Today is Halloween day. Many Christians with children are concerned about this spooky celebration. Halloween has pagan origin, and the church of satan actually celebrates this day. Setting aside the religious dispute, higher crime rates are observed on Halloween night; it also boosts moral derailment, making it a real fright night. Thus many Christians have a tendency to reject Halloween. By refusing to take part in Halloween, they are showing their determination to protest against It.
However, if you have little children in your family, it is hard to pretend as if the day does not exist. Neighbor’s kids dress up in cute costumes and consider it as a harmless day to happily stroll around the neighborhood and stock up candies. Your kids may also want to do the same as well. The first generation Korean immigrants probably don’t care about Halloween, but for their children born in the US, Halloween day is rooted deep into the culture that it is hard to just let it slip by. Some Americans have good memories of Halloween in their childhood. It is also an opportunity to get acquainted with neighbors and feel good about handing out candies to the kids trick-or-treating. If the motive is all about sharing and getting to know each other, some Christians are inclined to “passively receive” some of the Halloween culture. Each one draws their own borderline however as to how much of Halloween they can accept. Deciding where to draw the line requires wisdom and will be influenced by the family’s situation.
When my kids were much younger, I explained to them the good and bad of Halloween. Then I proposed to them that while other kids were out there trick or treating to receive candies, we could be on the side of “giving" and handing out candies instead. I filled my kids’ basket with candies. I could see that my kids were pleased and satisfied when handing out the candies to other kids of their age. I think this was a good attempt in my “passive acceptance” to Halloween culture.
Now can we go further and treat Halloween as “redeem” day? We can take this day as an opportunity to gather our creative thoughts and reach out to our neighbor’s kids showing our affection. Some churches observe All Saints’ Day instead of Halloween. Students come to the worship service dressing up with costumes and celebrate the day with the gift of joy and love to children. I think it is a good effort to practice “redeeming”. Our church gathers for “Hallelujah night” near Halloween day. You are welcome to dress your children with cute costumes (nothing scary please) and come to church. Bible hero costumes would be the preferred choice.
No matter which way you choose in dealing with Halloween day, I don’t think it is the matter of right or wrong. It is rather a matter of finding out what are the pros and cons of your choice. We, Christians, live in this world as a traveler; it is normal to struggle in the maze of perplexity. Thus I think we should not force our kids to follow the path that we are accustomed to, but instead help them in discernment and wisdom for the choice they make in their path forward. If we could spend more time with our kids, and struggle together in making these decisions, it will help increase their discernment and develop their immunity to worldly things.
Following the Shepherd
Pastor Jiwon Choi