I Ain't Afraid No Ghost (A Christian Response to Halloween)

As Christians, what should be our response to Halloween? There seems to be three clear choices, that I can suggest; either participate in it, as is, modify it (i.e. Christianize it), or ignore it completely. This topic seems to come up every year, around October-for some reason, and the Christian and Christian parent, with younger children-especially, are perplexed on how they handle it, often. I will go through the three responses, and hopefully help you to see an acceptable way to handle the Halloween question, for yourself. Before I get into the three choices, I must interject a passage of scripture that I think speaks to this situation, and the spiritual level you are at. In 1 Corinthians 10:25-33, Paul is dealing with an issue of eating food offered to idols. For a first century Christian, this was an issue of grave importance. The local markets sold meats, often these meats may have been offered to an idol. Paul qualifies the issue, summarized in the 31st verse of that chapter, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” This should be your guiding principle, if you can’t glorify Christ in an activity; refrain from it.

PARTY LIKE IT AIN'T NO BIG DEAL!

Christians can participate in Halloween, as it is, is my first response. I am not advocating a celebration of the ‘evil’ that seems to surround this day, or any day for that matter. I’m fully aware of many Christian’s issue with this particular holiday, because Halloween is a holiday rooted in some ‘bad’ stuff:

“Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced “sah-win”). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops. The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween. Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or appease them.” (http://www.halloweenhistory.org)

So, in light of that, Halloween has some baggage for many Christians. Occult issues seem to be prevalent and the glorification of demons, satan, and evil are issues that are hard to overcome for some especially weaker Christians. Much as the ancient church dealt with eating idol offered food, Christians today who come from more dark backgrouns would be wise to not harm their conscience. Also, I would never campaign ‘celebrating’ the evil that often is associated with Halloween.

I am not encouraging Christians to glorify or promote occultism or the evil betrayed in much of Halloween celebrations. What I am saying is this; Christian parents can let their kids do jack-o-lanterns, trick-or-treat, and/or dress up. The idea of Halloween, in light of its origins, does not have to be the reason you don’t participate in any of the functions of the holiday. I am even less concerned with ‘monsters’ that children may want to be for the day. In reality, even monsters like Frankenstein (technically Frankenstein’s monster) can be seen differently, if you look at the themes that run throughout the original stories. For example, in the book, the monster is telling about reading ‘Paradise Lost’ and you find a different idea of ‘monster’ from this section, “Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator; he was allowed to converse with and acquire knowledge from beings of a superior nature, but I was wretched, helpless, and alone. Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition, for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me.” (Mary Shelley-‘Frankenstein’) Yeah, that is in there, classic tales of ‘monsters’ were about the monsters within us all. There are some very clear Christian themes within this classic ‘monster’ story, as there are in many other classic ‘horror’.

Ain't it Just a DAY?

This leads me to anotherr response, a variation of the first, in which you modify it. We can ‘Christianize’ anything, if done properly; the church has been doing this for centuries. The meaning of something is often just in what you want it to mean. Halloween can mean demons, evil, and such, if you allow it. For the Christian parent, it doesn’t have to be so. No, parents can (as well as other Christians) give Halloween a much needed Christian make-over. Dressing up can be with good characters; such as super heroes, like Superman or Captain America, or everyday heroes, like a fireman and/or a policeman. To really give it a big Christian spin, why not do angels, Samson, or any other Bible Hero. Trick-or-treat, can be pulled from the streets of the neighborhood and done in a church parking lot, ‘Trunk and Treat’ is what we call it at our church. Instead of the name, Halloween, why not use ‘Fall Festival’ or ‘Fall Celebration’. Even jack-o-lanterns can be Christianized, a good Youth Lesson could even come from it:

“A pumpkin is round and shiny on the outside, and its skin is tough and hard to puncture. It looks perfect and wonderful. Sometimes we like to pretend we’re all wonderful and perfect. (Read aloud Isaiah 66:2.) The slimy stuff inside the pumpkin reminds me of our sins — the things we need to confess and say, “I’m sorry, God, for…” When we ask God to forgive us for all the wrong things we’ve said, done, or thought, he forgives our sins. (Read aloud Isaiah 43:25.) As we scrape all the slimy stringy stuff away, the pumpkin becomes clean inside. Jesus cleans our hearts, too, when we confess our sins. (Read aloud Psalm 103:12.) Next we can begin to carve our designs in the pumpkins. Let’s carve designs that can remind us of God, such as a heart, cross, fish, or butterfly. As we carve, the pumpkin slowly transforms into something new. We change too when God works in our lives. (Read aloud 2 Corinthians 3:18.) Finally, we can put the candle inside the pumpkin. When we light the candle, what happens? (Read aloud 2 Corinthians 4:6.) When we have Jesus in our lives, it’s like having his candle inside us. We shine the light of Jesus so others can see and know him. (Read aloud Matthew 5:16 and John 12:46.) Jesus, during this Halloween season, help us shine your light to our friends and neighbors, and please remind us to confess our sins and experience your forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, amen.” (http://childrensministry.com/articles/jesus-o-lantern/)

It Ain't MY THING...

That leads me to my last response Christians can have is… just ignore it. There is nothing in Halloween I fear. My conscience is not affected by the World’s celebration of evil, whether on this day, or every other day (Halloween does not have the patent on evil celebration). 1 Corinthians 8:4 said, “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.” Paul said a false god is, “nothing in the world.” They are not real, they are not to be feared, revered, or subject ourselves to, for they don’t exist. Though I am fully aware that demonic forces, and satan himself, are real, much of what Halloween is glorifying is fake, fantasy, and fiction, nothing to be feared or regarded. To the Christian parent who chooses to ignore the holiday, for conscience sake, I say trust your conscience, as Paul said, “Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake” (Romans 13:5). Paul also stated, “But if any man say unto you, this is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.” (1 Corinthians 10:28) Finally I will leave you with some verses that should help you decide your response, to most situations, “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning” (2 Peter 2:19-20). Also we see in this passage, “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage” (Galatians 2:4).

It is not my place to tell you HOW you do Halloween, but I hope this guide helps you decide how YOU want to DO IT, especially with children and their fragile conscience. Examine scripture, pray, and pay attention to your conscience (as guided by His Word and the Holy Spirit), to decide any issue like this. Halloween is not unique in its issues of evil celebrations. Christians must deal with matters of corruption, evil, and opposition to our Faith, often on a daily basis. Yet, it seems as if this one day promotes evil in a unique way, which causes thoughtful, reasonable Christian folk to pause. I would warn, and encourage, to not allow the world, and satan, to dictate to you, your response, 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT) “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Reasonable people can differ in their response to certain circumstances, and both be justified in their actions. My hope is you will allow scripture, the Holy Spirit, and you conscience to be your guide and not the pressures of others. Where’s my Hockey Mask, anyways…no I’m going as a goalie, really…now where’s my machete, I mean hockey stick…

#Hallowen #liberty #evil #scared #fun