How Should Christians Respond to Halloween?

[davidw]

Myriad questions surround Halloween. Should we participate? Accommodate? Or should we vigorously denounce Halloween? To answer such questions, it's helpful to view Halloween from the perspective of history.

First, we should recognize that Halloween is indeed rooted in the ancient Celtic feast of Samhain (sah-ween). The Druids believed that on the eve of Samhain the veil between the present world and the world beyond was pierced, releasing demons, witches, and hobgoblins en masse to harass the living. In order to make themselves immune from attack, people disguised themselves as witches, devils, and ghouls; attempted to ward off evil spirits by carving grotesque faces on gourds illuminated with candles; and placated the spirits with a variety of treats.

Click here for more (http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/1353363.html)

[ChrisBCridder]

I don't know. Dressing up as witches, devils, and ghouls does not make sense if you want to ward off evil spirits because that is what evil spirits are. If anything, one may be "joining the evil spirits" when dressing up as one. I think Halloween should be banished, but I know it would never happen. Too many parents think there kids should have fun with it.

BTW, what is with all this early Christmas marketing? Enough of it already!!!

[davidw]

I'm personally against Halloween for many reasons, not just the dressing up and all. Even though the article mentions other things, I will still treat that day as any other. There's many things I've questioned since coming to Christ, especially things that I've been told were ok to celebrate.

[pphalan]

I'm personally against Halloween for many reasons, not just the dressing up and all. Even though the article mentions other things, I will still treat that day as any other. There's many things I've questioned since coming to Christ, especially things that I've been told were ok to celebrate.
Look I say let the children have fun, lliteraly, I am a kid and this night I get to blackmail people for a treat. USED to be great fun and the parents loved it too.To much over think creates a nightmare, Dear SIR at what point of time should I stop worrying about my child, I spent a couple of holloween nights ****ing my 8&9 grade buddies off by remminding as much as I would really enjoy pullingg one or another prank. Trust...Faith...Love....Your Heart....Dave take your Daughter trick or treat...........trust me on this. You teach a lead into the LORD OUR GOD ALL MIGHTIES LOVE......It will be a relationship your child will develope, as we did on our OWN. LOVE. REMEMBER, our Lord Our God will hold your son true, as your reminded when you held your dear sweet daughter for the first time. Our Lord Our God holds everything in his hands(you have any clue at 50 how many times I had to relearn that) FAITH.....As I tell you this....OUR LORD GOD REMINDS ME.:D (How many times must I hit you upside the head until you have........FAITH) Lord I am but a man full of fear perhaps you could give me circumstance, perhaps just maybe I am unique........God says no dice BABY I knew you BEFORE you were born

[davidw]

Here (http://www.xtremepccentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=133181&postcount=33) is one reason why we choose not to celebrate Halloween. A marjority of the "incidents" happened up until the beginning of November. I've been at work blocks away from too many suicides on Halloween and have directly been affected by too much in this town to consider it.

I have faith, but I also know that the closer you get to Christ, the more satan tries to attack you.

[davidw]

Know any places worth moving to? :P

[pphalan]

Well you have a young girl, so the 2 of you dress up and walk the nieghborhood together, when you see a house you do not trust just move to the next. So tell your Daughter we are going to dress up and continue a new custom of overturning a thing that used to be evil. Think the original was about giving candy to children, somehow that new tradition seemed Christian.....The overturning of evil......a practice of Adults giving children a gift....How anti-evil can you be?

Think Christians did not change an evil long ago? What did Jesus say about children? Have fun Young man with your child....no matter what adults assigns it, It will be a nice night out between a Father and his Daughter.

[bruce]

I did a little research on Halloween and here is a little bit of it.:))

Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

So as i understand the whole concept that Halloween is to honor the dead.

Here's a link to the whole article http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/?page=origins

[bruce]

Did some more research and heres a link

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/011/29.79.html


If we give up All Hallows Eve, we lose the delight of God's gift of imagination and we condemn the rest of society to a darker Halloween because our laughter will not be there to make the devil run.

[pphalan]

Did some more research and heres a link

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/011/29.79.html


If we give up All Hallows Eve, we lose the delight of God's gift of imagination and we condemn the rest of society to a darker Halloween because our laughter will not be there to make the devil run.
I think you will agree with me, CB like I said, take your Daughters hand and have a nice time because both TP & I will tell you, just when you think you have time with a child..... faster than you think you have a 22 year old on your hands....oops 23 year old. Just when they are young time it seems to crawl.

[ChrisBCridder]

christianb, do what the Lord has put on your heart and not what anyone else thinks.

I think all Christians would agree on that.

[davidw]

Don't get me wrong, when I was a child - I didn't know about the bad stuff concerning Halloween. I loved to get candy and all, but somewhere along the way, I grew up. The problem was when I moved to the town I live in now, before that, I never had an issue with it. Bluegirl would agree with me on this. There's something about this town that just isn't right. After living in that haunted house (my second haunted house), I've seen, felt, and heard some things that I wish I could forget.

Maybe one day, things will be different. Even if we did celebrate it, most people around here do not trick-or-treat. We live in the country where there's about 5 houses on our road (outside of town a ways). It wouldn't be worth it to get everything ready just for 5 houses. When we lived at the old house, we had candy and stuff ready for children for 3 years in a row (before the bad stuff started happening) and not one child came to our door, nor did we seen any trick-or-treaters - and we had about 60 or so houses in our neighborhood then.