There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
This is where I feel that your philosophy about Halloween has hole in it. I understand that there are certain things that are for a “more mature audience” and some things are just downright bad for anyone. But to say that Halloween is ungodly or anti-Christian is not true and somewhat offensive to those of us that let our kids participate. My view is that Halloween is a way to get outside and get to know neighbors and mock the evil side. Christ conquered death. He conquered Satan. Why should we teach our kids to be afraid of it? Is satan honored by a kid dressing up with a pitchfork and horns? I don’t think so. If you look at the history of Halloween for the most part it is pretty benign. Celebrating the fall to winter season. There has been times in history where it was seen to be a day of supernatural things, but that was a LONG time ago. and not really an emphasis at all in our current culture. If you think that God is the God of everything than participating in cultural celebrations is OK. I fully believe that people have a right to not participate if they are uncomfortable. But those of us that do are not endorsing demons and taking Satan’s side in spiritual warfare. All the opposite. We are enjoying the fun things about our culture and redeeming it. We are not spooked by “spirits”. Children dressing up is just plain old fun! would you say that the woman dressing up as a witch in the movie Chronicles of Narnia is evil and opening doors to the dark realm? Playing a part does not make you more susceptible to becoming that thing that you are portraying. Anywho, thanks for the blog. It made me think! I’m curious to hear your reaction
I wonder where you got some of the material addressed in your response to the post? Where did I say I wanted to teach my children to be afraid of Halloween? Where did I say that I was spooked by spirits? Where did I write that Halloween and anyone celebrating it is ungodly or anti-Christian? I’d like to set the record straight and make sure I’m clear: I never wrote that, nor do I think that people who celebrate Hallowen are somehow ungodly or anti-Christian or anything like it.
You ask the question if a child is honoring Satan by wearing horns and carrying a pitchfork, but I might ask the question is that child glorifying God?
My youngest and I went to a Halloween-type festival hosted by a local church. At that church, I saw a person walking around with his or her entire head covered by a mask that had six inch nails sticking out of all parts of it. On the way to and from school my kids and I have seen skeletons wearing creepy robes hanging from trees. At the store we’ve seen bloody masks portraying decaying wounds. To me, to participate in a holiday that progresses to such levels is in conflict with the choices we’re making as a family.
I love the idea of meeting neighbors and dressing up, which is why I appreciate it when organizations host events around Halloween that can let kids get their candy fix, dress up and be silly with their friends. Most of these events specify that the costumes not be scary, gross or violent (one also begged that people NOT use glitter, and I don’t blame them – have you ever tried to get that stuff out of a carpet?? Virtually impossible!). I also have friends who host a fall harvest party, and I think it would be a great opportunity to open it up to their neighborhood. There are definitely ways of making Halloween a holiday that can work for everyone, if one is inclined to be proactive and take the initiative. That said, did I host a harvest party at my house this year? Nope! So maybe that’s all easier said than done, huh?
There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
This is where I feel that your philosophy about Halloween has hole in it. I understand that there are certain things that are for a “more mature audience” and some things are just downright bad for anyone. But to say that Halloween is ungodly or anti-Christian is not true and somewhat offensive to those of us that let our kids participate. My view is that Halloween is a way to get outside and get to know neighbors and mock the evil side. Christ conquered death. He conquered Satan. Why should we teach our kids to be afraid of it? Is satan honored by a kid dressing up with a pitchfork and horns? I don’t think so. If you look at the history of Halloween for the most part it is pretty benign. Celebrating the fall to winter season. There has been times in history where it was seen to be a day of supernatural things, but that was a LONG time ago. and not really an emphasis at all in our current culture. If you think that God is the God of everything than participating in cultural celebrations is OK. I fully believe that people have a right to not participate if they are uncomfortable. But those of us that do are not endorsing demons and taking Satan’s side in spiritual warfare. All the opposite. We are enjoying the fun things about our culture and redeeming it. We are not spooked by “spirits”. Children dressing up is just plain old fun! would you say that the woman dressing up as a witch in the movie Chronicles of Narnia is evil and opening doors to the dark realm? Playing a part does not make you more susceptible to becoming that thing that you are portraying. Anywho, thanks for the blog. It made me think! I’m curious to hear your reaction
I wonder where you got some of the material addressed in your response to the post? Where did I say I wanted to teach my children to be afraid of Halloween? Where did I say that I was spooked by spirits? Where did I write that Halloween and anyone celebrating it is ungodly or anti-Christian? I’d like to set the record straight and make sure I’m clear: I never wrote that, nor do I think that people who celebrate Hallowen are somehow ungodly or anti-Christian or anything like it.
You ask the question if a child is honoring Satan by wearing horns and carrying a pitchfork, but I might ask the question is that child glorifying God?
My youngest and I went to a Halloween-type festival hosted by a local church. At that church, I saw a person walking around with his or her entire head covered by a mask that had six inch nails sticking out of all parts of it. On the way to and from school my kids and I have seen skeletons wearing creepy robes hanging from trees. At the store we’ve seen bloody masks portraying decaying wounds. To me, to participate in a holiday that progresses to such levels is in conflict with the choices we’re making as a family.
I love the idea of meeting neighbors and dressing up, which is why I appreciate it when organizations host events around Halloween that can let kids get their candy fix, dress up and be silly with their friends. Most of these events specify that the costumes not be scary, gross or violent (one also begged that people NOT use glitter, and I don’t blame them – have you ever tried to get that stuff out of a carpet?? Virtually impossible!). I also have friends who host a fall harvest party, and I think it would be a great opportunity to open it up to their neighborhood. There are definitely ways of making Halloween a holiday that can work for everyone, if one is inclined to be proactive and take the initiative. That said, did I host a harvest party at my house this year? Nope! So maybe that’s all easier said than done, huh?