I remember trick or treating in the 'olden' days when I was knee high to a grasshopper. I remember getting dressed up like a pirate, clipping and gluing the crepe beard on my face along with the obligatory eye patch and then launching out into the neighborhood with my sister and pillow cases in tow to get in on the free candy bonanza.
For some reason down through the years (particularly when my own children came along) I decided that sending my kids on beggar's night to get candy was tantamount to celebrating the devil's holiday - so at the Smith household no one went trick or treating. Somewhere along the line the church where we served began offering a Halloween alternative that involved dressing up in costumes and getting free candy. This was convenient, because now we could dress up, get free candy and feel good about it because we were taking candy from church people at church - this was waaaaay different than going trick or treating....right?
Last year I finally realized the foolishness of it all and began to reconsider the Smith prohibition on trick or treating.
This may sound funny considering what I've just written - but we actually decided to let our kids go trick or treating.
My inescapable thought was - if going trick or treating was celebrating Halloween - then what was attending a Halloween 'alternative' at a church that had the look and feel of going trick or treating - complete with costumes and free candy? If my kids walk around a church gym, hallway or parking lot collecting free candy - how is that any different than walking the streets of my neighborhood taking candy from the very people that I'm trying to reach for Christ? Is the candy given at church sanctified - or is it just candy? Is being in costume at church less celebratory than just wearing it in my neighborhood?
Somehow I lost the connection of how dressing up and collecting free candy did anything to celebrate Halloween or glorify the devil. If we do that on church property does it magically become not celebrating Halloween? Or is the simple truth that neither of these expressions is celebrating Halloween, but rather just some harmless fun? I emphatically decided the latter. A born again Christian does not celebrate an ungodly holiday by dressing up and getting candy - no more than people practicing the Christmas tradition of Wassailing do (you know, "bring me figgy pudding...we won't leave until we get some").
That little crepe beard wearing pirate from the 70's turned out to be a preacher and church planter - not a Satan worshiper. Nor have I ever had the inclination to serve Satan as a result of my youthful trick or treating.
I completely respect (and respectfully disagree) with the view of those who feel that Christian's who go trick or treating are celebrating demons - I only ask that you be consistent with that view and not dress up and go to celebrate Halloween at a church then.
Oddly enough, trick or treat is this Thursday night and my kids have no desire to go. Go figure. Apparently last year satisfied their interest. I guess they discovered that there are easier ways to come up with a few handfuls of candy that don't involve walking a couple miles.
If you disagree, please help me see where I'm missing it. How does trick or treating become celebrating the devil? For comparison - Atheists exchange gifts at Christmas without celebrating Christmas (sadly). Are they unwittingly celebrating Jesus and becoming Christians by doing so?
Just in case you get any rants on what a horrible Christian you are for caving in to the Devil's wiles, allow me to offer a countering kudos to you ahead of time.
ReplyDeleteRight on! I'm glad to hear it! I agree with you completely!
Interestingly, so do the four people I know who have come out of the deep occult.
Universally they all get a laugh out of the anti-Halloween antics. Two of them have a 'competition' as to who will receive the most ridiculous mailing from a church about the evils of Halloween. They give 'bonus points' if the mailing talks about the church's alternative dress-up party.
well thanks J - I know there are some good folks who will disagree - and that's there prerogative - but I believe this issue falls into the 'Christian-ese' category and isn't a genuine Biblical concern.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion of the "holiday" and its celebration is the opposite yours, but I agree with your opinion about the reaction of the church to it. That is why we neither promote nor substitute the celebration of it in our congregation-- neither for us, nor in "outreach".
ReplyDeleteAnd I completely respect that SLW - I appreciate the consistency in your stand.
ReplyDeleteEric,
ReplyDeleteI began to write a comment, and well... it turned into a post! LOL I decided to post my "comment" at A Hoosier Family (http://hoosierfamily06.blogspot.com)
As soon as I comment here, I will go finish up the post. I hope you get a chance to stop by later, read it, and take the challenge!
Just so you know, I totally see your point! I'm only challenging you to think about it! :0)
I trust you'll see my heart in the matter, and know me well enough via my blogs to see where I'm coming from! ;)
Blessings! Your Sister in Christ,
~Sharon~
Sharon, I will take the challenge! ;^)
ReplyDeleteThat's why I'm asking someone to convince me otherwise - I could be persuaded with a good argument!
Hi Eric! Sharon's post led me here. These are great thoughts, and I agree completely. I have two little girls who will get to go trick-or-treating for the first time this year (they are 5 and 10, and you can see their costumes on my blog). They have dressed-up in the past, but not gotten to do the trick-or-treating thing b/c we lived out in the country with no neighbors. So we did the church thing, and visited grandma for pictures and candy. This year, we live in a neighborhood and they are so excited to go trick-or-treating. Much more excited than waiting in lines for an hour at church to jump in a bouncy house and then take home a bag of candy.
ReplyDeleteMy 5- year-old came home upset the other day b/c a little girl at school told her Halloween was the "devil's holiday." I sat her down and explained that some people do celebrate that, but we don't. I went on to explain that we think it's fun to celebrate the fall season with the costumes and fun tradition of trick-or-treating. We talked about how the devil's holiday is very bad (all age-appropriate for a 5-year-old). I explained why we only do "nice" costumes, as opposed to scary ones.
I, too, loved trick-or-treating as a kid ... and I wouldn't deny my little girls this fun tradition!
Thanks for great, well-thought out post! I've been thinking about addressing the same issue on my blog but can't seem to tear myself away from politics lately!!!
Thanks Ashlio - great point about teaching our children the difference as well!
ReplyDeleteYou were knee high to a grasshopper? Must have been one tall grasshopper!! :)
ReplyDelete