October 2009

This time of year it’s impossible to avoid ghosts, goblins, jack-o-lanterns, and witches, except around here. If you’ve noticed, the most I’ve talked about Halloween, here at From Dates to Diapers, was last August when I discussed my kiddos love for costumes, even though we do not participate in Halloween-related activities.

I know what you’re thinking, What?! You don’t dress up for Halloween?, right? Well, the answer is very simple – No, we don’t do Halloween.

Let me just say that not once, in my entire life, have I dressed up to go trick-or-treating, and never did I feel like I was being deprived. My parents were very clear and open about why they had made the decision not to participate, and I accepted their explanation and honored their decision. After all, it made sense.

It still makes sense, almost 30 years later, but now I understand the depth of those reasons.

Before I go any further, let me say that I know this is a very controversial subject, even among Christians. I will not, and do not, judge those who have made the decision to participate in the festivities of this day, for I believe we have been given freedom in Christ. All I ask is that you please provide me and my family the same courtesy.

That said, I write this post because, as a family, we will not compromise our convictions and we feel very strongly about this one. I know there are others who feel the same way and I want to encourage you, today especially, as you and your kiddos are faced with the same question we are, every year – Why are you not dressing up for Halloween?

Halloween isn’t just a made-up, fun holiday day. It’s not just a commercialized (albeit, over-commercialized) holiday, harmlessly encouraging children to dress up, treat-or-treat, bob for apples, and carve pumpkins. In fact, Halloween is a conglomerate celebration of many pagan religious and occultic celebrations and rituals. The engagement of witches, warlocks, and witchcraft in the night’s festivities is a result of the religion of Wicca, a very real pagan religious cult.

As Christians we are called to abstain from participating in unfruitful deeds of darkness, but to expose them. We believe that every thing about Halloween is dark, and quite honestly Satan doesn’t realize that he has no chance with us unless we take a stand against all that is evil, for we cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the devil’s. I want Satan to hear loud and clear that we will never be his! I don’t believe we can prove that to him while we are dressed in Halloween costumes, begging for candy and bobbing for apples.

Now, I know you are probably thinking that it’s possible for families to participate in Halloween activities without choosing to believe in all that is inherently evil about the pagan religious holiday. After all, what could be wrong with dressing up as fairies, ladybugs and pirates?

Well, as a family, we understand that these seemingly harmless activities – dressing up, trick-or-treating, bobbing for apples, carving pumpkins – all began as ancient cultic ceremonies and witchcraft rituals, honoring and appeasing evil spirits, and communicating with the dead. (I urge you to do some research if you don’t believe me.). In our opinion, participating in Halloween gives sanction to a holiday that promotes evil – witches, divination, haunted houses, and other occultic practices.

As Christians, we have taken the call very seriously to be in the world but not of it. As we abstain from celebrating Halloween, we are being obedient to our call to not be conformed to this world.

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