image found hereGrowing up, we never celebrated Halloween. I never once went door-to-door, never dressed up, never carved pumpkins, never went to the Halloween parties at school..... and never cared. I didn't feel left out, I didn't feel like I missed out on anything, and *gasp!* I am still (some-what) normal in my adult years. So, naturally I have always said that my kids wouldn't do any of those things too. Last week Tyler and I were out for dinner and the subject of dressing Jax up for Halloween came up. I immediately jumped all over it and said that he would not be dressing up and we would not be celebrating it - and Tyler asked why. I honestly didn't have an answer for him. Because I never did it? Because that's what my parents did? Tyler told me if I can find a logical and biblical reason why he SHOULDN'T dress up, that he would fully respect my decision and Jaxon would not be participating.
So... the search began. And here's what I found.
The Bible doesn’t speak directly about Halloween, but some biblical principles apply. One things is clear -- all pagan practices are to be avoided. Witchcraft, occult practices, sorcery, etc. are strictly forbidding in the Bible (Exodus 22:18; Acts 8:9-24; Acts 16, 19). It is obvious that a small child dressing up as a princess or a cowboy isn’t involving themselves with witchcraft, so what is a biblical stance on Halloween?
The decision is ultimately up to the parents. If you decide Halloween is something fun for your children, make sure they are kept far away from the evil aspects of Halloween. When believers participate in anything (even Halloween), their attitudes, dress, and behavior should glorify Christ (Philippians 1:27).
So, now I am torn. I understand that unless you raise your child to believe that Halloween is the "Devil's holiday", they will not know that. And -- I understand that if you raise your child to know that Halloween is nothing but dressing up for fun and collecting candy (basically a candy-manufacturer's holiday as Tyler calls it), that's what they will understand. The thought of participating is just so bizzarre to me since I never did it growing up, so I am having issues adjusting to the idea.
Any thoughts?
OH! And most people did come to the Fall Festival dressed up!
ReplyDeleteDoes your church or another local church offer some type of alternative? While we did trick or treat as children, we also would go to my church's "Fall Festival" that was held on Halloween night. It was like a small fair, with games, candy, food, etc. It made for a fun, more biblically oriented way to celebrate Halloween.
ReplyDeleteYes, most churches in our area do have a "Fall Festival" or something like it. Good idea!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this! I fall into the same exact category . . . except both my Mom and I found ourselves dying to put Isaac in a costume. We were so confused by this as!
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I knew that Halloween was "bad," but never quite knew why. I knew that our family was different because of our faith, so I just chalked up our avoidance of Halloween to that blindly.
Sometimes we would go to church, sometimes we would just get out of the house to avoid the trick or treaters.
We do have a costume for Isaac this year, but I think for the future that he will not ToT. Our plans will probably always change, some years he'll dress up because we have a destination, other years not.
I see both sides. Growing up, we celebrated Halloween, but I was always a princess or angel or something fun like that. I honestly had no idea that it was "evil" or anything, until I became older. By that time, I was growing out of the trick-or-treat stage anyway, and it didn't have an effect on me.
ReplyDeleteBut I also understand why some people don't celebrate it.
I say...Keep it fun and light. Don't make it a big deal. And just go to fall festivals and stuff like that. :)
And you should trust me. Cause I mean, come on. I'm an expert!
...Right..?
;)