I don't use this word often, but I HATE halloween. I hate everything it stands for, why it's celebrated...HATE. It's an evil holiday and I honestly don't think people, especially those who aren't believers realize the spiritual warfare and power that is all apart of this day.
So, I write this post with no heart of offending or casting judgement, but a new challenge for believers...something to ponder because it says in the Word that as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (my own paraphrase)
As a child we didn't acknowledge that the holiday of halloween even existed - no trick or treating, no harvest parties at church that night - there was no acknowledgment of it. This is obviously where a lot of my example came from and now that I have children I wonder what I'm speaking to my them regarding this day? As a believer I want to be different from the world - set apart. Why then would I be apart of celebrating a most evil holiday? I know some might not think they are celebrating it, but just having fun & getting candy, but I feel that by taking part in this day we are saying that it exists & I guess I'm taking a stand against that. I know some might think I'm ridiculous & so petty...hey, kids are just dressing up and getting candy, having fun...harmless, right?! But I think, isn't that how the enemy works? Sneaking into things that seem harmless and especially going after our children...thinking it's ok to participate in such a worldly, evil day.
As a believer I feel it's time to take a stand! It's not a judgement or a "I'm holier than you"...it's just saying that I want to be like Jesus! I honestly don't think that the Lord would want us to partake in any form of participation in this day. This day is such a huge ordeal with the demonic and evil community and I don't want any part of it...just look at some of the costumes..it's evil.
Again, this is a personal conviction that we have in our family & I don't wish to cast judgement on you, but to challenge us all in being different from the world...set apart for Him. Yes, I might come across as offensive and for that I'm sorry & it's not my heart intention...but I challenge you in this to see what the Holy Spirit might be doing in your heart.
7 comments:
Way to go, Earen!! I know we've talked about this before in our posts, but I believe that Christians sometimes focus TOO much on not offending, and don't take the stand that we need to be taking. So good for you, taking a stand!
Jennifer (Gathering Grace) did a post on Reformation Day recently, and from reading her comments on the post, I can tell that this is a hot topic for Christian families.
This is is a struggle in my family. Considering my background, and things I've seen, I have strong feelings about this holiday too (and all things related in any way to the occult). My family thinks that there are ways to celebrate without taking part in the 'bad' stuff of the holiday. I don't know. It's something we're prayerfully considering right now. Both sides of our family (mine, and Andy's)make a fairly big deal out of Halloween- the costumes, the candy, the decorating. To not participate would be totally different from how Andy was brought up. Becca already gets excited about dressing up, just from listening to her 'nana' talking about how much fun it is.
Anyway...this is definitely something to pray about, for us. And I agree with what you're saying. I'm proud of you for standing up for your faith, and I admire your courage. :)
Earen,
I am in total agreement. I do NOT think that Jesus would celebrate Halloween. Why would He want to celebrate the dead (He died so that we could live!) and evil (He died to overcome it!).
My church back home has a Harvest Festival, and I always thought that was a nice alternative. Evil or scary costumes are not permitted, and the kids have a great time playing Bible based games and getting candy. It was also a great outreach tool because it was a well-known event and many parents who weren't believers would come with their kids. Who knows how many of them found their way to Christ through that one evening that the Devil meant for evil?
I am concerned about this in my own life. My husband of 5 months celebrates the holiday with his daughter, but I am praying with everything in me that when we have kids he will not want to participate anymore.
Thanks for your post.
Earen,
We too did not celebrate Halloween at all. We did not participate in any kind of alternatives either. However, last year the Holy Spirit began speaking through our thoughts on this Holiday and its celebration. It's difficult to take a stand---legalism is easy and grace gets messy, as long as you and your family are following convictions from the Lord----stand strong!
Yes, for 11 years we did not celebrate Halloween. It was easy to avoid the issue living in Japan where the holiday was not even celebrated. (although on the military base you could not escape the holiday.There were costumes, candy, decorations, trick or treating etc.)We chose not to participate in any alternative at our church too.
However, over the years the holiday has crept into the Japanese society as well. You saw more and more of the candy and decorations. However, two years ago a group of Japanese children appeared on our doorstep begging for candy. How did we explain to them that we were Americans who did not participate in the holiday and it's activities? We already are looked upon as strange since we are foreigners living in Japan, not to mention all the "extra" children we have. :)The Holy Spirit started speaking in me about why we chose to retreat on this holiday. Then He started speaking to my husband on the issue. Since Halloween has now found us here in Japan, we have prayerfully considered how and why to participate in the holiday. As Christian neighbors, we want to always be the neighbors where the light is always on in a dark world. This is a day where most of my reserved, and often distant neighbors come out to celebrate a holiday that they no nothing about. There isn't anything inherently evil about candy in and of itself. So, last year was the first year we participated in the holiday. This year was the first year we carved pumpkins. (we look forward to sharing the analogy with our neighbors next year as we carve) We now use this day to share our lives with our neighbors. So, that is our journey in a nutshell. It may be different in a few years if and when we move stateside, I dunno. It's kind of like our conviction with Homeschooling---b/c of the journey the Lord has used in that area we are sensitive to those who do or do not homeschool. Each family is unique and where Scripture is silent, it is best to stand strong on the convictions the Lord has placed on our own families. He can use these opportunities for us to share the work Christ has done in our lives. Like I said earlier, legalism is easy and grace gets messy. if someone would have asked me two years ago----I would have never thought the Lord would have changed our hearts on an issue that we had already settled. May we always be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I encourage your stance on the holiday if that is where the Lord is speaking to you and your family. Remain obedient to Him and not others. :) Thanks for asking Earen!
While I too "hate" halloween, we have gone to (and now I organize) our church's Harvest Fair for the past 5 years. There is candy, bounce houses, kids dress up, chili cookoffs, cake walks, etc. It is God-focused and we have a kid's evangelism story room. It is a great outreach to our community and we've had many families begin to attend our church as a result.
We don't take part in the holiday in any other way than that. I really don't like trick-or-treating or anything scary at all. I had to go to a costume store today for our fair to look for face paint and it was such a weird place; I totally hated being there.
Both my husband and I grew up in strong Christian homes, but we grew up trick-or-treating too. It wasn't a big deal, I guess, to our parents. I guess what we've decided as a family is that we don't like the evil stuff associated with it. We'll let our kids participate in safe alternative activities (one's they now have begun to look forward to each year).
Hmmm. Here are my thoughts. As a child, I was not allowed to participate in Halloween and whether that was a good thing or not I felt like I missed out.
So, we have allowed our kids to participate. We actually get our group of friends together (many of whom you know from the blog) to have a fun night together. This is the second year the group has come to our house. We have dinner, enjoy seeing all of the kids costumes and then as a group (including all of the adults...but we are not in costumes) go trick or treating to a few houses. After that we come back to the house and enjoy some hot chocolate, apple cider, etc. to warm up. It is a delightful evening.
I see and hear your point. And as the children get older and start to understand and "get" some of the evil scary stuff we may reevaluate. If not, then it will certainly be a teaching point.
Oh, one more thing...my church took a different approach this year as well. In the past we have had a fall festival. But this year we are doing "candy evangelism". They gave us candy with stickers on the back with information about our church. I thought it was a wonderful idea. I mean, what other time of year do you have the mission field coming directly to your door?
Just my thoughts. Thanks for sharing your heart on this, Earen.
I think it is great that you felt that you could share your thoughts here...and felt convicted to do so. Though I disagree with you on this topic and the conclusions you've come to, I very much respect that you used this forum to express your thoughts, and that you didn't back down from your convictions! It's one of the reasons that I love reading your blog. I know I will always read exactly what you feel about something!
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