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There are 365 days in a year, and one of them is celebrated in my country as Halloween. In some countries, this day doesn’t receive much or any attention. Yet in my city, store fronts and shelves begin to display decorations as early as August, and by mid-October they migrate to appear on the houses in our neighborhoods and in the offices. There are different opinions and discussions among Christians regarding participation and involvement in attractive activities of that day. Some people look far into history to the roots of this holiday and say that the original meaning has long been lost by now. Therefore, the celebration in our days, supposedly, means nothing deep. They consider there is nothing bad in sharing candies or dressing up in funny costumes and playing a few tricks on neighbors. And others stay away from any celebration of this holiday. And a third group uses this opportunity to share God’s truth and Gospel, and they stay away from the cultural ghost stories.
When I look at the houses decorated in my neighborhood, and spooky things jump at me in the stores, I can’t help it but ask these questions:
- Why do we hurry to clean up the webs at home or feel ashamed because of that one right there in the corner our guest might have noticed? And yet for Halloween, the webs proudly lay on the branches of our bushes and trees as decoration at the front door.
- Why in the summer, when we sit around a bonfire and see a bat or two flying in the sky, we hurry to pull up something over our heads? And yet, the bat bodies contrast on white walls and doors in our neighborhoods at the end of October.
- Why do haunted houses gain popularity, and yet when we’re alone at home, any wind hustle makes us shrug and turn off our light…just in case?
- Why in the 364 days, we like to deal with sane people who express themselves clearly and speak beautifully; yet during Halloween we are not shy to display a picture of a vampire or zomby? We’re afraid of illnesses and death. And we carry mosquito sprays during the season of these angry insects.
- Why does it take so much effort and finances to deal with discouragement and depression during the year, and yet at the end of October, black color is the main in our decorations?
Jesus talked about such contrasts:
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other… Gospel of Matthew 6:24
There are people living in fear and despair. They are restless at heart and desperately look for answers to questions left unanswered for a long time. God has called His children to share the truth:
And the truth will make these people free:
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (Jesus said in John 8:32)
Recently, I studied a course called “Lord, Is It Warfare? Teach Me To Stand”. This study helped me to see the source of many problems in our life and in the life of society around me. God answered the “Why” questions I had. One of them was why I don’t celebrate Halloween and what God says about it in Bible. Many of our problems rise because of our lack of knowledge about who our enemy is, and what tactics he uses in the fight. Through this study, I saw how to be victorious. I thank the team at Precept Ministries International and sister Kay Arthur for their obedience to God’s idea to write a course on such a topic. I also thank the Lord for recording the book of Acts and the letter Paul wrote to Ephesians. It was necessary for Paul to teach the early church the things which are still relevant today. Through this study, the Lord showed me that the battle is on! I saw how not to fall for his crafty proposals or fear.
You can read about history of the holiday in this article. Also, Bible talks about activities popular during this holiday, and what each person should know about God’s view on these “fun” attractions. Why did you refuse or choose to participate in trick-or-treating, visiting the haunted houses, or decorate for this day? I invite you to make an educated answer. The article links I highlighted above answer many questions people have around me. Our Lord jealously recorded His opinion and commands in the Bible. We should know His opinion and form our own.