I grew up thinking/being taught that Halloween is a bad, satanic holiday and is one that Christians don't participate in. I left the community that taught that, and was thrust into the Christian world that was completely unfamiliar to me. I didn't know half of what churches in this day and age believed, taught or thought. I've had a very hard time adjusting to it all out here.
But today, as I was driving down the free-way, coming home from walking the mall (getting exercise), and I saw this plastic hand along side the free-way with "blood" pouring out of it. It looked gross. I saw other people walking around with creepy, disgusting costumes on; monsters, aliens, werewolves, vampires and all sorts of other creepy things. I didn't feel peace when I looked at them. I felt horrified and "scared."
Ok, now I know everyone doesn't dress with that creepy stuff. Some dress up as Disney characters, or the military, or any other numerous "harmless" characters. There's nothing wrong with non-creepy costumes.
But my problem and question is, "why do anything for Halloween" even if you're not dressing as a creepy creature? Isn't it supporting the "cause" even if you mean everything to be harmless?
I look at it this way, and maybe my way of thinking is wrong. Very likely I'm a wee bit "off" in my thinking, due to the fact of the sway the teachings I had during my growing up years. But I see it as, why would we want to support something that scares people? Didn't Jesus come to bring peace and comfort? He came to heal and bind up wounds. When I look at Halloween, even though it is a "Christianity rooted holiday" I see a lot of satanic action going on. Why is it celebrated at night? Why do the kids have to go trick-or-treating at night, instead of during the day? After all Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter are all celebrated during the day. What is the point of observing a day that is full of scary stuff?
I'm not trying to judge here. It just makes me really uncomfortable when I see churches and Christians celebrating, going to festivals and participating along with everyone. I don't quite understand the "outreach" thing, of "reaching the community" if you're going to be doing the same exact thing they are. I can understand of using that time for meeting your neighbors and saying hello. But dressing up in costumes, passing out candy, going to festivals (at night) with all the creepy jack-o-lanterns and weird, eery noises going on doesn't make sense to me.
Maybe I need someone to clarify their reasoning/thoughts/teachings on this issue. I'm just sharing my thoughts.
Thanks for reading and sorry if I'm offensive!
Blessings~
I found this when I Googled "Christians and Halloween" and found this very interesting. Especially read the scriptures.
Halloween has come under a close scrutiny by families over the last few years. Some have chosen to not celebrate Halloween because of the connection to pagan and satanic beliefs, others for safety reasons. It can be hard for children to understand parents’ decisions, especially when they see their friends going trick or treating without them or when they are not allowed to attend a party. The history of Halloween blends so many different ideas from so many cultures and religious beliefs that it could take awhile to explain it, especially to younger children.
When discussing it with your children, it is important to discuss your beliefs first. They must have a good foundation or they won’t understand the rest of the conversation and the reasons “why”. It is important to keep things simple in terms they understand. It is also important to discuss the fact that not everyone believes the same thing.
When discussing it with your children, it is important to discuss your beliefs first. They must have a good foundation or they won’t understand the rest of the conversation and the reasons “why”. It is important to keep things simple in terms they understand. It is also important to discuss the fact that not everyone believes the same thing.
Show your children the Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Explain to them that God does not want us to do what everyone else in the world thinks is acceptable, but He wants us to be special and do only the things that he thinks is acceptable.
You can also explain to your children that Halloween is simply too scary, with all the strange costumes and the dangerous items that have been given out to children who are trick or treating. This can also be a good time to reinforce the dangers of taking things from people they don’t know. It can be confusing to children to be told all year that they shouldn’t take candy or anything else from strangers, and then one night of the year, it is encouraged.
One of the biggest concerns of Christian parents is the connection to the occult, witchcraft and Satanism. Even though new traditions, such as trick or treating and dressing up in costumes may seem innocent - but many people feel it is glorifying things that go against Christian beliefs and should be avoided. By explaining the history behind the traditions, it might help children understand why, instead of just, “because we said so.” Doing a little research from trusted sources could help lead the conversation. Although not all the experts agree on the origins of some of the traditions, most point to similar information.
It is also important to talk about what you can do as a family instead of the traditional Halloween activities. Your family can still have fun, but be more aligned with your beliefs. Many church groups have a “Hallelujah Night” where they get together and play games. This year, our church is having a Harvest of Blessing Festival on October 31st. Even if your church doesn’t have a similar activity, I'm sure one nearby will have a Festival you can attend. And if there's nothing near your home, you can still do something as a family. You could have a game and pizza night or a family friendly movie night. Your children could even invite other friends.
An important thing to keep I mind is to remain consistent. If you don’t celebrate Halloween you need to apply the same standards to other things that fall into the same category. It will avoid confusion. For example, if you don’t celebrate Halloween, because of the connection to witchcraft, then the family should avoid books and shows that deal with witches. It will only be confusing to the children.
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