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Dr Cathy Northrup
The Reverend Doctor Cathy Northrup was born in Ft. Meade, MD, and was raised in a variety of places in the United State and Germany, as her father was in Counter Intelligence with the Army. She graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, with a double major in English and Religion. She graduated from Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC, and practiced law with the Federal Reserve Board for a number of years before attending Union Theological Seminaryin Richmond, VA. She graduated from Union, and served several churches in North and South Carolina, at the same time obtaining her Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Dr. Northrup is currently the Pastor/Head of Staff of First Presbyterian Church, Wichita, KS. She is married and has two black Labrador dogs who were rescued from abusive situations. You can contact Dr. Northrup at cnorthrup@firstpresbywichita.org or by phone at (316) 263-0248, ext. 26.
Religion
2008-10-01 15:56:00
Wrong to celebrate Halloween?
Question: Is it wrong for a Christian to celebrate Halloween?
Answer: Each Christian must make that decision for him or her self. Many Christians see nothing wrong with participating in the fun of Halloween, but others are concerned about some of the holiday’s pagan heritage. They may also be concerned about the modern holiday’s increasing emphasis on darkness and death, as well as the growing commercialism and adult “partying” on this holiday. As I understand it, our modern Halloween has both pagan and Christian roots. The pagan roots are from the Celtic people who were Druids. They believed that on the night of Halloween, spirits, including evil spirits, were “out and about.” People would put on masks and take on evil-looking costumes to keep evil spirits away from them. There were many other customs and superstitions that arose over the years, including fires and jack-o-lanterns. The Christian roots of Halloween come from the ancient church. The church wanted to have a way to remember the many early martyrs of the faith, and so All Saints Day arose. The day after it was All Souls Day. One of the traditions of the night before All Saints Day, “all hallow’s eve,” was children getting “treats” in return for a prayer for the dead. There were also other traditions. As years passed, given the nearness of these dates on the calendar, the pagan and Christian practices of Halloween and All Saints Day began to meld together. Because of this, most Americans probably see Halloween as neither a pagan nor a Christian holiday. Again, whether that is good or bad is for each Christian to decide for him or her self.
 
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