I understand the history behind halloween, but I went trick or treating as a child and I've suffered no harm. I'm still a Christian and so are my children. When I participated it was nothing more than dressing up and trying to get candy and doing stupid harmless things if we didn't get any. We never did anything harmful to anyone, our parents would have made us go back and rectify it if they didn't kill us first. Now days kids don't have any clue of the same concept we did when I grew up. They just know they get candy for dressing up and holding a sack for you to fill up. I had a young man to come to the door and he didn't even say trick or treat til I prompted him and when I said trick, he thought I meant he was to perform a trick, so he started dancing. I cracked up and gave him extra. Most kids don't dress up as some goulish monster any more. My granddaughter dressed as a Jonas Bros groupie. Had a little sequoined hat on and had Jonas Bros written in crayon on her face. To keep kids from having to go house to house with the possibility of getting something dangerous from some sicko, our church puts on a program called trunk & treat in which the kids go from car to car in the church parking lot to get their candy and fellowship with each other. 

Hallowe’en is the devil’s work, Catholic church warns parents

When Victoria Romero, 6, dressed up as a witch for a Hallowe’en party this week she could hardly have imagined that she was provoking the wrath of God by attending a celebration akin to a Black Mass — at least in the eyes of the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church in Spain.

Wearing skeleton suits, dressing up as vampires, witches or goblins or slapping on fake blood is not far removed from communing with the Devil, according to the country’s bishops.

However, the bishops, with Vatican backing, have reserved their venom for the millions of parents who allowed their children to celebrate this “pagan” festival.

Father Joan María Canals, the director of the Spanish Bishops Conference Committee on Liturgy, condemned parents for permitting their children to go to “un-Christian” parties when they should be focusing on All Saints Day today and All Souls Day on Monday.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6897422.ece

That's irony at it's best, considering it was the Catholic church that put a Christian name on Halloween!!

Midnight Shadow, while I respect your views about Halloween (and what I am about to write isn't directed at you personally, but at people who think it's ok), it is precisely that kind of 'it's ok to celebrate it because it's nothing but fun' attitude that has led to the collapse of true Christianity in general. Our Lord tells us to not participate in things that other 'people's' (religions) do. Halloween was a pagan night of celebration to bring about the dead souls, evil souls, and sacrificing to Satan children and maidens to keep those evils away. What kind of glory does that give God? NONE. It gives it to Satan.  The Lord also made it very clear that by turning a pagan celebration into a Christian one, giving it a Christian name (All's Hallow Eve) is actually an abomination to Him. Abominations are things that God abhors, or hates.
Any little bit like dressing up and trick-or-treating or going to Halloween or even Harvest festivals/parties are a signal to Satan that you don't really care what God says, and he relishes those things.

Happymamma...I'm not thin skinned, so I don't take what you've said personally. I just think (for kids) the darkside of Halloween has lost all meaning and so I don't put any dark meaning to it. Secular adults are the ones that put meaning to it. I do think making more out of it than what's there only makes those that participate in the actual rituals even more determined to continue to do the bizzarre things they do. You're not going to change them and if I treat it as nothing more than what I've always done, ( kids dressing up in "fun" costumes asking for candy) then I see no harm.

Walking across a steet without any regard for the traffic is doing harm that may befall you.  Understanding your Christian principles and applying them in all you do is another thing. I grew up in a Christian home. I knew from the start as a kid what some people thought about Halloween. My folks were well grounded in Christian principles and taught me the same. I never gave any thought to worshipping the devil or any such rot when I went trick or treating. I applied Christian principles........i.e. I respected peoples property. If they didn't want to give out treats, I went to houses that enjoyed watching kids have fun. It was that and nothing more. Let me ask this.........what about costume parties? Are they wrong? People do dress up and pretend. There's no sinister meaning behind it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by midnightshadow
What costumes do you find offensive?
Maybe all of them, yes?
Is it the costumes or is it "when" they're worn?
Who designated October 31st as Halloween?


Is the following synopsis your understanding of halloween?



Behind the name... Halloween, or the Hallow E'en as they call it in Ireland , means All Hallows Eve, or the night before the 'All Hallows', also called 'All Hallowmas', or 'All Saints', or 'All Souls' Day, observed on November 1. In old English the word 'Hallow' meant 'sanctify'. Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherians used to observe All Hallows Day to honor all Saints in heaven, known or unknown. They used to consider it with all solemnity as one of the most significant observances of the Church year. And Catholics, all and sundry, was obliged to attend Mass. The Romans observed the holiday of Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to the departed . Is this what you find offensive?

. Participants made sacrifices in honor of the dead, offered up prayers for them, and made oblations to them. The festival was celebrated on February 21, the end of the Roman year. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. Later, Gregory III changed the date to November 1. The Greek Orthodox Church observes it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Despite this connection with the Roman Church, the American version of Halloween Day celebration owes its origin to the ancient (pre-Christian) Druidic fire festival called "Samhain", celebrated by the Celts in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Samhain is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with cow. In Ireland the festival was known as Samhein, or La Samon, the Feast of the Sun. In Scotland, the celebration was known as Hallowe'en. In Welsh it's Nos Galen-gaeof (that is, the Night of the Winter

Calends. According to the Irish English dictionary published by the Irish Texts Society: "Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May, during which troops (esp. the Fiann) were quartered. Faeries were imagined as particularly active at this season. From it the half year is reckoned. also called Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess).(1) The Scottish Gaelis Dictionary defines it as "Hallowtide. The Feast of All Soula. Sam + Fuin = end of summer."(2) Contrary to the information published by many organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate that Samhain was a deity. The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "lord of death" as such. Thus most of the customs connected with the Day are remnants of the ancient religious beliefs and rituals, first of the Druids and then transcended amongst the Roman Christians who conquered them

Yep, that's pretty much my synopsis too. But here is my problem with it....

In the Bible, God tells us that celebrating pagan rituals/customs is an abomination to Him - He HATES it and doesn't want us doing it - EVER. He also tells us NEVER to slap a Christian name to a pagan one and try to change it to something that seems godly. He already gave us the days to celebrate that He is pleased with, we need no others. Changing pagan holidays to suit God is wrong because we are then taking it upon ourselves to do as we please, not as He pleases. 

The very fact that Halloween started out as a pagan celebration, one with faeries, Snow goddesses, child sacrifices, the dead... is abhorent to me because it is abhorent to God. The dead are sleeping, and wont wake til resurrection day, none are running around speaking to the living and are oblivious to ANY celebrations going on anyway. The 'dead' some see, those would be demons, and the day is created to appease them. Celebrating the dead is offensive to me, because the Lord has told us NOT to do so in many places of the Bible. He doesn't want us talking to the dead, doesn't want us associating with the dead beyond burying them. He even gives a 7 day time-frame for the dead and the mourning. Once that's up, we move on and await the day of Resurrection, bothering the dead no more. Celebrating them is not only a waste of time on their behalf, it is against God's will as well.  

Catholics believe there are saints and they should be worshipped and lauded. They are people, who deserve absolutely NO worshipping. Besides, ALL who come to Christ and believe are called saints in the bible. And there are NO saints (believers) in heaven at this time. Christ said as much. To celebrate a lie is an abhorent to God, therefore also to me.

While my children play with costumes, none of them are gory or grotesque, and are put away for the few days around halloween. The costuming on Halloween stems from pagan tradition to dress up to scare the demons/dead away, and sometimes to invite them to that person/group. Dressing up and celebrating the Halloween time of year, is to me offensive. It is playing into the pagan traditions of halloween's beginnings. No matter how cute little Jill looks in her angel costume while trick or treating, it is wrong because it is paying homage to the tradition of the pagan rituals and celebrations, even if one thinks it's innocent fun.

I hope this clears up some points I have. Halloween started as pagan, is pagan, and should not be celebrated by believers in Christ. I realize I sound all pious, I am not!!!! I find it hard to keep my 'self' in check and live all things for God every single day. I do 'human' things all of the time. It's not easy, and the wonderful thing about God is, He knows that!! And He understands. But when we know it is against His will, and we want to do it anyway, that, He may not understand so well. HIS will be done, NOT ours.

Now, here's a ringer for ya which shows how hard it is to totally live for God. This year, my son started kindergarten. As usual, they had a halloween parade. Did he get to participate? Yes.  Why? Because coming to God and living for God is a personal choice. My husband and I gave him our side of it, where it stems from and what God thinks of it. Him being 6 chose the path of pagan. BUT, he knew the costume was to come home and be put away for the few days of Halloween, and he knew why. He just wanted to dress up with the rest of his class. Eventually, our teachings will sink in his head, and he will choose the path that is right for him, as well as God (I hope!), and he will be strengthened enough to stand up for what he believes as well. My daughter, who is 11, thankfully, chose the path of God's will this year with no griping, unlike previous years. She stood up to her friends about what she believed in and was actually pleased with herself for doing so.

I hope this helps to understand why I personnally choose not to celebrate Satan.

I can't wait for the Christmas/Easter-is-a-pagan-tradition-too threads to start!! lol

I will certainly be happy to provide Scripture as soon as my day settles. I am sure Bob can maybe supply some in the meantime or add to it. It may take a little bit of time since I haven't needed those verses in a long time.

May I suggest reading Shocked By the Bible by Joe Kovacs? It's a real eye-opener.

As for:
"I'm shocked that you would allow your 6 year child to make such a monumental decision, since you feel so strongly about it.