WordTime

As a Christian, what are your views on Halloween?

Do you allow your children to "celebrate" it? If so, what costumes are they allowed to wear and where do they trick or treat (neighborhood, shopping mall...)?

If not, how do you explain it to them? Do you provide an alternative or skip it altogether?

violet

Ausgirl

Well, as an Aussie, this 'holiday' is not really celebrated. Business has cottoned on to the marketing side of it a bit, but I don't know anyone who celebrates this day. Personally, and please don't take offense, I could never understand why any christian would go out and celebrate a pagan day like this one.
I have heard other christians say they don't celebrate jewish holidays, buddist holidays, etc, so why celebrate a wiccan holiday either.

Pastor Gary

Perhaps scripture can give us the answer on this topic. Please review the chapters and verses listed below and read several verses above and below these, for the full impact of just how much these practices are admonished by God as an ABOMINATION. These practices are glorified by commercialism and by unknowing and uncaring parents. The children are the victims because they follow the lead of their parents and it is the PARENTS who are leading their children into deception and an anti-Christian mindset.

Ephesians 6:11-12

Isaiah 47:10-14

Revelation 21:8

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 ( verse 12 is especially telling )

2 Kings 21:6

Micah 5:12

Acts 8:11-24

Leviticus 20:27

Exodus 7:11

There are several "so-called" Christian denominations that actually promote 'all saints day'. This practice is a tradition of MAN... not a tradition of God.

Banarenth

I've always liked Halloween, one way or another. As a kid and a teen, I just really loved the idea of dressing up. There was never any thought about pagans or Wiccans. In my mind, they were just long dead religions that died out hundreds of years ago. I knew there were still some around, but figured they were very rare.

But, I've always like dressing up. At one point, I even did my internship with a Special Effects company, and later in theatre working on makeup.

I haven't dressed up for Halloween much in the past few years. Last year, I went caroling with a local church just to be different. Prior years, I've been part of Fall Festivals. Say what you will about them, they very clearly AREN'T Halloween. At least, they usually aren't. Most are just mini-carnivals, but they give parents an option to allow their kids to do something fun WITHOUT actually celebrating Halloween. Since it's the usage of the symbol that gives it meaning, not necessarily it's past, then I think the same goes for Holidays. You can "celebrate" magick, wizardry, whatever and make it a very unChristian event, or you can choose to Sanctify the day in Christ and not celebrate the day, but enjoy fellowship together.

As it happens, this year I am going to dress up for work on principle alone because my boss said nothing I do could surprise her anymore. Sounded like a challenge to me, but even so, I'm not celebrating Samhain in any way, just taking advantage of an opportunity to shock my coworkers.

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WhyOrHow

Halloween has become a commercial holiday, just like the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. People only celebrate it for to reasons:
1-To buy costumes and dress up for fun
2-So they/their children can have fun.

seekinghokmah

Fear is often most Christians reason for shying away from Halloween...that and missinformation.
It is fine to avoid it for legitimate reasons, but if our reasoning is based in fear or ignorance...not so good.

Halloween is not a wiccan holiday for example, wiccans certainly celebrate it...but historically it was a druidic festival(samhain), and later a catholic holiday (all saints day). Neither of these have much in common with the way it is celebrated in the U.S. though...that is quite a modern phenomena. Modern wiccans are impossible to pin down as there are almost as many belief systems as there are wiccans.

I agree we should not celebrate a pagan holiday, but lets not over state the issue either. There is NO evidence the druids practiced anything beyond the usual superstitions expected in such a culture. The only evidence of human sacrifice was an accusation by the Romans...and since they wanted to conquor the druids we can pretty much write that off as blatant propaganda (never mind that the Romans DID practice human sacrifice).
The big bad evil druids were actually one of the few peoples who converted to Christianity very peacefully...so why would we look back to their past in fear as though there was some awful power there?

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Good questions, when answered, innevitably lead to better ones. The light is in the search, and the search itself is the destination.

Boanerges

It indeed has its roots in pagan traditons- I choose not to participate but that is my personal conviction- ask God and He will direct you.

Whirlwind

I used to love Halloween...but I read those Chick Comics and it scared me into not observing it this year.

I don't really think that razor blades in apples and poisonous candy are meant to turn children into sacrifices to satan, tho. But I really disagree that our culture should be celebrating terrible things like witches and demons and zombies and the such.

Baby Jessie isn't going to learn from me that these things are "cool".

seekinghokmah

Unfortunately, Chick publications are notorious for over the top sensationalism on this and other topics...if it inspires fear it is not from God.

__________________
Good questions, when answered, innevitably lead to better ones. The light is in the search, and the search itself is the destination.