Say you receive an invitation in the mail for a party on October 31. This party will include candy, costumes, and “illusion” (insert picture of a top hat, wand, and sparkly star). Would you assume you were just invited to a Hallelujah party? Probably not.
Yet, depending on where you live, you might see church banners with a similar invitation. Don’t get me wrong. It’s wonderful that churches are serving their communities by hosting these kinds of events. But the peculiar words on church signs this time of year might cause passersby to raise a curious brow—it does for this editorial eye, at least.
The traditions of the season (donning costumes, pumpkin-carving, and trick-or-treating) are, to some degree, tied to pagan beliefs. Yet Ken Samples asks “Could practices that were once associated with pagan superstition…be purely benign for people with a totally different motivation and intent?”
He argues that it’s difficult to believe the “systematic collection of candy in a given neighborhood by pint-sized Spider-mans and Tinkerbells constitutes the promotion of an occult worldview or spiritistic racketeering.”
But what of the name Halloween? It is derived from All Hallows’ Eve, the evening preceding All Saints’ Day, a Christian holiday. Why then would churches and faith communities embrace the traditions (with pagan roots) yet steer clear of the name (with Christian roots)? It seems the aversion, if even called for, is misplaced.
It stirs up a few questions, particularly as the day draws near and the church signs gain prominence.
Have we modified terminology to justify participating in a holiday we would otherwise deem depraved? If the holiday is depraved, should changing its name be enough to pacify our conscience? If, on the other hand, Halloween is harmless, then why not call it by its name?
What do you think?
–Sandra
RESOURCES
Ken Samples presents some questions of his own when considering “The Tricky Topic of Halloween.” And Take Two offers our take on Halloween, magic, and even fantasy.
October 28, 2011 at 9:35 am
When our children were small we made the decision not to participate in Halloween activities. We had attended a church sponsored event where most dressed their children in whimsical attire, but a few showed up as ghouls and monsters. We didn’t want our children in that atmosphere. We made the night a pizza party with a good movie if we could find one. We also handed out scripture imprinted pencils at the door.
October 28, 2011 at 11:32 am
I believe that some “name changing” is due to “definition changing” over time and we try to come up with a new word that better fits the proper definition. For example, for centuries Believers have suffered to the point of death for the name “Christian”. However in our culture, the name conjures up images of scowling faced, thin-lipped, unhappy people who have nothing better to do than cast judgment. So now we hear terms like “Christ-follower”, “Believer”, “Disciple”, etc. Same with the words like “religion”, “church”, and others. They just don’t mean what they used to mean so we try to come up with words that better fit the current understanding. Since “Halloween” has taken on this frightening imagry of demon-possesion, movies with torturing and slaughtering, and costumes that exotic dancers might think twice about wearing, I believe we’re trying to coin a new term that better fits our definition, fun, candy and stomachaches.
October 29, 2011 at 11:54 am
My non-church friends and acquaintances know that so called “Harvest” parties are Halloween parties in disguise. They are quite aware and accepting of the spiritual aspect of this day. They also understand that I try 24/7, 365 days a year to love God with all my heart, mind, and soul and that I refuse to participate in a “high holy day” for the enemy. I think that “Harvest” parties send the wrong witness to people, the church should not endorse activities that are anti-Christ in nature. I save the celebration for Christmas and Easter. Peace
October 30, 2011 at 9:10 am
[...] Hallelujah, Harvest, and Halloween Alternatives- Discussion about how Christians have utilized Halloween and made an alternate celebration or holiday. [...]
October 30, 2011 at 9:56 am
We never celebrated Halloween, but took the opportunity to give out gospel tracks to literally hundreds of children every year (still do). Click on link for more info.
October 29, 2012 at 3:30 am
[...] Hallelujah, Harvest, and Halloween Alternatives- Discussion about how Christians have utilized Halloween and made an alternate celebration or holiday. It has a few suggestions for how to incorporate these alternatives. [...]
October 30, 2012 at 5:21 am
The days of the week are pagan named, should we stop using the calendar? I for one know in my heart where my loyalty lies ,even if I am costumed up. Choose one that supports your beliefs, a Narnia character, an apostle or angel etc and share gospel with the unbeliever on these occasions rather than segregating yourself from the chance to spread the good news. IMHO