Breaking tradition is never easy. Especially when you have lots good memories attached to something. In 1996 I took a big step in my life and became a Christian. As a Christian, I began reevaluating some of the things I had always done simply out of habit and out of tradition. Halloween is a tradition that I soon discovered wasn't as innocent as it appeared to be. Some of what I discovered about the holiday led me to make a decision to stop celebrating Halloween for many years. It may sound kind of silly to you, but many Christians don't celebrate Halloween because of it's history. So, after discovering Halloween's occultic, pre-Chrisitan, pagan origins, I too chose to not celebrate it any longer in the traditional way. This made for very upset parents (mine!), very upset children (mine!), many years of participating in alternate church activities as a substitute for trick or treating and far too many moments of frustration at the idea of not answering the door on Halloween night when we were home. It was a valiant effort of applying what I believed to be right in light of my newly rediscovered faith. But there are just two problems with this approach. In certain ways it makes for a complacent mindset and of course, ignoring Halloween isn't going to make it go away.

I don't think adults give children enough credit when it comes to their ability to make decisions about certain issues that directly effect them. Our lives are the result of what we believe and the decisions we make. There are no perfect, all knowing people in this world. We are all constantly learning. The true reflection of growth is to be able to continually process the information we receive, ask the Holy Spirit of God to reveal the truth enabling us to discard that which is false, and then make the necessary changes in our lives to reflect that truth. Regardless of your age, I believe that truth always roots itself better when you are the one making the choice. I think it's important to present to you a variety of information and let you decide if there is more to this holiday than just costumes and candy.

In order to not "reinvent the wheel" so to speak, I've chosen to offer you links to other websites that will present to you a varied, Biblical perspective on the subject. Just because these websites are Christian based, does not mean that they all present the information from the same perspective. Different authors of different articles all have different viewpoints, but the one common thread you will find among them is that their arguments can all be backed Biblically. You've got to remember that God gives us all free will regardless of our age or upbringing. So, no matter what you're parents may or may not teach you as a child, you will always have the opportunity as you grow, to choose outside of their teachings. Choose wisely. Evil is real. Satan exists. And his tactics are very sneaky and deceptive. I don't say this to scare you. I say this because it is the truth. And even if you are brought up going to a Christian based church, it's important for you to know that there are others bringing up their children in the ways of witchcraft (which is officially a religion also). For this reason, I also include a link to an article that gives an example of how a family with such beliefs may choose to celebrate the Halloween season according to their "religion."

Remember, there is always more than what meets the eye when it comes to spiritual matters. The bottom line is that Jesus rocks and there is none greater or more powerful than the Son of God! I pray that God will bless you all as you reach beyond your own limited knowledge to take the next step on your neverending journey of discovery and growth!

With Love In Christ,
Lisanne

DECIDE FOR YOURSELF....