What do you do for Halloween?

We're most likely taking our son trick or treating, but I think it's cool for churches to use this time as a ministry effort.

Our church ususally holds prayer meetings too for the children who are out and for their protection. I also know those who dress up as bible people and hand out candy but have the children guess who they might be.

Sue

 

My brothers too will be dressing up for holloween and going trick-or-treating. (one of them is going to be a grocery bag that's my mom for ya')

I don't have any problem with holloween as far as trick-or-treating or watching movies like "The Great Pumkin" charlie brown movie.

Several years ago I was into horror movies that were ungodly and completely made my room over for the occasion. Thank God I am out of that phase now. I don't really even aknowledge holloween anymore. Though... wouldn't it be interesting for someone to do a trick instead of a treat??? Hrm.... hehe


Until Next Post,

Adam

 

I'll be droping the best gospel tract I've ever seen (for children) in baggies filled with candy and handing them out to the trick or treaters. You can read this terrific tract at http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0039/0039%5F1.htm

 

The youth group at our church is in charge of "Veggie Fest". It is our Halloween alternative with game booths, candy, food, fun and most imporatantly Gods Word!

It is not only a way to give Christian children an alternative (I have no trouble just not participating at all) but it is an opportunity to share the gospel not only with other children, but thier parents as well. It's also a way for the kids to just have fun and fellowship together.

~Lorelei

 

Um, depends on what day it's on. (I don't have my calandar with me) if it's a weekday, i'll be in school. Weekend-probably with my weekend buddy at one of the houses. I think that my Grandma's coming down from Kentucky. I haven't seen her in a long time. I also might go to the theme Park around here.

 

We don't 'do' Hallowe'en. I have some candy here if kids insist on coming to the door, but we leave the lights dark and go into the back of the house. I can't go to any church activities in the evenings (or any activities in the evenings) due to my profoundly retarded seventeen year old son who simply cannot cope with going to bed late.

The lesson about what Hallowe'en keeps reverting to was driven home two years in a row about ten years ago when the first year the local high school found a number of dead dogs and cats in their garbage cans the next day and the year after one of our horses had been shot at with a BB gun, had been frantic with fear, cutting his legs on the fencing, and then had to tolerate having the BB's taken out of his skin the next day.

We stay inside. The animals stay inside. We pray for safety for us and them.

Hallowe'en is not a joke, folks. There are no redeeming features about it.

Here are a few articles for those not in the know:
http://minnow.cc.gatech.edu/lcc6215/60 -- basic history of Hallowe'en from non-religious source
http://www.watchman.org/profile/halwnpro.htm -- The Watchman Fellowship Profile
http://www.peterhead-methodist.org.uk/hallow.htm -- an excellent and low-key article from a Methodist church in Scotland
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/3168/halloween3.html -- another excellent article avoiding hysteria but presenting basic facts we need to be aware of.
http://www.mindspring.com/~ldabraham/hallow.htm -- The Spirit of Halloween, by Johanna Michaelsen. This is an older essay (1989, I think), and mentions Lauren Stratford one time, who was later discovered to be lying about her experiences with Satanism. At the time this article was written she was still being believed. However the article contains only one reference to her and I think the rest is very well and calmly stated.


and this is from a lady who really thinks paganism and Christianity are not at war...

"As darkness was believed to precede light, so the year began with the dark half at Samhainn, the eve of November 1, that is, October 31st, commonly known as Hallowe'en…

In accordance with the policy of the early Christian church, festive days were retained and invested with a new significance on the Christian calendar. Thus, Hallowe'en appears as 'All Saints Day', November first, celebrating the souls of the departed, adjoining November 2nd, 'All Souls Day'.

The requirements of the church need not conflict with the ancient spirituality of the Celtic calendar or vice versa. Both systems have co-existed for fifteen centuries, with prayers of supplication offered at every stage of the traditional customs.

On the first day of this (and every quarter -a h-uile latha ceann ràithe) animals, land, crops, people and abodes had to be sained, (that is, protected against evil), especially against witches, fairies and other-world beings believed to be abroad on these nights. Lighting a bonfire, carrying fire-brands around an area or subject, tying sprigs of rowan (the sacred tree) or holly over door-posts and lintels of house, barn, byre or stable, were all common practice, as was sprinkling the theshold (point of entry) with salt or urine to ward off evil.

Dressing in disguise, masking or face-blackening at Hallowe'en, 'guising', is rooted in a belief that returning spirits or malevolent powers might recognise the living and harm them. Thus, food was left as an offering, and people ventured out only if they could not be recognised. The Hallowe'en bonfire was believed to burn witches. In these practices we have the roots of our present day customs of Halloween.

[Margaret Bennett, SCOTTISH CALENDAR CUSTOMS, in The Oxford Book of Scottish History, ed. M. Lynch, 2001]

 

I agree with Helen, my boys were 9 and 8 when we were saved, and we never did halloween again, our church does a Fall Festival in the hopes that it will keep some from trick or treating.
I didn't want to involve my children in the satanic junk of halloween.

 

Something to keep in mind here. Halloween is another day, God created all days and unfortunately Man has turned certain days such as this into "evil", but the fact still remains each day belongs to God.

Every person has a right to do as they see fit of course, but I personally do not wish to keep myself from the outside world when I believe God is way more powerful than any evil lurking around my corner. Don't forget, God gave us the authority over darkness in Jesus name, don't be afraid of it, put it in it's place after all we're the King's kids here not Satan.



Sue

 

Sue, you must have skipped some of the lines above, and may not have logged in to the links Helen provided. As I understand it, Helen was not necessarily referring to the recent fear people may experience in certain localities, but the inherent evil the holiday itself, as it is not Christian.

 

Is it a sin to hand out gospel tracts along with candy to children on halloween?

 

Why would that be a sin Son of Jeffer?

 

I don't think it is a sin. I'm asking because I have the impression that some people on this board think that any participation in any way in halloween is a sin and I'm asking them if they think that this particular kind of participation in halloween is a sin.

 

Well, I don't actually thing participation in this is a sin, but we need to draw a line at some point. I personally draw a line at the gross, goolish monsters and horror flicks or any type of horror beccause there is a spirit in horror that is wrong.

To simply have fun in custum dressing I don't believe is wrong, especially when its biblical people.

Sue

 

I think the misunderstanding here is what Halloween is really about. Halloween is an evil holiday plain and simple. Our culture has activities with which we "celebrate" this holiday. Now I will grant you that most people that celebrate it are ignorant or unconcerned with it's origins, but those are the origins like it or not. Now, we as Christians must decide what we are to do with this holiday, since it celebrates things that are contradictory to the Word of God.

1) We can do as we did with other Pagan Holidays and make a Christian Holiday to celebrate in it's stead, but our society is so in love with the traditional "evilness" of this one and most likely will not give it up on a national level. (That can be proven by going to your local Wal-Mart store and seeing all the "Halloween" stuff for sale)

2) We can opt to not celebrate it at all. I don't see God being upset with us for not partaking in activities that derived from evil and wicked religions.

3) We can try to be witnesses during this by offering alternative activities through the Church that glorify God or passing out tracts with candy at home.

I don't think there is anything wrong with either of these options. However, I do think it is wrong to "particpate" in the holiday as it stands. If you are aware of what Halloween is about, then you will not want to celebrate it or take part in it's activities. We are to be separate. If you are REALLY going to witness at every house you get candy from, then go ahead but do not say "trick or treat"! Do not go dress up as anything in the "spirit" of the occassion. There is a difference between witnessing and participating. Jesus ate with the tax collectors, he went to the homes of the sinners but I do not believe you will find one Pagan holiday that he celebrated while he was among them. We can be in their midst and be separate, but we can not be separate while partaking in thier evil deeds.

~Lorelei

 

Guess I'll put my two-cents' worth in.
Usually, we flee the premises and do something along the family night sort of thing. Last year it was pizza, bowling, and a walk around the "World's Largest Mall."
But, being that day is a Wednesday this year, we will be at midweek Bible study and prayer meeting.

 

We have a theme park down here that every year has an event that they call "Halloscream" I went last Saturday-not to go into the haunted houses -they really are scary- but to ride the rides. The problem was that the employees dressed up as really horroble looking monsters. This would not even have been such a problem if they had stayed in the haunted houses, but they walked around the park scaring people. There were several small children there. I'm not going to not go to the park, but I don't think that I will be going during "Haloscream" anymore because I didn't feel comfortable. I don't like when people try to scare other people by dressing up in capes and masks.

 

Tomorrow I will be buying film and walking to my Teresa's workplace to take pictures (she will be dressed up for work).

That will be my high point of the day.

UNP, Adam