The Calvary Chapel of Salt Lake City, for example, is holding a "Halloween Tract Outreach" in members' neighborhoods on Halloween night. The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, 1131 S. Main, Centerville, will hold an alternative event to Halloween tonight. This will be a family event, with carnival-type games to raise money for the food pantry.

And last night, Southeast Baptist Church, 1700 E. 7000 South, held another "Fall Family Festival," an evening of games, candy, food and appropriate costumes (no monsters, witches, etc.) that was billed as "a fun, safe Christian alternative to Halloween that's great for the whole family."

The Rev. Mike Gray of Southeast Baptist says it's intended as an alternative, not a replacement, for Halloween and encourages families to attend the festival and then go trick-or-treating if they want. He noted that some people are not comfortable with the history or theme of Halloween, and the festival provides a less scary option.

"We just want to be more positive," he said. "We don't do what we do out of fear. It's a faith thing."

Some wards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have also begun having spook-free fall festivals and "trunk-or-treat" events, allowing kids to safely load up on sweets in a church parking lot by going from car to car. Some LDS members reported on chat site www.nauvoo.com that they dress their children as Book of Mormon characters to stress their belief in this text they revere as scripture.

But other religions embrace the traditional Halloween celebration. The St. James Episcopal Church of Midvale held a Halloween Party on Oct. 23, complete with a "Spook Alley." And First Congregational Church, 2150 S. Foothill Drive, will hold a Halloween Carnival on Sunday from 6:30 to 8 p.m., complete with carnival games and a "Fright Alley."

Despite traces of Christian origins and efforts by some believers, Russo will concede that Halloween today is a much darker holiday than it was 20 to 30 years ago.

"Halloween used to be a children's holiday, but it has gotten darker, and now the day is much more occult-oriented," he said. "There's a lot more emphasis on the devil and adult themes. In fact, it is one of the most popular holidays celebrated by adults, third only to Christmas and New Year's Eve."

Russo stresses that concerned parents can strike a healthy balance.

"Parents need to decide if they're going to celebrate what Halloween has become in our country or participate in an alternative," he said. "Participating in an alternative doesn't mean you are celebrating what Halloween has come to represent in today's culture."

As an example, he said he doesn't believe there is a danger in wearing a costume. "The issue isn't letting your kids dress up. Kids dress up all the time. But what are they dressing up as? Some parents should be more discerning."

More Halloween-related family information is available on the Focus on the Family Web site at www.family.org.

And, of course, it will be easier to navigate the Web site if you take off your Freddie Krueger fingernails first.

---

E-mail: jody@desnews.com; lynn@desnews.com