Halloween:  What Would Jesus Do?
Halloween: a night of innocent fun for children, or a Satanic Celebration of Demons, Ritual Sex, and Snickers treat-sized bars?
To find out, I went to CBN's Halloween page. (As you know, the Christian Broadcasting Network is the home of Pat Robertson and "The 700 Club," which represents the collective IQs of its members.) There I learned that Halloween is indeed evil and unholy and evil. Since the holiday and many of its traditions originated with the pagans (and pagans = Satanists), everybody agrees that Christians shouldn't dress up like vampires, Sponge Bob, or George Bush and go trick-or-treating. However, there is a difference of opinion about whether you should take the family to the basement and spend the evening praying that the demons don't get you; take the kids to the church and let them dress up like John Calvin; or use the holiday to try to save the souls of the sinners' kids. Here are some of the varied viewpoints:
In Avenging Monsters: The Origins of Horror Fiction Charles Colson reports on a book by one E. Michael Jones, who says that horror movies reflect sexual decadence, and so presumably you shouldn't let your children watch "Casper the Friendly Ghost."
Per Jones, Percy Shelley was a libertine who made his second wife Mary sleep with his friends. She got tired of it, but she couldn't relieve her conscience "because she didn’t understand repentance." So, she wrote Frankenstein. Dr. Frankenstein represents Percy, who wanted to create an "enlightenment sexual ethic," but his creation turns out to be a monster that hangs out with the wolfman and terrorizes Abbott and Costello, thus showing that violating traditional sexual mores causes angry, torch-carrying villagers to burn down your castle. And thus was the horror film born, a hundred years later.
And Dracula is really the story of syphilis -- which, as we all know, renders those who suffer from it unable to cast a reflection in a mirror, but which can be prevented by wearing a crucifix. But even more horrifying: A century later, another vengeful monster emerged in the wake of the modern sexual revolution: that is, the creature in the 1979 film Alien. The man chosen to create the monster, H. R. Giger, claims he never procured an abortion for his mistress. And yet, Jones notes, "his art is full of images of abortion and dead babies." In any event, Jones writes, Giger’s thwarting of child-bearing, through either contraception or abortion, "is so morally significant that it embeds itself onto his consciousness." And Giger’s conscience sought relief by creating a fetus-monster for Alien. At the film’s end, a female astronaut kills the monster in a manner that strikingly resembles a suction abortion. The warning of these films is that "sex disconnected from the moral order is horrifying," Jones writes. This Halloween, when your kids want to rent a horror film, don’t let them. Instead, sit down with them—and with the neighbor’s kids, as well—and explain where horror films really come from and why they are perverse. It’s a great way to expose the cultural lies that are at the root of our society’s celebration of horror.
Yeah, tell them all about wife swapping, syphilis, and suction abortions -- that will tramautize them WAY more than even Texas Chain Saw Massacres would. Your neighbors will thank you for enlightening their children this way.
Another guest columnist, John Fischer, agrees that Halloween is evil, and sees why many Christians boycott it: There is the glorification of the macabre and the personification of evil—all hard things to imagine a Christian partaking in. But most of all, there is a sense that Halloween is Satan’s day, and Christians rightfully want no part in that celebration. Christians know that there is a real devil who commands real demons, and nothing involving his activity in the world is to be toyed with.
But instead of telling the "three-year old who comes to your door in a fireman suit" that Satan is real and the kid is now in his power, Fischer recommends just giving him some candy, to show that you're part of the community. Which sounds reasonable. And which is why several other people had to ammend the idea by advocating giving the kids Christian tracts instead of sweets (some say to give them both, knowing that just giving tracts is a sure way to get your house egged). And there are links to Gospel Shop, which supplies bulk lots of pamplets, to include the following: Masks Wearing a mask to make yourself look like someone else can be a lot fun. Especially because no one knows who you are when you wear it. Not even your friends! But did you know that no matter how good your mask is, there is always one person who DOES know who you are? That person is God!
And so on, so you'd better repent now! And here's one the kiddies are sure to enjoy much more than a bag of Skittles: Costumes Are Cool Dressing up in costumes, going to fall festivals or ringing neighborhood doorbells is a lot of fun. It is very cool when people are excited to see you and play awesome games with you or give you candy. You have probably never stopped to think about it, but do you know that heaven is even cooler than this?
"I got a Reese's Peanutbutter Cup. What did YOU get, Charlie Brown?" "I got a tract about heaven." Yup, all kinds of holiday fun.
And if you don't like those messages, go to Joshua Outreach Group for "Halloween Outreach" cards to hand out to the kiddies ("Handing out the cards is half the battle. Now comes the other half. Believe that God has heard our prayers for the lost souls."). My favorites were one which "challenges evolution" and another one which has "a powerful testimony of a woman deeply involved in witchcraft and the occult." But what if you want to avoid the whole Halloween thing altogether? Brad Winsted has some super fun ideas ( Reformation Day - Redeeming October 31) which I'm sure that Rod and Todd Flanders will love even more than staying home and playing the Good Samaratin board game ("I get to clothe the leper." "Lucky!): Even a cursory look at the origins of Halloween will reveal satanic rituals played out in trick and treating, jack-o-lanterns, witches, ghosts, the dead and on and on. If you've ever taken time to research any of these Halloween practices you'll see the satanic background from the Celtic tribes of Scotland and Ireland. So, should we retreat into the basements and attics of our homes, turn out the lights and hope that our ghoulishly dressed neighborhood children will pass us by? Well, how about a Reformation Day party at your church? I know that many churches have a "Harvest Day Celebration" or other such event where kids get dressed up as Bible characters and the fellowship hall is full of games to keep the kids off the streets. But I'm suggesting going a step further. Let's make it a day where we can learn more about our Reformation roots. October 31 celebrates the day that the Reformation in Europe began with Martin Luther posting his 95 theses on the Wittenburg church door, leading to a firestorm response in Germany. Why not use this occasion for a celebration of our Reformed heritage. And yes, this can be fun for the kids too! Why not have a celebration at church where all get dressed up as characters from the Reformation (I've dressed up as John Calvin, Martin Luther, a peasant, and even John Tetzel (the salesman of those infamous indulgences)? When I couldn't get a 16th century idea then I dressed as a Bible character. You can transform the fellowship hall into Wittenburg, Germany or Geneva. Here is an opportunity to go over the great "solas" of the Reformation: by Scripture alone, by grace alone, by Christ alone, by faith alone, and to God be the glory alone. Have people explain them. Show a video of one of the reformers. Draw murals of Reformation events.
I can hardly wait!
Tony: Our church does car trunk groups: Each car trunk group is dressed in Bible-times apparel, tells a specific Bible story, and hands out candy treats and an object to remind them of the story (praying hands key chain after Daniel in lion's den, animal tat afterward, one skit does include puppets and a boy receiving Christ as savior). Free hotdog supper for community as well. Yes, Jesus did go AMONG the sinners. Lauredan: NO! Don't hide. But as Jesus sought people to heal, we can share our faith in a godly manner. I would not go to a Gay Convention, sit in their lectures, or march with them with the idea I am appearing to be a witness to Jesus Christ. Jeanster: Manners? Would Christ go trick-or-treating? I don’t think so. I think that if He saw Christians trick-or-treating for whatever reason, He would do like He did in the Temple; He’d probably beat them in anger for doing what’s wrong in place of what’s right. David: [You] look at this day as if you know nothing of its history. We dress our youngest and most vulnerable offspring in wild and often scary costumes so that they can go door to door and threaten "trick-or-treat" as a way to amass as much excessive sugar and chocolate as will fit into their loot bags so we can all -- as a society -- "have fun"?! And does dressing up as Bible characters somehow change all that? Fourthly, your article would seek to define fundamentalist Christians by what we do NOT do. BIG MISTAKE! We also do not drink blood, sacrifice animals, or dance naked and fornicate in the moonlight -- all "traditionally" part of Halloween.
But he makes a traditional Halloween sound so fun! In conclusion, I recommend that you do as the CBN says, and read through the various ideas presented, and then "prayerfully decide what is the correct response for your family." And if it's naked dancing, give me a call, okay?
3:31:59 AM  | 
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