Trick or Treat.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by garinda

You've got to feel sorry for innocent doggers, at this time of year.

I dont feel sorry fer yeh.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by cashman

I dont feel sorry fer yeh.

Them.

I don't have a car, I traded it in for a bird table.

I'm a twitcher.

[garinda]

This description made me laugh.

Since the 80s usage of the phrase has become more widespread, but is still often viewed as an exotic and unwelcome commercialised import, with the BBC referring to it as "the Japanese knotweed of festivals" and ''making demands with menaces''.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating

[MargaretR]

Before I abandoned religion
(decided it was an uneccessary encumbrance to spiritual development),
I did explore the concepts held in various religions.
One of them was Paganism. Haloween is the festival of Samhain

Halloween: The Pagan Festival of Samhain

The practice of dressing up as witches and ghouls is offensive to pagans.

The people who adhere to any religion require it be shown respect.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by katex

Seen this ?

Times have changed from the small gathering of local people and horse riders :

BBC News - Halloween restrictions for visitors to Pendle Hill

Can remember a bunch of us from the local youth club doing the pendle treak back in the 60s, I ended up carrying one of the young lasses on my back from Downham to Whalley, she wanted us to leave her in a bus shelter so she could have a sleep, but that was a non starter and yours truly volunteered for the job, good job she was only very lightweight

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by garinda

''making demands with menaces''.

ya its called her majesties revenue and customs here

[garinda]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

The people who adhere to any religion require it be shown respect.

Although most of the world's religions give very little respect to other faiths. Or to those who believe religions were created by every human civilisation, as a primitive comforter. Because it couldn't be accepted, that like all other life forms on Earth, we live, and then we die.

Rather than giving respect to others, most religions want to either convert, kill, or save you, or condemn you to their particular version of hell.

Faith's a nice crutch, for those who need help on life's journey.

Personally I threw mine away years ago.

It was quite miraculous.

Praise be!

[mobertol]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

The people who adhere to any religion require it be shown respect.

The problem is they require respect for their "religion" but don't extend respect to other people and often prey on them in moments of weakness..

(Great post by Garinda above -mirrors my own experience and thoughts entirely!)

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by mobertol

The problem is they require respect for their "religion" but don't extend respect to other people and often prey on them in moments of weakness..

(Great post by Garinda above -mirrors my own experience and thoughts entirely!)

To me religion is a personal thing, any religion that has to use any kind of force to persuade people that their religion is right and others are wrong has lost the battle completely, if there is a god, who is all loving and giving would not condone violence used in there name and rather than going to paradise would be more likely burn in the flames of hell

[garinda]

Originally Posted by mobertol

The problem is they require respect for their "religion" but don't extend respect to other people and often prey on them in moments of weakness.

Each religion is always keen to share their own beliefs with everyone else, and are happy to preach to others. Seeing it as a divine right.

Though you must never respond, or question their particular religion's beliefs.

That's sacrosanct.

These individual religions, that humankind created to provide meaning to life, are a little like football teams.

Their team is unquestionably the best, and will be supported, regardless of their performance, and all the opposing teams are labelled as rubbish.

[kelsilou]

I like to attend house or organised halloween parties and think dressing the kids up for things like this is fun but I do disagree with taking the kids trick or treating we spend all year drumming it in to kids don't go with strangers don't talk to strangers don't take sweets off strangers then we take them out to strangers houses looking for sweets and money it is so stupid and so wrong

[garinda]

Originally Posted by kelsilou

I like to attend house or organised halloween parties and think dressing the kids up for things like this is fun but I do disagree with taking the kids trick or treating we spend all year drumming it in to kids don't go with strangers don't talk to strangers don't take sweets off strangers then we take them out to strangers houses looking for sweets and money it is so stupid and so wrong

I agree.

If it's people you know, it's probably great fun for everyone to dress up, and have fun.

It's obviously popular. In a little over twenty years it's overtaken Guy Fawkes Night, judging by all the commercial products that are available to celebrate it, that are in the shops.

[emamum]

i dont mind them, i get sweets in and it means grace can take part without having to go out into the cold (ty goes to a party) but one lot hammered on the door and rattled the letterbox until i answered the door, by the time i got there i had 2 crying,scared babies and wasnt impressed so they got told off and sent away with nothing!

[mobertol]

My friend took her daughter trick or treating in her neighbourhood but followed the simple rule of only knocking on doors where they had some Halloween decorations on display - others were left in peace -seems quite a simple idea and is quite nice for young children (if accompanied by patents). The problem are the grouops of young teens who use it as an excuse for anti-social behaviour!

[garinda]

Originally Posted by emamum

i dont mind them, i get sweets in and it means grace can take part without having to go out into the cold (ty goes to a party) but one lot hammered on the door and rattled the letterbox until i answered the door, by the time i got there i had 2 crying,scared babies and wasnt impressed so they got told off and sent away with nothing!

If you have children, and it's your neighbours' children calling on you, it's not really a problem, and like you say, it'll be fun for the young ones.

None of my neighbours have children, and we had five lots of trick or treaters, who no one knew, ranging in age from a toddler, to a gang in their mid teens.

I've got elderly neighbours, who live alone, some of whom have mobility problems. I did feel sorry for them, and am glad none of them fell, trying to answer the door...this year.