Any good reformed articles on the celebration of pagan halloween?

Also, I don't know a complete history of this celebration, but is this an accurate portrayal of the history of the celebration coming to america?

American Halloween - The Real Story of Halloween - History.com

__________________
Rev. Andrew J. Barnes
Husband of Dena
Father of Oliver
Master of Bruce
Pastor of Tchula Presbyterian Church

What can I say, I like blogs!

Here we go again!

__________________
Jonathan
Audio Engineer
Reformed Anabaptist
Ohio

Moroni's magical glasses of proper interpretation:

What, you know it is that type of season. You have halloween, thanksgiving, christmas...

Ah holidays I love, the best time of year beside my anniversary and birthday.

The one resource I know is wikipedia that might help a bit

__________________
Doug
Baptist
Hemet, Ca
Old Time Radio Podcast

Since I am not a pagan I feel free to celebrate Halloween separately.

__________________
Shalom,
jessi
PCA
Steelers fan exiled to Virginia


“Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.”
Martin Luther

I don't "celebrate" halloween either. My kids dress up in cute little costumes a visit the neighbors in a friendly folk celebration of kindness to children.

I don't know any pagans, and I am unsure of their practices. Since European folk religions died out centuries ago all we have left of them are the names of days of the week & a few folkways that are loosely based on the former practice. All "paganism" that we know today is no older then the 19th century & is no more accurate the JK Rowlings made up "witchcraft".

__________________
Kevin Rogers
Sovereign Community Church, PCA
Moncton NB

since i'm not pagan, i feel free to celebrate christmas.....you get more for less work than you do halloweening.

__________________
sarah
WI
OPC
My Pastor's Sermons: Mark Jenkins...he's awesome!!!

I don't think any of our holidays have any real meaning anymore. It's just an occasion to get off work or whatever and spend some time with family or friends.

__________________
David
PCA
Richardson, Texas

Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of God's grace.
--C.H. Spurgeon

When I have kids, we're not going to let them do Halloween..........but not because it's supposedly "pagan"........... it's because we don't want our kids to have candy or view it as a special treat........because we want them to be super healthy.

I'm not being facetious. I know, we're weird

That said, we'll probably let them dress up and carve pumpkins anyway.

__________________
Megan Meisberger
River Hills Community Church - EFCA (yes... same as charliejunfan)
Janesville, WI

Wife of matt.meisberger

<---- Naming my first son after him. My husband was saved while reading Religious Affections.

Well, I technically celebrate Christmas, too, because my husband loves it and sees nothing wrong with it and I was made for him. But in my head I call it festivus and focus on snow, trees, baked goods, and presents and leave Jesus' birth out of it, though I obviously count God's grace and blessings on that day as any other. I'm kind of backwards...I know. It's like the Fourth of July or Halloween to me.

Hey! Are we twins?

-----Added 10/9/2009 at 01:52:55 EST-----

Glad I wasn't your kid.....meany!

Ours are still young, but what we do is trick-or-treat and collect candy. They can have a couple pieces, and then my husband takes the rest to school to use as treats for his students and/or to eat as his stress levels determine : )
We don't keep much in the house at all. I think we'll always do it that way.

NOT YOU TOO!!! What is this world coming to?

Who really needs a pillowcase full of candy?

Ahh, well... maybe I'll run this by my husband, that's kinda good idea.

Lol anything that I say like this should be taken with a grain of salt because I don't have any kids yet and all my preconceptions of parenting are going to be rocked once I start.

The candy part of it grosses me out, so by no means will my children be eating loads of candy around Halloween. But I intend to enjoy many of the festivities with our kids, like carving pumpkins and dressing up. I view it as the rare time in our day when neighbors actually get out in the neighborhood and meet one another. I'm all for that.

We haven't celebrated any Halloweens yet with our kids. Our oldest child is about to turn 3, so it just hit me that we're approaching the age where she would really enjoy it. Maybe this year, but if not, the next.

__________________
Daniel
PCA
Memphis, TN

ME!!!!!

The original observance of Halloween was indeed wicked. What we generally have in America and in my home is not that same observance though. We aren't trying to appease the spirits or protect our people from sickness or damaged crops. It's just a time to enjoy one another with traditions of eating certain kinds of foods, getting candy from neighbors, and dressing up the house in certain colors. That's hardly evil.

On the other hand, in trying to be charitable to both sides, there certainly are those who might have a wrong view of what my family means by Halloween. Consider Yoga and Hindus. To most people Yoga is just a certain type of exercise. People like it for what it is on a basic, physical level. However, to certain Hindus in particular it is a deeply spiritual practice. Thus, Yoga is completely different in its intentions and practice depending on the individual. So when I say we celebrate Halloween, there is the danger of someone thinking I observe it in an unlawful way and it may cause them to stumble because we mean different things by "Halloween." For this reason I would rather say that I celebrate Reformation Day and enjoy various traditions for the fall, which just so happen to include several lawful practices that people might understandably connect to Halloween, such as carving pumpkins.
When in conversation someone brings up the similarities, I make it very clear that we do not celebrate death or condone trying to cause ourselves or others fear by haunted houses or "scary" movies, and we don't put up skeletons, spider webs, or other silly things like them. We recognize that if we celebrated Halloween as some do, we would be sinning. Fortunately, we don't.

__________________
Andrew Thornquist My Photo Album
Calvinistic Baptist
Ukiah, California
To follow Christ was the best decision God made for me!

My husband is really into the whole not-eating-processed foods thing and he converted me, for starters. Also I was raised to think that food=love and it was something talked about and loved and praised way too much. I guess I am reacting strongly to that and trying to stop it once and for all in the next generation! We'll see how it goes...

We take our kids to the mall to trick-or-treat there. That way if they need the stroller there are no stairs, plus you can *sort of* assume that the candy is safer since stores are giving it away and traceable. When they are older we will do the neighborhood thing, but for now it is just long enough/safe enough for our family.

-----Added 10/9/2009 at 02:09:25 EST-----

You need to borrow some toddlers on Oct. 31, then!

I'm all about helping a sista out! Send all your chocolate my way....

I think its like eating meat sacrificed to an idol....

__________________
Jim
An Elder, Harvest Reformed Church (RCUS),Minot, ND
http://www.harvestreformedchurch.org/
http://tbftgoggi.wordpress.com/

Upon a life I did not live; upon a death I did not die, Another's death, Another's life, I'd rest my soul eternally
Omnia dicta fortiora,si dicta Latina
Si vis pacem, para bellum

The responses on this thread really surprise me. All the elements of Halloween celebrations represent Satanic beliefs. I don't see any way to perpetuate these practices with a sincere rationalization that doing so brings glory to God (in my opinion, the Roman Catholics have failed at this).

I believe it's a very poor Christian witness to celebrate sinful Halloween traditions.

__________________
SW
Church of the Highlands, San Francisco, CA

Which is why we celebrate the non-sinful traditions of Halloween.

What exactly is sinful about carving pumpkins? And dressing up in fun costumes to seek candy?

That's what they said about eating meat that had been sacrificed to Zeus(or whoever it was). Read Romans 14.

An association with something evil is not sufficient to render something universally evil; only, as Paul says, "to him [who makes the association] it is unclean."

Now, we -do- need to be considerate about our brothers & sisters and not try to encourage them to go against their conscience in this area.

On another note, the days immediately following Halloween and Christmas(and Easter) are the times of year I stock up all my secret nooks and crannies with candy for the rest of the year. I ran out halfway through summer last time; I'll have to get more.

Halloween derives from druidic samhain observances that involved human sacrifice to appease gods at the change of the seasons. Over time, the holiday morphed into an annual date on which pagans believed spirits of the dead walked the earth. Gourds were carved grotesquely to resemble skulls and illuminated from within to ward off these spirits. Disguises/costumes were worn either to hide from these spirits or to impersonate pagan dieties. Trick-or-treating derives from appeasement offerings to demons and their representative druid priests.

I don't think you're dealing with others' counters to what you are saying. What do you say in response to their observations?

I wonder how many little kids consider the appeasement offerings to demons when they go to their neighbor's house for a couple of Snickers bars.


You are right about the origins of Halloween. It is not the same now however. How many people think of pagan gods when they say Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? Other than a few folks, the association with past names is so stretched to be virtually nonexistent. The same can be said about Halloween.

I agree it is a matter of conscience. I also understand most holiday traditions, including yule logs, christmas trees, etc. derive from pagan celebrations. People can argue it's hypocritical of me to celebrate Christmas, but shun Halloween.

Personally, I see Christmas as glorifing Christ and a witnessing oppurtunity to share the gospel. Halloween is obviously also a Christian witnessing opportunity, but I think joining in the traditions which are not tied to anything Godly gives an appearance of legitimacy to and a tacit approval of paganism. Halloween provides more of a witnessing opportunity for Satanists to generate interest in the occult.

Do you have a Christmas tree in your home for Christmas? Maybe you don't. There comes a point in time when what use to be represented by holidays is no longer represented. I don't celebrate halloween bc I don't have children and I hate having ppl knock on my door or ring my doorbell. I'm antisocial that way, but if others want to walk around for hours in the cold just to get candy when they can go to the store and get the same said candy then all I can say is, "Exercise is good for the heart!"

So, what are you going to be this year, Andrew?

__________________
Norm
IA PCA

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. Ephesians 1:4-5

I'm going to be a Christian who protests all RC and pagan rituals!

We're not really into Halloween, but our girls love dress-up, so its been pretty hard to avoid. Also, it seems like the only time when all the families are out in our neighborhood!!

We always give our fun (not super-preachy) tracts to trick-or-treaters. But I tape good candy onto them, in an attempt not to have our house rolled.

By the way, as far as candy consumption goes, we let them have a bunch that night, then put the rest in the freezer for special treats. Doled out like that. their bags usually last until the next spring, and I don't spend anything on reward treats. Just an idea for the health nuts.

__________________
Catherine
PCA
Waldorf, MD

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
Proverbs 16:20 ESV

We don't celebrate haloween and don't intend to "trick-or-treat" with our kids when they are older (our son is 1 1/2). This puts us in the minority at our church (all the parents of young children that we socialize with celebrate haloween) and apparently on this board. This year we'll escape by going swimming and later our for diner.

It's a matter of conscience, and I can't in good conscience allow my children to participate in the holiday because of its pagan roots, despite it's popularity or it's modern, commercialized, and not explicitly pagan practices.

Yes, I know that many Christmas practices have pagan roots and that the hoilday sits on an old pagan holiday. However, I believe that Christmas can be redeemed as a day to celebrate and focus on Christ, where I don't see that being possible with haloween.

That's just my

__________________
Eric
Woodgreen Presbyterian (PCA)
Calgary, Alberta CANADA

Halloween is a time for removing spirits from the face of the earth. This year I will remove some Member's Mark.

__________________
Rich Koster
1689'er
Browns Mills NJ USA
Often Goofy Reformed Eccentric
Romans 7:14-25

I would enter this conversation, but since I write supernatural horror, I feel pretty disqualified from making any unbiased remarks on this subject except to say that I think that in regard to Halloween, we must each act in the way that the Spirit has convicted us to act -- a pretty loaded remark I know and one that is often abused by false "Christians" with their own agendas. But I think that this is a case of what Paul meant when he said that there are some who will have no moral qualms about eating meat sacrificed to idols and others who will, but that we must respect both opinions as long as there is no Scripture to definitively denounce or support one or the other position.

__________________
Christabella Warren
Fourth Presbyterian Church
Bethesda, MD
========================
These evils I deserve, and more . . . . Justly, yet despair not of his final pardon, Whose ear is ever open, and his eye Gracious to re-admit the suppliant. -- John Milton's Samson Agonistes

One year at Halloween, my mother gave out dried fruit instead of candy. I don't know if this was her goal, but we had MANY fewer trick or treaters the next year.

__________________
Kathleen M
nondenominational
Montana

It should be noted that the Scripture likewise forbids us from celebrating pagan observances, when pagans watch us do it. For example, eating meat offered to idols is nothing, since an idol is nothing. However, one may not eat if they 1. Think it is sinful (conscience), or 2. Are observed doing so by a pagan.

Some of the remarks about paganism dying out in the 19th Century are naive in extremis. Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis, and Harry Pot-head, along with the Church of Satan, the Wiccans, Odan worship, and a host of other neo-pagan practices are common in our society, and growing in popularity. Wake up people. The pagans are watching you. This is a particularly real issue if you live in or near metropolitan areas.

__________________
Adam B., Wine Country, California, PCA

"I fear not to hold with Junius, de Politia Mosis cap. 6, that he who was punishable by death under that Judicial law, is punishable by death still; and he who was not punished by death then, is not to be punished by death now."

Oh, one comment re my post above--I'm one of those who doesn't celebrate Halloween owing to its pagan/Satanic origins. Even if there's nothing "objectively" wrong about it.