To “Halloween” or not to “Halloween?

Every year, around this time, Christian families are – or should be – confronted with the question of whether to celebrate Halloween or not. The reason I say this is, because as Christians we should stay alert and re-evaluate what we are doing. Too often, we continue on in life and let life, the world, our neighbours and even our friends sweep us along and make choices on our behalf.

The same is the case for Halloween. Maybe you have always celebrated Halloween? Maybe it is part of your and your friends’ tradition. Maybe you remember the wonderful moments as a child when you dressed up as a princess, Kermit the Frog or a more frightful character.

The question is, do you really know what you are celebrating? Do your children really know? Here in Vienna, Austria,  in the run-up to the 31. October, all I see are masks and images of evil characters and dark costumes abounding in black material. On the night, again, that is all I see. Children dressed up as the best evil creatures they can think of, asking for sweets. But what does it all mean?

Here a few points to consider:

1. Is Halloween a pagan or Christian tradition and does it matter?

Halloween has pagan and, indeed, Christian roots. It comes from All Hallows’ Evening also known as Hallowe’en or All Hallows’ Eve, i.e. the evening before All Saints Day. This day, was, according to Wikipedia: ” part of the major feasts in the Christian Church (such as Christmas, Easter and Pentecost) had vigils which began the night before, as did the feast of All Hallows’.^[65] These three days are collectively referred to as Allhallowtide and are a time for honoring the saints and praying for the recently departed souls who have yet to reach Heaven.”

Do you pray for the dead? I don’t. As an evangelical, bible-believing Christian, I do not believe in praying for the dead. The dead have gone, either to be with Christ, or to eternal damnation. I therefore would not want to get involved in this particular “feast”.

2. Where does the idea of “Trick or Treating” come from?

It is said that this part of the evening is linked to “souling”, when groups of poor people, many times children, would go door-to-door during Allhallowtide, collecting soul cakes, and in return would promise to pray for the dead, particularly the souls of the givers’ friends and relatives.
Again, I do not pray for the dead – nor do I take money or cakes in return for praying for people. Do you? 

3. Why costumes? 

Some say that the costumes and the celebrations linked to Halloween originated from the idea that people would dress up as evil in order to make fun of it and show that they were not afraid of it. Traditionally people believed that the souls of the dead wandered the earth until All Souls Day (so they waited?). People were worried that these souls would cause havoc in the meantime by trying to revenge themselves on their enemies (well, that could have been anyone and everyone…). So, the people came up with a clever way of avoiding this, dress up as one of them and be incognito…( if you are not smiling at this point – trust me, I am!).
So, just to be clear, I do not believe that the souls of the dead are wondering on the earth. Nor am I afraid of them.  I also do not believe that, if they were, they would be fooled by a costume. 

4. And the pumpkins and lights?
It is said that in the Middle Ages the carved pumpkins represented the souls of the dead.
According to Wikipedia: “In addition, households in Austria, England, Ireland often had “candles burning in every room to guide the souls back to visit their earthly homes”. These were known as “soul lights”.^[81][82][83] Many Christians in continental Europe, especially in France, acknowledged “a belief that once a year, on Hallowe’en, the dead of the churchyards rose for one wild, hideous carnival,” known as the danse macabre, which has been commonly depicted in church decoration, especially on the walls of cathedrals,monasteries, and cemeteries.^[84] ”
While I see no danger in carving nice images into pumpkins, I really cannot join in on this. I am not fascinated by the dead at all. I prefer focusing on the living, both here and in Heaven. And, wasn’t there something about predestination? So, lighting a candle for the dead, especially to avoid the “dance macabre” is far from my beliefs. Is it in line with yours? 
What about your children’s? 

5. Is today’s Halloween anything like that of days gone by? 
I come back to my earlier point. What I see when I observe Halloween is a pure fascinating with evil. It is a desire to be “evil” just one night out of 365 and to get away with (similar to Fashing in Europe), playing tricks, behaving like the monsters we dress up as.

Today’s Halloween is nothing like the original ones. It is focused on commercialism and desiring to “be evil” for a short moment. Halloween as we know celebrates evil.

And yesterday’s Halloween, rooted in Catholic tradition and mixed with pagan influences from across Europe and later America, was also far removed from any beliefs evangelical Christians hold today.

So, why spend time and money on a festival that focuses on the dead, encourages us to uphold evil as something special and underlines beliefs we, as evangelical Christians do not agree with? (Oh and before you say that Christmas was a pagan festival – which of the two has more chance of pointing to Christ?)

Would our time be better spent on the living? Maybe time to re-evaluate. 

This post is for you and I – no exception

picture by Jeff Boriss, Creationswap

Do you hand Gossip to God? Or do you join in or worry about it? The burden of gossip can be heavy. As a pastor’s wife, I often find myself both right in the heart of what is going on as well as left on the outside. It is normal. On the one hand people share their concerns with my husband and I, both serious concerns as well as those that flourish at the hands of idle talk. Other times, we are the focus of this idle talk. It can be quite unsettling and very tempting – to join in.

All of us, no matter what walk of life we are from are confronted with gossip again and again and we engage in gossip again and again. Not one of us can truly say that we are the exception. We engage in “idle talk or rumour, especially about personal or private affairs of others (see dictionary.com definition of gossip).

When we are involved in gossip, however, several things happen:

The person we are gossiping about is not uplifted and we have no intention of helping them in the first place. Our talk is meant to make us feel better about ourselves. That is the true intention. Because “if they are worse than I, I am better..”.(see the logical lie? ) However, we are not uplifted at all and we engage yet in more gossip and slander. And those we are sharing our “deep thoughts about others” with – also are not uplifted.

In fact, it always leaves a bitter taste. A taste of betrayal and, it makes us wonder what others might say about us. It leaves us entangled in a web of lies, half-truths and insecurities and makes us feel incredibly uncomfortable.

In ministry there are, in deed times, when we need to discuss issues of concern regarding members of our ministry or congregation. This, however, should only be done with the distinct aim to help and support them and for the good of those effected by their behaviour.

The bible teaches us that those who gossip cannot be considered as trustworthy and ultimately are at risk of separating friends – this refers to others who are friends, but we are also at risk of losing our own friends as a result.

Proverbs 11:13: He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.

Proverbs 16:28: A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer separates intimate friends.

James 4:11: Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it.

God, instead encourages us to encourage one another, focus on the pure and lovely things others do,  “that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Today, I handed my knowledge of gossip around me to God and he lifted my burden. I also know that I, too, fall prey to this favourite pastime, so I come before the Lord Jesus in faith that He would protect me from temptation and to cleanse me from sin. I have on average 12 hours a day I can fill with words and thoughts – good words or damming words, good thoughts or destructive thoughts. I know what I want to choose and I know that I can call on the Lord to help me when I stumble.  Will you join me in uplifting those around us and dwelling on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise (Ephesians 4:29)?