This is the true celebration of today… Jesus’ triumph over death and darkness on the cross!
What’s the deal with Halloween anyway? It seems to me that people spend all this effort and money on this holiday which celebrates…what? From the giant blow up yard pumpkins with ghosts swaying above it, to the dead corpses hanging from trees covered in spider webs, this area is awash in celebrating this day. Many find it a harmless day. “It’s all just meaningless fun,” they say. Black cats, witches, dead bodies, ghosts, haunted houses, severed body parts, blood, coffins, and all the other accoutrements that go with this day are an affront to those who live in light. All of these things are representative of the dark side, of evil, of death. As a Christian, I see this holiday as a celebration of darkness. Many Christians are so ignorant and spiritually dull that they fail to recognize the intentions of wickedness driven by demonic influence. Paul says in 2 Cor.6 – “How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil?” Today, let us join together and pray that this day of celebration of darkness would be filled with divine interruptions. That God would protect the children and awaken the spiritual senses of the parents – especially those who are Christians.
So on this day of celebration of spiritual darkness, I pray that God would protect and preserve our children in His great kindness. I pray that light and truth would overpower the darkness and that Christians would be awakened to the reality that exists in the heavenly battle surrounding us. In the name of Jesus we push back the darkness and ask that the love of Jesus would flood in with light. Where there is the light of truth, no darkness can exists. We declare righteousness, light, life and truth over our children. We ask you, Lord to visit them while they sleep. Give them dreams, visions, and revelation. We pray they would turn to you God. We ask you for the souls of our children, pre-teens, teens, and our college students. Cause righteousness and truth and holiness to be given to these young ones. At an early age, let them know the God who loves them. I pray that they would run into your arms and find love, for you have such great love for them. Let them begin to walk in their destinies. We proclaim life and truth over their minds, and we proclaim the blood of Jesus over their bodies. Break in with power and turn what men intended for evil to good. On this day we cry out for protection and safety.
Amen Josh!!!
I couldn’t disagree more….one of the few days people in this society actually give something to strangers as a whole and its about kids EVERY KID loves halloween and now we are going to make them feel guilty for desiring something that has very little to do with the AGE OF DARKNESS! Sure, there are those that will poisen candy or something….but there are also clergymen who will fondle little boys and girls.
I think we should honor the “good” things that people in this society do when they do it and I feel this is one of the few holiday’s that actually does do that! I celebrate giving.
My real beef is when Christians have “harvest” parties *on* Halloween, where kids *dress up*, share *candy*, and run around in the dark scaring each other on hay rides and other activities.
I ask you, what’s the difference? Are you not, too, celebrating Halloween? Just because you’re a bunch of Christians, and you say you’re not celebrating it, doesn’t mean you aren’t doing the same exact thing (probably minus the witches and such). Perhaps we should not carve pumpkins?
My point for the above is, don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can provide alternatives that are “totally different”, because they usually aren’t.
Another interesting thing is how some people think Halloween = Trick-or-Treat. How narrow minded! Anymore, most neighborhoods do not even have Trick-or-Treat night on Halloween. Trick-or-Treat is mostly harmless (unless you live in a bad neighborhood), and yet we associate it with animal sacrifices and demon worship–things that select cultists may participate in on the 31st.
It is important to realize that not all fantasy is bad. At the same time, if ghosts and goblins are not the Christian values you wish to teach to your family, then by all means you are free to not participate. That is exactly what my family chose for many years.
The key is that it is not a spiritual mandate, but rather a personal conviction. We needn’t have one more item of taboo on our religious plates.
So in a sense I’m with you completely, yet in another sense I’m not adverse to other Christians choosing another path.
i’m with you, but it is really hard to explain to my elementary kids. they went to school and told their friend who were going to go trick or treating that they were worshipping satan! sooo, we had to have another talk about that and they really don’t understand fully, but want to! they want answers, but at 7 and 8, answers are hard to break down when it comes to something that soooooo many Christians have no qualms about. it’s not like murder, where it’s totally black and white. to me this is a black and white issue, but to many of my friends and family, it’s not. this is a tough one to navigate. i’m praying for wisdom on it, that’s for sure.
My comment is more aimed at Bradley.
**It is important to realize that not all fantasy is bad.**
This comment disturbs me. I feel at liberty to disagree. If I’m not, Josh can ban me from debating through his blog. I guess I’ll see in the morning.
Moving on to my concern:
Whatever makes “some fantasy” bad, would, in the end, make -all- fantasy bad. Anything that fascinates us that is not of a divine nature is strictly not something we should be wasting our time on. The end goal is to live a life completely focused on God. We are -commanded- to be holy as He is holy. Am I there yet? No way. Do I compromise? Of course. But is it my deepest hearts desire to become so refined by God’s fire that I am purer than the finest gold? YES!
Fantasy of any kind is a distraction and temptation to our inner man. It is a direct invitation to rely on things that are not God’s truth.
If Christians would globally rely on God and His word, really diving in deep and obeying His commands to our fullest capacity (which flow in seasons, I know), then in theory, we would all end in the same convictions. There is something to be said for unity!
Any participation in this day is not good. Period. Including Trick-or-treat, which has it’s own wicked roots too, as innocently as it is painted for us in modern-times. We need to let our yes be a yes and a no be a no.
Gracie – you are welcome to discourse at anytime on my blog as long as you sign your name. thank you for your thoughts!
Gracie, I appreciate your comments, but I think we are talking about two different types of fantasy.
For instance, I find many romantic novels to be a very addicting, very misleading, very wrong fantasy. I know that Josh finds many violent games a disturbing fantasy.
Just to be clear, I wasn’t really talking about fantasies of that sort, fantasy worlds that may be more black-and-white.
I meant to say that there used to be a time where young boys were encouraged to play cops and robbers (or cowboys and villains), and young girls were encouraged to have tea parties with dolls. Kids used to dress up as fantasy characters just for fun, their imaginations soared, and dreams formed at an early age.
Now, we’re so encumbered by religious and cultural restrictions that we’re worried that boys with plastic toy guns will become criminals, and if they dress up too much they will have homosexual tendencies. And if we give little girls barbie dolls with perfect waistlines, they will eventually want to look like the doll and develop a disease like bulimia.
Obviously I’m exaggerating, but hopefully you understand my comments better.
This is what I meant when I said that not all fantasy is bad. It’s very needed for all children. As adults we should be very disturbed to find ourselves continually “punishing” our children by removing their young fantasy playgrounds because they might conflict with our highly evolved adult views.
That being said, clearly I have similar concerns as you and Joshua concerning Halloween activities. I think crystal valley girl got it right in her comment where she says she prays for wisdom.
josh- as someone who was raised not participating in halloween i have something i want to say. this might not be under the same category as what you were posting about but just the same… last nite i took my 3 kids trick or treating in the small town of broadalbin. my mother came with me as did a number of my friends and kids. the houses were dressed up with lights and pumpkins and witches and whatnot. the kids in my personal opinion were having a fantastic time. they get to dress up like whatever they want. princess, cats, ninjas whatever. in their minds they are allowed to be something they are not (play pretend) they get to collect candy which is not a everyday occurance. they get to sing and be loud and talk to strangers all not everyday things. this to them is a treat. things are simple to them at this point. maybe not all kids. but some of them i think i mean my kids. were just having fun. nothing else. just fun. *insert(i think im trying to say last nite didnt seem like darkness and evil were afoot it seemed like clean fun im sure that there were places that evil and bad things did happen)*and i have fun becuase i see them smile and laugh and everything that they did that night. i didnt get to do that as a kid im not upset about it im just glad that its a cool day for my kids i guess the other thing that offsets it for them is its a celebration of their moms birthday which makes it a little easier. so instead of celebrating halloween josh just tell everyone to celebrate your sisters birthday…
hope i didnt offend anyone just wanted to tell my point from watching the kids last nite..
All right Sara. Three Cheers! Happy Birthday wow I remember changing your cloth diapers, were all getting old.
Kevin – yeah… she’s almost 30! For some reason that scares me.
Sara – I understand the sentimentalism and the emotion. However, one thing I firmly believe is that one of the great deceptions of the enemy is that we can participate in something and he makes us feel good about it. My original question still stands – why does it have to be a day where all the symbolism is representative of darkness and death? On the flip side, even though Easter is cheesy, at least it is about happy bunnies and colorful eggs 🙂
Brad – I am enjoying the discourse here. Thank you for the interesting discussion.
Casey – of course you disagree with me. Did I expect anything else! Ha! (Note to my dear readers: Casey and I have a long history of debating and disagreeing with each other…it’s not personal, he’s just always wrong. :-))
Bradley– What does young fantasy turn into, though?
I’ll admit, this isn’t a fully developed idea yet. I’m not sure where I would draw the line if I were a parent. I would want my child to be creative, and I would want to encourage their growth in any way I could. However, this may seem extreme, but I have to say I don’t think I’d encourage them to fantasize. For me, I’d have to draw the line carefully.
It’s getting to the point in this world that you have to be on one side of the line or other. It’s not okay to stand in the middle. Ignorance is not an option.
Even young fantasy has proved near fatal(spiritually and emotionally, rarely physically, but whose to say which is more devestating? Leads to the same place, most times) in so many cases that I have observed, I don’t know where my heart lies. Fantasy cultivates a longing in our hearts for something that’s not real. Maybe I’m too black and white about the issue — I just can’t see how it’s okay.
In any case, wisdom is, indeed, a good thing to pray for.
I’ve been thinking more about this in the last two days. I think there is a distinct difference between fiction and fantasy. It all depends on what the “story” points to. Does it point to God, or does it point to lies? I have to be careful what I lead little minds into, for someday I will stand before the Judge and give an account of the precious gems He gave me. That’s terrifying.
Eh. I’m probably not a very fun nanny. :\
Your last comment got me thinking, Gracie, and it seems that the word fantasy means different things to different people from different cultures.
A good litmus test is this:
The Chronicles of Narnia. Fiction or fantasy? I would say both.
The American Heritage Dictionary lists these as possible definitions:
1. The creative imagination; unrestrained fancy.
2. Something, such as an invention, that is a creation of the fancy.
3. A capricious or fantastic idea; a conceit.
4a. Fiction characterized by highly fanciful or supernatural elements.
4b. An example of such fiction.
5. An imagined event or sequence of mental images, such as a daydream, usually fulfilling a wish or psychological need.
… and it continues.
I tend to take the definition for creative imagination, amazing inventions, and fictive worlds that seem almost supernatural. These are all fantasy to me.
Some might take the definition for a concocture of that which is not real, things that delude the mind and create the illusion of happiness at the cost of our mission. For them the words “unrestrained fancy” in the first definition throw up a red flag of warning.
These are two very different takes on the very same word, yet they are both accurate. Perhaps the moral of the story is that context is everything.
I think we can all see that fantasy can not only be beneficial for our children’s early development, but can also help teach them some of life’s lessons without being too intellectual for the age. Bringing us back to Narnia, consider how children reading C.S. Lewis’ books can be a positive reinforcement of the underlying truths of our faith.
For adults, fantasy may very well cultivate this longing for the unreal that you speak of. And yet for some, the intricate metaphors may enhance their view of this world in a positive way. The way these two types of Christian adults interact should be governed by Paul’s discussion on the tolerant and the lesser tolerant believer.
Anyway… I just wanted to share these thoughts since you got me thinking again, too. I definitely appreciate your point of view, and I’m sure you’re a fine nanny. 🙂
Bradley — Both of your replies have been excellent. I agree, for the most part, with everything you say. I still take my original stance, however, and say it all depends on what the “story” points to.
The Chronicles of Narnia, I would agree, are fantasy. But it cannot be denied that they clearly illustrate the love and relationship of Jesus, in a way that kids can grasp, and I, as an older version, delight in.
I am not saying all this on a black-and-white stand point. I happen to enjoy metaphors and descriptive, border-line romantic language. I love creating stories, and yet, all of what I write is either directed to God, or is about Him. My gripe with fantasy is when it leads down a destructive path of getting the heart longing for things that it oughtn’t be longing for.
It’s a very fine line, I think we would both agree on that. It’s important to choose which side to be on now, before things get worse. I would rather err on the side of being a little too extreme against it, than find myself ten years down the road, captivated in an entirely unhealthy way with American culture. It’s getting dangerous.
On a side note, it’s interesting how this conversation started. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Yet, Josh has remaied silent. I wonder why. Josh, any thoughts?
After having a few seconds to think, I realize asking that is like asking if women like chocolate. Let me re-phrase. Will you share your thoughts with us, Josh?
now this has been interesting…
“Some Wiccans and other Neopagans object to Halloween because they perceive it to be a “vulgarized, commercialized mockery” of the original Samhain rituals which are traditionally celebrated at October 31.” -wikipedia
“Some fundamentalists consider Halloween to be completely incompatible with the Christian faith, due to “its preoccupation with the occult in symbols, masks and costumes,” its origin as a Pagan “festival of the dead”, and the fact that it is celebrated, albeit in a non-traditional form, by satanists and other occult groups.”
-wikipedia
you know what you’ve done if you are way over there or way over here… you’ve gone too far : )
just a little humor for you all.
i’m not sure what to feel about this little debate. i was taken trick or treating until i was a teen. perhaps that makes me evil. i was just a kid, and i loved candy. now we’ll see if i get into heaven. who knows?
Jesse, I sincerely hope that last part was a little on the sarcastic side. In most circumstances it’s not a matter of whether you’re saved or not. If kids go trick-or-treating, it doesn’t mean they are going to hell.
I’m more aimed at adults who compromise for the sake of American culture and the “easy, feel-good” way out of reality.
Jesse knows how to make a good point.
This is exactly why I offer my thoughts in a non-threatening and purely observational manner (and usually don’t even bother). When we attempt to “say it like it is”, as Josh has in his original post, we inadvertantly condemn Christians and non-Christians with our beliefs. Then we say, “but it’s the truth” to justify it. We’ll even point to Bible verses and church history, but are we not just Pharisees?
I would rather see discussion and education in place of this, and even that is delicate. Part of me thinks Christians need to just shut up about this stuff once in a while.
And how sad that we assume this is a Christians-only conversation.
My original point, still: Unless a person/couple/family makes a decision against Halloween out of personal conviction, our soapboxes are of no help for them.
We need to be aware that Christian culture is creating so much taboo that the focus is no longer on Jesus. Non-Christians feel like coming to Jesus means becoming Republican, getting fish magnets for our vehicles, stopping both drinking and smoking, and of course Halloween is out, too. Every co-worker I’ve ever had has felt this way, but maybe it’s just my personal experience (not likely).
We think we are bringing the focus to Jesus by fighting back against this holiday, but we are only digging a deeper hole for ourselves going forward. Every young person in America can probably vouch for this. We need to get out of our 1960’s mentality to issues like this.
That said, this is *your* blog, Josh, and I respect your opinions and your right to publish them.
With all respect to Gracie as well, my opinion is that erring on the side of conservative is still erring. While I’m not opposed to that idea entirely, I believe that it should be reserved for select cases and not be a general rule. As a general rule, we should strive to be as close to the truth as possible, and pray for wisdom. We will likely err on both sides when striving for the truth.
When we aren’t sure, we need to be humble and say, “I don’t know.” Not knowing sometimes leads to non-participation. I think most people would understand that, and we should not judge people for it. They are just trying to figure out what’s best.
Couple misc. thoughts:
My family participated in Halloween activities for a few years. For Trick-or-Treat I was a clown, the Cookie Monster, a fireman, Kermit the Frog, and other characters. Then one day it stopped. I know that my parents were convicted about Halloween, and I’m okay with that. But even given my upbringing, I’m not sure I will make the same decision with my kids.
Mind you, Christmas began a pagan holiday, and the tree is a pagan symbol. Let’s not get carried away with our boycotts this year. 🙂
the important thing is that there are people willing to say what a culture on its way south – (christians and non-christians alike) needs to hear. it is not easy to stand against accepted societal norms. but like noah or john the baptist, there are people who have been called by God to be voices in the wilderness saying, “listen people… the end is coming. sooner than you think. prepare the way because Jesus is coming.” and if that does not translate to every sector of society, if that message does not permeate our hearts (as christians) and we allow ourselves to become so encumbered (enamored too) with our own “touchy-feely, lovey-dovey” brand of what and who we think Jesus is, then we are in for a rude awakening when the beautifully, terrible God of wrath and vengeance descends on this earth and completely offends everything we ever thought about Him. make no mistake… God is a God of infinite love, but he is the Lion of Judah with fire in His eyes. He is holy and will not abide sin, or our weak justifications of it.
and yeah, even stuff like whether we participate in halloween matters to him. when we celebrate darkness because we get sentimental or we are afraid of not being relevant to our culture, that is deception from the enemy. when we do not stand FOR Jesus, when we are not on HIS side, then we stand against Him. He allows no middle ground. i know that is too black and white for most people, but this is a serious hour.
(NLT) Luke 11:23 – “Anyone who isn’t helping me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. 33 “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, it is put on a lampstand to give light to all who enter the room. 34 Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. 35 Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness. 36 If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight is shining on you.”
And(Josh’s post)that’s the true difference in the discussion….one says halloween is AGAINST God, others say it is FOR God!
Boycotting anything on a mass scale is fruitless. Whether it is standing on a corner saying Bush should be out of office, waving flags at abortion clinics, or those DECEIVED sisters who are now on every network condemning the world for everything, all it does is help people to be more stubborn. THAT is more AGAINST God than the holiday of Halloween! If you don’t like Halloween, fine. Sit with the people around you and love on them as much as you possibly can, not talk about something to a bunch of strangers that isn’t black and white as if it was!
ps…I do feel what I said above has nothing to do with Josh posting his opinion on HIS blog….;
EVEN IF IT IS AGAINST GOD! lol
I had this bet with Rebecca on how long it would take someone to quote Luke 11:23. I win. 🙂
Now can someone find the reference for, “All things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial.”? I do not think that you are going about this as Paul would instruct the less tolerant believer.
Are you suggesting that if Christians participate in Halloween activities, that they are celebrating darkness? I think this is misguided, friend.
Nevertheless, I respect you for standing up for what you believe. Cheers.
It is 1 Corinthians 6:12….
NO, I am not saying it is an either WITH ME or AGAINST ME thing….I was replying to Josh’s attempt to make something so black and white and how THAT(the making of things black or white when they are NOT) is actually more “AGAINST”(meaning detrimental)God than the holiday of Halloween!
Oh, maybe you were replying to Josh…hehe
I agree with Josh on this one. It seems that Bradley and Casey are part of the conformist culture that has nothing but sand beneath it’s feet. Stand on the rock of Jesus and G-d will honor you.
Ephesians 5:8 For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. 10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But when the light shines on them, it becomes clear how evil these things are. 14 And where your light shines, it will expose their evil deeds. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” 15 So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.
@Casey – Yeah, I was. *wink*
@Elijah – I don’t have much respect for people who label others.
Sir, please do not put me in that box. My issue is obviously not really with Halloween but with the way some are approaching the subject. If you read my comments more thoroughly you would see that I, too, have some concerns about this holiday.
If anything, the fact that I would rather engage in educational discussion with others (as I have here) should represent that I desire to be transformational, not conformist. Just because I have not taken a separatist side one way or another does not mean I am not standing on the rock, sir.
Anyone can be confrontational.
I still stand with the fact that this -is- a black and white issue. Very good points have been made for both “sides” (even though we’re on the same one, I think), and I will have to take this to God in prayer and really ask Him.
I still think if we, as a whole, a body of God’s people searched scripture, we would come to the very same convictions. I don’t think it’s a matter of salvation. There are so many issues that go way deeper than salvation. It’s like when someone gets saved, there’s a whole path that they have to find and learn how to walk on.
As humans, we fail and we fall. We are sinners by nature, but this is not a reason to feel constantly condemned or guilty, for our God is a God of mercy. However, our God is also a Judge, a side some folks don’t really want to see.
Ideally, if we were really God’s people, sincerely seeking His ways, running after Him, and asking Him to refine and purify us, this wouldn’t be a matter of such great debate. I think it would be obvious which side we should be on.
Days are soon coming when it will be one side or the other. There won’t be an in-between, shades of gray, let’s go out in the field and pick strawberries time. This is reality, and in a world of darkness, we need to flee even every appearance of evil.
gracie – well said.
Or, the fact that God is Infinite and we are Finite MUST conclude that things will ALWAYS be left to “grey” to some extent. Oh I know, I know, Christ was in perfect connection with the Father, nothing was “grey.” We are not Christ and never will be “in this world.”
Kinda the same principle that God set up, “Be perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
“Anyone who claims to be WITHOUT sin is decieved and the TRUTH is NOT in him.” (1 John 1:8)
This seems to be a standard that God set-up that is impossible to achieve….AND that is the point…”GREY” The process is the POINT, the striving; not being perfect (ie. Black or white) We are now left to depend on Him to guide us through our “crap.” (I was pleasant for you, Josh)lol
As one of my great professors said, “Speak as the Bible speaks. When the Bible is CLEAR, be CLEAR; When the Bible is VAGUE, be VAGUE; When the Bible is SILENT, SHUT UP!”
I believe we WANT things to be black and white because it somehow gives a feeling of predictability of the “unsafe” world we live in (Larry Crabb-Finding God). SOME THINGS in the Bible ARE CLEAR…A LOT is not, but we try to make it clear. This issue above is not meant to be BLACK OR WHITE my friends. If you run down the road of trying to make everything Black or White, “if we were just more in-tune with God,” then we become, I believe, the Pharisees Jesus condemned more than any other people group in the world!
By the way, these are just my opinions, I am not claiming to know much, just where I am at!
Okay, it’s probably too late for anyone to keep reading this, but I can’t not say anything (and the English teachers of old cringe at the double negative).
I am going to stop talking like this is really about Halloween. This issue is going much deeper than whether we are in agreement about the participation in this less-than-holy day. We’re agreeing, I think, that evil happens on this day, and I am left puzzled why anyone would argue -for- it, but I am going to move on.
To look at this issue, which, it -is- an issue or there wouldn’t be 29 comments on it, we must step back from Halloween specifically. It is just a detail in the bigger picture.
I am finding more and more that most things are black and white. It is not so for us in America because we, collectively, are a people of great compromise. There is no moral code, and shades of gray are the norm. It is acceptable to push the laws of God and man to the furthest extent possible. When a people stirs that is against what is normal to our culture, it’s like walking upstream in pirana-infested water with only one leg. So much opposition comes against us, and it forces us into this place of absolute weakness, that we must rely on a strength from some other source to make it out “alive”.
Rather than debate about this day of darkness, I say we get to the nitty-gritty. It’s not about whether I think carving a pumpkin and popping a candle stick in it is evil. It’s not about whether I think people who participate in these things are going to hell or not. Essentially, I have no voice in the matter! I am not the decider of salvation or condemnation.
However, I am a voice crying out for God’s people! A people who will completely seperate themselves from culture, from things that have become commonly accepted, and yet are evil in every way! It’s not about Halloween or Easter, but it is about compromise. Compromise only leads to more compromise and more rebellion. The less we stand for God’s ways, the less we stand for God. We are straying so far from the heart of God!
The Jesus I know and read about was not a man of maybes. He was a man of black and white. He did not sit on the line, unsure of His emotions or where He was supposed to go. Jesus was focused and confident in everything He did, and I am sure it’s because He heard from God! In everything, He went to God in prayer, which is what we need to fashion ourselves after. We need to spend less time decorating, dancing, and putting on a facade of make-believe. There’s a real God, and He really is a Judge. He sees through everyone’s paper-thin disguises and sees straight into the heart, which is what this all boils down to. Where are our hearts?
-And much less importantly-
Where’s my soap box?