I have a poll in the sidebar about Halloween. I'm fascinated by all the variety of arguments for and against Halloween. There are a variety of different takes on the history of the festival. If you want to post a longer answer then by all means comment on this post.
We don't celebrate Halloween, it's something my mum was against and I've carried that on; my husband's main dislike is children asking strangers for sweets. So we tend to go out somewhere like Blackpool Illuminations or the Lake District for the day.
However, if you want to write about your own viewpoint I won't be writing critical comments* or run you down for celebrating. For this post, I'm simply interested in your thoughts. So vote now (which is anonymous - see sidebar) - or if you want comment on this post.
*Feelings on this subject can run high, so objectivity (i.e. simply state why you believe Halloween to be right/wrong, no personal attacks on the morals of others) and a sweet gentle tone is the key.
3 comments:
I dunno. I grew up believing it was wrong and I can see why people don't like it. But at the same time I see people renaming the same event just to have fun (so long as there aren't ghosts, goblins, that sort). I personally don't like it. I hate the begging for candy. I hate dressing up. We go out too. We don't even give the kids candy in our neighborhood. Although, I know some take the time to hand out tracks and things.
I did not grow up in a Christian home so we did celebrate Halloween and go trick-or-treating (although my mom made me throw away all of the candy and only eat what she purchased for me.)
Just some scattered thoughts:
I know that there are pagan ties to almost all of the holidays we celebrate and even the days of the week and the months of the year. But Halloween seems like a day used to glorify death and evil and some even believe that the veil between life and death is at its thinnest on that night. I don't believe that but my point in saying so is that there *are* pagan spiritual beliefs/activities tied to this holiday.
I agree with your husband that I don't like the idea of children going around begging for candy. Every other day of the year we teach kids to NOT take candy from strangers.
I know others try and make something nice out of it but to me Halloween has nothing redeemable about it. If it is just a 'harmless night of fun' then how come most animal shelters will not adopt out white or black cats during the month of October? And we are warned to keep our pets inside at night because of the mischief-making, pranks and out-and-out cruelty that occurs during the month of October and especially on Halloween.
In the past we have used it as a night of evangelism by filling plastic baggies with candy and putting a cartoon gospel tract inside. And then other years we turn off our porch lights and ignore the holiday altogether.
Thanks for your thoughts so far, it's always good to hear other people's take on things. Every year I post a post about what I think about Halloween (obviously on my other blog not this one) and this year I thought I'd ask what others think.
I would like to hear from some Christians who do celebrate and why - I'm genuinely interested. But I understand if you're concerned about a possible backlash...I'll moderate comments kindly (i.e. I won't publish personal attacks) and won't put you down for celebrating. In fact, comment anonymously if you want.
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