Halloween: Important for Christians?
Oct 21st, 2007 by Amanda
I’ve always had mixed feelings about Halloween. I grew up being taught that it was “the devil’s holiday” and completely evil. I was even taught that the “alternative” events (Harvest Festivals where kids dressed up as Bible characters) were wrong. But I always longed to go trick or treating! To me, the candy was always the most important part. The candy, man! I’ve never really thought it was wrong (although I spouted the Bible verses why it was with the best of them). And I think this Christian has it right.
Jesus said there are two commands that matter: love God and love your neighbour. The Easter holiday is all about the first command. Halloween is all about the second.
What other day of the year can you put on funny clothes and be welcomed at your neighbour’s house? In my neighbourhood Halloween is the only day of the year that that people actually get out of their houses and chat with the neighbours that they don’t know. It is a night of celebrating community.
Right on.
Well see my comment in “ready for the holidays” post about halloween. I hope you can cast of that nonsense about halloween you grew up with. It can be such a fun day. You don’t even have to think about it in religious terms at all, you know like, say, Thanksgiving, but instead of eating turkey, you get to dress up like one.
My mom is this incredible godly woman who too often gave in to churchiness and judgemental Christians on issues in raising us. But she realized how fun it was for kids to dress up and get candy. She loves God a lot, has a low sin-and-evil-consciousness, so off we went to trick-or-treat. People in the churches my dad pastored were appalled. To appease the religious idolaters, she taught me to sing a song to people in exchange for my treat. If anyone dared tried to give me the candy before I had finished the entire long and loud rendition of “Jesus Loves Me,” I would stop them with the wave of my hand. In a way, Trick-or-Treating was the most evangelistic I have ever been! Ha!
So, much to the chagrin of all the people Dave and I pastored, we took our kids trick-or-treating, too. The church would always have an alternative and we would do that, too, but we snuck, and sometimes had to actually hide as we saw a church member driving slowly past or some one might leave the congregation.
It is so silly, really. Halloween is All-hallowed-Eve - the night before All Saint’s Day. All my days belong to the Lord, anyway. Devils and witches and demons can do what they want.
But as for me and my kids and now my grandkids - we’re dressing up and enjoying the candy haul! AND - we will serve the Lord.
so…you never got to trick or treat? You poor soul!
Well, if you read my blog, you know I am sometimes conflicted by Halloween, but I think it falls into one of those “disputable matters” that we shouldn’t judge people over.
I will be escorting Superman and Spiderman through the neighborhhod to collect massive amounts of chocolate. Just for them of course!
The Bible holds the answer to pagan holiday questions. I posted an article about Halloween on my blog and received several interesting comments. See http://tinyurl.com/ypd2ck