"We Don't Do Halloween," and other scary stories...

Did the title make you nervous? Sorry about that. If you participate in Halloween and love it, you might not want to read on.

Seriously.

When we tell people that we don't "do" Halloween, people tend to get defensive. And angry. And feel sorry for our children. And defensive.

If you are one of those people, please do not read on unless you are simply curious, and promise to keep an open mind and still love me by the end, whether you believe me right or wrong. I am not trying to impose my family's beliefs on others, or try to convince you that Halloween is bad, or sway you in any way really. Lots of people ask me why, so here it is.

I'm writing this post to simply explain why my family doesn't participate. We carry no judgement towards other families who do - we love you guys! And whether or not you participate in Halloween doesn't make us love you any more or less. Ok? It's like saying that we judge you because you don't root for the Rangers and we do. Ok, I will judge you if you don't root for them - that's just plain crazy folks! :) Kidding. Kind of.

So - back to Halloween.

As a kid growing up, my family participated in Halloween activities. We decorated out house very scary - the scariest on the block - and handed out candy. We dressed up in our silliest, scariest, funniest costumes and trick-or-treated up and down our neighboring streets. We went to all the haunted houses, watched scary movies, and went to scary party of the city to find ghosts. The works.

Then, we got married and had Kimmie. It had me rethinking it all.

When we went trick-or-treating, we saw lots of scary costumes. And scary houses. And she got scared. And it made me think of this verse - "For God did not give us a spirit of fear..." If it doesn't come from God, then where does it come from? You guessed it. satan.

So I started doing some research. I've never been one to take someones word for something - I want to have my own faith and own beliefs and know why I believe what I believe. I'm a researcher. When I started looking up the origins or Halloween, it made me nervous. It scared me. And the more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I got. So I prayed. Jimmy and I talked about it. And I prayed until I got an answer.

And when the answer came, I resisted. I do like Halloween. I like the excitement and seeing kids dressed up. And I do like getting candy. But God convicted me. And I'm a firm believer that is God convicts me of something, then its in my best interest to obey.

***Side note***
When Jimmy and I discussed this years ago, Jimmy was not 100% on board. In fact, we argued for weeks. But because I feel so strongly about this, Jimmy chose to honor me and stand beside me in this conviction. And he does. I don't know why God convicted me of this and not him, but we stand together in the decision and I believe that God honors this unity.

Back to Halloween.

Let me give you a little background about where Halloween originated. Years ago, people did not honor God and worshipped idols made of wood or stone. Sound familiar? Yep - it's been going on since the bible times. They believed that these idols had great power and that the spirits of the dead could control the living. They thought that the spirits of wicked people who had died returned on Halloween to harm or scare the living. So, to keep the evil spirits happy, people set out treats and other types of sweet treats to keep them happy. They wanted the evil spirits to stay away and not trick them. That's where "trick-or-treating" originated from.

A group of farmers in Ireland called Celts asked everyone in the village to come to a town party and bring food. Then they gave the food to the evil spirits by burning it in a bonfire. Many villagers wore costumes made of animal skins and bones, and some farmers wore animal heads. That's how the tradition of dressing up came to be.

And jack-o-lanterns? They started from the story of a man named - you guessed it - Jack. People believed that after he died, he walked around the earth carrying a lantern. So folks would hollow out pumpkins or turnips and put candles in them. They set them outside their front gates to scare away evil spirits who might think Jack was there.

Hundreds of years ago, Roman rulers passed a law that everyone should believe in Christianity and accept it. Most people became Christians because they had to, not because they wanted to. Instead of giving up their wicked beliefs and worship other gods, they added these things to Christianity. When Roman rulers tried to stop Halloween parties, the people got angry. They saw nothing wrong with mixing their false beliefs with worshipping Jesus. So the Romans moved a Christian Holiday - All Saints Day - to November 1st and gave October 31st the name Halloween, which means Holy Evening. Then they told the people to pray for the dead on Halloween, instead of praying to other gods. Halloween has always been a religious holiday, but it has never been a "Christian" one, because changing the name of something doesn't change what it is. So changing the name of Halloween didn't change the things that still happen on this day. Did you know that this is the single biggest holiday on satan's calendar? Many religions all over the world use this day to worship satan and idols.

*Now the next part is purely my observation based upon research and my own opinion. Many will not agree with it, and that's ok. I don't expect us all to - that's what makes us different!*

Halloween centers around evil, scary things. In fact, many costumes picture witches, ghosts, goblins and other creatures that are enemies of God. I believe that if we are Jesus' friends, how can we have fun if we look and act like His enemies? Joy comes from being like Jesus.

When you take other Christian holidays that originated from pagan holidays, like Easter or Christmas for example, both have found a way to bring the glory back to God throughout Christianity. And we are all about honoring God with what we say and do! And to participate in Halloween is dishonoring God, and we can't grow in our friendship with Him if we are participating in things that dishonor Him.

I am tempted all. the. time. to give in this time of year. My kids want to dress up and go to carnivals with their friends. The want the candy. They want to have fun. And so I pray. And get the same answer. Halloween just isn't for us. The bible says that knowing the truth sets us free, and knowing the truth about Halloween makes me even more adamant that we don't participate.

And sometimes I and conflicted. I am the director of a local church preschool program here, and as far as I know, this preschool has always done Halloween. Should I impose my beliefs? No. I don't think this is a salvation issue. And in all honesty, sometimes I feel like a hypocrite, and I don't know how to resolve that issue. I struggle because I'm human. I let my 3 year old son dress up yesterday. And now that I think about it, I probably shouldn't have. I did it because I didn't want him to feel left out, and he couldn't stay home with Jimmy, and I don't think he understands yet. I think he will next year though. And maybe that was wrong. I'm still learning.

I'm reminded of lots of things that are fun to do that are only appropriate in a certain time or place. In fact, most things that the bible (God) frowns upon are actually fun! Take sex for instance. Lots of fun! But, only appropriate when you are married.

When my kids are older, I hope that they explore this and other things for themselves. I hope that they don't simply believe things because someone else tells them. I hope they don't accept things as truth simply because they read them. I want them to have their own thoughts and develop their own faith. Don't go blindly through life and doing things because they have always been done!

I know that we cannot avoid Halloween - it's everywhere. I am not trying to shield my children from all things bad - good heavens! I can't keep them locked up in a closet. They are going to see bad things everywhere. I know this. But I also know that it is my responsibility to raise them to be solid, firm believers in Christ. And to listen to His voice in my life. And as their parent, I am going to do my best to follow His calling on my life, whatever it may be. Even if others disapprove.

Many people say that as a Christian, I am making people hate me by taking a stand on Halloween. That I am separating myself and being too self-righteous and encouraging a non-believer to hate me/us. We try not to. We don't belittle others, or judge, or throw it in your face - we simply choose to abstain from it. If that makes you hate us, then that sounds like a you problem. We still love you! :)

For those who choose to evangelize on Halloween - God bless you! I don't at all think that is a bad thing to spread the good news of Christ.

FAQ

Why can't you dress up in playful costumes and not participate in the scary things and participate in Halloween?
I've thought about this one a lot. And my answer is this - I just don't feel right about it. Knowing the history behind Halloween, and the fact that it does nothing to bring honor to God just makes me uncomfortable - right or wrong. It just isn't for us.

Do your kids ever get to dress up or eat candy?
All the time! We play dress up very often and love it! And, we have been known to eat the occasional piece of candy or two.

Do you ever have fun?
Yep. We are pretty normal in the fun area. We love all things fun:)

Are you always a stick in the mud?
Not always. I really am a fun gal:) I love to have fun and be goofy. I love sarcasm, too:)

Are you sure you're not judging me because I DO participate in Halloween?
Positive. We love you and that has nothing to do with Halloween!

I hope that by the time that you made it to the end of this thing that we are still friends:) Believe me, I would not preach this to anyone who didn't ask, so if you read this far, you promised to keep an open mind and still love me for my beliefs, whether you believe them right or wrong. And Halloween or not, I do love you all, my brothers and sisters because He first loved me.