shalomtwotwo asked:

What are your thoughts on Halloween?

 

You know, when I see my fellow Christians rally against Halloween: I sort of giggle a little bit. 

Not because I think I’m a cool relevant hipster kind of Christian, but because if we’re going against Halloween, then we also better picket against Christmas and Easter.  Both have countless pagan traditions.  And while we’re hating on pagan-related stuff, better quit drinking Starbucks too, since their logo is a Greek homicidal temptress.

 

Some things to consider about Halloween:

– There’s a huge difference between the occult/witchcraft/sorcery stuff that sacrifices squealing animals and an American pastime that’s celebrated by kids.  It’s not hard to make the distinction.

– If you’re into Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, or The Walking Dead, this does NOT disqualify you as a Christian. 

– But if for some reason you’re easily scared, or you get those horror-type images stuck in your head, or you’re recovering from a dangerous situation with the occult, then by all means: please practice caution for yourself.  That’s totally a Romans 14 issue.

– While it’s good to at least address the made-up mythology behind Halloween for younger kids, we don’t need to judge parents who take their kids trick-or-treating. 

– I also think it’s totally okay to have an alternate event for younger children at your church.  We might poke fun at “Hallelujah Night” or the even worse “Harvest Day” (sounds like we’re in the illegal organs business), but I’ve always had fun hosting these for my Sunday School.  After all, it’s probably unwise to scare young kids with putrefied zombies or extremely messed up ghost stories, because there’s really a limit of safety for kids who will get freaked out by anything.

– I’m not okay with the church making Halloween some kind of grand social issue.  There is a long list of other concerns that out-prioritizes this, and God is not patting us on the head for taking a stand against ghosts.  If someone is yelling “blasphemy” at Halloween, then I also hope we’re yelling blasphemy that our churches are not giving aid to the poor, rescuing sex slaves, or caring for the 6000+ people groups who don’t know Jesus. 

I really do love the church, but come on.  In the end, God will not say, “Well done, good and faithful Halloween fighter.”

— J