I am no fan of Halloween, but simultaneously I do not feel called to stand on a soapbox to denounce it either. I feel led to live my life as quietly as possible in thanksgiving to God. I have always struggled with whether I should still hand out candy even though I personally believe it is something I should not be involved in...but I live in an apartment complex and previous years here we have been rather untrafficked by little Halloweeners (Halloweenites?) . I think they tend to go to the neighborhoods where they think they will reap the most candy, which I suppose isn't here. It does help me with my avoidance of this issue of what to do or not do regarding this thing. If any Halloweeners do happen to show up, I have fiber/nutrition bars available to hand out. At least I can try to make it a bit healthier than a Snicker's bar. I have also seen it advocated to put Christian tracts into the little gremlins and witches bags. I'm not sure if that falls into the category of casting pearls to swine, because I'm certain the little "darlings" won't appreciate getting jipped out of some great treats...
What will you be doing for Halloween? What about "All Saints Day"? I have a friend whose birthday falls on "All Saints Day" (November 1st). I do say "Happy All Saints Day" at least a couple of times on November 1st and it usually gets a puzzled look in response.
Happy All Saints Day!!!
Happy All Saints to you, too. My nephew's birthday is also on November 1.
ReplyDeleteI have been back and forth about this, too.
Maybe if someone does show up tonight I can give a brief reason for my not being involved in "halloween". I'm keeping this in prayer today...
DeleteI thought the idea of passing out tracts was great. :) That's always a good idea!
DeleteHi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI do not like Halloween as it is an extremely high satanic holiday and there are a lot of very evil people praying against our children.
My church puts on a family night to give kids a safe place to go and get off the streets and not focus on Halloween but focus on Jesus.
Since I live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, we have never had to give out candy but if I did live in a area where there are children seeking goodies I would take the opportunity to spread the word of God and shine light into the darkness that surrounds them. No, I wouldn't hand out candies but I sure would hand out kid friendly tracks and pray for them. I really think it would be cool to have the porch light on and a cross hanging on the door with John 3:16 written there for all to see. I'm sure it would deter a lot of people but that's okay because the word of God would be read by those who might never read it and those who do read the word may have consideration about what they are doing.
Blessings tonight and happy fishing!
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By the time I reached home from work it was after 8pm and drizzling, damp, and cold. I did notice some people out and about in some of the surrounding neighborhoods, but none came here, and I guess that it's just as well. Hope you had a wonderful night at your church. That sounds very nice. When I was about 10 or so I remember going out with our church (SDA) at Christmas time to go Christmas caroling. I held out a can for donations for our amateurish attempts at singing. Afterwards we came back to the church for hot apple cider and home made donuts. They were the most delicious that I ever tasted, a time of fellowship and fun that I'll always remember. Although I do not agree with their doctrines, I treasure the foundation that it laid in my life for a desire to know about God and the Bible. :)
DeleteMy wife and I had dessert and coffee with the members of our small group who don't have children. To be honest, I view Halloween as meaningless, and it doesn't bother me. However, I think that the commercialization of Christmas and Easter have been disastrous for the church, and I think that prime time television is truly pernicious. So, I don't worry that children will be corrupted by donning Halloween costumes, but I do think that the television they watch at home - including both the tv programs themselves and the commercials that punctuate them - are definitely an ungodly influence.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I should think about Halloween more though. To be honest, my family never really did much for Halloween when I was young, and my friends didn't either, so I really don't know very much about how people celebrate the holiday or what it means to them. I certainly think that it is wrong for adults to treat the holiday as a kind of Mardis Gras, just as I think that it is wrong for adults to use New Year's as an excuse to drink to excess. But I've never been to an adult Halloween party, and I typically spend New Year's at home with my family. So again, I don't know very much about what these days mean to people.