People are fine with being disrespectful to Christians

[Flymetothezoom]

At a church playgroup. The people who run it are very devout Christians. I am taken aback, by the number of parents, who thought it was appropriate to bring their kids to the church dressed for Halloween. Kids are dressed as witches, goblins, skeletons, creepy pumpkins etc..
The church holds a light party every year on Halloween and is very clear that they do not endorse Halloween.

@Mapleapple You are saying that there is something you believe is the worst thing that could ever happen to someone, and in your world it’s just ok to tell them that it will happen to them, because they don’t believe it so no harm done. That’s not cruel or unkind in your opinion?

That's another 'strawman argument'.

But you don't know how the OP's church fund their activities. Where do you think churches get their money from?

Christians aren't exactly well known for being open minded and respectful of other people's beliefs and lifestyles are they?

Are no faiths allowed to be offered consideration by people using their places of worship?

You are assuming everyone else that is a member of your church agrees with you. I think you'd be in the minority in your church. If you're against it, and the rest of your congregation (or even majority of your congregation) are for it, why do you think you have the right to dictate how other members of your church live? You might not like seeing little kids dressed as witches, but maybe other people who go to your church do. Why should you get to decide the rules for your church congregation? Just let your fellow church members dress how they want, and have respect for their views and beliefs.

I'm not an expert and never claimed to be. Just pointing out if they are getting money, like our local church, to do outreach then there are rules which means they have to serve the community and not cherry pick.I have been told this by the Christian organisers, who don't force their religion on attendees and have lots of different communities attending. The polar opposite of the op and their like. They are not doing a hypocrite light party, possibly because it breaches the rules, or more likely because they realise it is a bit of a dickish snub or cultural appopriation of their users.

@OriginalUsername3 Christians aren't exactly well known for being open minded and respectful of other people's beliefs and lifestyles are they?

I am curious as to which 'Christians' you mean as there are about 45,000 denominations ?

Witches, ghosts, vampires, zombies, other risen from dead creatures etc are BAD and dangerous and people shouldn't dress up as them. Even though its all imaginary.

Yet they believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and rose others from the dead....this is definitely true and GOOD and ok to portray. And it's definitely not imaginary, you can't say that or you're bad.

”Light Parties are a fantastic alternative to the Halloween activities that kick off on 31st October. Instead of children being surrounded by things that glorify the darkness, Light Parties focus on all things light, bright, and most importantly, Jesus Christ who overcame the darkness.”

Sorry OP but that doesn't sound particularly Christian. In fact it sounds truly extremist, and rather ignorant. Halloween doesn't "glorify the darkness", whoever wrote is deeply, deeply ill-informed about what Halloween is about. To be honest your church sounds very unChristian, very unwelcoming, and very extremist/radical. It does not sound like an actual Christian church at all, so I have to wonder why you attend there?

@Vincitveritas i was quoting the op who said Halloween glorifies the dark.

You keep saying that word. I don’t think it means what you think it means.

I literally reworded your own point. 🤦‍♀️

When anyone at work asks me to explain my reports etc I am just going to cry straw man and refuse to explain 😂.

@Saltywalruss - I already explained where CofE gets their funding from. They hold £9billion in investments which they themselves admit party originate from the transatlantic slave trade. Then they get £300 odd million from their flock and £40 odd million from the government.

Catholic church will be from Rome when they Papal States covered half of Europe.

Baptists etc from fleecing their congregation.

Right. Obviously people have different opinions about what is imaginary and what isn't. Christians don't think Jesus is imaginary. Most Christians don't think that you are bad for not believing that Jesus rose from the dead, just wrong.

I am not sure if witches etc are thought to have risen from the dead. Most Christians don't believe that, but some Christians and other non-Christians might believe that .

You asked 'why' and I gave an example illustrating what I believed your logic would mean in context.

I asked if you would say what I understood your line of logic would indicate you'd say.

You could just say no if the answer is no...

@monsteramunch You asked 'why' and I gave an example illustrating what I believed your logic would mean in context.

No, you didn't. You created a 'strawman' argument.

@Powderandpaint

You can say strawman argument as much as you like, it doesn't mean you're engaging in good faith and I'm not.

You asked 'why' I gave an example that mirrors the situation you said someone shouldn't be upset about.

The scenario upthread

Person A says to person B "You're going to hell when you die"
Person B (doesn't believe in god): feels upset someone has said that to them
You: it shouldn't matter to person B if they don't believe in hell

My example:

Person A says to person B "You're going to hell when you die because (insert any reason here)"
Person B (doesn't believe in god): feels upset someone has said that to them
You: it shouldn't matter to person B if they don't believe in hell

If you believe that in principle someone shouldn't be upset if they don't believe in hell then by your logic, then presumably reason someone says they're going to hell doesn't matter because they don't believe in hell.

I was interested to see if I was right in thinking your logic would follow as above.

You only needed to say yes or no.

Are you getting royalties for using the phrase or something? FYI you don't need to keep using quotation marks. Like most posters on her I'm aware of what a straw man argument is.

@monsteramunch - I doubt you will get an actual answer. I rephrased the poster’s original point and got told it was a straw man. I think to Powder Strawman means “any question I can’t answer without looking like a horrible person”. Because really the answer to your question is yes using the logic from previous statements.

Where are you lot meeting these Christians? Do you all live in fundamentalist communities in rural America?

Aside from evangelical nutters I've never been threatened with the hellfire and fuck knows I'm a great candidate

@OneTC - the Home Counties 😂 trust me, they walk among us.

Actually ‘Hell’ is quite a common belief it’s just it’s a bit un-pc to say it out loud.

I actually hope people in church were like me and didn’t really believe that bit but I heard it referred to a lot - mostly by the ‘black and white’ thinkers who like rules, and like to think they are ‘in the know’ and ‘the ignorant world’ need to be saved.

To op’s point - I think if you want to open your doors on Halloween you have to expect that the majority of people will not connect the dots that you do.

There have been a few on mumsnet over the years.

Northern Ireland. It's full of them.

@OneTC

Where are you lot meeting these Christians? Do you all live in fundamentalist communities in rural America?

Aside from evangelical nutters I've never been threatened with the hellfire and fuck knows I'm a great candidate

You're missing out! Our closest two high streets have them - one a relatively big town and the other a small one. In the SE. They're very loud and for people who claim to have found peace... they're ever so angry!

@Saltywalruss the church would still be a charity though, even if not affiliated with one of the bigger denominations. So gets the benefits associated with charitable status.

In my experience the vast vast majority of church playgroups are, or at least say they are, open to all.

It is completely fair enough for a church to run a group, in their own building which they pay for, using their own volunteers according to their own beliefs IF they make it explicitly clear what those beliefs are and that only people prepared to subscribe to them or go along with them can come to the group. It would be unkind and not very Christian of them to exclude people, who were in search of companionship, and something to do with their kids and who might have few other options, but they could do it.

It doesn’t sound like this is what happened at the OP’s church. More just that she felt the people who came, most of whom are not part of the church community, and who regularly come to that playgroup, should have spotted that there was a lights party happening later on, inferred from that that costumes would not be welcome at the separate playgroup because this church didn’t approve of costumes (even though plenty are fine with it), and dressed their toddlers accordingly.

@Powderandpaint what's your excuse for this gem then?

"Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."

"A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women[ will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love nd holiness with propriety." - 1 Timothy 2:7-15, The New Testament