Halloween

[needhislove]

Well, since Fall is on its way, Halloween will be coming soon. I have always loved Halloween, the smell of the fall air and (now that I am too old to dress up) the kids in their costumes. I am worried, though that it is wrong to acknowledge Halloween. I don't want to send my daughter out trick or treating or hand out candy if it's wrong.

What do you all think?

 

[throwingbones]

I think Halloween is fun. I say have a blast. If you do feel convicted about it, then try going to a harvest carnival at your local church. The kids still get to dress up and get lots of candy.

 

[jay1_z]

Do you know the history of Halloween? If so do you feel that it is appropriate to celebrate it? You are making this decision for your child. If you decide it's ok , then in my opinion, you should at least let your daughter know (if you haven't already) why she is celebrating it. You could always take TB's advice and go to a church function.

 

[happily_saved]

I will just give my feelings on it. Halloween is known as --- Definition: a day of celebration for Wiccans and other pagans; Feast of Souls, and Feast of the Dead ...as well as ---the evening before All Saints' Day; often devoted to pranks played by young people.

I decided to not take part in halloween at all cuz in my heart i feel its a type of worship to the devil. Instead every year I make it tradition to put on a worship night down at the church and make it really fun so we can pull the people off the streets from doing the wrong stuff to worshiping God.

 

[rogsr]

Halloween is just like every other holiday celibrated in the US..it is just an easy way for businesses to make money. Do you really think that people are worshipping the devil when they dress their kids up and walk them around collecting candy from strangers? No, they probably aren't. It's a cultural thing more than a tree worshipping thing, although I'm sure some people do some strange things on that day.

And what about easter, I know a jewish family that 'celebrates' easter for the sake of their children...you know, the easter bunny...easter eggs...easter candy...they don't want their kids to feel left out so they celebrate the cultural holiday of easter. It's the same with Christmas, St. Pat's day, and St. Valentines day. I wonder how many people who get smashed on St. Pat's day know anything about him? I wonder how many pagans realize that they are celebrating the feast day of a saint when they buy black roses for their creepy girlfriends.

Why are there three times as many people in church for easter and christmas than on Pentacost or Good Friday or Holy saturday or Palm sunday? It is because there is not a funny looking mascot idol to go along with it. Maybe if we assign a cute animal that goes along with the respective season of the holy day we will get more people to come to church.

I say go ahead and celebrate it as long as you and your kids know that there is no headless horseman, or cultural santa claus, or easter bunny. When parents convince their children of the existence of the easter bunny they are setting them up for a lack of faith in the future. Why should they believe you about Jesus Christ, a man who came back from the dead and is now invisable, when you lied to them about the easter bunny?

 

[promise]

I have to say when my family stopped celebrating halloween I was devastated. Happily_Saved is right, Halloween is associated with all those she mentioned. There are so many alternatives now at churches, there's no reason you can't participate in halloween; you just don't have to celebrate it the world's way. Since going to fall festivals at church I find it to be more fun than just going trick or treating. Not only do you get candy at these festivals, but you also get to play games, have fellowship with other christians, and you are offered a guaranteed safe environment.

 

[TheMainException]

Your kids are celebrating the devil, all they know is that they are going out to get candy...enjoy it! There are no drugs in the candy (except caffeine and sugar, so don't give them too much...hehehe). And don't worry about the witches and warlocks coming out, they come out on the equinox...they don't even really celebrate halloween. Halloween used to be this big spirit fest, but since we've americanized it, it's nothing but a candy fest, there is no real evil about it anymore. I know pastors who go trick-or-treating with their kids...it's fine, have fun, get lots of candy!

 

[TheMainException]

I will just give my feelings on it. Halloween is known as --- Definition: a day of celebration for Wiccans and other pagans; Feast of Souls, and Feast of the Dead ...as well as ---the evening before All Saints' Day; often devoted to pranks played by young people.

I decided to not take part in halloween at all cuz in my heart i feel its a type of worship to the devil. Instead every year I make it tradition to put on a worship night down at the church and make it really fun so we can pull the people off the streets from doing the wrong stuff to worshiping God.

Well done!!! But I will correct you on one part...Wiccans don't celebrate Halloween for anything but the same thing I do, the candy. As I said in my last post, Wiccans come out for their celebrations on the equal days, one in spring, one in fall. That is what I've been told by (1) a Wiccan herself and (2) my pastor...no bust, just what I know too. If you feel as though Halloween is not a good holiday to celebrate, then stay in, but again, I don't consider it to be anything more than america's second favorite holiday.

 

[throwingbones]

Your kids are celebrating the devil, all they know is that they are going out to get candy...enjoy it!

LOL! I think you meant... Your kids "aren't" celebrating the devil...

 

[Iosias]

Well, since Fall is on its way, Halloween will be coming soon. I have always loved Halloween, the smell of the fall air and (now that I am too old to dress up) the kids in their costumes. I am worried, though that it is wrong to acknowledge Halloween. I don't want to send my daughter out trick or treating or hand out candy if it's wrong.

What do you all think?

Halloween is a pagan festival and I do not believe that it is fine for Christians to celebrate anti-Christian celebrations.

 

[bliz]

I'm old enough to remember when many Christian churches threw big Halloween celebrations and many churches, and many para-church ministries, used "haunted houses" in church basements as a big fund raiser. I even remember hearing that only Christians could really have fun on the holiday becasue we knew God who has the greater power than all the witches etc.

These very same churches today are anti-Halloween. The Word of God didn't change, the politics of the church did!

We decided that Halloween is about dressing up and getting candy. Costumes always had to be homemade and created by the child, with parental help. We never permitted costumes of ghosts, witches etc. explaining that they represented evil that was real. Handing out candy is, in our opinion, part of being a good neighbor.

The word "Easter" comes form the name of a pagan goddess. The timing of Christmas has to do with the pagan celebrations of winter soltice and many traditions, like the Christmas tree, have pagan roots. If we're going to be consistant, we need to think about those things as well.

 

[D-Lisch]

Personally, I don't know that I CELEBRATE Halloween, but more take part, you know what I mean? I've always done the trick-or-treating thing until I got too old. So, if you want your kids to do so, go ahead. I've heard that basically, Halloween was when peole dressed up in scary costumes to scare bad spirits away. Now, if you don't like this aspect of it, then sure, don't do it. But, kids aren't going to look that deeply into it, so they probably won't think much of dressing up and getting candy, cuz that's all they're in it for, the candy. I dunno, people tend to overthink a lot of things these days.

 

[needhislove]

You know,


When Bliz mentioned the churches that used to set up "haunted houses" it reminded me that last Halloween in the city I then lived in, a LOT of churches put on haunted houses and it wigged me out. I had never seen anything like it. I didn't go to any of them because my husband didn't want to go(he doesn't like to be scared). I thought it was some wierd thing they only did in that city. In the town I grew up in, they had one haunted house that wasn't put on by a church. I had no idea that a church would do a haunted house. Anyway, I do enjoy getting my daughter all dressed up and she has never gone as anything bad. Well, no, I shouldn't say that. One year she went as a witch, but since I have renewed my relationship with God, she hasn't had any of those options. She's always just been the cutest little dressed up girl and I get all excited to do the makeup and help her with her costume. I am glad to hear that there are others out there that don't think that sending your kids out to trick or treat is so terrible.

 

[HappyMomof4]

I think it's a great opportunity to visit your neighbors. When else do people do that?

However, I don't like some of the things I see people wear. That bothers me. And I don't like the scary set-ups in some peoples' yards.