Debate on Halloween
Much can be said of the celebration of the day Halloween. While, I did not research this, I heard some discussion about it at the recently held Officer's Family Gathering in Waterbury.
As a child, I was not "held" back in regards to celebrating halloween. Growing up, my parents were not officers my whole childhood, but they were Christians. We would go to the corps and celebrate halloween by having a party. When my folks were in the SFOT, I believe that my costume contributed to having Halloween cancelled there for a few years. I was the devil...I didn't want to be Satan, I was just having fun with a costume! I don't think Satan looks like a guy in a red suit with ears and a tail!
Whatever people think of this holiday, and there are arguments for and against. Innocent children do not understand the spiritual warfare that is going on. They just want candy and have fun dressing up. Thats what I wanted, and I am sure thats what kids today want. Kids aren't thinking about being evil for a night. I never for once thought I was doing something sinful when I would go out with my friends trick or treating. My children will be going to the mall Trick or Treating. Sam will be dressed as Belle, and Jay will be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. For them, it will be a time to fill their baskets with candy!
I understand that there are those who think my thoughts on this are way out there. That's ok!I don't hold that against you. I tend to be more liberal on issues related to the church than others. I listen to rock and roll, enjoy action movies with good guys beating up bad guys. The bottom line for me in this debate is that kids have fun, and for all intents and purposes halloween is harmless fun. Hey I celebrated it, and I think I turned out okay. I even did the occasional prank here and there! That is a subject for another day.
Sorry for the controversial subject! I welcome comments.
As a child, I was not "held" back in regards to celebrating halloween. Growing up, my parents were not officers my whole childhood, but they were Christians. We would go to the corps and celebrate halloween by having a party. When my folks were in the SFOT, I believe that my costume contributed to having Halloween cancelled there for a few years. I was the devil...I didn't want to be Satan, I was just having fun with a costume! I don't think Satan looks like a guy in a red suit with ears and a tail!
Whatever people think of this holiday, and there are arguments for and against. Innocent children do not understand the spiritual warfare that is going on. They just want candy and have fun dressing up. Thats what I wanted, and I am sure thats what kids today want. Kids aren't thinking about being evil for a night. I never for once thought I was doing something sinful when I would go out with my friends trick or treating. My children will be going to the mall Trick or Treating. Sam will be dressed as Belle, and Jay will be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. For them, it will be a time to fill their baskets with candy!
I understand that there are those who think my thoughts on this are way out there. That's ok!I don't hold that against you. I tend to be more liberal on issues related to the church than others. I listen to rock and roll, enjoy action movies with good guys beating up bad guys. The bottom line for me in this debate is that kids have fun, and for all intents and purposes halloween is harmless fun. Hey I celebrated it, and I think I turned out okay. I even did the occasional prank here and there! That is a subject for another day.
Sorry for the controversial subject! I welcome comments.
posted by Christian at
10/30/2006 01:16:00 PM
2 Comments:
Too often forgetting our spiritual heritage we set up cultural conflicts. We see external spiritual conflicts out there ("Satan made me do it") when we should be looking to take personal responsibility for our spiritual development.
We need to find ways to redeem cultural events. I hold that Halloween is one such event that can be redeemed and it provides us a great opportunity to teach our children how to wrestle with cultural issues in a balanced fashion.
The Church has found ways to redeem cultural events and adapt them. We only need to look at many of the elements we consider at the heart of Christmas to see how pagan elements have been redeemed and filled with new meaning.
The Church has just continued the tradition we find in Scripture. When the Lord gave the Isrealites the sacrifice system and their religious rituals the instructions were not strange to them. The people understood them as they were a simplified version of what they knew from the Egyptian religious rituals. Our Lord took what they knew and filled it with new meaning, and simplified it all in the process. While we look at the rituals, teachings and processes as legalistic, for the Isrealites they could utter, "praise be to the Lord for giving us grace rather than legalism."
I agree with you completely. We never prevented our kids from trick-or-treating and we never laid guilt trips on them. We taught them to look at the fun side of it. As they've gotten older, we've explained our views more fully and they are old enough now to form their own opinions.
I also respect those who disagree with me. They are living according to their spiritual convictions in the best way they know how. That's often not an easy task.
Let your kids enjoy their childhood, the fun, the innocence. The time will come all too quickly when they will have to struggle with deeper spiritual issues.
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