October 31, Halloween / All Hallows Eve. Christians often ask the question about trick-or-treating, dressing in costumes, etc.--Should we or shouldn't we? Of course we would not participate in seances, vandalism, witches covens, or anything satanic. In all honesty I have never met anyone who did such things on Halloween although I'm sure there are some. Most people, young and older alike, enjoy the dressing up and trick-or-treating aspect (emphasis on the treating) on this night. When my children were younger we were fairly legalistic about this and did not allow them to go trick-or-treating except at Fall Festivals or church-sponsored events which they loved. We explained the origin of Halloween and the "dark side" and they were never interested in any of that. Now that I have gotten older, as have they, it does not seem to be such a big deal any longer. I even allowed them to read Harry Potter and see the movies which I also did not do initially. (I watched and read them first just to be safe though.)
If you have never read about the history of Halloween and how it relates to Reformation Day (and Martin Luther) here are two good links to do so.
There are many alternatives to Halloween trick-or-treating. For some, it is a safety issue because of scary things that the news reports. The article in the link above offers many suggestions such as Fall Festivals, pumpkin patch visits with a carving afterwards, arts & crafts parties at home, etc. as alternatives. As Christians it's not good to isolate yourself entirely from the culture nor is it good to totally participate without discernment. The choice, as always, is yours.
2 comments:
Thanks so much for this. It's Reformation Day to me now!! :-D
:)
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