Ed talking to his daughter Alyson
Ed: Alyson, why do you celebrate Halloween?
Aly: Because I like to dress up and get candy!
Ed: That's it??
Aly: What else is there???
Facebook Chatter
It's been awhile since I've seen such passionate responses to a question I posed on facebook. The question: "Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?" You should know from the start that I'm a big believer in Christians celebrating Halloween with our children and their friends. I think it's a powerful way to build relationships with people that don't know Jesus.
I can just imagine being invited to trick-or-treat with a friend and his daughter and
- saying no
- explaining the Satanic reasons behind my stance
- watching his eyes glaze over with confusion and disappointment
- listening to him mutter as he walks away "Yikes. What's up with him? I'm just hanging out with my kids and dressing up, not worshipping the devil. You won't catch me in his church anytime soon."
In my opinion the Halloween arguement has become overblown and evil is loving the view as Christians throw mud at each other over this issue. I've even been told that by dressing my kids up I'm encouraging a celebration of all things evil because of how the holiday began. Did you know that Christmas began as a non Christian Beer Bash and Orgy back in the day. It seems to me that when Christians finally picked Christmas Day as the day to celebrate the birth of Christ they were redeeming both the day and the celebration.
Can we not do the same with Halloween?
In the end... what are we celebrating? On Christmas I choose to celebrate the birth of Christ and not alcohol and sex in all its perversions. On Halloween I choose to celebrate family and build relationships with my neighbors and their families. As I build those relationships I hope to help God expand his kingdom. What witness do I send to my non-Christian neighbours by turning my lights out on Halloween or celebrating the evening inside the walls of the church instead of the community? Does evil win or lose if I dress up with my daughter and head out looking for candy???
Matthew 5:14-16
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl (or in a dark house, or at a harvest party with church kids)! Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.By the way, we don't really know the exact day of the year that Jesus was born. We just know that he was born (the bible is pretty clear on that)! Back in the day the church chose December 25th. Wouldn't it be a little intriguing if the actual day Christ was born was October 31st? I'm not saying it was... just talking story...
Anyways that's what I think. What do you think? Please feel free to comment. All I ask is that you don't get angry and judge others comments. Approach this and all opinions with grace. Thats how I read he bible.
Bonus Material: For more on Christianity and Halloween take a trip over to my friend Steves website. He in an international best selling Christian musician and he has an intrguing take on the history of Halloween and the present response to it. You can find it at...
www.stevebell.com/2009/10/keeping-christ-in-halloween
Yeah, Pastor Ed! I've come the full gamut...keeping my kids away from Halloween, etc. (and we did try to provide fun activities on "the day". But, I've seen my grown-up kids go back to the traditional and one step further in having family Halloween parties. Can't tell you how many relationships have been built through them and how many started to come to church and develop their own relationship with Jesus.
ReplyDeletehey pastor ed...u made some good points. thanks. well, i grew up trick-o-treating and doing the traditional thing every kid looks forward to (eating candy and dressing up). i guess as i got older i learned more about the origins of halloween and the terrible things that still take place on that holiday (kids being abducted, animal sacrifices, satanic worship, etc). i know trick-o-treating in and of itself, is harmless and fun for kids (and parents love seeing their kids have fun). but then i think about the "other" darker side of halloween and in a way it ruins me. i cant seem to have as much fun as i used to when i was younger. i guess the way that i've reconciled my past and present views of halloween is to put together goodie bags for the kids and include some kind of outreach material, like gospel tracks with a halloween spin on it or the Jesus loves you bracelets. we pray over the tracks (and treats) and the kids who'll receive um, but then we choose to stay home. i guess the reality behind the symbolism in halloween is just too real for us personally.
ReplyDeleteIn 1 Cor 10:23 Paul says everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. He says if we do something that causes someone else to stumble, even if it is not a sin, we should not do it. If a Christian is seen participating in what someone perceives as a Satanic celebration he should probably not do it. For a pastor to participate probably sends a wrong message to someone as he is held to a higher standard. While I personally have no problem with it, I have seen Halloween grow in popularity 10 fold in the past 50 years until now it is the #2 celebrated day of the year. Most of it is harmless fun, but it may cause some to stumble. Don't we have enough opportunities to socialize and invite friends to church without participating in Halloween? Is it really good for our kids to get all that candy? The only ones that truly benefit from Halloween are the Devil and the Dentists!
ReplyDeleteHmmmm Richard. Well written and articulate argument. Can't say I agree with it for a number of reasons. I know a number of people who consider contemporary Christian music of the devil. What do I do with that? They use the same argument that you've just used to suggest I am causing people to sin when we provide a worship service that uses contemporary Christian music. After all, that music originated in secular circles they say. The same argument is used to deny Hula ministry in churches. It was used to worship gods other than the one true God.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Does not God call us to redeem what the culture has perverted? Why not music? why not Hula? Why not Halloween?
One other thought. Some friends of mine throw a Halloween party annually. Almost every year I see some people who I've never seen in church before at church. Their connection to our church? A neighborhood Halloween party where God was glorified and even prayed to before heading out on a family trick or treating session.
Now I ask you, how are the devil or the dentists the only beneficiaries of that Halloween event?
As for my family and I we choose not to take any part in this day. It's just something I feel my family does not need to be a part of. I was looking online for articles on this subject, here's one I found, written by a former witch who is now a christian, what do you think about his view?
ReplyDeleteBy William J. Schnoebelen
An old proverb says, "When you sup with the devil, use a long spoon." Presumably, NO genuine Christian would want to sup with the devil at all and yet many may be doing so in ignorance.
As a former witch high priest now saved by Jesus, I was astonished by how many Christians let their kids celebrate Halloween. Some churches even sponsor "haunted houses" and similar events on what is the Number One satanic "helliday" of the year. Halloween used to be called Samhain, and is still celebrated as an ancient pagan festival of the dead by witches all over the world. Unfortunately, just giving the date a "holy" name like All Hallows' Eve or All Saints' Eve cannot change its grisly character. Halloween is an occasion when the ancient gods (actually demons) are worshiped with human sacrifice. The apostle Paul warns us: "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils" (1 Cor. 10:20).
If you are a Christian parent, God has given you a precious responsibility in your children. Remember, their ability to resist spiritual wickedness is much less than yours. If you allow your children to participate in Halloween (Trick or Treating, costume parties, etc.) you are allowing them to play on "the devil�s turf," and Satan will definitely press his home court advantage. You are opening up doorways into their young lives for evil by bringing them into a kind of "fellowship" with these ancient "gods."
We are commanded not to become involved with the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11). Both from my experience as a witch, and since getting saved, as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have seen far too many examples of how breaking this command works out in lives. Remember, while we have God's promise of protection for ourselves and our children, that promise may not hold if we allow our children to celebrate this dark holiday. Case after case has come to us of children in rebellion. In many of these families, the problem can be traced back to the children being exposed to Halloween at a young age. It is hard enough to raise children these days in a Godly way without exposing them to Satan's realm.
Good dialogue Ronnie
ReplyDelete