Nudgings: Trying to hear what God has to say

My husband (whom I love) and I have chosen to not celebrate Halloween. This means, in the most general explanation, (for our daughter also) no trick-or-treating, no giving out candy, no jack-o-lanterns, and no Halloween parties. This decision is a tough one...I loved doing these things growing up and to not do them now often leaves me feeling left out. But we will stick with this decision because it is a matter of being true to our beliefs and living a life that is consistent with them. So, here is my explanation for our decision....

To begin, let’s look at the origin of Halloween. (By the way, the majority of this information, unless otherwise noted comes from wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween, and while I don’t consider that site to be without error, I found much of this information repeated on other sites dedicated to the day of Halloween.) Halloween has its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain. On this day,

“The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin...allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home while harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm.”

“Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames. Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and
their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual. Another common practice was divination, which often involved the use of food and drink.”

Another holiday that has also influenced the celebration and recognition of Halloween is the Christian (more specifically, Catholic Christian, as most other denominations do not recognize this day) All Saints’ Day, a day commemorating those who have died and are in heaven because of the belief that they watch over us and intercede on our behalf (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints%27_Day).

Before even considering the practices of the day of Halloween, the origins give me reason to abstain from the day. Because of my belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior and Son of the Living God, the LORD, there is no need to try to trick evil spirits, for He protects me from evil (Psalm 23, Psalm 121, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, to name a few biblical references to this principle). There is also no need for any kind of cleansing ritual, as we have been made “holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10, also see 1 John 1:5-7). And, thirdly, divination is very clearly not okay for Christians, as stated in Deuteronomy 18:10-11. Lastly, the connection with All Saints’ Day is also something that I do not believe in--it is not mentioned in the Bible that those who pass away before us will intercede on our behalf, but rather Jesus and the Holy Spirit intercede for us (Hebrews 7:24-25, Romans 8:26-27). So, the origins of Halloween are certainly not something I can promote in good conscience as they are, at the least, not consistent with my Christian beliefs and, at the most, in opposition to my beliefs.

The practices of Halloween give further red flags. In regards to “trick or treat”, “the word ‘trick’ refers to a (mostly idle) ‘threat’ to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given” (wikipedia). Jack-o-lanterns originated as a way to ward off evil spirits. And as for the costumes,

“What sets Halloween costumes apart from costumes for other celebrations or days of dressing up is that they are often designed to imitate supernatural and scary beings. Costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils, or in more recent years such science fiction-inspired characters as aliens and superheroes. Another popular trend is for women (and in some cases, men) to use Halloween, as an excuse to wear sexy or revealing costumes, showing off more skin than would be socially acceptable otherwise.” (wikipedia)

And perhaps the most prevalent aspect of Halloween is its theme of things that go bump in the night (also known more simply as “scary things”): haunted houses; ghost stories or other frightening tales; horror movies; pranks; and imagery including death, evil (for example, the devil or demons), “the occult, magic, or mythical monsters” (wikipedia). Furthermore, the giving of candy or other treats, in my opinion, leads to attitudes of selfishness (try eating some of a child’s candy), gluttony (the many stomachaches are proof here), and greed (what child hasn’t said or demanded, “I want more candy!”).

The best way to explain how these practices go against my life as a Christian is to look at what we as Christians are called to be in the Bible. First off, we are called to be, “a people holy to the Lord...chosen...to be His people” (Deuteronomy 7:6). Holy means set apart...different, if you would. I’m sure many Christians have also heard that we are to be “in the world but not of it”--God chose us out of the world but we do not belong to it any more (this point makes me think of the stickers you see on a lot of cars around here--NOTW, “not of this world”) (John 15:19). As such, there are times we must do things differently...so much so that the world might hate us (also John 15:19). This principle includes being modest (1 Timothy 2:9), humble (Ephesians 4:2), kind (Ephesians 4:32), and giving (1 Timothy 6:18)--a few characteristics that can be difficult to find amidst Halloween celebrants. Further, we are instructed to not give way to fear (1 Peter 3:6) and are reminded that in love, there is no fear (1 John 4:18). If we are not to give way to fear and if we are to follow after God, who is in His very essence LOVE (1 John 4:7-9) and in love there is not fear, then should we promote or take part of activities meant to instill fear? In conjunction with this idea, how do the two greatest commandments to love God and love others (Matthew 22:36-40) fit within the practices of Halloween? I would say they are incompatible. And lastly, Philippians 4:8 states “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” It is hard to find these characteristics in the origins and practices of Halloween.

Thus, we have come to the conclusion that we’re not going to do Halloween. Are we saying that you should do the same? Not necessarily. I do hope, though, that blog posts such as this will maybe spur you on to think about the things that you do in your life and why you do them. Do you do them simply because it’s the thing to do? Or do you do them because you believe that it is what would make God happy? In all things, we are to praise Him and give Him glory. That is what matters. That is how we should evaluate our choices.

To God be the glory. Amen.