My husband owns a radio station and he has various church broadcasts on on Sunday mornings. This morning I listened to a half an hour sermon by somebody from a church called Grace Bible Church. I'm usually getting ready for Mass on Sunday's when this guy comes on, so I hear him almost every Sunday, and I generally enjoy what he has to say. Today he talked against Halloween for a full 30 minutes. I was already aware of the history behind Halloween---that it has a Pagan origin, etc. Anyway, much of what this preacher said made sense. He said that Christ delivered us from darkness, and that when we celebrate Halloween, which is a Satanic holiday, we are regressing back into the darkness,etc. It was all pretty convincing. BUT....to just quit with Halloween? Pretty difficult. It's EVERYWHERE!!

I must admit. I really enjoy Halloween. I've always loved monster movies, etc. and all the lore associated with Halloween.

What do you all think? Is it wrong for Christians to celebrate Halloween??

Anne

This is one of those questions that rolls around every year. Children put on masks and costumes. Sometimes they dress up as ghosts. Sometimes they go as devils or some other favorite monster. Sometimes they even go so far as to wear a Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton mask (now THAT's scary!).

I'm reminded of the Buddhist monks in Tibet who, before starting a new construction, will sift through the dirt by hand in a slow, laborious process to remove all the worms or other creatures they can find so that they do them no harm. Different strokes. Is this sort of behavior really possible or desirable among people of good faith? Must we shy away from eating devil's food cake or from buying Red Devil brand fireworks for the Fourth of July? No more use of witch hazel for insect bites? No more Casper the Friendly Ghost (one of my favorites as a kid)?

My point is to use common sense with a dash of good humor and fun. There are plenty of more important things to be concerned with then to put Halloween on the front burner. IMHO.

Halloween.... I too like this holiday, perhaps out of frustration that I was never able to go trick or treating as a child. Somehow, I always managed to get sick - not one or two halloweens but every single one and had to be content with the candy my sister gathered for me. At that point in time it was more about getting candy than anything else... for me at least.
Perhaps, Halloween turns ugly when it is taken from the child perspective and into the adult perspective... from illusion to reality. I must agree with Brad... common sense and humor... and the remembrance that Halloween is no longer what it used to be.... at least not for me.

I found this linkOn Halloween which has some other interesting links you might want to visit.

This is, as Anne noted, one of those feasts which Evangelical/Fundamentalist types like to denounce because of its pagan origins. Some also like to denounce Christmas on December 25 for the same reason.

My view on this is that some of these feast days were co-opted by the Church in the spirit of, "If you can't lick 'em, join 'em." A big problem in the early years of Christianity--from the Church's viewpoint, at least, which wasn't very politically correct, I'm afraid --was with Christians hanging on to some of their favorite mythologies, rituals, and celebrations. No problem, of course, if it's about celebrating a birthday or something like that, but some of them were very religious in nature--even superstitious (from the Church's point of view). So, if you can't stop them from celebrating the Feast of the Sun, let it also be the feast of the birth of the Son, who brings true Light into the world. And if you can't stop them from indulging in their spooky rituals concerning the dead, set the Feasts of All Saints (All Hallows) and All Souls days at those times. Halloween as the eve of All Hallows was already a Wiccan feast day, which accounts for people dressing up like witches and some of the other symbolism. In Christianity, some of this became transformed in different cultures to a feast day where one's scary dress was intended to frighten away the devil from the souls of the dead. Lots of other practices are described on those links.

No need to buy into what the fundamentalists say about this. In fact, in our Church parish, the Pastor encourages kids to come to Church in their costumes around Halloween. (How's that for an "in your face" to the fundamentalists?) He uses the occasion to tell them about All Saints and All Souls days and about how this is celebrated in various cultures around the world. Brilliant, I think.

I miss having small kids to take around the neighborhood--did so for years and years. I was always given a "cut" of their candy, which was always welcomed by my interminably unsatisfied sweet tooth. We do like kids to come over, and sometimes I dress up or even appear out of the bushes to give them a thrill. It's a fun time!

Phil

Thanks to all of you for responding. I've taught religion to kindergarten children for years, and some of the textbooks have even
had a lesson for Halloween, with the emphasis
on *sharing* for all involved---the children
share their costumes, the neighbors share their treats, the parents share in the fun, etc.

Many textbooks have a lesson on All Saints Day giving young children an introduction to the Saints. I try to explain to the kids how the two are related, and I've given them bits a pieces of the history behind it all, which I always found quite interesting.

And....thanks for the link Phil.

BTW....what exactly do we mean when we label someone a "fundamentalist?" As I've said, I've listened to this preacher nearly every Sunday, and I'm not sure I would have called him that, but in this case he sure fits the bill. Can you give me a basic definition for "fundamentalist"?

Also, I'd like to add that it feels really
good to be communicating with people about
Christian issues again. I've missed the support that I feel from groups like these.

And, Phil, I see what you mean about being
better able to keep track of a thread.

Thanks for steering me back here.

Anne

BTW....what exactly do we mean when we label someone a "fundamentalist?"

The term was coined around the turn of the 20th Century in reference to a reaction in Christianity to liberal tendencies that had been developing in Christian theology and biblical interpretation. A group of teachers from the Moody Biblical Institute published a series of articles entitled "The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth," emphasizing literal interpretation of the Bible, the physical resurrection of Jesus, the virgin birth, and a few other things. The tracts caught on, and those who adhered to them were known as "Fundamentalists." In time, the term came to be used in reference to anyone in any religion who emphasized a literal interpretation of Scripture. They tend to be very conservative in their theology and politics, and are also generally very selective about what they interpret literally, btw.

I do enjoy listening to them on the radio and tv sometimes, however. There is no doubting the strength and conviction of their faith, and their love of the Bible. As you might guess, however, I have quite a few disagreements with some of their interpretations of Scripture, and don't much like their anti-Catholic slant on things--hence the book I wrote on this years ago.

Phil