Ask Me Help Desk - Halloween for the Christian. Is it right or just plain evil?

I'm on FB and there is a dicussion going on about Halloween. Personally I just don't get it. I see nothing in the world wrong with it. It may have started as a pagan Holiday but didn't Christmas and Easter also start that way. It is what YOU believe about it.

And as far as the satanic roots, am I crazy or didn't Christ's work on the cross put Satan under our feet? The only thing satan can do to the Christian now is accuse him. Lets not forget that Jesus WON the battle.

And last but not least Paul says for the Christian today, whatever is not of faith is sin. I have no issues with Halloween and trick or treating. I did it, my kids did it. It is a cultural thing TODAY. Some say that it is Satan's day. Please EVERYday is Satan day. Am I way off here? What do other Christians think?

Let the kids have fun but remind them that it is just fun. As a Christian myself, I've brought my kids up to recognize that it is simply a day to dress up weird and go get some candy.

Here is a good article for Christians - about Halloween:

Where did Halloween come from? Can a Christian celebrate it? | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry

Also,

http://www.americancatholic.org/feat...ult.aspx?id=23

And

http://forums.catholic.com/showpost....11&postcount=2

Thanks Rick. I agree with you read the first article and appreciated the verses they used in 1 corinthians about sacrificing food to idols. Very helpful. :)

This is just like what has happened often in the history of our faith. For example: what we call and celebrate as Christmas used to be a pagan holiday. We "took it over" and used it for our own benefit and disregarded the previous uses of it.

I think you-know-where just froze over, because I totally agree with you, T. There is nothing at all in the dressing up, the parties, the trick-or-treating or any of the rest of it that has to do with Satan or paganism or any of the rest of it. It's an excuse for people to dress up as silly as possible and act as goofy as possible and get away with it. Oh, and get their kids on a two-week sugar high. You are correct about Christmas and Easter, which is why some more narrow-minded groups refuse to celebrate them. Here's a good answer for that mindset.

Ask the person objecting to these holidays etc. "What do you feel when I tell you that you are a nice person?"

Most likely they'll be happy, have warm fuzzies and all that. That's when you nail them. "Well, guess what? The word 'nice' comes from a Latin word that means 'ignorant.' So by your logic, you should be angry because, according to the word's origin, you should believe I'm calling you ignorant." Now, obviously the English word that came out of that Latin word means something very different. Hello? Christmas means something very different from Saturnalia. Halloween means something very different from those ancient pagan rituals. Let's evaluate things based on what they mean NOW, not what they meant 1500 years or so ago.

I did Halloween, my kids did it, and God willing I ever get any grandchildren, I hope they do, too. It's harmless fun, and it's fun for the entire family if you do it right.

Halloween is not a "christian" holiday but ground hog day is not either. So unless you are going to worship a satanic god, or practice witchcraft I see no issues.

Kids have no plan or practice to become evil, they dress up like scary things ( wolves, vampires ,Obama ,) or perhaps dress up like spacemen, doctors, ninja and so on.

They play games, go around and get free canday and that is it.

There is nothing wrong or evil about having some fun.

It is not the "day of the week" it is not pretending and doing a party, it is the subject or the object in the heart and there is no evil in anyone of these.

If there are a few out for evil, that is for them to answer for.

Fr_chuck and Dave,

I agree with you both. And one of the examples we can use from the NT is when Paul addresses the issue of eating meat that was sacrificed to idols. I mean that is pretty bad stuff. Paul calls the Christian that won't eat it the "weaker" one. The truth is, it really didn't mean a hill of beans if that meat was sacrificed or not. It is what THEY believed about it.I think we can apply that here as well.

We seem to be in agreement so far but on FB it got ugly. Ha

And Dave, you agree with me more times than not but you are too stubborn to admit it. ;)

And by the way I see ground hog ( or is it groundhog) day more evil, yes really, because we look and many believe this animal will predict the weather, which is a form of fortune tellling, In that, we are accepting a pagan teaching or belief as real. ** food for thought

ClassyT - you made very valid points in your question. As a child I grew up in a household where I was not allowed to go out on Halloween... but now with children of my own, I am forced to think as the parent now. While I understand the reasoning behind Christian parents trying to shelter their children from evil, I also see the child's side where they simply want to go out an get some candy. But we've put some rules with it... we're going to be very selective about how they choose to dress up. I see no need for the violence and evil and these are where we put our foot down. Of course in the end it is up to the parent how they want their child raised. Celebrating Halloween does not make one a servant of the devil any more than celebrating Christmas makes someone a Christian.

Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I'm a catholic. I'm in a youth group, I volunteer, and I don't see anything wrong with Halloween... To some extent. Dressing up like Jesus (disrespectfully; just to get a laugh), a Pregnant nun, or the devil (only a few examples) is where I draw the line. Dressing up like a witch, monster, or whatever the costumes are now seems completely acceptable.

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Originally Posted by classyT

I'm on FB and there is a dicussion going on about Halloween. Personally I just don't get it. I see nothing in the world wrong with it. It may have started as a pagan Holiday but didn't Christmas and Easter also start that way. It is what YOU believe about it.

Yes, most of our holidays are pagan in origin.

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And as far as the satanic roots, am I crazy or didn't Christ's work on the cross put Satan under our feet? The only thing satan can do to the Christian now is accuse him. Lets not forget that Jesus WON the battle.

The Devil can do more than accuse. He can send his minions to tempt, harass and cause division. The work of Christ has given us victory over death. The Devil is not dead or powerless. On this day of the year, the veil between the worlds of death and life are the thinnest. Therefore, on this day more than any other, more spells and rituals are done because they have more effect. This day is more powerful than any other for those of the pagan, wiccan, Satanic persuasion - or as I put it, the left-hand path.

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And last but not least Paul says for the Christian today, whatever is not of faith is sin. I have no issues with Halloween and trick or treating. I did it, my kids did it. It is a cultural thing TODAY. Some say that it is Satan's day. Please EVERYday is Satan day. Am I way off here? What do other Christians think?

My family and I don't "celebrate" Halloween. We let them have basic costumes, but nothing of a violent or bloody nature. Most often, we take them to a church function such as a "fall festival" where they play games and have candy. There is no Biblical commandment against it that I can find. It is completely up to an individual what they do or don't do on this holiday.

Note: in my work against darkness and evil, I find that I have the most problems around this time. So, more often than not, I'm a little too busy "working" as opposed to celebrating. Spirits both "good" and "evil" are more active during this time.

Peace...