Background

     Halloween is here again. Big in America, getting bigger in Australia, on October 31^st you can expect to see kids dressed up in scary outfits, wandering the streets and asking strangers for lollies, behaviour that is generally discouraged throughout the rest of the year.

     Halloween has its roots in an ancient Celtic festival around 2,000 years ago called Samhain. Celebrated at the turn of the seasons between summer (characterised by warmth and life) and winter (cold and death), the Celts believed that on this night (31^st October), the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred and the ghosts of the dead returned to earth to cause trouble and damage crops. It was also easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future on this night.

     By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain: Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead; and a day to honour Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees (probably seen today in the ‘bobbing for apples’).

     By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. Popes tried to replace these pagan festivals with a church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was on November 1^st and called All Saints' Day, a time to honour saints and martyrs. The night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Together these three traditions based on superstition, uncertainty and the worship of the dead have melded into today’s Halloween.

Christians and Halloween

     Is Halloween something Christians should concern themselves with? Simply put, yes. Most people live much of their lives without considering what they are actually doing, how it agrees with their beliefs and the consequences of their actions. They simply follow the media and culture blindly, without questioning it. But can Halloween fit into the Christian worldview?

·    The themes of Halloween are at odds with the grace of the Christian life:

o   There is no place for superstition and uncertainty when we can have an intimate relationship with the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ;

o   We know that the dead must give account for their lives before their Creator and Judge, just as we must too. Only one deserves our worship, the Lamb that was slain;

·    The practices of Halloween are at odds with the wisdom of the Christian life:

o   We don’t normally encourage our kids to wander the streets in the evenings or to speak to strangers, let alone accept food from them – why on this night?

o   I don’t want the minds of my kinds filled with untruths and images to scare them – my role is to teach them God’s truth and protect and comfort them.

Some Suggested Responses

We could have nothing to do with it, but that would not help our neighbours and their kids as they continue to be seduced by its evil. Participating in it fully would condone its activities, activities that are totally at odds with the ways of our heavenly Father. But there are other ways to participate but also display Christian grace and assurance. Here are some examples:

·    Rather than sending your kids out to get stuff, keep them at home and focus on the giving. Simple lollies with a message like “Jesus loves you” can be bought from shops like Koorong. Include an Essential Jesus, Colin DVD or something similar to give context to your actions.

·    You can promise most of the fun for your kid at home – have your own dress up time (but it doesn’t have to be ghosts and witches) and lolly hunt at home.

Conclusions

     October 31^st is also the date of a very significant moment in history. It was on this day in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 disagreements with the Roman Catholic Church on the door at Wittenburg Castle. In this way he signalled the start of debate that had been building for some time and which became known as the Reformation.The gospel was ‘rediscovered’ – the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ – and was preached with new vigour and fervour. The churches that were established during this protest were thus known as Protestant, of which we are a part (and we still protest!). October 31st has thus become known as Reformation Day, and when we consider the impact of that event and that period on human history, we see its importance is far greater than anything Halloween has to offer.

     When the world wants to teach evil, use the opportunity to teach grace. What other ideas can you come up with to help us display our message of grace and assurance in Jesus during this dark evening?