Halloween Holiday

In one of my recent posts, I talked about Halloween and the party that we had on that day. A reader asked whether if Christians can or should celebrate Halloween. This topic is of course closely link to topics like Harry Porter and Sun’s Music.

In fact, Christianity Today (A mainstream Evangelical Magazine) also gives it’s views on Harry Porter and Halloween. Focus on the family has an article about it as well.

The issue of Christians and Halloween is a much debated topic in the States, and if you do a search on google, u will find people on both sides of the fence.

With Halloween parties becoming more popular, I think it is good to form an opinion on the matter.

IMHO, I would choose to engage rather than to ignore the holiday. Not engaging the subject is giving the day to fear, and it does not not help that more and more people are getting involved in such parties.

Non engagement is not helping anybody, as we are told to win the lost, and not ignore them.

Halloween does have it origins with the occult and it has to do with observing the end of summer sacrifices to gods in Druidic tradition.

In the fourth century, Christians attempted to redeem the holiday by celebrating the lives of faithful Christian saints the day before Halloween. That is why the day is also called “All Souls Day”, with some members of the Catholic Faith going to the cemetary to pay their respect to the dead.

This was a conscious attempt to provide an alternative and re-focus the day away from ghouls, goblins, ghosts, witches and other “haunted” experiences.

Personally, I think the parties are fine, as I don’t think our parties involve any worship to any pagan God or and child sacrifices. In fact, all we have is music, party and games. In fact, we met a lot of new people for the 1st time. Some of our friends from the Czech Republic even thought that the event was professionally organized! 🙂

I feel that we are supposed to  “become all things to all men so that by all possible means” we might save some? (1 Cor. 9:22)

Christians should not respond to Halloween like superstitious non-christians. Non Christians are superstitious and are afraid of black cats, walking under ladders. They need to chase away “nian” at Chinese New Year and wear Red for auspicious good luck!

Christians are enlightened by the truth of God’s Word. We are not bound by superstition. Evil spirits are no more active and sinister on Halloween than they are on any other day of the year; in fact, any day is a good day for Satan to prowl about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

But “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). God has forever “disarmed principalities and powers” through the cross Christ and “made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them through [Christ]” (Colossians 2:15).

Christians have the freedom to either observe Halloween or not do so without fear of sinning. However, no one should be forced to participate who still believes that doing so is wrong – this would be sinning against one’s conscience: Romans 14:14 — “I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.” (see Romans 14:22-23; see also Romans 14:3a, 5-6).

On the flip side, the Christian who abstains from Halloween for conscience’ sake, should not condemn the Christian who chooses to participate. For the Scripture says, “Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day– 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ” (see Romans 14:3b, 5-6).

Essentially, we should withhold judgment and  be able to live peacefully with each other, and choose to agree or disagree when it comes to issues that are debatable.

I for one, am focused on the partying aspects and on meeting new people!