Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Halloween- how do you celebrate?


A better question may be: "How do you respond?" I don't celebrate Halloween, although some people may consider what I do celebrating. I think it's responding to an opportunity.

First of all, I believe the Bible when it says, "Let no one be found among you who interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults with the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord." Duet 18. and, "you cannot have a part in the Lord’s table and the table of demons.” 1 Cor 10

I think the reason so many Christians celebrate Halloween is that they view the characters as one would view the Easter Bunny or Santa Clause. These are pretend characters- they aren't real, but are just for fun. The problem with Halloween is that the characters are very real. Demons are real, as are witches and wizards, who are humans involved in the occult. Why play around with that? It will teach kids that the occult is either 1) not real (which will make them complacent and ignorant of Satan's schemes); or 2) fun to play around with (which could eventually lead them into the occult itself and destroy their lives).

So how do I respond to Halloween? As much as I detest the holiday as a whole, I believe it is a great opportunity to minister. What other night of the year do all your neighbors and many who are not your neighbors come to your door and ask you for things? We are missing a great opportunity if we turn off our porch lights and hide! Give them what you have! I make tracts every year and hand them out with candy. On the front it says, "Who went to Hell for 3 days?". On the inside, it says, "Jesus did!" This gets the kids very interested and many last year asked me questions about this. I got to talk to them about how Jesus died and then rose again to conquer fear and death. (All this, as well as a simple salvation prayer, is in the tract.)

I don't believe Christians should glorify the occult or give demons a foothold by celebrating Halloween, but I do believe we should respond effectively. If I turn my light off, the kids will go somewhere else. Let your light shine!

If you want a copy of my tract, leave a comment! I will email it to you!

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