifenews.
In
the same year the Education Ministry in the Omsk region sent letters to local
state schools telling them to take measures to curb any events marking
Halloween on the grounds it “promotes
extremism” and a “death
cult” that can harm the moral health of children.
Source: https://www.rt.com/politics/407188-pro-christian-lawmaker-seeks-ban/,
opened 5 Dec. 2017
There
are a number of other statements and actions against Hallowe’en in Russia and
in Orthodox churches that have ties to Russia:
Bishop
Alexander of Buenos Aires and South America
Bishop
Irenei of Sacramento
A
ban in one of Russia’s provinces
Another
ban requested
And
so on.
We
plead again with our fellow Southerners to leave the sects of the West and
return to the only true church, the Orthodox Church, to which our forefathers
of Western Europe and Africa originally belonged, and in which they saw their
best years. The South, too, will know
her best days when she leaves behind all the deadly errors and heresies of the
Roman Catholics and the Protestants, and embraces the Faith of her forebears,
the Faith of the Apostles, the Orthodox Faith.
--
Holy
Ælfred the Great, King of England, South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð, unworthy though we are!
Anathema
to the Union!
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