A Controversial Question: Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

-



Each October, a controversial question comes up: "Should Christians celebrate Halloween?" With no direct references to Halloween in the Bible, resolving the debate can be a challenge. How should Christians approach Halloween? Is there a biblical way to observe this secular holiday?

A few of today's popular celebrations associated with Halloween have 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 offering of sacrifices. As the Druids danced around the fires, they celebrated the end of the summer and the beginning of the season of darkness. It was 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.

During the 8th century in the diocese of Rome, Pope Gregory III moved All Saints Day to November 1, officially making October 31 "All Hallows Eve." Some say this was the church's way of claiming the celebration for Christians. However, this feast commemorating the martyrdom of the saints had already been celebrated by Christians for many centuries before this time. Pope Gregory IV broadened the feast to include the entire church. Inevitably, some pagan practices associated with the season persisted and have been mixed into modern celebrations of Halloween.

Many Christians believe that participating in Halloween is a form of involvement in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness, which is forbidden in Scripture.

On the other hand, many believers consider the modern-day Halloween activities of most to be harmless fun.

There are those who say that demonizing Halloween is an attempt on the part of some Christians to remove themselves from the world. Ignoring Halloween or celebrating it only with believers is not exactly an evangelical approach. Scripture says that believers are supposed to "become all things to all men so that by all possible means" they might save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Many Bible verses condemn pagan practices, but none specifically warn against observing Halloween. 

Yes For Some. No For Others.

What if you came to the Christian faith from a background in the occult? What if, before you became a Christian, you did practice some of these dark deeds? Perhaps refraining from Halloween and its activities is the safest and most appropriate response for you as an individual.

In all probability, the dilemma over Halloween is a Romans 14 issue, or a "disputable matter." These are matters that lack specific direction from the Bible. Ultimately, Christians must decide for themselves and follow the convictions of their own heart.

Rethinking Halloween

As Christians, why are we here in this world? Are we here to live in a safe, protected environment, guarded against the evils of the world, or are we called to reach out to a world filled with dangers and be the light of Christ? And how do we reach out to unbelievers in a way that will attract them to faith in Jesus Christ?

Halloween brings people of the world to our doorsteps. Halloween brings our neighbors out into the streets. The holiday is a great opportunity to develop new relationships and share our faith.

Is it possible that our negativity toward Halloween only alienates the people we seek to reach? 

Origin of the word Halloween

The word Halloween or Hallowe’en has a Christian origin dating back to 1745. Hallowe’en means Saints evening and “Hallow” by itself means saints. “Even” means Eve to the Scottish and hence it was later shortened to just “e’en” or “een”. So in time Hallow Even was changed to Hallowe’en and eventually to Halloween.

Resolving the Question of Halloween

In light of Scriptures, consider carefully the appropriateness of judging another Christian for 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 person's heart.

Is it possible that there is no right or wrong answer to the Halloween dilemma? Perhaps the appropriate Christian response to Halloween is to study the matter for ourselves and follow the convictions of our own heart. Let others do the same without condemnation from us.




SOURCES: 

www.learnreligions.com/should-christians-celebrate-halloween-700763

Christians and Halloween (gty.org)

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? (billygraham.org)

Halloween 2022 - Calendar Date


Comentarii

Trimiteți un comentariu

Postări populare de pe acest blog

TEACHING ENGLISH TO PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS – A GUIDE FOR PEDAGOGICAL SCHOOL STUDENTS - AUTHORS: ADRIANA COSCAI, TEODORA MIHAELA NIDELEA

-
  Introduction   It is always better to start learning a foreign language as early as possible. This definitely also applies to English. Children will have a far better time learning English if you introduce it to them at an early age. This is all great since there are lots of opportunity to study just by playing and having a good time. Here are five reasons why you children should study English as early as possible. They develop a better accent If you learned English late, you might have noticed just  how hard it is to pronounce words  like a native. There is always an accent that just won’t go away. You can try getting rid of it to sound almost like a native but that needs a ton of practice. When you are learning the language as a child, however, it is much easier to attain a native-sounding accent. The best time to start is as soon as possible, but no matter how late you might be, late is always better than never. It has been shown that even adolescents ...
Citiți mai multe

REASONS WHY ENGLISH LEARNING IS IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS - engvarta.com/reasons-why-english-learning-is-important-for-students

-
Imagine
  Reasons Why English Learning is Important for Students How to Improve Spoken English? Reasons Why English Learning is Important for Students Many people shy away from speaking English. Where some lack a good command over the language, some just don’t feel comfortable while speaking English even though they know it. Given the education and work scenario today, it is literally essential for everyone to understand and speak this universal language. Particularly for working professionals and students, English plays a very crucial role in determining the success in their respective roles. Why is English Important for a Student? We all know that English is a universal language. It is understood and spoken in almost every corner of the world. We cannot expect anyone, particularly in a working environment, to not know this universal language. And, to prepare for the cut-throat working environment one needs to start early. Learning English during student life is a part of this preparation...
Citiți mai multe

Education of Yesterday and Today’s Learning

-
 Education of Yesterday and Today’s Learning  Why is education and learning important for every human being? Education is an important tool that helps an individual work for a better future. When we say education,   it is the continuous process of learning things – from simple knowledge to complex information.  As the world’s population is growing, the number of people who value the importance of education is increasing as well. However, some people believe that the quality of education in former times is incomparable to the quality of education today. But this is the opposite of what some scholars say today; due to modernization and globalization, education today is far more excellent than the education before. Thus, the learning of students nowadays is great, fast, and efficient. It is most likely that if the quality of education is excellent, the contribution of learning to the students has a great impact as well  But, what is the difference between syst...
Citiți mai multe