Halloween, Satan's birthday.

[Guest willing servant]

Ask God first...

Secondly..... ask the advice of your church family.

Thirdly .. this is just my opinion

Personally to children I think its just a holiday, when they come home after trick or treating. Make sure they learn to give some of there candy away to people that dont have any. I think children can learn about what christ did in any situation.

[Guest man]

If you do anything out of the ordinary on Oct. 31st, you are celebrating Halloween.

Whether you are gathering at the church to keep your kids away from that "evil" practice, or sitting in your house with the lights out, you are giving notice to that day.

If you only do these things on Halloween...you're celebrating that day.

[AndrewA]

So which ideas are vile? The kids dressing up or the kids getting candy?

how about both?!

Dressing up as a demon, ghost , ghoul, zombie or witch is not exactly honouring God at any time. However on Halloween it has far more serious implications. This day was considered the time when the barrier between the spiritual world and our world was at its weakest when all kinds of nasty things could travel between the two worlds. It was thought that the many ghosts would try to find their way back to their loved ones and old homes.

Quite a few of these sprits were considered mostly harmless, but there were plenty of nasty evil demons who were supposed to try and kill and drag of any humans they found. To fool these evil demons into thinking you were not human, people dressed up as demons and ghosts themselves. The tradition of preventing the returning dead from entering homes by leaving offerings of food on doorstep is continued in form of handing out sweets.

Although we may think some things are harmless, they can quite often be the complete opposite. Certainly having alternative parties etc is good, but partaking in practices of Halloween is simply continuing an ancient tradition with its bases firmly in occult.

[LadyRaven]

I have no fear, but perpetuating a useless practice that is based on such vile ideas, is just not part of the life of a believing family, or shouldn't be. My opinion, only. My own daughter allows her kids to take part in it, and I don't go half-cocked over it, but this is how I feel. She knows it, and I don't ram it down her throat...not doing it here, either, so no need for sighs, now!

So which ideas are vile? The kids dressing up or the kids getting candy?

Most celebrations with a religous basis to them have the religious part of them and the secular things that surround them. Dressing in a costume and eating too much candy is one of the secular things. There is a religious aspect also, which most people in the Americas don't even come close to touching ever.... Just like I know of pagans who celebrated the secular aspects of Christmas there are Christians who enjoy the secular aspects of Halloween.

For me it's not about "don't do this" even though I used to be a celtic wiccan. To me it's just that WHY would I want to celebrate a day which has nothing to do with anything of my own faith and belongs to another one? Would I celebrate Ramadan or Eid? Hannukah or Sukkot? No, they are not my holidays, they don't belong to my faith.

I don't make a big deal out of it. Most people don't realise I dont' celebrate, we just make ourselves scarce on beggers night (I was always sensitive to the fact that the kids had to face questions, this way they didn't).

One day we were in Walmart shopping on T or T night, I had my son in the buggy. One of the ladies from the kids clothing dept came up and was gushing all over my son, though he was not in costume. She asked him what he was dressing up as for Halloween. (I was told later that the store had told their clerks to ask that if the kids werent' in costume to make them feel included) He said "A Christian." She smiled and he got some candy, which I let him keep and I went away laughing.

[Floatingaxe]

I have no fear, but perpetuating a useless practice that is based on such vile ideas, is just not part of the life of a believing family, or shouldn't be. My opinion, only. My own daughter allows her kids to take part in it, and I don't go half-cocked over it, but this is how I feel. She knows it, and I don't ram it down her throat...not doing it here, either, so no need for sighs, now!

So which ideas are vile? The kids dressing up or the kids getting candy?

The vile ideas are the vile, occult origins. Why tie oneself or one's children to that?

[Warrior of Christ]

Our church offers our kids and any of the community a wholesome alternative to Hallowe'en: a Harvest Party. They get loads of candy, play games, do crafts, dance, sing, and there is a costume-judging. The restriction is to wear only wholesome costumes--nothing denoting evil in any way.

They have a blast, and don't care that they never took part in worldly Hallowe'en activities. I sure wish I had this option when my girls were growing up! If I did, you can be sure, I would have made sure my kids took advantage of this option!

That sounds great, i wish i knew of a church such as the one you go to. I do understand the stuff that was done on halloween, but i think it's taking to the extreme at times. I agree with the ones who said everyday is His day, Satan has no control over anything. They only thing Satan has control over on that day, are the people who worship Satan, people who particpate in witchcraft. The one's who put blades in childern's candy, those are the ones that are controlled by Satan.

[billie]

So why did you ask if you already had your mind made up?

[Guest NitaS]

What about the things seen by our children on Halloween? My kids do not dress up in scary costumes but other kids do. Last year, we weren't even off our side walk before my eldest was scared and wanted to go home. There are many "things" I saw when I was young that I didn't have the maturity to understand or even know what it was. This Stuff can stay with us for years and can have a strong hold over us until it is finally delt with. I would rather save my sons from images they can't understand, for lack of maturity, than help them try to understand what they have seen.

Blessings,

Anita

[Gerioke]

I wonder if pagans who clebrate Christmas are in danger of becoming Christian.

[Floatingaxe]

I wonder if pagans who clebrate Christmas are in danger of becoming Christian.

We could only hope! But---why do they bother to celebrate Christmas? It's because of the same secular reasons they celebrate anything. So shallow, and so sad. I pray that this year we see such a tide of turning, that we haven't seen in years! Come Holy Spirit, move upon us!