‘Halloween’
began nearly 2000 years ago in Ireland as a Celtic festival involving the
warding off of ghosts. It was co-opted
by the Roman Catholic Church 609 AD.[i] Immigrants from Europe revived old country traditions
around “All Hallows Eve” in the United States in the 19th century. The day became associated with vandalism
until there was a shift in the 1950’s.
At that time, Halloween morphed into the family-friendly neighborhood
holiday we now celebrate.
Today, Halloween is a $6 billion industry in
America. Some Christians feel followers
of Jesus should not celebrate Halloween.[ii]
I respect the argument Jamie Morgan
makes in the article cited in the footnotes.
I don’t agree with him, but I respect the case he’s making. If a person’s participation in Halloween
festivities truly is a celebration of witchcraft, then I would join him in
renouncing all participation in the day.
In this line of thinking, I would renounce non-Christians legends around
Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and other holidays. But, I think you can have a good time with
costumes and candy without giving any ground to witchcraft (which is real and
very dangerous), just as I think candy canes and Old St. Nick are OK for
Christmas. Our legends and traditions
are part of who we are and they don’t have to be inherently evil or in conflict
with our deepest reality, our identity in Christ.
For
my family, Halloween is a time to enjoy dressing in costumes and being out in
the neighborhood with friends. It is
communal and family fun. Aside from the
need for added rigor in dental hygiene, I find Halloween harmless. It brings my family tremendous happiness when
we look at old Halloween trick-or-treating photos. My oldest is now 14. Soon he’ll be too old for this. The thought of it makes me sad.
My
decision as Christian to participate in what I see to be a benign, religiously
ignorant holiday should not be taken to mean I don’t believe in spiritual
warfare. I most certainly do. I believe demons are real and roaming about,
spreading mayhem and harming people on the earth. I have been present for exorcisms, both
successful and unsuccessful. My reading
for this morning, Luke 4:31-37, is one of many passages which deal with demon
possession. Before Jesus exorcises the
demon, it is able to throw the possessed man to the ground. Jesus saves him, but some damage has been
done.
Yes,
I believe demons are very real. And
maybe, Halloween can be a time for demons to wreak damage in the lives of men
and women. However, I believe demons are
just as potent at all times of the year.
We constantly must be on our guard against the wiles of the devil
(Ephesians 6). Prayer is how we stay on
our guard. We have to, through worship,
prayer, Bible reading, and acts of service, build up our relationship with God
in Jesus Christ. We have to learn to
listen to and heed the voice of the Holy Spirit. In these ways, we are connected to the God
who protects us. In the light of God,
those dangerous demons are utterly impotent.
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