I heard about its evils but I don't follow the paganism that goes along with it. At the same time, I see many Christians discouraging this holiday. What do you think?
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Halloween
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Zecryphon
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I think Christians get more mileage out of Halloween than does secular society. On the one hand you have the Christians who decry it as Satanic and evil and to be avoided at all costs. These Christians sit at home on that night, with the lights off, praying no little children come to their door looking for candy.
There's another faction of Christians who have taken a different position on the matter. They use Halloween as an evangelism opportunity. They are at home, with the lights on, praying that children will come to the door for free candy, so they can hand them a bag of candy or a candy bar with a gospel tract taped to it.
Then there's the Christians who actually do celebrate Halloween with their churches under the guise of Harvest Festivals. These celebrations of Halloween are okay, because they're at the church and it's not called Halloween but a Harvest Festival, which once you look into the history of Halloween you find out that Halloween is a celebration of the harvest. So what's really the difference here? Oh yeah, that's right this version of it is okay because it's being celebrated with Christians doing everything under the sun except talking about Christ.
Close to this time last year I wrote an entry on my blog about Halloween. Here is an excerpt:
Here's what a local church in my area is offering as part of their Fall Festival 2006:
Food, games, candy and lots of FUN!!! They will have an obstacle course, bounce houses, pony rides, petting zoo, train rides, "paintball the pastor", (that can't be a good thing, giving kids guns and telling them to shoot their pastor), water balloons, air-soft games (there's some more guns for you to give your kids so now instead of shooting the pastor they're shooting each other. I don't think video games and movies are really to blame for kids shooting each other these days. No, I think I'm gonna start to point the finger of accusation at the local church, I mean with games like this how are kids supposed to keep the sixth commandment. Jesus himself said in Matthew 5:21
21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment."
Just what kind of values does this church hold to? Don't know, never visited it. They wiill also have a Bible Lane, and more!!
Hmm, wholesome family Christian fun or secular holiday that's even worse than what "everybody else" celebrates this time of year known as Halloween. A holiday where kids dress up in costumes, go trick or treating with their parents or friends, so they are either participating in quality time with their families or having fellowship with their friends. How can the church be against that? But apparently they are, for they have to sanitize this holiday with Harvest Festivals and Fall Festivals.
I say no more! I say it's time we learned about our past and celebrated a holiday that holds great meaning for us as Christians, Reformation Day! The day when Martin Luther in 1517 nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany thus sparking the Reformation movement, that gave rise to not only the Lutheran churches but all Protestant churches eventually. It's a no brainer to me. Instead of Harvest Festivals we could have Reformation Day parties. Instead of paintballing the pastor we could restage the debates between Luther and his critics, we could dress as our favorite Reformation figure, we could stage Reformation plays, we could have fun and learn something in the process about our history as Christians. The best part is that we'd be totally true to who we are too, we wouldn't be hijacking a Pagan holiday and trying to santize it to make it acceptable for us to participate in. How can we in church on Sunday constantly say "Be in the world but not of it" when we take the holidays the secular world participates in and try to pass them off as something they were never intended to be? It's hypocrisy and it has to stop.
The whole entry can be viewed by clicking here:
http://zecryphon.blogspot.com/2006/10/its-halloween-or-is-it.html
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jive4005
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Halloween has gotten just too wierd for me. Both the pros and the cons are pretty extreme today. Like most things, there IS a middle ground, tho many never seem to find it.
I've had several talks with the Lord about this stuff. While I know He distains any real occult I must admit that He seems to have more peace about halloween than people do.
God gets it... the party, the excitement (that's in the "scary" part), and dare I say "the fellowship!"?
While I neither participate nor encourage halloween activities, I personally don't see the trick-or-treat part as much of a threat.
That's just me... as parent, candy-hander-outter, and minister.
When it comes to "picking our issues" we might check where we've placed our own priorities.
His,
Rev J
BOO!... ha!... got cha!
In my unsaved days halloween was BIG. I
I've had several talks with the Lord about this stuff. While I know He distains any real occult I must admit that He seems to have more peace about halloween than people do.
God gets it... the party, the excitement (that's in the "scary" part), and dare I say "the fellowship!"?
While I neither participate nor encourage halloween activities, I personally don't see the trick-or-treat part as much of a threat.
That's just me... as parent, candy-hander-outter, and minister.
When it comes to "picking our issues" we might check where we've placed our own priorities.
His,
Rev J
BOO!... ha!... got cha!
In my unsaved days halloween was BIG. I
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Its not a joke at all this is a day were the devil really works, but for some odd reason christians think its ok but its not. we are allowing the satin to have his way in us when we take part in this day. its not of God so as follwers of christ we should not take part in something that does not give him glory.
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TankGirl
I'm normal, it's everyone else who's stiff
I'm not interested in having anything to do with Halloween, and everyone who knows me knows this & knows it's because of my faith.
I couldn't, in all conscience, encourage my dd to partcipate in something which involves (the appearance of) witchcraft, demons, ghosts & spirits, then expect her to read God's word which forbids all those things.
I chose to do my best to avoid all appearance of evil...
I couldn't, in all conscience, encourage my dd to partcipate in something which involves (the appearance of) witchcraft, demons, ghosts & spirits, then expect her to read God's word which forbids all those things.
I chose to do my best to avoid all appearance of evil...
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Apollo Celestio
Deal with it.
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As long as you refrain from sinful activities, do what you want. So who else is gonna be a ninja for halloween?
(Those who choose to participate in the sin that comes with Halloween will have to answer to God.) My pastor wrote a paper on this, I never got to finish it, maybe I will ask this weekend, Lord Willing.
(Those who choose to participate in the sin that comes with Halloween will have to answer to God.) My pastor wrote a paper on this, I never got to finish it, maybe I will ask this weekend, Lord Willing.
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Zecryphon
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"Its not a joke at all this is a day were the devil really works, but for some odd reason christians think its ok but its not."
The devil is at work every day, not just one this one in particular.
"we are allowing the satin to have his way in us when we take part in this day. its not of God so as follwers of christ we should not take part in something that does not give him glory."
So those Christians who hand out bags of candy with a gospel tract inside of them. What do you think of them and their actions. Are they not using the "devils day" to promote God or glorify God? Do you have an objection to Christians who use Halloween in this way? I'm not one of these Christians by the way.
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I think this is a good point.
A believer's life should be a witness. I think when conveyed in a loving manner without judgement...it is a good witness to explain to people why you don't celebrate Halloween.
Sure, people may think your "too religious" or a "Jesus Freak" or any number of things...
I personally think it's a wonderful opportunity to share your faith with others.
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Hope you don't mind my jumping in here...but your post inspired some thought...
I really have some mixed feelings about tracts tied to candy and churches that offer alternatives to Halloween.
My church is one of them. Apparently we have "Harvest Night" (I've only been going to this church for several months)
Personally, I consider it's all about where the Spirit speaks to your heart and leads you...
Some parent just may read that tract attached to their kids candy and a seed is planted....
Offering Christians an alternative to Halloween...real mixed feelings about that...
Somehow it kinda seems to me that the message might be it's OK to participate in secular activities as long as we put a Christian spin on it....
I guess the same could be said for Christian Rock Concerts and such...
The important thing is...getting the message out there and being a good witness...
Some Christian kids might take their non-christian friends along with them to these Harvest Festivals and they may receive the message...
So, I guess...whatever decisions are made regarding these things...prayerfully seek God first and follow where the Spirit leads...
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I Don't think we'll be seing anti-Christmas threads until late October/Early November and I was the first person to make such a thread. I bet more will come in a few weeks.It's only September 21st, and the annual CF anti-Halloween threads have started already?
It's only a matter of days before the anti-Christmas threads start.
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I think it's kinda like that televion station that promoted reruns...It's only September 21st, and the annual CF anti-Halloween threads have started already?
It's only a matter of days before the anti-Christmas threads start.
If you haven't seen it...it new to you.
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D
dies-l
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I don't think that there is anything wrong with Halloween. In fact, I think it provides a great opportunity for outreach to the community. For example, my church sets up a booth downtown (we live in a pretty small town), where a bunch of us dress up in Halloween costumes and hand out hot dogs and other treats to all of the trick-or-treaters. We don't proselytize; we don't hand out tracts (i really don't like them at all, anyway 
); we just take the opportunity to show our community in a small way that we care about them and their kids.
); we just take the opportunity to show our community in a small way that we care about them and their kids.
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I used to celebrate Halloween before I became a Christian, and now I'm not very sure about it...I don't know if that's from the Holy Spirit or just because of what others say. I don't think there's anything really occultic about that holiday, and some people just take it too seriously... giving out candy and stuff, that's just a fun tradition. But it does bother me when I see costumes for witches and devils and stuff at the store, and just the imagery. It makes me think, do these people actually know that evil is real?? If people dressed up as something else (like animals and princesses and knights, etc 
) Halloween would be very different for me.
I agree that it's a good opportunity to witness to others
) Halloween would be very different for me.I agree that it's a good opportunity to witness to others
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There was a CNN special called:
Gods Warriors: The Christians.
Look it up on cnn.com. These people make halloween look tame. Talk about wrong teaching. Ouch.
Really, I might dress up as something because it is fun. I won't be something from the dark side as it is the side you feed that grows. Nor will I act out something from the dark side. A clown seems fun enough? There's nothing evil about a clown is there? Nope. So don't be spooked by the spooks who want to control your thoughts.
God Bless.
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Sounds like a great way to meet new people and not scare them away. Good for your church!I don't think that there is anything wrong with Halloween. In fact, I think it provides a great opportunity for outreach to the community. For example, my church sets up a booth downtown (we live in a pretty small town), where a bunch of us dress up in Halloween costumes and hand out hot dogs and other treats to all of the trick-or-treaters. We don't proselytize; we don't hand out tracts (i really don't like them at all, anyway
God bless
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LJSGM
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I recieve no check in my spirit about halloween, neither does my husband. Of course halloween is different in other countries, so I am refering to the typical US halloween when I say this.
It's just something fun to do, just like there's nothing wrong with taking your family out to a water park, or going to a festival either. So we dress up? So we hand out candy? No one's spiritualizing it and worshiping Satan. I personnally believe that this overspiritualizing of halloween and making a fuss about something so stupid is a bad witness to the world in fact. It makes us out to be prudes and full of a religious spirit.
It's just something fun to do, just like there's nothing wrong with taking your family out to a water park, or going to a festival either. So we dress up? So we hand out candy? No one's spiritualizing it and worshiping Satan. I personnally believe that this overspiritualizing of halloween and making a fuss about something so stupid is a bad witness to the world in fact. It makes us out to be prudes and full of a religious spirit.
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