
For several years now, as I have been growing closer to the Lord, I have felt a pull towards the study of celebrations and if we, as Christians, should participate. I'm not sure if I would call it a conviction at this point, but it has definitely been brought to the forefront of my mind. I need to have a deeper understanding of where the traditions started. Are they biblical or born out of pagan practices and what is the impact on the kingdom and its people if it’s the latter? We are called to be set apart. Have we (Christians) fallen short and succumbed to the world in this area by renaming certain celebrations and claiming them for God?
I have recently joined several Christian Facebook groups in my quest for knowledge. These are not the typical Christian groups. I must interject here and acknowledge that I seek the Bible's truth above all else, but I also want to hear and learn from others who have witnessed and experienced things different from myself. For example, one of the groups I joined is people who were once new age and are now Christians. It is a support group for them to learn from “seasoned” Christians and also to help us understand what they once believed and why it is so dangerous.
As you probably have already guessed, my focus today is on the upcoming holiday, Halloween. I have great memories from childhood to adulthood surrounding this holiday. Memories of dressing up, trick or treating, parties, hanging out with friends, lots of laughter, caramel apples, spiced cider, harvest festivals, trunk or treat… the list goes on. It all sounds so innocent and if you're not looking too deep, it is. But your perspective begins to shift the more you research, the more you learn. We have probably all heard several versions of where halloween originated, and from what I've gathered, there is probably a little truth in all of them. While I won't overwhelm you with all of that here, I would like to share with you a few things I learned in a conversation I had in that facebook group. The conversation was with a few women who used to identify as wiccan. I learned so much from that interaction about how they get drawn into that belief system and their viewpoint of celebrations now that they are Christians. But let's focus on what they said regarding halloween. First, they spoke about why halloween is the best time of year to draw people to satan. They made the point to say that it's not just the one day, but also the days surrounding it. Second, they shared how they participated in things to draw kids in, and not just the ones going door to door. They would say incantations(spells) outside of churches hosting “fall festivals” or “trunk or treats” inviting spirits into the children there, they would go down the candy isles at the stores and do the same over the candy so that when someone ate a piece of candy they would actually be taking part and inviting these spirits/demons in. They said even if you are only participating in church events, always pray over the treats and candy before you eat them. Both of these ladies were very regretful over the things they participated in and were adamant that those things were evil, although at the time they didn't realize they were evil.
My goal is not to discourage or encourage you to participate in these activities. My goal is to encourage you to research for yourself and follow the Lord’s lead. Seek the Lord’s wisdom through His word and prayer. Don’t follow other people, even fellow Christians, if you are being called to follow the narrow path and be set apart. It is so daunting to think about taking away such a fun time from your children and even yourself as you move closer to the Lord. You want to rename it, claim it for Jesus, just so you can still participate…but is that okay? Is it enough to rebrand it? I don’t have the answers. I am on a mission to find understanding and to know where the Lord is placing me on this subject. My girls and my grandkids all love the fun things of halloween. My girls are all adults now. They have been raised with caramel apples and Halloweentown. It hurts my heart to think I may be drawn in a different direction. I’m still trying to navigate this new path the Lord has me traveling. All I know is that God’s word instructs us not to participate in pagan practices directly involving witchcraft and the occult. In the meantime, I’m still enjoying all the church festivities. I will just be praying over the children and the candy involved.
I would really love to hear your thoughts on Halloween or holidays in general. Let's start a conversation.
Much love,
LB
I love your navigation process! Keep it up! I’ll reserve my comments which are much like yours. Thanks for sharing your research.