Should Christians participate in Hallowe'en

[Marilyn777]

Just a small note on Christmas since the subject just keeps popping up. There's not a single commandment in Scripture that instructs us to celebrate Christ's birth. But this doesn't mean it's wrong to do it. Scripture indicates that anything is permitted so long as it does not violate Biblical principals, and so long as it is done in faith, with love, and in a manner that edifies people (see Romans 13:10; 14:4, 5, 23; 1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23; Colossians 2:20, 22).

Some have objected that Christ wasn't born on December 25. That's probably true. (His birth likely occurred at a different time of year altogether.) Nevertheless, it is perfectly appropriate for Christians to celebrate the Incarnation, the most incredible event of human history. And it's fine to do it on December 25, even though Christ probably wasn't born that day. (After all, Americans commemorate Washington's birthday on the third Monday of February, even though his real birthday was February 22.)

I know there are those who note that Christmas is celebrated on a day which in the ancient Roman Empire was a pagan holiday linked to the mystery religions. But this doesn't make Christmas a pagan holiday. The fact is, the Christians refused to participate in the pagan ritual. Their attitude was that if the pagans were going to celebrate their false religion, Christians should celebrate the one true religion. And what better way to celebrate than to focus attention on the Incarnation, the event in which eternal God became a man?

Personally I think it brings a smile to Christ's face when Christians celebrate His birth. On the other hand, I think it must sadden Him when He sees Christians focusing exclusively on exchanging gifts with one another, focusing little or no attention on Him.

JMO

Marilyn

[artsylady]

You can do what you want on Halloween. ArtsyLady, don't twist what the people who object to Halloween have said. I do not "run and hide" I spend the day and evening like every other day of the year.

You said earlier that you feel 'very oppressed' at Halloween. You said you spend it in Bible study with your family. And the 'run and hide' wasn't just about you.

QUOTE

You were raised to believe that Halloween is totally evil, right? You're probably in your early 20's or younger, right? Because before that, it wasn't considered so terrible and awful. And it sure seems that the costumes are getting scarier and the night even more 'evil' at about the same rate that the Christians are bowing out of this altogether. Do you have an opinion on this? Have you thought about it?

No, I was not raised to believe that Halloween is totally evil. My parents had always taken me and my siblings trick or treating, and passed out Candy, etc.

I thought you said that you and your family always read the Bible together and that you only went out once???

Do you know why before the 80's or so it wasn't "considered so terrible and awful"? Because people weren't educated on it's roots and history, also on what STILL happens on that night.

so were Christians sinning before the 1980's????? Why didn't the Holy Spirit convict any Christians until the 80's??? lol.

And again, it means Hallowed Eve. It began as a CHRISTIAN celebration. So I think you mean that Christians were not misinformed about Halloween until the 80's.

Christians participating in "dressing up" and passing out candy is NOT going to change the fact that costumes are getting more evil, or scary, or that satanists still use it as their night.

I guess you only read the articles that say the above. Actually, satanists celebrate their own birthdays, moreso than they do Holy Evening. (I'm going to start calling it by it's original name from now on, okay?

It's not going to change the fact that tons of children and animals are used in human and animal sacrafices, and tortured.

Do you have anything from a reputable source that says this? And actually, there's more trouble on 'devils night' than there is on Holy Evening.

By letting your family go out and collect candy, what difference is that making? And again, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with collecting candy, or dressing up as something cute (providing its not an evil costume), but what is the point?

my point is stop bugging me about it.

You're trying to argue that if Christians would only take part in dressing up and eating candy, they could change the satanists? They could stop what goes on? Talk to a Satanist sometime. Talk to someone who was USED in those rituals, and see what they think of Halloween. The candy collecting, and dressing up is only a mask for the darker side of Halloween. Halloween isn't about the candy or costumes.

Have you talked to a satanist?

QUOTE 

Well, that's what the Muslims have said all along. Christians have not always thought so. 

You need to read up on your history.

During the first two hundred years in America, Halloween was not observed; many of the Protestant settlers rejected the holiday along with other feasts on the calendar of the Roman Church.

With the large Irish immigration in the 1840's, the holiday became more popular. Many of the old Celtic beliefs and practices were perpetuated in its celebration. Now at the end of the twentieth century, Halloween has become an important holiday to the growing number of believers in Satanism and practitioners of the occult.

You can read more on this here History on Halloween in Early America

You need to make sure you know your sources are accurate first of all. If the above is true, my above statement was only that Muslims have always thought Halloween to be evil and Christians have NOT always thought it to be evil. This is TRUE.

Here is another site about The History of Halloween in America and ChristianityThe Watchman Expositor: Halloween Profile

I just put in a search on google Christian and non Christian sites alike showed the Halloween wasn't celebrated by Christians until the late 1800's, because many non Christian, pagans, and occultists brought their traditions with them when they immigrated to America.

there are MANY sites with MANY different theories.

Let me ask you. do you WANT to beleive it has evil origins?

[artsylady]

Nicks Girl:

You said you DID participate in Halloween, yet on page 12, I got a quote from your post saying this.

I know I always feel very oppressed on Halloween. My family and I spend the night together, in Bible Study, prayer, and hanging out together. I LOVE candy, don't get me wrong, but we can eat candy any other day of the year. It's not like it's only available if you go trick or treating on halloween night.

[Catsmeow]

Look, ya'll.....

It really comes down to this....BRING GLORY TO GOD in an evil world. Okay?

I hug trick-o-treater's, tell them GOD LOVES THEM, give them pretty kid tracks and candy and ya know....I just LOVE THEM!

Isn't that what Jesus did?

[artsylady]

You missed my post on some page out in yonder land.

I always sit out in lovely Florida in a lawn chair, hand out candy and a beautiful Children's tract and tell the kids all about God's love as I pass out candy and tracts.

I get hugs and kids are interested to ask questions.

I carve a CROSS in a pumpkin and everyone knows I'm a believer in Jesus.

So, if anyone has a problem with that...take it up with my Father. He's the Boss

.

Cats: Oh you terrible sinner!

[artsylady]

Speaking of that, I was curious about this too so I asked my friend Nik (aka ScientificAtheist) what he thought.

Me: As an "non-Christian" how do you perceive Christians who totally seperate themselves from "worldly" things. Such as those who say "I don't participate in Halloween"..?

Nik: I think they're probably scared of changing their own opinions and views, or should I say, more scared than other Christians...I also think that it probably doesn't help them in evangelising, if that's what they do.

Me: Do you perceive Christians who are paranoid about the "world" and being seperate to be weak in their faith?

Nik: Do I percieve them to be weak in their faith? Well, yes, I suppose some of them are - but that's not the whole story. I think you captured it well when you said that they might be more worried about what other people think about them.

You see, the Christian community from what I've seen of it is intensely judgemental, and riddled with backbiting and gossip. This of course, as far as I can tell, is totally against the spirit of the bible and the New Testament - but it would seem that many believers treat each other far worse than anyone else. I see all sorts of accusations flying about concerning who is and isn't a Christian - who does and doesn't qualify to get into heavan - and behind closed doors, in private conversations, I hear a lot of quite nasty gossip about people.

So people in the Christian community can become very paranoid about their peers, and that makes them start to care more about what other Christians think about them than what God thinks about them. What they ought to remember is that only God knows their heart - and that no matter how stupid or misled they might seem to the outside world, the real test is whether or not they are right with God.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Very, very interesting insight I thought. (btw..Nik gave me permission to quote him)

Worth repeating

[artsylady]

There are probably 300 Christians to every one satanist. There are 2/3 more good angels and only 1/3 fallen angels. We've certainly got them outnumbered. Do you think the bad angels and satanists are given extra powers on Holy Eve?

[Work in Progress]

Over the years we've learned a lot about the Lord and learned not too long after we did that, that it was the wrong thing to do.

Kitkat, the only thing you forgot (IMO) is the "for us" at the end of that. It was the wrong thing to do for you. The Holy Spirit will tell everyone else whether or not it is wrong for them.

I do agree with you though about cauldrons and that kind of thing. I love to "do" Halloween, but I don't have anything like witches, "devils", or anything satanic like that. I am convicted about that, about not glorifying anything like that - even "cute" and "harmless" devils. I dressed my son uu as a devil when I wasn't a Christian (19 years ago) and cringe at that.

For anyone who feels led to flame me about taking part in the rest of it - or being a hypocrite - please don't. You've already made yourselves heard loud and clear.

[Work in Progress]

You can do what you want on Halloween. ArtsyLady, don't twist what the people who object to Halloween have said. I do not "run and hide" I spend the day and evening like every other day of the year.

You said earlier that you feel 'very oppressed' at Halloween. You said you spend it in Bible study with your family. And the 'run and hide' wasn't just about you.

QUOTE

You were raised to believe that Halloween is totally evil, right? You're probably in your early 20's or younger, right? Because before that, it wasn't considered so terrible and awful. And it sure seems that the costumes are getting scarier and the night even more 'evil' at about the same rate that the Christians are bowing out of this altogether. Do you have an opinion on this? Have you thought about it?

No, I was not raised to believe that Halloween is totally evil. My parents had always taken me and my siblings trick or treating, and passed out Candy, etc.

I thought you said that you and your family always read the Bible together and that you only went out once???

Do you know why before the 80's or so it wasn't "considered so terrible and awful"? Because people weren't educated on it's roots and history, also on what STILL happens on that night.

so were Christians sinning before the 1980's????? Why didn't the Holy Spirit convict any Christians until the 80's??? lol.

And again, it means Hallowed Eve. It began as a CHRISTIAN celebration. So I think you mean that Christians were not misinformed about Halloween until the 80's.

Christians participating in "dressing up" and passing out candy is NOT going to change the fact that costumes are getting more evil, or scary, or that satanists still use it as their night.

I guess you only read the articles that say the above. Actually, satanists celebrate their own birthdays, moreso than they do Holy Evening. (I'm going to start calling it by it's original name from now on, okay?

It's not going to change the fact that tons of children and animals are used in human and animal sacrafices, and tortured.

Do you have anything from a reputable source that says this? And actually, there's more trouble on 'devils night' than there is on Holy Evening.

By letting your family go out and collect candy, what difference is that making? And again, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with collecting candy, or dressing up as something cute (providing its not an evil costume), but what is the point?

my point is stop bugging me about it.

You're trying to argue that if Christians would only take part in dressing up and eating candy, they could change the satanists? They could stop what goes on? Talk to a Satanist sometime. Talk to someone who was USED in those rituals, and see what they think of Halloween. The candy collecting, and dressing up is only a mask for the darker side of Halloween. Halloween isn't about the candy or costumes.

Have you talked to a satanist?

QUOTE

[artsylady]

Halloween, but I don't have anything like witches, "devils", or anything satanic like that. I am convicted about that, about not glorifying anything like that - even "cute" and "harmless" devils. I dressed my son uu as a devil when I wasn't a Christian (19 years ago) and cringe at that.

You mean the Holy Spirit does convict you? What a shock!!!! And all the anti halloweeners were trying to take over the Holy Spirits job, when all along, you already were convicted of certain things here.

Hmmm.

Actually, I'm the same way. I cringe at some of the masks out there. I'd never put a devil or demon or anything else like that on my kids . I'm sure the Holy Spirit has convicted me about such things as well.