Why do many more and more christians sin and celebrate Halloween?

[NothingIsImpossible]

So as happens every year on this forum the great debate of Halloween comes up. Its one of those things that christians are super split on and can get pretty nasty about.

So what are your views on Halloween?

Recently when my parents and my wife and I were coming back from church we drove by a house of one of our elders (and his wife). In the window they had your normal Halloween stuff. Skeletons, pumpkin faces, ghosts...etc. My dad was shocked, he didn't know they supported it all of the sudden. Turns out they do it for the grandkids now.

Every year I see more and more christians celebrate it along with other things that christians used to avoid. Not just holidays. Some of the morals and things people do are getting less and less godly. I'm not perfect of course, never claimed to be. But some things have always been obvious to me as not being things Jesus would partake in.

Saying Halloween is innocent because its about the kids is like saying its ok to let kids play games with satanic material like pentagrams/spells because "Its just a game for kids!". And redressing Halloween up as "Harvest Party" doesn't change anything. You still dress up, give candy...etc. I guess I'll never understand the mindset of people. If anything I notice most christians who do it are parents. Parents who give in to their childs tantrums and crying about not doing Halloween.

Now obviously its not like Gods sending anyone to hell for celebrating Halloween. However since its a long running thing you can celebrate in your life I imagine its going to be a long session when you stand before Him and try to explain your celebration of it. I know some deflections will be replied like "Do you celebrate Christmas? but lets stick on topic. And no I do not celebrate Christmas. No trees, no lights, no decorations, no santa, no gifts. I have simply a manger (even if its not Jesus actual birthday). If you tell your kids no gifts for Christmas you will see if they really care about Christmas becuase of gifts or because of Jesus.

In the end I remind myself the bible says in the end people will do more sinful stuff and some will even turn from God. Hence the "Go away, I do not know you!" when they stand before Him. And again not saying celebrating Halloween means He would say that. Just making a general statement.

 

[John Bowen]

You are correct its not of God . It not by accident that Halloween is aimed at children the Holy Innocents its a in road for dark forces through images they see. How many adults are partying that night drinking , drugs , having sex fueling this dark night . Not a day for children .

 

[Lost4words]

Devil worship. Thats how see it.

 

[Mountainmanbob]

Halloween seems to be getting bigger and bigger each year.
Celebrating death and bones (skulls) etc.
should be far from the Christians mind and heart.

But, the world tells them (us) that it's ok --
and once more they (we) give into the flesh,
as the devil scores yet another one.

M-Bob

 

[Sabertooth]

Your poll has a typo, "...horrible and should be part of Christian walks."
I am guessing that you meant, "...should NOT be part of Christian walks."

I have seen three points of view on this matter,

1. Abandon this devilish celebration,
2. Take advantage of it for evangelism, or
3. They don't [yet] realize how it conflicts with their Christianity.

I subscribe to #1.

#2 is comparable to Paul preaching at Mars' Hill, where he incorporated secular concepts into his message [see Acts of the Apostles 17:22-31].

#3 is someone who just didn't get that memo, yet, from the Holy Spirit.

 

[Dave G.]

Halloween as celebrated today is foolishness but then again probably always was. The original holiday was Christian but in midevil times ( I read it was around 800ad) and during the multi day event it came to be that gourds, probably pumpkins and such too, had faces carved out to scare off evil spirits. The celebration though was one of the saints not demons.

As with all things modern the commercialism involved is obnoxious. if there is a demon to be recognized in this it's big business lol ! I remember thinking as a kid even how silly this was, but I did not think collecting two bags worth of candy was silly. I don't think in the 1950's any of us were thinking of a demonic bend to this so called holiday but as a kid I was thinking chocolate.

 

[Albion]

There's nothing immoral about observing Halloween--depending on how you observe it. Some practices have gotten to be over the top, but that doesn't mean they all have. By comparison, I have seen some wedding ceremonies that are really quite distasteful and irreligious, but that doesn't mean that Christians ought to give up matrimony or wedding ceremonies themselves.

The reason most Christians observe Halloween is because they aren't doing anything wrong. Of course, if they were...then they should re-think.

 

[lismore]

Hello All. At the very least Halloween can be a doorway to danger. Was surprised a few years ago to see Ouija boards on sale at halloween in a local supermarket targeted specifically to children. It made me wonder how many people have wandered into activities, thinking it was 'harmless fun', only to go through a spiritual doorway.

Why celebrate Halloween anyway? What a believer has is more fun than skeletons and ghouls and pumpkins. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is upon us, the same Holy Spirit is at work in us.

God Bless

 

[John Bowen]

Hello All. At the very least Halloween can be a doorway to danger. Was surprised a few years ago to see Ouija boards on sale at halloween in a local supermarket targeted specifically to children. It made me wonder how many people have wandered into activities, thinking it was 'harmless fun', only to go through a spiritual doorway.

Why celebrate Halloween anyway? What a believer has is more fun than skeletons and ghouls and pumpkins. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is upon us, the same Holy Spirit is at work in us.

God Bless

Very true maybe this is also why after people celebrate Halloween and take in all this darkness they can't get into the Christmas Spirit in coming months . Dec 25 the darkest day of the year where people celebrate the light of the world coming in . There are many suicides this time of year also.

 

[pinkjess]

I'm a bit on the fence when it comes to Halloween. When I was younger me and my brother dressed up and went around the neighborhood with our friends. I remember one of my friends saying that Halloween was the devil's birthday. I felt weirded out and concerned but brushed it aside as we were getting candy that night anyway. When you're a kid I think all the devil stuff goes over your head because you're so focused on the candy, dress-up festivities of the holiday.

When I was 17 years old I learned about the origins of Halloween and was extremely disturbed. I read that it is a day real-life witches kidnap and torture people. I felt convicted by it and tried not to take part in it but still gave out candy to the kids who came to our house. My mom always decorated our house.

One Halloween when I was 22 years old I was alone and bored at home and so I put on a baseball cap that had a Christian quote on it and took some door-hangers from my church and went around the block getting candy while handing out the church door-hangers. Almost everyone took one except for one lady. And I got a Walmart grocery bag full of candy!

I started to see Halloween as a great opportunity to evangelize. Because, what other time of year are you allowed to see so many of your neighbors? Halloween is the only day of the year people are encouraged to walk their children around the street and teenagers to roam around with their friends. Why not take advantage of it and hand out gospel tracts?

 

[Francis Drake]

"Why do many more and more christians sin and celebrate Halloween?"
Why do any Christians celebrate Easter, the festival of the ancient fertility goddess Ishtar Ashtoreth, Oestre, etc.
Just putting a Christian gloss on it will never hide the fact that the festival was created as a homage to this demon.

The same of course is true for Christmas or more correctly, the pagan feast Saturnalia.

 

[Albion]

Very true maybe this is also why after people celebrate Halloween and take in all this darkness they can't get into the Christmas Spirit in coming months . Dec 25 the darkest day of the year where people celebrate the light of the world coming in . There are many suicides this time of year also.

But there are more suicides in January, because of the letdown that sets in after the Christmas season has ended.

 

[Sketcher]

So . . . what advice were you looking for?

 

[RestoreTheJoy]

I would never get nasty about it.

I know what scripture says and that has to be my guide. This is a meaningless day to me, as a believer, and I never have celebrated it. It is the co-opting of an ancient pagan holiday that reflects samhain, which paid tribute to Celtic deities.

The Church at the time was attempting to co-opt samhain and turn this pagan celebration Christian, but instead what happened over time was an absorption of pagan customs into this mess that is called Halloween today.

 

[John Bowen]

Halloween is evil .Christ mass is where 1.5 billion people celebrate the birth of Christ I know Jesus probably wasn't born that day it was chosen cause its the darkest day of the year. Modern people with all the comforts we have couldn't imagine how people lived before electricity .Many people in Europe lived in darkness , many starving , suicides , so Christmas gave them one day of cheer to get through the dark year. Easter 1.5 billion come together celebrate the Easter story Jesus resurrection so people can understand that they too can be born in Christ.

 

[Sabertooth]

it was chosen cause its the darkest day of the year.

In the northern hemisphere.

 

[RickardoHolmes]

We spend more and more $$ On Halloween every year. It is a fantastic celebration, a gateway into the beginning of the Holiday Season. From Halloween we are into November then to Thanksgiving, which has, sadly become encroached and hidden by the Christmas materialism. With Halloween, we get a big party, a chance to hang out with neighbors, and it would seem an attempt to out=do each other with decorations Last year, we had the best of the best. Our house SCREAMED HALLOWEEN !!! This year, so far, we are lagging behind. But we will catch up

When I was a kid, I loved Halloween. I have loved it ever since. Always have, always will.

 

[MoneyGuy]

Kids having harmless fun. Nothing wrong with it.

 

[Sabertooth]

Hello All. At the very least Halloween can be a doorway to danger.

A clever congregation could invite the public to a meeting, "Everything You Wanted to Know About Demons!"

They could teach about Jesus' encounters with them and follow it with an invitation for prayer and Salvation. (Sort of like a Chick tract in real-time.) I think that John & Charles Wesley would have tried something like that...

 

[Invalidusername]

Hello All. At the very least Halloween can be a doorway to danger. Was surprised a few years ago to see Ouija boards on sale at halloween in a local supermarket targeted specifically to children. It made me wonder how many people have wandered into activities, thinking it was 'harmless fun', only to go through a spiritual doorway.

Why celebrate Halloween anyway? What a believer has is more fun than skeletons and ghouls and pumpkins. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is upon us, the same Holy Spirit is at work in us.

God Bless

Do all Ouija boards work or does it require a specific knowledge?