Monday, 31 October 2011
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Living Hallowed on an Unhallowed Eve
By DavidIn commenting about Halloween, I’ve heard it said, “the Halloween we see most commonly practiced today is a blend of commercialism (25% of all the candy sold annually in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween) and a dance with evil.”
With “Halloween” here, schools and stores are in full swing with the second largest holiday in the U.S. Some regions in the U.S. barely even celebrate, while others spare no expense to go all out.
If you would like to get a solid background and history on this holiday, please visit History.com.
I agree with their secular accounting on both overarching points:
- The origins are pagan and the holiday has retained much of its origins to this day.
- The church merged with this holiday to an adulterating effect.
How many times did God chasten Israel because she adopted the customs and festivals of her neighbors? I don’t think you need to be a scholar in Old Testament studies to find more than is necessary to make the point that Israel was always finding herself in trouble because she abandoned her holiness by adopting wicked customs and indulging themselves this way with everyone else around her.
Today, Halloween is one of these festivals for the church that has had an unholy effect upon the church.
If you read the history.com account, you’ll recall that Halloween is, essentially “A Hallowed Eve”.
Does the word “hallowed” mean anything to you?
“‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”Matthew 6:9-10
The Lord called the name of God Hallowed… it’s a word to mean “greatly revered and respected as holy” (Oxford Dictionary, 2004-2011).
What do you celebrate when you participate in Halloween?
- Death
- Scary movies
- Monsters
- Sorcery (witches, etc)
- Candy…
- other?
The pagan origins, more often than not, are what are celebrated. Few truly do engage in the customs of remembering the saints-past.
MAGIC V.S. THE GOSPELIn a separate post, entitled “Magic & Sorcery” I briefly recalled to our attention God’s view of “magic” and the supernatural: the Lord equated magic with rebellion. Please take some time to examine that post if you are unsure about how the Christian should feel and relate to “magic” and “sorcery”. God viewed this so severely that in Old Testament it was a crime punishable by death (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27).
We should be reminded that no one is celebrating the gospel on Halloween. Aside from a few (rather cheesy) attempts by “culturally relevant” churches to take advantage of the holiday by throwing hay-rides and other things in which the gospel isn’t preached with power, there is little demonstration of the Holy Spirit on this day.
Halloween uplifts Magic. But does Magic have any power? Well, I actually believe there are demonic forces with power over those who are still living in the flesh- a topic I plan on addressing later- however it lacks the power of the gospel. And what is the power of the gospel?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”
Romans 1:16
Indulging in your fantasies and “losing” yourself in those dreams may be fun, for a short time, however, they are not the things by which you are sanctified. They do not bring an knowledge of the Truth. Neither are they things on which you can stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
But we are ministers of the gospel of God’s Word: with the power to tear down the strongholds of the enemy!
If we have been forewarned that sorcery and divination are like that of rebellion to God, then we must guard ourselves, knowing that it was pride at work in Satan that caused him to rebel against God!
LIVING HALLOWED“27Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”– Philippians 1:27
As brethren of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been redeemed by the gospel of God’s Word, not only for our salvation, but to life (the very opposite of the death that Halloween celebrates).
What is a fitting way for the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ to behave?
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Philippians 4:8
As children of the Light, able to discern, is there anything true in Halloween? What about honorable? What is right in the celebration of death? What is pure about this festival? Is there anything lovely? What about the reputation of Halloween? Is there even anything worthy of praise about the most innocent aspect of Halloween (trick or treating)?
With so many Christians struggling to live a sanctified life, should we encourage one another to celebrate or abstain from Halloween?
“But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.“
1st Thessalonians 5:21-22
Based on these scriptures, should Christians participate in Halloween celebrations and traditions? Should Christians provide alternatives to the typical Halloween celebrations?
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Comments (28)
I've come to respect the power of the spiritual realm. It is better not to give the Enemy's minions any foothold in your life. Nothing good can come from it.
My family doesn't celebrate Halloween, nor do any of our aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. We were taught that Halloween is the devil's holiday. However, I think an alternative is fine. My aunt took her two kids to trunk or treat, as did another one of my relatives. I've never been trunk or treating; all I know is it's when a church has something else that the youngsters can do instead of trick-or-treating.
i agree with this blogger:
http://cantuar.blogspot.com/2011/10/top-ten-ways-to-have-catholic-halloween.htmlIf people observed it as the eve of All Hallows (a.k.a. the Feast of All Saints) then I think they could have a very holy Hallowe'en indeed.
It is not "a hallowed eve" but All-Hallows eve" that is, the evening before All Hallows Day aka All Saints Day. The Scots and Irish took it to America. The English had exchanged it slowly centuries ago for Guy Fawkes Day since his execution by bonfire. Just as questionable a festival.
To use Israel taking on foreign celebrations as an example is false because the basis for American culture is European Christendom, so it is not the adoption of a foreign culture but a continuation in a colonial setting.
It can be argued that the Church should not celebrate anything of questionable content, such as Halloween or Guy Fawkes day. However, the Church has been good at adapting existing culture. Easter eggs for example, a pagan hang-over, can be seen as a symbol of rebirth, new life, which the resurrection signifies amongst other things. What they can do with Halloween is more difficult but to stress the cowering of evil under the new day that follows, All Saints Day. Difficult for Protestants of course, obsessed with the bible as they are.
if Christians shouldn't be celebrating Halloween, they also shouldn't celebrate Easter or Christmas. all of those holidays have pagan roots as well.
I truly feel sorry for the parents who make their kids an outcast in their classroom by not allowing them to participate in a simple, fun day in which you can dress up and get candy. I remember going through K-6 when there always was a Halloween party where kids got candy, got to wear their costumes to school and participate in a community-wide parade. There was one child whose parents refused to allow them to participate, so they sat in the class as the only un-dressed up child, and sticking out at all of the events. Children are cruel, cruel individuals to each other, even if they don't necessarily mean to. A simply "Why aren't you dressed up?" is enough to make a child feel uncomfortable and different, and often times it leads to tears.
Holidays are what you make them out to be, and I'm sure participating in class room events and going trick or treating isn't going to send your child straight into your hell.
It's been a while since I've been in a K-6 school, being that I am a junior in college now, but that poor little girl was miserable at those parties and I would hate to see another child go through that.
Ah, yet another lunatic ranting about how wearing a costume and getting candy is "devil worship". I pity your children.
I can respect a Christian family that chooses to do an alternative at a church, kinda encourage it. There are two sides to the holiday, both which probably aren't very "godly", and both that you mention. Commercialism and the fact that it is the pagan new year. It isn't "devil worship" though, and I think that is a bit disrespectful for anyone to say that. My point being is if you wouldn't let your kid participate in a Hindu holiday, probably wouldn't want them celebrating Halloween. Oh, but they have no idea its a religious holiday for pagans. Okay, then no big deal. Still, you are letting them go around and collect candy and participate in consumer-centric holiday. And consumerism is probably not good either. So yeah, if you are against consumerism and candy gorging, then I understand. But you better carrying that over to Christmas and Easter and stick to all non-pagan traditions (not Easter eggs, no Christmas tree, no Santa Claus). If not, and you are worried about the 'devil-worship', you probably need to chill out. Most children don't even know what Samhain is.
@Lovegrove@xanga - "The English had exchanged it slowly centuries ago for Guy Fawkes Day since his execution by bonfire. Just as questionable a festival."
what? No...we celebrate both over here. And Guy Fawkes has nothing to do with Halloween.
@written_conversations@xanga - You last remarks shows you gave no thought to what I said before getting your oar in the water.
Halloween had been replaced by Guy Fawkes Day for most if not all of England for a couple of centuries until quite recently it began to return. God knows what they celebrate in the backwoods. During my lifetime, Halloween was an American celebration, although I understand the Celtic fringelands do fling a fork or two on the day. Halloween has begun to be celebrated over the last decade or so in England in a big way, but even then, it is aimed at the kiddies rather than young so-called adults as in America.
WOW seriously? It's a freaking opportunity to put on a silly costume and get free candy. That's how I've always seen it. Back in my church days (Episcopalian) we had a church halloween party. I grew up sandwiched between a Catholic church and a convent and BOTH celebrated halloween, the nuns would come to the door to hand out candy and tell us we looked cute. It's an American tradition. There's nothing inherently evil about costumes and candy... Seriously, lighten up people... Christmas is based on pagan traditions too, and I'm sure you all celebrate Christmas...
Calm down, it's just an excuse to get free candy. little kids aren't running around on halloween night thinking about wonderful it is to be worshipping devils they are just wearing an overly priced costume to pilfer peoples overly priced candy.
If it helps you unbunch your panties think of it as a celebration of culture...think about it, kids dress up as movie characters both good and evil, celebrities (both good and evil) and fictional characters from fairy tales and such.
Like posterofagirlxx said, christmas is pagan as well. what cha gunna do about that? Did you know that Jesus was born in spring and they only made christmas in winter to try to cancel out a pagan holiday? what now. exactly.
Is this real?
But, remember, Christmas is totally cool and totally originally Christian.
I'm sorry, but what, exactly, is wrong with celebrating the dead? It's a way of paying respect for those who have passed, which I think too many people don't do.
Also, while commercialization makes all the things you mentioned important during the Halloween "season", I think you're overestimating how seriously people take those things. Is Halloween about trick or treating and amassing candy for little kids? Sure. Would I say people necessarily "celebrate" these things? No. To me, celebrating something means honoring it by throwing a big event. I don't think we're exactly honoring candy, and I doubt most take into consideration the pagan origins.
If you don't believe in participating in the Halloween festivities, then don't. But I have a problem with people telling others not to (not saying that you are). Not all of our national holidays should be associated with Christianity, because not all of America is Christian.
I get your argument, but if you're going to follow it to it's logical conclusion, then you need to realize that lots of other Christian festivals were merged with Pagan celebrations in an effort to get the Pagans to swallow Christianity more readily.
Christmas and Easter come to mind.
My family was one of those who didn't allow dressing up and trick-or-treating. I do get disallowing Ouija boards and things like that- that, I understand. But pretending to be a princess and walking around the neighborhood getting treats? That, I don't get. I should say, I don't get why it's wrong.
@Ancient_Scribe@xanga - exactly. Happy All Saint's day!
@beautifullymindedx@xanga - So true
My parents always said Halloween was evil, and I was never allowed to participate. I feel like I missed out. To the kids, it's not celebrating a devil holiday. It's just about getting free candy and playing dress up. It's fun, not devil's worship.
@beautifullymindedx@xanga - my niece once had a "zoo day" at her pre k last year and they were to dress up as zoo animals and one of her friends parents forgot his costume and he was sobbing, so she takes off her little leopard ears and tail and says "If Colin isn't dressing up, neither am I". It made me tear up. I asked her if anyone was upset she didn't dress up. She said "some of my friends asked, but I just told them I didn't feel like it".
Saturnalia
@Lovegrove@xanga - "Halloween had been replaced by Guy Fawkes Day for most if not all of England for a couple of centuries until quite recently it began to return"
But it hasn't replaced anything because the two aren't remotely connected. We might not have celebrated Halloween much, but that has absolutely nothing to do with Guy Fawkes and bonfire night. The two events have nothing to do with each other.
@written_conversations@xanga - There is less than a week between the celebrations. Guy Fawkes became the patriotic thing to do and became more important than the previous tradition. As celebrations, they were not connected. It was just that the new replaced the old. Two celebrations in one week was too much I suppose. It may be that Hallowen became more associated in the minds of the English with Catholicism during that long sectarian turmoil of those centuries. After all, it was a Catholic plot to blow up Parliament and as said, Guy Fawkes Day was a patriotic expression of loyalty to England, the Protestant faith and the Crown. What was all that stuff about demons in comparison to that? The turmoil of the times led within less that four decades after the execution of Guy Fawkes to the English Civil War in which 1 in 10 of English males died and a large percentage of the Irish population, both protestant and catholic..
So, the one did replace the other in importance as an expression of loyalty as said. That they had nothing in common except a brief separation of time, is true but irrelevant.
So, we should stop celebrating Christmas, and Easter as well, right? As both of those were originally pagan holidays as well.
The pagans were here first, the Christians adapted their own holidays into the ones that were already there.