The Great Halloween Debate

[Calminian]

Used to avoid celebrating until recently. Respect other views. Implore everyone to read Romans 14 prior to posting.

I submit Halloween:

Is not a product of ancient Samhain festivals.

Can be an opportunity to talk about the origins of sin, suffering and death with kids.

Is a great way to get to know neighbors.​

 

[JonShaff]

I love the fact that tons of people come to ME so I can pass out tracts and share Jesus

 

[Ready to Harvest]

Certainly in popular culture I think if you asked people to name what kinds of people are celebrated at halloween you would get answers containing a lot of people that God condemns such as Witches, sorcerers, necromancers, demons, the devil, etc.

 

[HankD]

Certainly in popular culture I think if you asked people to name what kinds of people are celebrated at halloween you would get answers containing a lot of people that God condemns such as Witches, sorcerers, necromancers, demons, the devil, etc.

On the other hand

Jonah 4:11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

I intend to add a Gospel of John to the "treat" (if anyone shows!).

 

[Calminian]

Certainly in popular culture I think if you asked people to name what kinds of people are celebrated at halloween you would get answers containing a lot of people that God condemns such as Witches, sorcerers, necromancers, demons, the devil, etc.

Death is the overarching theme that I see every year. Graves, skeletons, corpses. That's why I avoided it as a new Christian until very recently. Death, suffering, evil. And yet it's the 2nd largest commercial holiday in America. People are enthralled. I loved it as a kid. Was my favorite holiday. But as a Christian, I couldn't put God in it. I could put God in every holiday except this one, so me and my kids avoided it.

Then something dawned on me. Halloween is a great time to teach my kids about the origins of death, suffering and evil. So I sat them down and told them we'd go trick or treating, come back home and have a Bible study over candy. It went fantastic. We talked origins. They were enthralled. We now have a Halloween study of the Fall of mankind every year.

Not saying this is for everyone, but it works for us.

 

[robycop3]

Actually, Halloween is largely of CHRISTIAN origin! it was a remembrance of all dead saints, and of Jesus Himself & was (and still is, in some places) known as "All Saints' Day".

Most of the occultic things were added by the Celts in the British Isles, & were carried by the British to most of the world.

I consider the observance of Halloween & how one observes it as a matter of conscience. God wisely spoke thru Paul about such matters, and what he wrote is still timely for today, as it covers many practices that didn't exist in Paul's day.

But I certainly don't consider Halloween evil in & of itself!

 

[Calminian]

Actually, Halloween is largely of CHRISTIAN origin! it was a remembrance of all dead saints, and of Jesus Himself & was (and still is, in some places) known as "All Saints' Day".

Most of the occultic things were added by the Celts in the British Isles, & were carried by the British to most of the world.

I consider the observance of Halloween & how one observes it as a matter of conscience. God wisely spoke thru Paul about such matters, and what he wrote is still timely for today, as it covers many practices that didn't exist in Paul's day.

But I certainly don't consider Halloween evil in & of itself!

No question the Catholic Church moved All Saints Day to Nov. 1 to squash a pagan holiday. However, Halloween in America is a bit of different animal. It's a tradition of its own, created by corporations to defuse the tradition of vandalism (trickery) that was taking place on All Hallows Eve. It's kind of lost all its religious significance from the Catholic Church for the most part, at least in the minds of most who celebrate it.

 

[Reynolds]

No question the Catholic Church moved All Saints Day to Nov. 1 to squash a pagan holiday. However, Halloween in America is a bit of different animal. It's a tradition of its own, created by corporations to defuse the tradition of vandalism (trickery) that was taking place on All Hallows Eve. It's kind of lost all its religious significance from the Catholic Church for the most part, at least in the minds of most who celebrate it.

Every day belongs to God.

 

[TCassidy]

Actually, Halloween is largely of CHRISTIAN origin! it was a remembrance of all dead saints, and of Jesus Himself & was (and still is, in some places) known as "All Saints' Day".

Uh, no. Halloween is a contraction of "All Hallow's eve." All Hallow's eve was celebrated the day BEFORE "All Saints Day" just as Christmas Eve is celebrated the day before Christmas.

Halloween is the first of the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, which consists of "All Hollow's Eve," "All Saint's Day," and "All Soul's Day."

All Hollow's Eve was set aside to remember the martyrs.

All Saint's Day was set aside to remember the Saints.

All Soul's Day was set apart to remember all the faithful departed.

Allhallowtide began in the early 8th century and is a feast of the Church of Rome.

 

[tyndale1946]

Uh, no. Halloween is a contraction of "All Hallow's eve." All Hallow's eve was celebrated the day BEFORE "All Saints Day" just as Christmas Eve is celebrated the day before Christmas.

Halloween is the first of the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, which consists of "All Hollow's Eve," "All Saint's Day," and "All Soul's Day."

All Hollow's Eve was set aside to remember the martyrs.

All Saint's Day was set aside to remember the Saints.

All Soul's Day was set apart to remember all the faithful departed.

Allhallowtide began in the early 8th century and is a feast of the Church of Rome.

I know a lot about Halloween but when it rolls around my wife and I turn off the porch light, sit in the dark and watch TV... Our street btw you can call Halloween Central... Any holiday that rolls around homeowner decorate their homes... The people on our street are fanatics and my wife and I don't decorate period... I know we are old sticks in the mud!
On Halloween there are scary things all around our block... Gigantic spiders climbing up houses, ghost,goblins, witches and monsters galore... You want scary come to our street!... But the thing that is the scariest to me is my neighbors decoration next door... They are a Christian family and I know he does Halloween for the little ones... But his decoration chills me to the bone... I know pardon the pun, you're dying to know what it is?... He has skeletons fully dressed one tied to a tree, one hanging from his roof and one sitting on his front porch in a chair... I don't know about you but I'm reminded of my mortality everyday without my Christian neighbor drawing my attention to it on Halloween... Brother Glen

 

[TCassidy]

We have a meeting in the church parking lot from around 6 - 9 PM. We call it "Trunk or Treat." We fill our car trunks with candy and other favors, including tracts, and hand them out to the kids, our own and from the neighborhood.

It is a wonderful opportunity to get to know the neighbor kids and to introduce them, in some small way, to the church people and the Gospel.

 

[OnlyaSinner]

Our church as a "Harvest Fest" for kids on that evening.
When we lived in town in a N. Maine border community, we'd get close to 200 visitors, with carloads of kids arriving from the next town. Then we moved to a back settlement and saw zero, same as we now do at our end-of-maintained-road site in W. Maine.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Our church has moved from a big Family Festival that brought close to 2,000 people onto our church property for games and candy. People would sign up and we would send them info about the church and where possible would visit them.
But this year we are helping families in high traffic Halloween neighborhoods to doing what we are calling a Sweet Spot. We are equipping church members to get to know their neighbors. We have water for adults, lots of candy (the best candy not penny candy), some games, maybe an Icee or cotton candy machine as well as a selfie spot. The classes are staffing it so the home owners can get to know their neighbors. I am excited by the possibilities.

 

[FollowTheWay]

Actually, Halloween is largely of CHRISTIAN origin! it was a remembrance of all dead saints, and of Jesus Himself & was (and still is, in some places) known as "All Saints' Day".

Most of the occultic things were added by the Celts in the British Isles, & were carried by the British to most of the world.

I consider the observance of Halloween & how one observes it as a matter of conscience. God wisely spoke thru Paul about such matters, and what he wrote is still timely for today, as it covers many practices that didn't exist in Paul's day.

But I certainly don't consider Halloween evil in & of itself!

Actually, Halloween is All-Hallows (or all Saints) Eve. The next day is All Saints Day.

 

[tyndale1946]

Actually, Halloween is All-Hallows (or all Saints) Eve. The next day is All Saints Day.

Well that maybe so but I guarantee you there are no Saints on that eve walking around my block going door to door begging for treats... Brother Glen

 

[Tom Bryant]

Well that maybe so but I guarantee you there are no Saints on that eve walking around my block going door to door begging for treats... Brother Glen

And you know that no saints (the biblical definition is that a saved person is a saint) come to your door? So I take it that you have inquired about their salvation.

 

[tyndale1946]

And you know that no saints (the biblical definition is that a saved person is a saint) come to your door? So I take it that you have inquired about their salvation.

They don't look like Saints outside but they maybe Saints inside because only God knows their heart!... Saints are saints by Godly action not appearance... Brother Glen

 

[Tom Bryant]

They don't look like Saints outside but they maybe Saints inside because only God knows their heart!... Saints are saints by Godly action not appearance... Brother Glen

I guess Paul was wrong in addressing the church at Corinth as saints, then.
People are saints not by godly action but by faith in Christ.

 

[tyndale1946]

I guess Paul was wrong in addressing the church at Corinth as saints, then.
People are saints not by godly action but by faith in Christ.

Yeah sometimes Saints are unsaintly but the only reason they have faith in Christ is because of the Faith of Christ... We are still Gods people but sometimes we don't act like it... Brother Glen

 

[JonShaff]

Saints are saints by Godly action

I guess Paul was wrong in addressing the church at Corinth as saints, then.
People are saints not by godly action but by faith in Christ.

Yeah sometimes Saints are unsaintly but the only reason they have faith in Christ is because of the Faith of Christ... We are still Gods people but sometimes we don't act like it... Brother Glen

This is quite the interesting exchange.

@tyndale1946 incorrectly explains the Biblical perspective of a particular situation, @Tom Bryant makes an excellent point bringing a healthy correction, but then @tyndale1946 makes an unrelated reference to something that has nothing to do with their exchange.