To clear up an apparently possible confusion; In his last post Garth is not in any way referring to current events (except for the recurring event of Halloween).
Egypt is being used metaphorically here, similar to the Rastafarian (or Orthodox or Muslim) references to “Babylon”. Egypt is where we were imprisoned.
Now that we are free, we are not to forget everything we were when we were in Egypt, but to “plunder”. What is plundered? Riches; that which is valuable: all else is left behind. That is sort of the deal with Orthogeeks, and our approach to pop-culture.
As to Halloween specifically, I remain conflicted. It seems to me as I look around that in purely popular terms it has changed, from being a chance for kids to eat way too much candy, to being a chance for adults to lose their freakin’ minds, in some form or other. So it’s coming back around, at least in the manner in which it is celebrated, to being a purely pagan holiday. I mean, dressing up as something else and engaging in various debaucheries? What could be more pagan than that? The spirit of this is the Party, the whole Party, and nothing but the Party.
If we’re concerned about how to deal with Halloween, I say treat it as a learning opportunity. It’s a great time to talk about paganism, human sacrifice, harvest festivals, etc. To touch on Garth’s point, it’s a great time to start showing how such holidays as Samhain were reclaimed by the Truth. To teach how the power of the demons is vain and futile. To show (with examples if possible) how the beauty there was in the ancient pagan world is pointing to and is fulfilled in Christ.
And there was great beauty in that world. It is with us still. And the beauty that exists in the modern pagan (it might be called “secular”) world can also be reclaimed. But it must be beautiful. I see very little beauty in modern Halloween celebrations. I see a lot of kitsch, and a lot of obnoxious childish nonsense. Sometimes that can be fun, but the way it’s celebrated in America by adults has the sweaty tang of desperation.
Here’s a fun exercise: work out what you’ll spend on Halloween this year, and give it to your church, or a local charity. See what kind of return that gets you, spiritually; will it be the vague emptiness that comes after a night of trying to forget you’re mortal?
Or will it be the cool breeze of a spring day that you somehow catch as the weather turns cold?
The sharp sea-air of Truth will smack you in the face and make you go, “Oh, yeah! That’s what it means to truly Live! To give of myself to others.”
Anyways.