# Halloween?



## Ryan&Amber2013 (Aug 31, 2018)

This year, I'm pretty confused as to how we are going to approach the fall and Halloween. To be honest, there is something about that time of year that really makes me happy. I think it reminds me of the fun innocent memories I have of being a child and participating in the things of the season. An old spooky cartoon, a fun ghost story, wearing orange and black, taking the kids out to get candy, the black cats and spider webs, etc. Is it wrong to innocently enjoy those things with a childlike heart? Or should they be avoided all together?

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## Afterthought (Sep 1, 2018)

Different people on this board will come up with different answers. I don't agree with enjoying Halloween, and I think Dr. Steven Dilday gives some good brief reasons. Here they are for people to examine for themselves: https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1027141441529

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## Jack K (Sep 1, 2018)

I grew up in a culture that has strong connections to the occult. Mainstream American Halloween is quite different from that.

In most communities in America, with most people we encounter, I think it is possible to join in much of the neighborly fun, selectively, without celebrating the powers of evil. If you find that to be true for you, I think you can participate with care and be a good Christian witness in the process. But if your conscience tells you otherwise, you should refrain, of course.

Reactions: Like 4 | Amen 1


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## NaphtaliPress (Sep 1, 2018)

Customs can become a 'thing'; that's how we got the superstitious and idolatrous so called 'christian' calendar. It's only been the last couple of decades I've seen this Reformation day 'celebration' and it may well follow the same pattern. I would be far happier with Christians individually pursuing any specific use of this time than the church institutionalizing it; that paces those with a conscience about such things at odds with a formal use of the time.

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## Scott Bushey (Sep 1, 2018)

As Chris mentioned, if anything, 'Reformation Day'....thats a digression as well as the church calendar does not even acknowledge that day. Not to toot my own horn or be the proverbial stick in the mud, but over time, I have learned to sift away most celebrations. It is my wife's bday tomorrow, we are celebrating that. I don't celebrate any day, not even my own birthday.

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## SolaScriptura (Sep 1, 2018)

All my life I've heard that participating in Halloween affords evangelistic opportunity. Not really, quit kidding yourself. And even if a drop of evangelistic opportunity can be wrung from it: so what? Evangelism is not our idol. Not participating in pagan (or even quasi pagan) celebrations is more important. 

If you're going to celebrate, celebrate a real historic event: the Reformation. I celebrate Reformation Day because as a matter of historic fact, on Oct 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses... Reformation Day is essentially the "4th of July" of the Church. I don't celebrate it as a Halloween alternative, but we have an honest to goodness party!

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## C. M. Sheffield (Sep 1, 2018)

The implications of this passage are exceedingly broad, but I believe one appropriate application is with regards to believers and their participation in celebrations like Halloween—

“What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in _them_; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean _thing._”—2 Cor. 6:14-17​

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## jwithnell (Sep 1, 2018)

Celebrate death? The macabre? Superstitious views of graves and life after death? What's the point?

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## C. Matthew McMahon (Sep 1, 2018)

_The Way of the Heathen: A Brief Survey of Halloween: Should Christian celebrate a day that honors things that are cold, dark and dead?_

“After one’s own birthday, the two major Satanic holidays are Walpurgisnacht (May 1st) and Halloween.” _The Satanic Bible, _by Anton Levey, Page 96, Segment on Religious Holidays

“Learn not the way of the heathen,” Jeremiah 10:2

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## C. Matthew McMahon (Sep 1, 2018)

Learn Not the Way if the Heathen MP3


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## Ryan&Amber2013 (Sep 1, 2018)

C. Matthew McMahon said:


> _The Way of the Heathen: A Brief Survey of Halloween: Should Christian celebrate a day that honors things that are cold, dark and dead?_
> 
> “After one’s own birthday, the two major Satanic holidays are Walpurgisnacht (May 1st) and Halloween.” _The Satanic Bible, _by Anton Levey, Page 96, Segment on Religious Holidays
> 
> “Learn not the way of the heathen,” Jeremiah 10:2


Lol, am I reading this right? A person's birthday is a satanic holiday?

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## C. M. Sheffield (Sep 1, 2018)

Ryan&Amber2013 said:


> Lol, am I reading this right? A person's birthday is a satanic holiday?



From a Satanist perspective it makes sense—"Let's celebrate... ME!"


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## C. Matthew McMahon (Sep 1, 2018)

Ryan&Amber2013 said:


> Lol, am I reading this right? A person's birthday is a satanic holiday?



...according to LeVey's _Satanic Bible_.


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## Scott Bushey (Sep 1, 2018)

I believe the Jehovah's Witnesses think the same way about bdays.....they don't celebrate them.

*For clarity: We are celebrating my wife's bday today, never on the LD!


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## SolaScriptura (Sep 1, 2018)

Scott Bushey said:


> We are celebrating my wife's bday today, never on the LD!



That's what we do with birthdays and Father's Day & Mother's Day. To be sure, if the birthday is ON a Sunday we don't pretend it's not their birthday: we'll say "happy birthday," but the celebration and "special treatment" is not done on Sunday and is instead allowed to be done on either Saturday or Monday...

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## Ben Zartman (Sep 1, 2018)

Surely this has been mentioned in other places, but perhaps the strongest evangelistic strategy around pagan holidays is to purposefully ignore them. Plenty of people notice my family ignoring the imbecile goings-on surrounding Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, father's, mother's, president's, Independence, and all other nonsense days, and most of them know why (I'm usually happy to fill them in if they've never asked before).
I have enough on my plate trying to decently celebrate God's 52 feast days every year, without trying to add a whole bunch more. What God has appointed is enough for me.

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## Timotheos (Sep 1, 2018)

Ryan&Amber2013 said:


> Lol, am I reading this right? A person's birthday is a satanic holiday?


The Satanic church is really the church of hedonism.


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## bookslover (Sep 1, 2018)

My late grandmother would save up pennies all year. Then, at Halloween, she'd give two pennies to each child instead of candy.

Today, the kids would probably set fire to your car if you tried to give them two cents! LOL

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## Jack K (Sep 1, 2018)

C. Matthew McMahon said:


> “After one’s own birthday, the two major Satanic holidays are Walpurgisnacht (May 1st) and Halloween.” _The Satanic Bible, _by Anton Levey, Page 96, Segment on Religious Holidays



Yeah, but if we were to suggest that those days belong to the satanists, I think we'd be giving them too much credit.

I don't think of birthdays as satanic just because satanists have co-opted them and use them in an evil way. Most of us have many associations come to mind when we think of a birthday, and satanism is low on that list (if it comes to mind at all).

Likewise, May Day is a popular cultural festival in many places, and few people readily associate it with satanism. And in the same way, although Halloween surely comes closer to being inherently satanic, most Americans associate it mainly with activities other than satanic rituals.

As Christians, we should always be discerning in how we take part in cultural festivals—if we decide it's wise to take part at all. But it would be a big stretch to think birthdays or May Day equal satanism in this country. In the same way, it feels like it would be a stretch even to say that Halloween belongs to the satanists. My neighbors, at least, would surely tell me it's not what they're thinking about.

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## Ryan&Amber2013 (Sep 1, 2018)

Jack K said:


> I grew up in a culture that has strong connections to the occult. Mainstream American Halloween is quite different from that.
> 
> In most communities in America, with most people we encounter, I think it is possible to join in much of the neighborly fun, selectively, without celebrating the powers of evil. If you find that to be true for you, I think you can participate with care and be a good Christian witness in the process. But if your conscience tells you otherwise, you should refrain, of course.


So, in your own opinion, would you say it's fine to watch something like Goosebumps around Halloween time? I'm trying to figure out where to draw the line. Like would it be weird if a Christian were wearing a Charlie Brown Halloween t-shirt with them dressed up as ghosts with sheets over themselves? You know how it's innocent and fun stuff, but at the same time you want to be careful and you don't want take part in anything dark and against the Lord.






https://goo.gl/images/DyB3GR


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## PaulCLawton (Sep 1, 2018)

This point has already been made by Ben Zartman above, but if one wants to make allowances for celebrating Halloween for evangelistic reasons, _not_ celebrating the holiday may very well provide a better opportunity: I can't count the number of times I am asked what my children will "be" for Halloween, not to mention the number of times they themselves are asked. Furthermore, as the period of adolescence in our culture extends ever further (nearly to middle age), more and more adults who really should know better dress up as well; providing the adult Christian an opportunity (albeit in a very small way) through conversation to explain that our priorities and outlook on life are very different.

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## VictorBravo (Sep 1, 2018)

Ryan&Amber2013 said:


> Lol, am I reading this right? A person's birthday is a satanic holiday?



Birthdays are in Scripture. In Gen 40, Pharaoh had a birthday. In Mat. 14, Herod had a birthday.

Of course, the parties in both cases were pretty grim for some of the "guests."

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Southern Presbyterian (Sep 1, 2018)

*Moderation*

This thread will reopen after the Lord's Day.


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## deleteduser99 (Sep 3, 2018)

Grant Jones said:


> Another idea we have done.... Halloween is the one night a year hundreds of people (potentially) come to your doorstep. So another example I have done is to pass out candy along with a church flyer that invites the family to Church with the meeting time info/details. Often times parents are with the kids, so you can hand the flyer to the parents directly.



Alike so?





Of course, you are talking about putting candy with said tract.

My issue with Halloween is the attempt to mock the curse of God—death. Because of our sin we deserve to be cut off from every good thing, and be punished forever, because such a holy and good God has been offended. Seems like it would be in some measure breaking the Third Commandment. Death is an act of justice, and you don’t deal with God’s justice by mockery. I feel the same about the Mexican Día del Muerto.


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## Smeagol (Sep 3, 2018)

Harley said:


> Alike so?
> 
> View attachment 5730


Said Tract?....No I did not say gospel tract (hard to come by a good one). That is another can of worms. Also, I would like to avoid using memes that *misrepresent* another persons take on the matter.

I do not think my position (outlined on this thread) in any way mocks death. To be clear I am not advocating for a mockery of death. Though some may do this on this cultural holiday, I too would see this as sinful.

For Clarity: Many times the parents come to my doorstep as well. So I would give their kids candy and then give the parents a church card for example.


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## Scott Bushey (Sep 3, 2018)

My suggestion is to not partake of anything that is an antithesis of our faith. Safer for us.
Isaiah 5:20
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!


*5* Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 3 But hfornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now _are ye_ light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit _is_ in all goodness and righteousness and truth 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove _them_. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. 14 Wherefore he saith, lAwake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. 15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 

_The Holy Bible: King James Version_, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Eph 5.


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## RamistThomist (Sep 3, 2018)

Even though some don't believe in really supernatural spiritual warfare, Satanists do. Make sure you lock up your dogs and cats during this time of year.


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## Ryan&Amber2013 (Sep 3, 2018)

BayouHuguenot said:


> Even though some don't believe in really supernatural spiritual warfare, Satanists do. Make sure you lock up your dogs and cats during this time of year.


This is true, when we went to adopt our cat, they said they freeze the adoptions of pure cats (all black, or all white) during certain holidays, because people will sacrifice them.

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## Tom Hart (Sep 3, 2018)

Ryan&Amber2013 said:


> This is true, when we went to adopt our cat, they said they freeze the adoptions of pure cats (all black, or all white) during certain holidays, because people will sacrifice them.



Why sacrifice a cat, though? It really ought to be an unblemished white horse.


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## Jack K (Sep 3, 2018)

Ryan&Amber2013 said:


> So, in your own opinion, would you say it's fine to watch something like Goosebumps around Halloween time? I'm trying to figure out where to draw the line. Like would it be weird if a Christian were wearing a Charlie Brown Halloween t-shirt with them dressed up as ghosts with sheets over themselves? You know how it's innocent and fun stuff, but at the same time you want to be careful and you don't want take part in anything dark and against the Lord.



I avoid initiating anything that celebrates death, ghosts, or especially witchcraft. Admittedly, that's a good chunk of Halloween. But it still leaves dressing up in other kinds of costumes, sharing treats with children, and most of the games at your typical family festival. And if someone else initiates the spooky stuff, I refrain from scolding them. A kid dressed as a witch who rings my doorbell gets a treat just like any other kid would, but my own kids never wore such costumes.

If you were wearing a Charlie-Brown-as-a-ghost shirt, I would chalk it up to your sensibilities being a bit different from mine and I would not think much of it, even though I probably wouldn't choose that shirt myself. I don't know for sure about_ Goosebumps_, since I've never seen that movie, but I generally stay away from entertaining myself with spooky stuff.

I try to embrace what is good (neighborliness, hospitality, Reese’s peanut butter cups) while refraining from what is bad (celebration of witchcraft). For me, that has mostly meant turning on the porchlight and having a big bag of candy ready. We enjoy a fun evening with our neighbors and their kids who, in my neighborhood, most often show up as princesses and football players rather than as vampires and goblins.

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## Ryan&Amber2013 (Sep 5, 2018)

So, for the majority of people, what makes us as humans to be so intrigued with darkness, death, gore, monsters, horror, demons, etc.? A large portion of Halloween celebrations are very dark and frightening. I wonder why this is appealing and fun to us, when none of us would actually want the reality of it.


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## Ben Zartman (Sep 6, 2018)

Ryan&Amber2013 said:


> So, for the majority of people, what makes us as humans to be so intrigued with darkness, death, gore, monsters, horror, demons, etc.? A large portion of Halloween celebrations are very dark and frightening. I wonder why this is appealing and fun to us, when none of us would actually want the reality of it.


"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Gen. 6:5
It's because of the fall. Every aspect of humanity was affected by it.


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## TylerRay (Sep 6, 2018)

Ryan&Amber2013 said:


> This year, I'm pretty confused as to how we are going to approach the fall and Halloween. To be honest, there is something about that time of year that really makes me happy. I think it reminds me of the fun innocent memories I have of being a child and participating in the things of the season. An old spooky cartoon, a fun ghost story, wearing orange and black, taking the kids out to get candy, the black cats and spider webs, etc. Is it wrong to innocently enjoy those things with a childlike heart? Or should they be avoided all together?


I think we should go back to some basic principles of our existence as God's creatures in a fallen world here.

God created all things good. There was no death or corruption in God's creation. When man fell, death and corruption (gore, etc.) entered in. The celebration of the macabre is a glorification of the corruptions of the fall.

Why don't we make games out of abortion? How about necrophilia? Cannibalism? These are all examples of the macabre that are rightly repulsive to us. Why try and dip our toes into water that we would never dare to swim in by making games out of less repulsive representations of death?

When I was a teenager, I used to listen to a band called The Misfits. They were all about the macabre, and they _did_ go so far as to celebrate necrophilia, cannibalism, and infanticide. They made an absolute game out of it. And, yes, one of their most popular songs is called Halloween (it even speaks of impaled cats, a subject that has been mentioned on this thread). I would argue that they're just carrying out a Halloween-esque obsession with the macabre to its logical extent.

So, think about what it is that you're desiring to celebrate. Does it accord with what God called good when he finished is creation? Or are you trying to make something fun out of the principle of corruption that entered in after the fall?

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## Ryan&Amber2013 (Sep 6, 2018)

TylerRay said:


> I think we should go back to some basic principles of our existence as God's creatures in a fallen world here.
> 
> God created all things good. There was no death or corruption in God's creation. When man fell, death and corruption (gore, etc.) entered in. The celebration of the macabre is a glorification of the corruptions of the fall.
> 
> ...


Excellent point, Tyler. Right at the heart of the issue.


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## Physeter (Oct 1, 2018)

Not a fan of Halloween at all because its focus is macabre. My church has a harvest festival in November to thank God for the crops being brought instead of Halloween. There's no costumes. There's plenty of food and treats for the kids. We have hay rides for the kids and we roast marshmallows over a campfire.

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## hammondjones (Oct 2, 2018)

I see that almost every point I'd make is already made. Summary: We don't do it, or substitute for it. It is a nullity for us.



Spoiler: Rationale



My wife and I grew up in Africa (separately), and lived in S. America (together), where we saw actual sacrifices to Satan. Nothing like going to the market and turning down the witchcraft aisle and seeing a bunch of dried llama fetuses, ready for burning with incense. We know that the spiritual realm is real, and we don't like to play with it. Granted, American Halloween might have been invented by Hallmark, but it still plays on the pagan for it's caché. Not to mention that Halloween is a huge for drinking. Princess costumes are cute, but in this case, I wonder what light has to do with this darkness, even pretended, playful darkness.


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## VictorBravo (Oct 2, 2018)

Ryan&Amber2013 said:


> I wonder why this is appealing and fun to us, when none of us would actually want the reality of it.



Like Brandon, I think most of it has been said. But the why question caused me to think of a simple Proverb--8:36: "those who hate me love death."

Isn't that the essence of it all? Without God's grace we have no faith, and without faith we are, by nature, haters of God.


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Oct 3, 2018)

This crossed my desk this morning:

https://calvinistinternational.com/2018/10/03/what-should-christians-think-about-halloween/

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## Ryan&Amber2013 (Oct 3, 2018)

Ask Mr. Religion said:


> This crossed my desk this morning:
> 
> https://calvinistinternational.com/2018/10/03/what-should-christians-think-about-halloween/


Excellent. Thanks Patrick!


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## jwithnell (Oct 4, 2018)

I don't want my kids to call evil good. We do, however, take November 1 as a school holiday, eat deeply discounted candy, and watch wholesome movies


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## Ryan&Amber2013 (Oct 4, 2018)

jwithnell said:


> I don't want my kids to call evil good. We do, however, take November 1 as a school holiday, eat deeply discounted candy, and watch wholesome movies


I think his point is that a child wearing a costume isn't evil, but sin is evil. Am I misunderstanding?


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## jwithnell (Oct 4, 2018)

This isn't responding to a specific post. I just have not been comfortable with the whole witches and goblins motif, nor the celebration of death. It is the enemy that has been defeated in Christ.


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