Yeah, well that's just like ... your opinion, man.
In the past, I've shared my negative thoughts regarding Halloween. So, I'll share a few links on the subject.
Read Dr. Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the reality of evil spirits."The coming of Halloween is a good time for Christians to remember that evil spirits are real and that the Devil will seize every opportunity to trumpet his own celebrity. Perhaps the best response to the Devil at Halloween is that offered by Martin Luther, the great Reformer: 'The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him for he cannot bear scorn.'"
Read Randy Alcorn's perspective.
"We’ve mutated this holiday into an effective introduction to the dark side"
Read Dan Edelen's thoughts."Even now my son is missing his preschool Halloween party. That was a tough decision, but it’s a decision we made. We may not go to our church’s Halloween-alternative party, either, because I’ve never been a fan of Christians trying to redeem every worldly activity."
Read John MacArthur's answer to the following question:
"Is there anything wrong with children going out ‘Trick or Treating,’ like Halloween, and if so, what specifically is bad in it, and what do the MacArthur kids do? And, should Grace get involved in any alternatives?"
Read John MacArthur's response to the following:"I have a little boy who is going to Christian School--he's in Kindergarten. It has come to my attention that they are going to be making 'Jack 'O Lanterns,' for Halloween and 'Black Cats.' I talked to his teacher and she said that "at Christmas they make Santa Clauses, and Easter Bunnies on Easter.' I told her, I said that, 'This is why my son is in Christian School--I want him to be separated from this. I teach him at home that we are not supposed to be a part of Halloween or this and that, but yet you are compromising, or contrary to me, to what I am saying and it is confusing him.' 'Mommy, why can't I do this; they are doing it?' And he understands he is in a Christian School. I have an appointment to talk with the principle of the school tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock--can you give me some advice?"
Read as Mr. Hyde gives some history and, though he advocates alternatives, he criticizes many of them."However, I think many churches fail to demonstrate and offer Christ to those who attend these events. The population simply sees it as an endorsement by churches of the holiday. In other words, people often see this as the church in essence saying, “If you can’t beat ‘em, might as well join ‘em.”"
Read Adrian Warnock's rejection of the American export, but appreciation of alternatives.
"I know some Christians think differently about whether we should partake of this activity but I am very much in the 'we don’t celebrate evil' camp."
P.S. My thoughts on Halloween alternatives? If all you've done is moved the trick or treating to another location, I don't think it's much of a Christian alternative.The pictures used were the first 5 to appear in my Google safe search for "Halloween."Labels: holidays
posted by GUNNY @ 10:17
4 comments
4 Comments:
Gunny - thank you for taking the time to put this together. I want to say that i whole heartily agree with all of the points. But you and i, and all the Godly men you cited, are in the minority by a wide margin.
Thank you again far taking this stand sir.
Thanks for the encouraging words, brother. We are indeed very much in the minority among professing Christians.
Honestly, I've never understood it. Nobody had to do anything to convince me on this issue. I was never taught by some legalistic types about this.
After becoming a Christian it was obvious to me that the Halloween phenomenon was a glorification of death and evil and sought to stir up fear, etc. At a minimum I thought it helped desensitize people to the reality of evil and spiritual warfare.
All that had me convinced long before I learned of the pagan origins by taking the Worldbook Encyclopedia off the shelf.
But, I digress, and am probably preaching to the choir ... or the soloist.
HALLOWEEN ORIGINS
Every Oct. 31, children dress in a variety of popular costumes and go door-to-door collecting candy. Here's where that Halloween tradition, and several others, came from:
* Haunted Houses are based on Victorian England's "Scare Manors," places where children who didn't mine enough coal were sent as punishment
* Giving children candy at the door began when early American settlers realized it was a lot easier than talking to kids about the meaning of death
* Much like people today, pre-Christian pagans would throw toilet parchment all over the tree outside their mean alchemy teacher's house.
* Jack-o'-lanterns first debuted in 1981 as part of a marketing scheme to promote Monsanto's invention of the pumpkin
* The song "Monster Mash" borrows its melody from a medieval Gregorian All Saints' Day chant entitled "I Worketh In The Abbey Into The Darkness One Night (O Monster Of Salvation)"
* Bobbing for apples was originated at a Halloween party by a group of people who were patronizing an armless friend
* In 1928, Nathaniel Darder of Worcester was the first guy to give out treats in a strategically loosened bathrobe
* According to modern-day Wiccans, most of today's Halloween traditions are actually blah, blah, blah
-tAnk
Nice to know our family isn't the ONLY family out there that doesn't celebrate Halloween. My FB is lighting up with friends pictures of their kids in costumes - many believers with little "witches" this year. Wow, people are really obsessed with Halloween!! With young children, this isn't going to get easier for us, but every time we've prayed about it, God shows us through His Word and His Spirit that this door is closed. Why would I want to go against that!?!
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