How Should Christians Feel About Halloween

I am a strong Christian, and I love Halloween dressing up giving out candy, the whole thing. Yes even the creepy and the crawly stuff I know a lot of Christians feel differently, how about you?

[jollyman069]

depends on how literal you take the bible?? if you take it word for word then you wouldnt celebrate halloween

[justice6920]

I am a christian as well and love Halloween...... I think its cute for the kids and gives them a chance to get candy LOL (when i other wise wont give it) I think i do it more so for the fun and do not see it as "inviting evil".....just another holiday and something fun for adults and kids

[amberd5191]

I think we all have a right to feel how we want to feel; and religion no matter what religion you are can guide you and you can follow it but everyone still feels how they feel. If that makes sense I'm not sure lol. I'm catholic, I love halloween.

[jollyman069]

i love halloween and i dont think it turns kids into stanist.. but i was rised southern baptist and they take the bible very literal many in the church i went to did nit beleive in celabrating halloween they were dead set against it

[AHP84]

Halloween, for the most part, does not bother me. I participate in the whole costume, trick or treating, and pumpkin carving parts of it and enjoy every moment of it.
What I don't like about Halloween is when it's turned into something evil and gruesome. For example, you can usually find specialty shops open temporarily that sell Halloween costumes and decorations and stuff. I don't like the nasty stuff, like battery-operated fake severed heads that are very realistic looking and make gurgling, gagging noises and the eyes are demonic. I'm not into that part of Halloween.
But anyway, back to the subject of being a Christian--celebrating Halloween doesn't bother me because it's an age-old, *evolved* tradition, and I'm secure in my faith. I'm not participating in anything more "demonic" than putting up a Christmas tree or doing an Easter egg hunt because of carving a pumpkin, dressing in a costume, and trick-or-treating. To me, as a Christian, all these holidays are part of our cultures and traditions, and many of the Christian holidays have paganism combined with them, such as the Christmas tree. The purpose of Christmas, for a Christian, has absolutely nothing to do with evergreen trees and decorating them. That comes from pagan traditions. So does putting up a Christmas tree make a Christian a pagan worshiper and/or ritual participant during Christmas? No!
I know where I stand as a Christian. I know that if I were to allow myself to become involved spiritually with the ungodliness and demonic aspects of it, then that would be going against my faith. This is why I choose not to endorse the extreme gruesomeness and terror of Halloween.
Celebrating (mostly) Christian holidays without involving Christ, such as only being involved with the pagan worship/ritual aspects of Christmas and Easter (winter and spring solstice celebrations) would be going against my personal faith. If it was all about the evergreen tree, the yule log, the holly, and materialism, or all about decorating eggs (a ritual celebration of fertility), bunnies and other fuzzy baby animals, jelly beans, and baskets, then there is no Christianity involved even on a Christian holiday.
So for me, as a Christian, a traditional holiday celebration is what you make it if you have any faith in Jesus. I choose not to make Halloween *strictly* based on what its historic originations are. For me, all it is is what the general idea is...costumes, candy, pumpkins, and a little bit of corny creepiness.
Also, the way I see it as far as the alternatives are concerned, such as "trunk-or-treat" or having a "harvest fest" so that Halloween is "Christian safe," there is no difference in what people make it from the original Halloween holiday. For example, many churches do trunk-or-treat, which involves non-scary costumes and trick-or-treating in a church parking lot by going from car to car and getting candy out of the trunks. It's the same idea as door-to-door trick-or-treating. It still has the *originations* from the historic purpose of Halloween. It is not "Christian safe," as far as I'm concerned, but that doesn't mean that the Christians celebrating that way are participating in something evil and are being hypocritical to their faith.
Our society has made our national holidays into what they are. It's the norm to participate and celebrate the holidays the way we do as a nation. Although these holidays have many non-Christian historic origins, these holidays are still celebrated by real Christians...ones who go to church every Sunday, go on mission trips that could be their death sentence, read their Bibles, and have no shame in speaking about their faith. Personally, I'm not going to obsess over what something meant in the past that has changed in meaning for the future--unlike Christianity, which is something that happened in the past but its true purpose still remains ever the same through time.

[jollyman069]

you would have hated my ex wife......i do....lol anyways she worked at a store called spencers gifts and they sold all the gory stuff for halloween and it is in our mall here

[ChitChatNine]

I enjoy it as a custom with no religious connections.  

C~

[AHP84]

I know of Spencer's, lol. It's in the malls here too. I avoid that store--they've got some nasty stuff in there.

[suzi-q]

Totally fine....I do not believe in all of the satan business!  It is a fun day for children to dress up.

Of course, I have reservations about it also because of the mischief it can cause with eggs etc, as well as the candy received, but these are societal issues.....

I don't have any negative religious beliefs about it.....it is just a secular thing.

[babyprayers]

religion is a tough topic to talk about.. I was baptized catholic, but I dont follow that. I believe in god.. I believe in all the good he does, I do not and cannot follow a religion that has beliefs that I cannot live by, the catholic religion does not beleive in IVF or fertility for that matter, GULP... am I going to H ell now???,., I hardly think so.. I am a good person and live by the rules, I think all the hoopla in schools now is for the birds, some dont even say the pledge of alliegience because it says one nation under god, One thing I HATE is what this world has come to, and trust me when I say I live with rose colored glasses. I am losing them fast though.

[Sam1971]

I'm loving all the great answers. i"m with most of you I wont be going to Spencers in the mall. lol I love getting other peoples opinions. Happy Halloween
Sam

[snoozies43]

If you "think" it is a worship of the devil..then the devil is there. If you "Think" it is for the joy of giving..the joy will be there. I just pass out candy without the hoopla..besides i am lucky to hang a skeleton lol.

On Spencer's gifts..yea i been there :OX. LOL great store for crazy gifts