Halloween. Fall Fest. What's the difference? I don't know.
When I was a kid I loved Halloween. My friends and I went trick-or-treating every year and had tons of fun. We never had any evil intentions in mind (at least I didn't), we didn't think about or worship evil spirits, and no one ever did anything evil (or even mean) to us. We just dressed up as fun characters and got lots of candy. I even went as a witch several years and one year my brother was the devil (!).
Some people say that the origin of Halloween was satanic or evil. OK. The origin of Christmas and Easter traditions is pagan rituals. But we have turned those holidays into authentic Christian celebrations. Just like we've turned Halloween into a fun tradition for kids (and some adults) to dress up and eat candy. Do you honestly know any satanists that use Halloween as a day to worship Satan? ...Even if you do, would you say you know more satanists or more people who like Halloween for the dress up and candy? It seems to me that if someone wants to worship Satan, they could do that on any day, not just Halloween. It seems kind of silly that Halloween is a special, evil day.
I'm not against fall fests though. I think they're a good way to insure your kids' safety - especially if you live in a shady neighborhood and don't really want your kids knocking at every door. Plus, fall fests are like carnivals, and carnivals are always fun. I just don't like it when they're presented as "alternatives" to Halloween. As if Halloween is a curse word and "Fall Fest" is the G-rated version.
Why can't churches have Halloween carnivals? I think there are many things for Christians to be concerned about in this world, but trick-or-treating should not be anywhere near the top of the list. Choose your battles, people.
No comments:
Post a Comment