Porter on Theology and Pumpkins

My family and I were recently bestowing some graven images upon a few pumpkins, a celebratory ritual for an upcoming holiday rooted in spirituality. As my 5-year-old son, Porter was preparing to reveal his manically-faced orange head unto me, he said, “Daddy, you’re gonna be scared!”

“I don’t know about that," I responded, "pumpkins aren’t very scary."

He became very enthused, “Uh, Dad. That’s what pumpkins ARE FOR . . . to be SCARY!”

I briefly thought about what a great opportunity for teaching this had suddenly become and replied, “Really? Don’t you think that perhaps God made pumpkins as a food source for his people and other creatures giving them seeds to they could continue growing other pumpkins?”

“Well, of course he did, Dad!” Porter propounded with the confident air of a postgraduate student in his 25th year, “But he also made them to SCARE people!”