Should Christians Celebrate Halloween

[Guest shiloh357]

You're right Ezra. We don't "celebrate" Halloween. When I was a kid, we'd go "trick or treat" but I don't remember any seances or communing with evil spirits. 

It's like the pagan "christmas tree" and the "easter bunny", etc. 

You know I didn't take the pagan holiday serious either as a kid.My focus was on CANDY.....LOTS AND LOTS OF CANDY.

That's precisely the issue.  The candy is a distraction to make people forget that powerful evil spirits control this festival and benefit from it.  And once little children are conditioned to believe that there is nothing evil about this, then they forget all about the spiritual battle which is raging daily. The main question for Christians is "How can God possibly be glorified when evil spirits are being summoned and placated?"

Honestly, I can't say that's true.  As a kid, I and my other friends at church went out for the candy and none of us were ever desensitized to the dark side and none of ended up going into the occult or failing to live as Christians.  It really doesn't have the affect on people that is being claimed.  Most children don't even dress up as monsters or witches or whatever.  

Edited October 20, 2015 by shiloh357

[Ezra]

You're right Ezra. We don't "celebrate" Halloween. When I was a kid, we'd go "trick or treat" but I don't remember any seances or communing with evil spirits. 

It's like the pagan "christmas tree" and the "easter bunny", etc. 

You know I didn't take the pagan holiday serious either as a kid.My focus was on CANDY.....LOTS AND LOTS OF CANDY.

That's precisely the issue.  The candy is a distraction to make people forget that powerful evil spirits control this festival and benefit from it.  And once little children are conditioned to believe that there is nothing evil about this, then they forget all about the spiritual battle which is raging daily. The main question for Christians is "How can God possibly be glorified when evil spirits are being summoned and placated?"

Honestly, I can't say that's true.  As a kid, I and my other friends at church went out for the candy and none of us were ever desensitized to the dark side and none of ended up going into the occult or failing to live as Christians.  It really doesn't have the affect on people that is being claimed.  Most children don't even dress up as monsters or witches or whatever.  

Go to any store and look at the Halloween displays today and be horrified. And regardless of what appears on the surface, do we really know what happens in the spirit realm. How is it that horror movies are so popular, and horror literature is so popular?  What about the rise of the New Age Movement and how it swept across America resulting in covens of witches (proclaiming Wicca as their religion)?  Do we really know what went on behind the scenes in the spirit realm?  People in the third world are generally more aware of these things than in western countries, but the rise of paganism in the West must be attributed to some causes which went before.

[Guest shiloh357]

You're right Ezra. We don't "celebrate" Halloween. When I was a kid, we'd go "trick or treat" but I don't remember any seances or communing with evil spirits. 

It's like the pagan "christmas tree" and the "easter bunny", etc. 

You know I didn't take the pagan holiday serious either as a kid.My focus was on CANDY.....LOTS AND LOTS OF CANDY.

That's precisely the issue.  The candy is a distraction to make people forget that powerful evil spirits control this festival and benefit from it.  And once little children are conditioned to believe that there is nothing evil about this, then they forget all about the spiritual battle which is raging daily. The main question for Christians is "How can God possibly be glorified when evil spirits are being summoned and placated?"

Honestly, I can't say that's true.  As a kid, I and my other friends at church went out for the candy and none of us were ever desensitized to the dark side and none of ended up going into the occult or failing to live as Christians.  It really doesn't have the affect on people that is being claimed.  Most children don't even dress up as monsters or witches or whatever.  

Go to any store and look at the Halloween displays today and be horrified. And regardless of what appears on the surface, do we really know what happens in the spirit realm. How is it that horror movies are so popular, and horror literature is so popular?  What about the rise of the New Age Movement and how it swept across America resulting in covens of witches (proclaiming Wicca as their religion)?  Do we really know what went on behind the scenes in the spirit realm?  People in the third world are generally more aware of these things than in western countries, but the rise of paganism in the West must be attributed to some causes which went before.

I hear you.   I am against all of that stuff.  I was only talking about trick-or-treating.  I guess times have changed since I did that.   I mean, we honestly didn't do anything except go out and get candy.  

[missmuffet]

You're right Ezra. We don't "celebrate" Halloween. When I was a kid, we'd go "trick or treat" but I don't remember any seances or communing with evil spirits. 

It's like the pagan "christmas tree" and the "easter bunny", etc. 

You know I didn't take the pagan holiday serious either as a kid.My focus was on CANDY.....LOTS AND LOTS OF CANDY.

That's precisely the issue.  The candy is a distraction to make people forget that powerful evil spirits control this festival and benefit from it.  And once little children are conditioned to believe that there is nothing evil about this, then they forget all about the spiritual battle which is raging daily. The main question for Christians is "How can God possibly be glorified when evil spirits are being summoned and placated?"

It was many years ago when I participated and that is when I was not walking closely with God.Now I do not participate because God now has control of my life.He is in the driver's seat.

[missmuffet]

You're right Ezra. We don't "celebrate" Halloween. When I was a kid, we'd go "trick or treat" but I don't remember any seances or communing with evil spirits. 

It's like the pagan "christmas tree" and the "easter bunny", etc. 

You know I didn't take the pagan holiday serious either as a kid.My focus was on CANDY.....LOTS AND LOTS OF CANDY.

That's precisely the issue.  The candy is a distraction to make people forget that powerful evil spirits control this festival and benefit from it.  And once little children are conditioned to believe that there is nothing evil about this, then they forget all about the spiritual battle which is raging daily. The main question for Christians is "How can God possibly be glorified when evil spirits are being summoned and placated?"

Honestly, I can't say that's true.  As a kid, I and my other friends at church went out for the candy and none of us were ever desensitized to the dark side and none of ended up going into the occult or failing to live as Christians.  It really doesn't have the affect on people that is being claimed.  Most children don't even dress up as monsters or witches or whatever.  

Go to any store and look at the Halloween displays today and be horrified. And regardless of what appears on the surface, do we really know what happens in the spirit realm. How is it that horror movies are so popular, and horror literature is so popular?  What about the rise of the New Age Movement and how it swept across America resulting in covens of witches (proclaiming Wicca as their religion)?  Do we really know what went on behind the scenes in the spirit realm?  People in the third world are generally more aware of these things than in western countries, but the rise of paganism in the West must be attributed to some causes which went before.

I think you are right.Satan is into desensitizing.Something will start of as innocent but can turn very dark.Look at our media.Look at the Harry Potter craze.Satan never starts off as something evil that would be too obvious and the prince of our world is smart.

[AllTheGoodNamesAreTaken]

Must admit I haven't looked at any Halloween displays or practices in many years. ( googled some ). Amen Ezra.

[angels4u]

We,re talking Celebrating Halloween,what will be really celebrated?   Are we celebtating Jesus? Celebrate Jesus...celebrate..

 

 

[missmuffet]

Actually easter is pagan.  the colorful eggs has to do with a very old pagan tradition that goes back to ancient babylon.  they would want good crops so they would color eggs in vibrant colors like you see in spring and hide them in places like rabbit holes.  supposedly this would please the gods, little g, and they would get good harvests.  check out the calendar, passover and easter are sometimes as much as 2 weeks apart some years.  easter is based of the spring equinox passover is not.   in the KJV they used the word easter once.  I think its in acts.  since then scholars have come together and agreed its a poor translation and since then newer versions use passover.

During Christmas, another pagan god, little g, is called yule.  you have heard the Christmas carols about the yule time log?  this false god dressed in a lot of red and white, much like santa clause.  Lots of christmas tradition is based on pagan tradition.

Truth is there are pagan roots and traditions in nearly every "Christian holiday"  alot of it has to do with history when the church was spreading out.  and over the centuries people no longer recognize these traditions as pagan because they grew up with it.

Halloween is the main Holiday for witches to mark the changing of the seasons and honor the dead, ussually family.  it depends on the culture of the people celebrating.  they celebrated in different ways.

Bring up that Easter subject closer to Easter and I will respond it then.Now we are talkin Halloween.

I read about easter in another post.  one or two before mine.  I figured since it was mentioned I would just go ahead and give a brief summary on all the holidays containing non christian traditions.  I used to be down with the dark side and today am very against it.  I would like it very much if christians would stop practicing pagan traditions on holidays when we celebrate christian things, like the birth of Christ, or the Resurrection.  To me because of my past its all very much a sin because I know better, and I did repent.  When kids gather easter eggs in a basket, or dress up like whatever, or write santa clause a letter, there is absolutely nothing to do with Jesus Christ.  So i ask, whats really being celebrated?  But its tradition and we just cant break away from how its always been done, not even when God says....

Jeremiah 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

 

 

 

And closer to Christmas I will address your Christmas issues.There are always those who think Christmas is a pagan holiday.

I didnt say Christmas is a pagan holiday.  there are a lot of pagan traditions mixed in with it.  if you actualy look into what I posted you might learn something.

I learn from the Bible only.Not man.

[Omegaman 3.0]

This is my least favorite time of year at Worthy. There is always a flurry of posts concerning they pagan roots or origins of holidays. I think they are a destraction, not the holidays, but the posts. Still, I will make a response, note a couple of points.

First, most of the Church itself, is of pagan origins. When I say church here, I do not meant the building or the organization of specific denominations representing Christianity as a religion, I mean the people God has chosen, those who acknowledge His Son as thier Lord and Savior.

The apostles and other diciples were sent out into the world, the world of lost idividuals, to redeem them. Gods business is redemption. Sin has damaged people, damaged the whole creation in fact, and He is exercising His plan to redeem it, that is to say to buy back what is already His, and refurbish it to perfection.

We know about sanctification. It is what we call something being set apart for God's purposes. We also understand that it is something done in eternity, we were sanctified, we are in the process of being sanctified, and we will be santified.

It is a done deal, in the sense that God's will, will be accomplished, but it is also a not yet event, and will not be fully realized until we have new bodies, and there is a new Heaven and a new Earth.

When we give a person the gospel, we are hoping that it is a seed that will sprout, and grow, and flourish, and that in this, they will be redeemed for God's purposes, sanctified, made holy.

As the gospel spread throughout the world, it did not only begin to transorm people, but it transformed other things. Suppose for a moment, that there was once a bowling alley. People went there to have fun, have  a few drinks, not necesarily the worst place in the world, but hardly glorifying to God in any significand way. Through a set of circumstances, this bowling alley closed, and a young pastor managed to get ahold of it, though a loan from a denomination. Years later, this congregation grew from a handful of people to a congregation of 3000, which spawned hundreds of daughter and grandaugter congregations, bringing the gospel to thousands and serving thousands more.

I went to that church for years. That is what redemption is, that is sanctification, taking something unholy, and making it holy. I see Halloween, Easter, and Christmas in that light. Faith in Christ spread into the world, and the faithful participated in the redemption and sanctification of pagan holidays.

Halloween (all hallow's eve, the evening before all saints day) is a time to honor or memorialize, the saints and martyrs of the past. I do not participate in Halloween myself, but I have no issue with having a day to honor brothers and sister who were before me, as long as it does not turn into something where communicating with the dead or worshipping them is practiced. It this sense, Halloween is no differerent than a memorial service for a loved one (which also probably has pagan roots). A holiday like this, is what you make of it, Don't make it about ghosts and devils and witches, and you are not doing anything wrong,

When we Christians want to abaondon the holiday (holy day), we are saying, "Okay Satan and the unbeleiving world, you can have it, we surrender what is rightfully belonging to God (everything) to you." I am not willing to say that myself. God is in the redemption business, and I want to be about His business also. We are conquerers, not surrenderers!

If you have a conscience that tells you to abstain from Halloween, Easter, and Christmas in any form, then by all means, live out your conviction. However, you should not be judgemental of your brothers and sisters whose faith is strong enough, to participate in a way they think is not displeasing to God.

I think it should be noted aslo, that is we want to abandon anything with pagan origins, then we need to abandon a lot of things. I wonder how many foods we eat, have pagan origins. What about the days of the week? For example, Saturday is named after a pagan god, the Roman god of wealth, agriculture, freedom and time. However, God created the days of the week, they are His, and inspite of men giving them names honoring pagan dieties, that does not mean I am participating in paganism because I own a calendar.

That is my basic take on the subject.

[JohnD]

While the overtly evil celebrated by Halloween ought to be rebuffed by Christians and typically is not, it is the far more subtle Celebrations by Christians that are covertly pagan and evil like Easter and Christmas which do more damage.

All Hallow's E'en (all hallow's eve or evening) was an antichristian response to all Saint's Day (a Roman Catholic holy day set aside to commemorate what by their definitions were saints). They virtually ran out of days in the year to commemorate each saint individually (even by their standards rendering sainthood as a rare thing compared to what a saint really is [ all believers in Jesus], but that's another discussion). The Roman Catholics were notorious for ramming down everyone's throats whatever decree or holy day they defined and created. All Hallow's E'en was retaliatory and deliberately antichristian / satanic.

I am very rusty on this, but as I recall, the Wiccans adopted Halloween as their high holy day. Satanists did too. And they all must laugh their keisters off at the Christians who plod along with Halloween as just another Charlie Brown tradition to bob for apples and beg for candy playing dress up.

Many Churches do have counter celebrations at their campuses offering dress up and partying with Christian themes. But it's still initiated by pagans and in response to them. Over the years I handed out tracts and even individual Bible books one year (each book of the Bible was a booklet to hand out with candy). But as I said it was in response to a pagan initiative. And the kids most likely were interested only in the candy.

I also remember as a kid in the 60's and 70's when the females my age and older wore skimpy costumes which was another form of candy to a healthy young male. Akin to New Years when people throw out their inhibitions and give in to lust or whatever. 

Nothing good comes from it.

Edited October 21, 2015 by JohnD