So recently I became involved in a discussion on whether Christians should celebrate Halloween or not.
Without the usual mud-slinging you find on these types of social media discussions (thank you SocialCross.org!!) it’s been rather enlightening to find out what other Christians believe on this subject. So much so, that I did something I normally do not do, I joined in the conversation!
My response was short, and simply mentioned that we don’t celebrate Halloween because it doesn’t glorify God. What we do instead is put up our Christmas decorations on October 1st, and celebrate Christmas for 3 months. That’s right, even now, as I write, my lights are twinkling on my Christmas tree in the living room…and it’s only October 15th!
When I logged back in the response I got to my comment suggested that I look up the history and origins of Christmas. On the surface the comment was benign and even helpful, but if you dig a little deeper the meaning was clear. How can I NOT celebrate Halloween and YET celebrate Christmas, knowing that they BOTH started from pagan holidays?
This, of course, is always the traditional response to someone declaring their intent to not celebrate one holiday for religious/spiritual reasons. Let’s face it, almost ALL holidays evolved from pagan festivals and celebrations, so what’s a Christian to do? Stick their head in the sand and refuse to do anything lest they face censure from other Christians? Or do we do the opposite, throw all caution to the wind and get our party hats on?
Well, here is my response…
The simple fact is that while Christmas has some associations with a secular holiday, I choose to celebrate it to remember the birth of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
To be honest, while most holidays do have their root in ancient pagan festivals, such as Easter and Christmas, these two no longer are associated with those pagan practices. The Roman church, in the 4th century, absorbed these practices and remade them to celebrate Christ. It was their answer to the dilemma of getting new believers to focus on Christ, not the pagan beliefs that were deeply entrenched in the traditions of their families and culture.
And for the most part, it worked. Oh sure, we still have to deal with Santa, but truthfully he does not have to be involved in Christmas if you don’t want him to. We raised our son without the ‘jolly old elf’ and he grew up just fine. Instead, we focused on baby Jesus. And who doesn’t love to walk into a secular store and hear music that glorifies and worships our Lord and Savior??
Halloween, however, has NOT undergone any such change. Instead, this holiday has encouraged and exploited the celebration of death, chaos, and satanic activity for centuries, simply sugarcoating it for easier consumption. But in essence, Halloween is, and has always been, and always will be, a demonically inspired pagan festival. There simply is NO redeeming quality in this holiday.
I can’t help but think of 1 Corinthians 10:31…“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
I can find the glory of God in Christmas, but NOT in Halloween.
Of course, this is my opinion, and people are free to agree or disagree. I am at peace with celebrating Jesus’ birth through the Christmas holiday. I am also at peace with not celebrating Halloween. And here’s the best part, if you don’t agree with me, I’m at peace with that too!
I’m not the boss of you. And you’re not the boss of me. Every one of us has our own set of convictions, shaped and molded by God, our circumstances, and the interactions we daily come in contact with. As long as we agree on the basic tenets of Christianity, everything else is just fluff.
Whether you celebrate Halloween or not…whether you celebrate Christmas or not…that’s not my business, it’s a choice between you and God alone. It doesn’t make you less of a Christian, it just makes you accountable for your own decisions and choices.
We are all members of the body of Christ. Each one of us has our own function and job to do, and yet, we all need each other to keep the body healthy. Our subtle differences and unique perspectives should strengthen the body of Christ, not tear it apart. Instead of attacking our differences, we should be embracing them, encouraging each other in our Faith walk.
God is okay with our differences, and to be honest, so should we.
