Points To Ponder About Halloween

Is it OK for a Christian to go trick or treating? I offer a few things to think about.

A thought for those churches that are offering alternative events to trick or treating tonight. Are you not still celebrating Halloween? Just because you celebrate Halloween differently by changing the “ritual” doesn’t necessarily remove you from the intent and purpose of Halloween, the “why” you are doing it.

If you are not celebrating, “All Hallows' Eve” (Halloween) because of its pagan origins, shouldn’t you also stop celebrating Christmas as well? It is clear that Jesus was not born on December 25. Evidence points towards a March birth. The time of Christmas coincided with another pagan ritual. It is understood that the early church incorporated that celebration of the pagans so as to attract and draw pagans to the church.

Many, many things have their origins in paganism, including the days of the week.

“The Greeks named the days week after the sun, the moon and the five known planets, which were in turn named after the gods Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Cronus. The Greeks called the days of the week the Theon hemerai "days of the Gods".” H/T The Crowl Family.

Are we to stop the days of the week? Rename them?

During the Sermon on the Mound, Jesus made it a point to highlight the fact that the sin doesn’t necessarily lay in the act, but rather in the spirit that motivated the act.

“Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22)

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)

Jesus makes it clear; it is the spirit within the man that causes the sin without. John in his epistles speaks of the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Whichever spirit that resides in you will be made manifest without; not necessarily consciously or by effort, but rather the nature and essence of that spirit within you will naturally flow without.

So, why are you going trick or treating? What spirit is inspiring you to go? Jesus sat and ate with the sinners with unwashed hands and tableware. Was Jesus sinning? The priests thought so.

Christians ate meat that was sacrificed to pagan gods. Were they sinning?

Paul said, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” (1 Corinthians 10:23)

The key is our relationship and attitude towards others. This is why Paul said, “Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.” (1 Corinthians 10:24)

For the child of God, all things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial to all or leads to edification of our neighbor. The focus of what we do is not self, it is for others.

Paul goes on to explain in more detail. The problem he is addressing is that the meat from animals that had been used in pagan sacrifices was being sold at the meat markets (shambles). The problem for some Christians is that when they went to the meat market to buy meat, they wouldn’t know if what they were buying had been used during a ritual sacrifice. They were afraid of unintentionally sinning by eating sacrificed meats unawares.

“Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, this is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:25-31)

The message of Jesus and Paul is the same. It is the spirit within the person which will determine motivation and intent, which in turn determines whether or not the act is a sin or not.

But Paul takes it a step further by going beyond self. He makes it clear that everything is of God therefore eating sacrificed meats is not a sin in of itself, unless you are aware that it has been ritually sacrificed, then you would be participating in the ceremony by eating it. But we must keep an eye out for our brothers and sisters who may not totally understand the situation or circumstance. The objective here is not focused around our self, it’s focused on another. We do not want to cause another to stumble. Self-interest must take a back seat to the interests and well-being of others. This is by definition what loving your neighbor means.

So how does this all relate to Halloween? 1. Why are you doing it? Do you think you participating in a pagan ritual? 2. Do you understand that altering the ritual doesn’t necessarily stop the sacrifice? 3. How do your actions effect others?

Points to ponder and pray on.

Bill Hitchcock