Friday, October 28, 2011

What Does the Bible Say about Halloween {Re-post}

I posted this back in 2008, and thought I'd re-post. I have had some people ask me and I can tell I don't believe in Halloween, but am not convicted about allowing my children to dress up {in something that is not scary and is not pointed towards Halloween} if they choose too. We have told them exactly what Halloween is about and what it means. So they are well aware of it.

I read this article and thought it was a good one, so I had to share.
What Does the Bible Say About Halloween?
By Mary Fairchild, About.com
This article will tackle the controversial question, "Should Christians observe Halloween?" With no direct references to Halloween in the Bible, resolving the debate can be a challenge. How should Christians approach Halloween and is there a biblical way to observe this secular holiday?
The dilemma over Halloween may fall under the category of a Romans 14 issue, or a "disputable matter." These are matters that lack clear and specific direction from the Bible. Ultimately, Christians must decide for themselves and follow their own convictions regarding the observance of Halloween. Together we will explore what the Bible has to say about Halloween, providing food for thought as you decide for yourself on the issue.
Current StatusChristian perspectives on the observance of Halloween are strongly divided. Some believers feel complete freedom to observe the holiday, others run and hide from it, many boycott or ignore it, a number celebrate it through more positive and imaginative observances or Christian alternatives to Halloween, and still others choose to take advantage of Halloween's evangelistic opportunities.
HistoryHalloween has pagan roots stemming from the ancient Celtic festival, Samhain. This harvest festival of the Druids ushered in the New Year, beginning on the evening of October 31, with the lighting of bonfires and the offering of sacrifices. As the Druids danced around the fires, they celebrated the ending of the summer season and the beginning of the season of darkness. It was also believed that at this time of year the invisible "gates" between the natural world and the spirit world would open, allowing free movement between the two worlds.
In the 18th century, Pope Gregory III moved All Saints Day to November 1, officially making October 31 "All Hallows Eve," as a way of claiming the celebration for Christians. However, some of the pagan beliefs and practices associated with the celebration have persisted



What Does the Bible Say?Ephesians 5:7-12
Don't participate in the things these people do. For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. (NLT)
Many Christians believe that participating in Halloween is a form of involvement in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness. However, many consider the modern-day Halloween activities of most to be harmless fun.
Are some Christians trying to remove themselves from the world? Ignoring Halloween or celebrating it with only believers is not exactly an evangelical approach. Aren't we supposed to "become all things to all men so that by all possible means" we might save some? (1 Cor. 9:22)
Deut. 18:10-12
For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is an object of horror and disgust to the Lord. (NLT)
Well, these verses are pretty clear on what a Christian should not do. But how many Christians are sacrificing their sons and daughters as a burnt offering on Halloween? How many are calling forth the spirits of the dead? The verse does not say that "trick or treating" disgusts the Lord.
However, what if you have come to the Christian faith from a background in the occult? What if, before you became a Christian, you did practice some of these deeds associated with witchcraft and sorcery? Perhaps refraining from Halloween and its activities is the safest and most appropriate response for you as an individual.
Rethinking: the IssueThere are many other Bible verses similar to these two, but nothing that specifically warns against observing Halloween. Rather than providing an answer, the purpose of this article is to cause you to ask yourself questions and think about your convictions on this issue.
As Christians, why are we here in this world? Are we here to live in a safe and protected environment, guarded against the evils in the world, or are we called to reach out into a world filled with dangers and be the light of Christ? Halloween brings people of the world to our door step. Halloween brings our neighbors out into the streets. I can think of various creative ways to seize this opportunity for developing new relationships and sharing my faith.
Is it possible that our negativity toward Halloween only alienates the people we seek to reach? Can we be in the world, but not of the world?
Resolution: Knowing I will probably get strong feedback from various sides of this controversial subject, I invite you to post your view. I close with a recommendation to give serious thought about the appropriateness of judging another Christian for observing or not observing Halloween. We do not know why another person participates in the holiday or why they do not. We cannot accurately judge the motivations and intentions of another's heart.
I believe the most appropriate Christian response to Halloween is to study the matter for yourself and follow the convictions of your own heart. Let others do the same without condemnation from you. Perhaps the answer to the Halloween dilemma is - there is no right or wrong answer! I believe one's unique convictions about Halloween must be individually sought, independently found, and personally followed.





I thought this was a great help for me, as I personally haven't been convicted yet. And for those of you who may have questions about it or not totally sure on what to do. Pray and ask the Lord to reveal to you what He wants you to do, not what others are doing or may want you to do. I also think that watching the Halloween: Trick or Treat video by Chuck Smith is really good and can answer alot of your questions and concerns. I hope that I have not affended anyone, if I did so sorry those weren't my intentions. I just liked what this article had to say and answered alot of my questions, as I hope it will you.



In His Love,

A

2 comments:

  1. Good article!! :) We don't celebrate it.

    Yes a blog lift is addicting. My picture blog actually has the same header,but different background as yours. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Heather, we don't celebrate it either!! But i do love going to the harvest festivals. We have one every year at church.

    I know I couldn't chose between which background so I chose this one. I had to try every one of them out. I seen your blog and thought it was sooo cute. So I had to change mine, it needed some changing!!!

    God Bless you!!
    Adrienne

    ReplyDelete

Thank you soo much for leaving an encouraging comment, I look forward to reading them and thank you for stopping by.

God Bless you!
By His Grace,
Adrienne

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

What is the Truth?


What is the truth?
Truth is not a feeling. Truth is not an idea. The truth is found in the Bible.Sincerity and good works do not bridge the gap of sin between God and man. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse a person (Heb. 9:22; John 14:6). Sincerity and good works are merely the reliance upon what is in the individual to merit favor with God. Sincerity is a form of pride when it is appealed to as a justification for being accepted by God: "But God, look at my heart. See how sincere I was? I deserve to be in heaven."No. If sincerity and good works were good enough to satisfy God, then He wouldn't have given us the Bible to correct our sincerely wrong ideas, and He wouldn't have sent His Son to do what our good works cannot.Truth is what God says is true.The truth is important not because it is simply true. It is important because truth is what defines who and what we believe in.Eternity is a long time to be wrong. Especially about Jesus.

What me and my Family Believe

What We Believe
WE BELIEVE the worship of God should be spiritual! Therefore we remain flexible so the Holy Spirit may direct our worship.
WE BELIEVE the worship of God should be inspirational! Therefore we give a great place to music in our worship.
WE BELIEVE the worship of God should be intelligent! Therefore, in our services, we emphasize Bible teaching so God may instruct us how He would be worshipped.
WE BELIEVE the worship of God should be fruitful! Therefore we look for His love in our lives as the greatest evidence that we are truly worshipping Him.

How To Know God

How to Know God

Realize that you are a sinner. No matter how good a life we try to live, we still fall miserably short of being a good person. That is because we are all sinners. We all fall short of God’s desire for us to be holy. The Bible says, “No one is good—not even one” (Romans 3:10 NLT). This is because we cannot become who we are supposed to be without Jesus Christ.Recognize that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you.The Bible tells us, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). This is the Good News, that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die in our place when we least deserved it.Repent of your sin.The Bible tells us to “repent and be converted” (Acts 3:19 NKJV). The word repent means to change our direction in life. Instead of running from God, we can run toward Him.Receive Jesus Christ into your life.Becoming a Christian is not merely believing some creed or going to church on Sunday. It is having Christ Himself take residence in your life and heart. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door (of your life) and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in...” (Revelation 3:20 NKJV).

If you would like to have a relationship with Christ, simply pray this prayer and mean it in your heart.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe you died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess you as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.If you just prayed that prayer and meant it, Jesus Christ has now taken residence in your heart! Your decision to follow Christ means God has forgiven you and that you will spend eternity in heaven.

The Bible tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NKJV).

Praise the Lord, if you just asked Jesus in your heart I want you to know that the Angels in Heaven are rejoicing for you and so am I. Go to http://www.calvarychapel.com/?show=Churches and click on churches to find the closest church to you and go. Go and tell them that you've just accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart. They will be able to lead you to the next step.

God Bless you Brethren.
In the Mighty Name of Jesus!!! Amen!!!
Your sister in Christ Jesus!!!
Adrienne