Why would a christian fear halloween?

Question

I know this wont stop you from answering but please I am not looking for a pagan outlook on the question, that does not matter to me.

I keep hearing this irrational fear from christians about letting their kids trick or treat...where is this fear coming from? I even heard one lady say its a evil night that the devil is in chargeof?!? Where does this come from? Firstly God made the day its his and he is in charge of it, Satan has no more power than what is given to him from God. Nowhere in scripture does it say "on this night beware i will give more power to satan" I think that would have been something he would of warned us about?! There is no reason to spread such superstitious legalism! Im not advocating animal sacrfices and what not but If saved the holy spirit forwarns you before you go to far in something just pay attention to what your doing. Teach your kids about Christ, and let god care for them.

AFwife

Very well said....

whynotaskdon

3 questions,
1. what are the other 3?
2. where does this information come from?
3. being a christian why would you know this?

freak_oftheindustry
God creates everyday...i never said that halloween is a christian holiday. you need to read for content. October 31 and everyother day is God's day.

tina
here is some useful info for you

par‧a‧noi‧a[par-uh-noi-uh] –noun 1. Psychiatry. a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others, sometimes progressing to disturbances of consciousness and aggressive acts believed to be performed in self-defense or as a mission.
2. baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.

freespiritedtaye
pretty off-based comparison i assume you are just looking for the shock value of using the term hitler. if fear is not the word tha what is?

Several good christian responses, carolinatinpan had the only response I saw among christians not participating in trick or treat that was worth reading. Bravo your kids your choice.

Basically what im getting are 3 different responses. Those that are just trusting god and just letting their kids have a little fun, those that are senslessly scared that the day is somehow evil and they need a bomb shelter, and those who have a moderate fear of possible physical harm from evil people.

I tend to agree with the first group, I know my God and I raise my kids to have a healthy fear of him. I trust that the holy spirit that Jesus Christ has given me will warn me of wrong actions because it has time and time again. I see no wrong in trick or treating or haunted hayrides or anything of that nature.

Answer 1

AMEN ! I was caught up in this theory at one time.I thought it would make me more spiritual if I refused to take part and then I had something wonderful happen ,Jesus set me free from the law of sin.I am bold about the blood of Jesus now.That does not mean I celebrate Halloween like the devil, but rather I enjoy it in the spirit that Christ has given me.I even except $6.66 in change now when at the store because I have been purchased with a tremendous price and I belong to the One who paid for me.

Answer 2

Honestly, I'm not sure it's easy to seperate halloween from its pagan past. It is in no way an 'authentic' Christian feast and so has no historical roots amongst any people other than the Celts in Ireland, Britain and France. A pagan feast brings with it pagan irrationalities I spose; halloween as a widely enjoyed festival is the product of a culture that existed in the late 20th century: a period of radical change in the way human beings exist on this planet, with accelerating scientific understanding, globe spanning transportation etc. etc. etc.

"Steam engine to space shuttle."

What I'm suggesting is that God, as the sophisticated and simple idea of Christ and Salvation, never entered into it. Halloween is a pagan feast, practiced by pagans, no matter how sanitised or debauched the ceremonies are. Paganism is an indulgence of the experiential. Emotions are accelerated and the imagination is (with enormous relief) allowed to go wild.

It's another method of understanding: equally human and just as divine.

Answer 3

I am apologizing in advance for not answering your question. I just wanted to say that I really admire your maturity and I agree with you outlook 100% on this issue. I was raised Christian, but my parents always let us celebrate this "holiday". I went to school with other Christians however who were not allowed to celebrate Halloween and I could never understand why. I think children don't see it as a Satanic event and unless their parents make a big deal out of it will continue to keep seeing it as a fun secular day. (Even though, for a long period of time it was celebrated as a Catholic holiday, not meant at all to be Satanic)

Answer 4

Halloween is one of the oldest holidays with origins going back thousands of years. The holiday we know as Halloween has had many influences from many cultures over the centuries. From the Roman's Pomona Day, to the Celtic festival of Samhain, to the Christian holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days.

Hundreds of years ago in what is now Great Britain and Northern France, lived the Celts. The Celts worshipped nature and had many gods, with the sun god as their favorite. It was "he" who commanded their work and their rest times, and who made the earth beautiful and the crops grow.


The Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st. It was celebrated every year with a festival and marked the end of the "season of the sun" and the beginning of "the season of darkness and cold."

On October 31st after the crops were all harvested and stored for the long winter the cooking fires in the homes would be extinguished. The Druids, the Celtic priests, would meet in the hilltop in the dark oak forest (oak trees were considered sacred). The Druids would light new fires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals. As they danced around the the fires, the season of the sun passed and the season of darkness would begin.

When the morning arrived the Druids would give an ember from their fires to each family who would then take them home to start new cooking fires. These fires would keep the homes warm and free from evil spirits.

The November 1st festival was called Samhain (pronounced "sow-en"). The festival would last for 3 days. Many people would parade in costumes made from the skins and heads of their animals. This festival would become the first Halloween.

During the first century the Romans invaded Britain. They brought with them many of their festivals and customs. One of these was the festival know as Pomona Day, named for their goddess of fruits and gardens. It was also celebrated around the 1st of November. After hundreds of years of Roman rule the customs of the Celtic's Samhain festival and the Roman Pomona Day mixed becoming 1 major fall holiday.

The next influence came with the spread of the new Christian religion throughout Europe and Britain. In the year 835 AD the Roman Catholic Church would make November 1st a church holiday to honor all the saints. This day was called All Saint's Day, or Hallowmas, or All Hallows. Years later the Church would make November 2nd a holy day. It was called All Souls Day and was to honor the dead. It was celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and people dressing up as saints, angels and devils.

But the spread of Christianity did not make people forget their early customs. On the eve of All Hallows, Oct. 31, people continued to celebrate the festivals of Samhain and Pomona Day. Over the years the customs from all these holidays mixed. October 31st became known as All Hallow Even, eventually All Hallow's Eve, Hallowe'en, and then - Halloween.

The Halloween we celebrate today includes all of these influences, Pomona Day's apples, nuts, and harvest, the Festival of Samhain's black cats, magic, evil spirits and death, and the ghosts, skeletons and skulls from All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day.

Answer 5

The thing most parents fear is the possibility that someone might give their kid something that may harm them. I have heard of candy with razors, poison, drugs, etc. I would never take my children anywhere and turn them loose to trick or treat. Only to homes of family and friends that I know personally.

Answer 6

I am a Christian and I don't fear Halloween. My kids have always gone trick-or-treating. Halloween is really based on old Irish customs, not on Satanic worship as some people say. I think of it as remembering our Irish heritage.

Answer 7

And you are right. The only thing is, there are people who in extreme cases are out to hurt people on this night because of what they think Halloween should be, or just think it is funny to be "more evil". I know a family who lets their kids choose candy bars instead of going trick or treating, because they would rather just stay in. it is more because of the "crazies" that i dont like to take my daughter out. And, of course, the parents who dont watch their child and instruct them on being polite...

Answer 8

I don't know of any Christians who fear Halloween, but I do know many who choose not to celebrate it. At its core, Halloween is a celebration that focuses on the forces of darkness and a day of celebration for satanists. It puts a smiling face on a very serious issue.

Most do celebrate Halloween, just like many non-believers of Jesus Christ celebrate Christmas. But, why give the nod of approval to evil - if even for a day -- if even for "fun." In the end, it is the message you want to give to your kids and neighbors.

Answer 9

I'm a Christian and I don't understand why so-called Christians would let their children go trick or treating.... Pagan Holiday! This is the night of high Pagen holiday,this is the night they did/do give a blood offering to the Devil!!!!!

Answer 10

I'm a Wiccan, and i know you asked non pagans to answer this, but hey its 2 points and i get to show you that the answer is paganism in the first place.
first off at every level on every holiday on every ritual, every belief is actually plagiarized or changed slightly to encompass the new religion of Christianity. they stole the old testament from the Torah and tel mud. revamped all the pagan holidays (just so you know when you do Easter egg hunts for Easter your performing a pagan ritual (eggs and rabbits were spring symbols of fertility used in pagan rituals) Christmas trees are handed down versions of the yule log. all saints day is a revamped samhain (which you call Halloween now) even icons such as saints Brigid and others are revamped goddesses. jesus's resurrection is revamped from mithras and Osiris. statements by religious leaders are also stolen (Jesus said as on earth as it is in heaven, is actually taken from alchemists saying as it is above so it is below.) so what you think your original beliefs are, is entirely copied, adapted, changed and made for this new religion. now the leaders in their great wisdom made anyone knowing this (witches, alchemists, scholars, etc) evil devil worshipers. and it worked didn't it? you question what i say without so much as looking up facts for yourself. and trust these words handed down to you from your parents in your childhood!
hope this helps
mournyngwolf
former confirmed catholic
solitary practitioner of Wicca and wizardry