|
||
|
Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? |
||
|
An Introduction by the Christian Research Institute...CRI
A myriad of questions
have been raised about Halloween. Should Christians participate in Halloween?
What should our attitude be towards Halloween? Should we simply ignore it?
Should we vigorously attack it? Or should we, as Christians, find ways in which
to accommodate it?
Before offering some
suggestions on how we as Christians might best relate to Halloween, I think it
would be appropriate to first consider the pagan origin of Halloween.
The celebration of
Halloween, also known as the witches’ new year, is rooted in the ancient pagan
calendar which divided the year into Summer and Winter by two fire festivals.
Before the birth of Christ, the day we know as Halloween was part of the Celtic
Feast of Samhain (sah–ween). This feast was a celebration of Druid priests from
Britain and France and commemorated the beginning of Winter. It was a night on
which the veil between the present world and the world beyond was pierced. The
festivals were marked by animal sacrifices, offerings to the dead, and bonfires
in recognition of departed souls. It was believed that on this night demons,
witches, hobgoblins, and elves were released en masse to harass and to oppress
the living. For self-preservation many Druids would dress up as witches, devils,
and ghouls, and would even involve themselves in demonic activities and thus
make themselves immune from attack.
In direct response to
this pagan tradition, the early Christian church moved a festive celebration
called All Saints’ Day from May to November 1 and renamed it All Hallows’ Eve,
from which we get the word Halloween. This was an overt attempt on the part of
believers to infiltrate pagan tradition with the truth of the gospel.
It was a bold
evangelistic move designed to demonstrate that only the power of the resurrected
Christ could protect men and women from the destructive ploys of Satan and his
minions. This was a time in which they boldly proclaimed the marvelous fact of
the resurrection and the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Believers in
post-Christian America today should do no less. Halloween can be for us, like
the early Christian church, an open door for evangelism. The deception of
Halloween, with its witches, demons, skeletons, and allusions to death, can
become a powerful springboard to demonstrate the dramatic power of Christ to
redeem us from death, to fill us with His Spirit, and to give our lives meaning,
purpose, and direction.
There are three specific
things which I would suggest that you and your family plan for next Halloween:
First of all, I would use Halloween as an opportunity to communicate to your
children, your family members, and your friends that although death and the
grave are very real, we are more than conquerors over the powers of darkness
through Jesus Christ.
Second, this is an
appropriate time to consider the saints who have gone on before us — those loved
ones who make the thought of heaven sweet. Even now my mind goes back to
precious moments of days spent with Walter Martin. When I think of heaven, I
think not only of what it will be like to meet Jesus Christ, but I think of what
it will be like to be reunited with this marvelous saint who has had such a
significant impact not only on my life but the lives of countless others as
well. This is also a great opportunity to share with my children the life of a
saintly grandmother who prayed earnestly for me night after night while I was
engulfed in a life of sin. Although she is no longer with us, the answers to her
prayers live on.
Christians, this is not a
time to look the other way as we do so often when passing by a graveyard.
Halloween is not a time for avoidance; this is an opportunity, so seize the
moment! Death, demons, pain, and suffering are real in a cursed creation. All of
us have to struggle with it, and so will our children. This is not a time for
glib and superficial answers — this is a time to build intimate and lasting
relationships with those whom God has entrusted to our care. This is the time to
reach them and to nurture them in the rich traditions of the Christian faith.
Let your children know that Satan is not a character dressed in a red union suit
with horns and a pitchfork; instead, he is a very real and powerful adversary
whose goal is to steal, kill, and destroy.
Finally, let me suggest
that this would be a time to share some of the great classics of the Christian
faith with your children. Perhaps you could curl up on the floor with them
before a roaring fire and read to them from Pilgrim’s Progress, or from
C. S. Lewis’s masterful work The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Yes, this is not a time to curse the darkness, but a time to light a candle. If we are indeed serious about making an impact on a lost and dying world, Halloween represents not just satanic oppression but a strategic opportunity. To view the PDF of this article, click here. http://www.equip.org/articles/halloween-for-christians-oppression-or-opportunity My Thoughts: I have struggled with the celebration of Halloween for years. When I was younger I did celebrate Halloween and go trick or treating and to parties as a young adult. As I became older I felt this uncomfortable feeling of celebrating this holiday. Sometimes I wouldn't have anything to do with it and other times I went to my friends Halloween party. I did not let my children go trick or treating, and after a while we eventually stopped turning our porch light on and receiving visitors. All I can say at the moment is that I don't like the pagan origins, but everyday on the calendar is a day that God has made. Let's take back the day for His glory and overcome darkness with light! January 11, 2010
|
||
|
