Perhaps I ought to keep silent, for I know that when I take a stand against Halloween I draw a line that separates me from my family, my friends, and even my church.
I brought four children home from AWANA tonight. One child reported making a jack-o-lantern with a real pumpkin in class and had a jack-o-lantern craft to bring home. Another child reported seeing a real jack-o-lantern in class and watching her classmates receive pumpkin sugar cookies. I’m not sure if those cookies had faces or not — she is gluten free and came home with the chocolate chip cookies I sent. A third child gleefully told of how she ate jack-o-lantern cookies — “They were just cookies Mom, not real.”
And I ask you, how do Jack-O-Lanterns have any place in church.
I have never changed a single person’s mind about celebrating Halloween with their families, making Halloween crafts for sale, or hosting “Harvest celebrations” where evil costumes were discouraged but not turned away at the door. I’m not changing any minds here. I probably should not even bother. But I have been up half the night and I cannot keep silent.
I’ve been told that passing out candy on Halloween is an outreach to neighbors. I’ve been told that Harvest parties provide a safe alternative for families and an outreach to unbelievers. And I understand that when one person prays and God leads them to hand out candy and another person prays and God leads them to abstain from the holiday — each person is still serving God. I have my thoughts on that, and if you want to know more read this article from two former witches who converted to Christianity.
I’m questioning whether your celebrations need to be brought into my church and shoved down the throats of my impressionable children. At Awana. At Sunday School. When my children are supposed to be learning about God and faith and walking on water and spiritual warfare.
You had time to make a jack-o-lantern?
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Just in case you want something to read to your children on the subject of Halloween, here is an excellent book my kids enjoy.
Mommy, Why Don’t We Celebrate Halloween?
If this post has you wondering what your choices are, you might want to read
Thanks for sharing. This is my first time on your blog … but we are friends of fb. I agree with you. We don’t celebrate Halloween and our Pastor actually preached on it last year which upset some people. I don’t know why anyone that serves Jesus Christ would WANT to be a part of this holiday. Furthermore, I am appalled that ANYONE in a church would use any reference to any aspect of Halloween in a church setting. That’s wrong and unbiblical and just peeves me! Thank you for sharing.
Welcome Connie! Thanks for the encouragement. I really struggled with that post.
I also agree. My husband is in the camp of wanting to turn it into a time of outreach, but I don’t see why we should have anything to do with it. As Christians, we should be in the world but not of the world. We don’t have to do everything they do to witness to them. My neighbor asked me today if the kids are going trick or treating, and I told him they don’t, but they still like candy! 🙂
This post is enlightening.
Thank you so much for your post. We have had a hard time through the years about our stance on Halloween. Everyone keeps telling us that we over react, it is just a fun thing for kids?!? Our oldest is in college, we have never dressed up, passed out candy, attended a “Harvest Festival” that just happens to fall on Halloween and does all the Halloween activities- and my kids are just fine. I always go back to scripture, if we look like goats and smell like goats, are we really His Sheep? Thank you again for speaking truth, I just wish more people would really research this for themselves.
I too just want to say keep up the good work! I saw this pinned (and it’s actually the second time in the last couple of days that I’ve clicked over to your blog, so I’ll have to start following!) and I have to agree with you 100%, even if it means we’re in the minority. Nice to know we’re not totally alone 🙂
Halloween is short for “All Hallows Eve” which basically means the Eve of All Saints Day. So it is just a festival celebrating the eve of all Saints Day. It is and always will be a Catholic Christian holiday.
That is an interesting perspective I have never, ever had anyone argue before. However, I am not Catholic so it really doesn’t effect my opinion of the holiday and the use of Jack-O-Lanterns in our church.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
https://www.albany.edu/~dp1252/isp523/halloween.html
Halloween actually does have Christian roots. It is fine for you to feel that it has become a completely commercialized holiday in America. You would be correct. It absolutely has. But instead of refusing to celebrate with your kids and risking disenfranchising them from their peers, you could approach it from a Christian view and teach them what the holiday meant originally? Just a thought!
This is an interesting perspective about Halloween. The wikipedia site you reference is the exact one I use to support my argument. “Christianized” is not the same as Christian. It means that some Christians in the early church took pagan festivals and tried to make them acceptable to their new faith. Since you provided links for me, may I provide links for you? Please consider these links: https://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/onlinediscipleship/halloween/halloween_Pagan_Ankerberg.aspx and
https://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/e008rp_Halloween.htm
My children are not disenfranchised from their peers, but thank you for your concern.
As a Christian, I don’t personally have any issue with dressing up and trick or treating for Halloween. Our family does. 🙂 Growing up as a very conservative pastor’s kid however, our family did not…in any way, shape or form. So I’ve seen both sides of it. I guess my main issue with churches joining in like you’ve described is that there is no need for it. They know it makes folks uncomfortable. I don’t understand why they feel it necessary (?) to step in and attempt to add a Christian spin to a secular holiday. It is what it is. Focus on the beauties of fall and leave Halloween out of it.
I admire your pluck for coming out and saying something. It can be a very touchy and divisive topic. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thank you so much for saying what I believe is how many bible believing Christians should also see this “holiday”. It is very frustrating to me that so many churches make their own version. This also makes me frustrated as we don’t take part in any part of Halloween, as we felt it made no sense to belive the way we do, and then on this one day, go against those beliefs.
Our family strives to live our lives in a biblical way and I sure don’t need any “help” in tempting my kids to compromise!
Thanks for being bold and speaking TRUTH! Not easy and not always popular!
Just stumbled across this post and I have to agree whole-heartedly. We are called to be different from the world and we belong to a holy God that requires holiness. For some the line seems blurry between Halloween and Harvest festivals that just so happen to fall on the same date. I understand why churches want to reach out to kids and offer safe alternatives but compromising what we believe so we can say “look how much alike we are” doesn’t really seem like the way to go.
Growing up I always dressed up and went out tricker treating. It was not until I started going to a Christian high school that I realized that it was a “bad” holiday. I literally just thought it was a night to dress up and get candy. The children’s pastor at my church did an object lesson one time. He took a pumpkin that had a face carved into it and put the candle inside. He explained that we resemble the pumpkin and Christs love and the holy spirt is the glowing candle on the inside- and that is what I have thought of ever since that day. Also, my neighbours down the street would hand out candy with pamphlets that explained Christs love and directions to the church!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! I thought I was the only person on the planet who felt this way. :/
Amy, when my first two children were born, I wanted to abstain from all Halloween activities for the exact same reasons you list. Because of the pagan rituals involved and how happy it must make satan (lowercase intended) for us to participate, we didn’t celebrate, and my family thought I was nuts. When I sadly got divorced while the kids were still young, their father and his new wife let them celebrate every year, despite my feelings about it. I have remarried, and we have a 10-yr old and I have relented to the peer pressure and have allowed her to participate on a very small scale but it still feels so uncomfortable, so I recently had a talk with her about how I feel and why I feel that way. She was disappointed about it, but seemed to understand. Our church also does the pumpkin painting and the hayride and costume wearing, and builds it around Reformation Day, which also falls on October 31, but it still feels so uncomfortable because the lines are so blurred. I am praying hard about taking a stand this year and all future years and about being obedient. Thanks for your post! 🙂
…”if you look like a goat and smell like a goat, are you really HIS sheep?” I just though that was a really good question for all of us that say we are Christian. We say Christ is the Good Shepherd, but do our actions, speech, lives, etc make us look like we are His “sheep?” Everything we do, watch, participate in, all reflects who we are following and there are only two choices here. We either follow Christ and His teaching or we don’t. There is no in-between ground. The other side of that is that our lives are impacting others. If our friends and family look at lives, watching us in the day to day, will what they see point them in the direction of Christ?
I agree with you. While we personally do not celebrate Halloween at all, we do allow room for other opinions. However, bringing it into the church is completely unnecessary. Our church has a Reformation Day Celebration every year instead. No costumes. Just a covered dish dinner and program of some sort usually related to the Reformation. This year the kids will be doing a missions program with multi-cultural food.
I love the idea of celebrating Reformation Day. I always forget and end up unprepared, but I think it is a lovely holiday.
Beautiful job on this! I am so glad you spoke up. It is so important! I don’t like when they do halloween related stuff at church. It is not the place for it.
Has Halloween in the US been overcommercialized? Oh yes. (But then again, I’d argue so have Christmas, Chanukah, and the Fourth of July.)
However, I have to disagree with your perspective. I agree that it is a “celebration” of All Hallow’s Eve. I think the problem is that it has become about costumes and candy, and not as the vigil of All Saints & All Souls Days. I don’t see any issue with jack o’lanterns or ghosts – but rather than celebrating them as we doo, we should be celebrating the days AFTER them — that on October 31st, they are done, yet the saints endure beyond. I don’t see celebrating Halloween as unChristian. I see not celebrating the days after as such.
I completely agree with you!!! and I feel like I’m doing it alone. Thank you for encouraging me!
So glad to be an encouragement!
Thank you for sharing this! I really think Halloween is just a darn money racket. I’m tired of it.
You may “not be making a big impact”, but I’ll stand behind you in what you say…because it’s what the Bible says.
I actually agree with much of what you shared, even though my post offers a differing argument. I do NOT believe the church should engage in actual Halloween celebration…and to bring into Sunday School is really inappropriate. I totally, 100% agree with you on that!
We do not celebrate Halloween either (for a wide variety of reasons) but, even if we did, I would still consider it completely inappropriate for my children to create (or eat) jack-o-lanterns at church. Just as I wouldn’t expect to see Santa Claus visiting Sunday School rooms, or the Easter Bunny. But then again, we don’t send our kids to Sunday School or nursery either, so maybe I’m just more “out there” than I realize. 🙂
Thank you Amy! My first time on your blog. Good for you for being bold to stand up for righteousness. There are a few that will in this day. I agree with you and not only that, but what you say is the truth. The Bible is clear in Deuteronomy 18 about partaking in occult practices. Halloween is demonic and Satan’s day. By partaking in this you are opening you and your family up to demonic infuence in your lives. Ghosts are demons. I’m sure you’ve done the research. We are in a spiritual battle. The days we are living in now are becoming more evil and we need to be covered with the blood of Jesus for protection always. Our Body of Christ has become so deceived and passive when it comes to these issues. When needed, anyone can justify and manipulate the Word of God for their purpose. We are to keep ourselves close to the Lord Jesus and walk with Him. Keeping ourselves holy and ready for His soon return. There is no time to be wasting and playing games with Satan and this world. We need to speak up in these end times and wake up the Body of Christ from partaking in these pagan practices and other abominable acts. Seek the Lord. Set yourself apart. He is coming back for a spotless Bride. A remnant. I pray that we all ask the Lord to show us anything in our heart that is keeping us from being that spotless Bride! Serve Jesus.
Thanks for the post. My family does not celebrate Halloween either, and it can be hard. I’m really sorry you had to deal with that at a church Awana club. My kids go to Awana at my church and they would not do that. My church is having a family fun night with no Halloween references. Also reformation day is a celebration on that same day!
I don’t usually comment to blog posts, but I can’t help it in this one! I absolutely agree with you. Halloween has never been a Christian holiday, the Catholics tried to call it one so that they could assimilate themselves more with the Celtic pagans of the time. But the roots are totally satanic. Like one commenter said, spiritual doors to demonic activity will be opened in your family when you embrace this holiday, or anything dealing with witchcraft in general. Personally my children are too precious to me.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! I appreciate your support very much 🙂
Thank you so much for this. Halloween used to be my favorite holiday, and I mocked people who didn’t celebrate it as fearful and unsure in their faith. Then I had children. And I realized that the Bible tells us that we will know people by their fruits. I think that goes for holidays too. The holiday is so much more gruesome and sexualized than when I was a kid – and I see that even in the church! We went to our church’s trunk-or-treat once. Staff members had their cars decorated with occultic symbols, were dressed like sexy witches and there was one very realistic zombie! I was apalled. The neighbors have completely inappropriate decorations. Buying meat one day in October, we found body parts wrapped up and placed in next to hamburger. My 3 and 4 year old ASKED not to do Halloween anymore. At this point it’s virtually unavoidable (my October baby can’t go into a party store to pick out decorations because she’s too scared to pass the gauntlet of ghouls and monsters at the door that they all have), but I don’t see good fruits coming from it. I see costumes for 6 year olds that are sexy. Frankly, 90% of costumes for women are “sexy fill-in-the-blank”. I see a glorification of violence and gore. As much as I love dressing up and getting candy, when my kids are crying because the neighbors think it’s funny to dress up like ghouls and chase sobbing toddlers down the street and won’t stop until threatened by my dad, then I had to ask myself reluctantly what fruits have grown from this seed of paganism. Maybe our Father told us to avoid these things because He knew where they eventually lead.
I applaud your grace and conviction. May He continue to encourage you in both.
Amen! I agree with you completely, Amy! I’m going to try posting about this on my blog this year too 🙂 I’m glad this is the post you decided to share with your new pinnable image, or I might not have read this otherwise 🙂 Thanks for sharing on Christian Bloggers!
GREAT entry! I agree with you and had struggled with going to the harvest festival at our church. My husband has very strong convictions on this and I feel very convicted that I tried to persuade him from honoring his conscience on staying home. The Lord has used this to convict me of not submitting to him on this.
I’m really glad you found it helpful!
I’m featuring your post Thursday on the Hearts for Home Blog Hop. Feel free to stop by and grab an “I was featured” button! 🙂 https://learningtable.blogspot.com/2013/10/hearts-for-home-blog-hop-39.html
Thank you Anne. I am a fellow host :).
I grew up trick or treating, have been studying and praying about the holidays we “celebrate” in our culture. I just watched a video about the roots of Halloween, https://worldtruth.tv/halloween-know-as-samhain-pagan-holiday/
It’s pretty graphic, not for kids. The video and the article shows that the roots of Halloween are not Christian based. The Church tried to take back this holiday from the pagans, and it was Nov 1…. see link for more info. Thank you Amy for sharing this post and for not conforming to the culture we live in, the church has been influenced in so many ways by our culture and this is just one way. I recently researched the roots of Christmas, the tree, the lights, Easter too, where the word Easter comes from. Wow, very eye opening! My husband and I do not have kids yet, we are learning about the Biblical feasts, Passover (instead of Easter), etc. We want to celebrate the feasts that Jesus did, and not conform to this world and celebrate something that has pagan roots.
Hy Amy,
I was so relieved to see your post on Halloween on P interest: I was surprised at the many Halloween-related pins on the boards of so many Christian pinners. I recently stopped celebrating it after having doubts about for several years; since I have loved dressing up and making costumes since I was 5(long before Halloween was introduced to the Netherlands the last 10 years and has been growing very popular the last 3 years) and I have thrown cleaned out my web-site thrown away some of my costumes, Night before Christmas dolls and all the comicbooks/books that had anything to do with demonic influences like my much beloved scary Godmother children’s books.
I have lot more room in my closet now LOL
Even after I became a Christian in my twenties I never saw anything bad in it when a non-christian friend started to have the parties in her house each year(she had a lot of American-online friends) for a small group. Most Dutch people hate dressing up ( it’s considered a kid’s thing)so it never became a big thing and she doesn’t show HaloweenTv-episodes anymore movies anymore the last 5 years; but God made it clear to me He wanted me to clean up starting with me taking a new e-mailadress. As I am an artist who designs costumes and masks this has seriously made me rethink my motivations for making them and i am learning how to use my talent for God now instead of just pleasing myself and friends. But it will be a long road to find new forms and symbols to express myself creatively. Luckily Haloween is not brought into church here since it is not celebrated by many people but the shops are full with Haloween-decorations and since I live in Amsterdam(some people call this the Sodom & Gomorrah town because of it’s many crime/prostitution etc) where the people are more willing to embrace new wild things; this weekend will be filled with Haloweenparties and even a sort of walking party in the centre of the city.
My country is rapidly losing Christian faith and embracing Buddism another favorite decoration-item at almost every home /garden decorationshop: Buddhas with or without a body) and New Age and the demonic influences are getting bigger and bigger.
Thank you for your post. Every year I read posts by people with their own thoughts and opinions on celebrating halloween. However, as Christians, we are representing the LORD and we need to know what the LORD says about such things, because as He tells us in Isaiah 5:20-21 “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!”
As Christians, we should diligently search the Scriptures to find out what God says about celebrating “holy-days” and the “traditions of man”?? What does He command?? Not just listening to man’s opinions. We need to “Find out what is acceptable to the LORD” (Eph. 5:6-10) because Jesus says in John 14:15-24 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” There are NUMEROUS scriptures telling us not be like the world around us, and many examples of people choosing to worship God as they please, rather than as God commands.
Here are just a few scriptures:
“You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things.” Deuteronomy 12:1-9
“Do not learn the way of the Gentiles” Jeremiah 10:2-3
“Come out from among them and be separate” 2 Corinthians 6: 11-18
More can be found at https://www.openbible.info/topics/celebrating_halloween
We can debate history and our opinions, but God’s Word is not based on our opinions, it is Truth. There are many Feasts, Holy Days, and events within God’s Word that our families can celebrate. Halloween is not one of them – no matter how it’s disguised; it is not a Christian holiday. Jesus said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, so that you may keep your tradition.” (Mark 7:9) Sadly, halloween is still celebrated today as a high-holy day for the occult. Those who have been saved by Christ out of such bondage are appalled to see their brothers & sisters in Christ making light of it and even venerating it.
Christians represent Christ to the world, according to Scripture, what would He do??
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” Ephesians 8-11
I totally agree. My family does not do Valentine’s Day, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas or Halloween. They are all counterfeit to the Holy Festivals of God and we should have nothing to do with them. We do Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Day of Atonement, Feast of Trumpets and Feast of Tabernacles. All of which are commanded by God and focus on God and his purpose for the Church.
I sometimes feel that we, as Christians, focus/argue about a lot of issues that in the Grand Scheme of God’s plan for us to reach out to and love lost and hurting people, really don’t matter. I take great joy in creating fall crafts, carving silly pumpkins, etc. with my kids and also attend Fall/Halloween community outreaches with my church. All with the intent to love on other people, not push my views on small issues compared to the Kingdom of Christ
I appreciate your post and your views. I have to say though that all 5 of my children have gone trick or treating on Halloween. There may be some evil thoughts about Halloween, but I truly think that it is evil only if you make it evil. At my church, we do have a trunk-r-treat. We use it as an outreach. Nothing scary or evil is going on. We give each child that comes through a Christian tract. We hand out toys and candy. We have popcorn and grill hotdogs and small drinks for the kids and their parents. We give out tracts about our church, about Jesus and we usually show a Veggie Tales movie outside on the side of the church for the kids and their parents to watch together. We look at it as a wonderful time to get out into the community and share Jesus with our community. Most of those kids are going somewhere, why not provide a safe Christian place. You can pretty much make anything evil or you can clean up your act and just have a great time sharing Jesus with your community. I would rather have those kids in our parking lot sharing the love of Jesus with us than to be out on the street where things can go wrong. We always tell the kids and their parents while leaving to have a Happy Fall. The word Halloween is never even used. Happy Fall to you as well. May God continue to bless you and your family.
I follow you on pinterest and when I saw this post I almost did not want to click on it. Why? Because, even if I enjoy your articles about homeschooling, if you had written a post telling people why it is perfectly ok to mix halloween and the worship of our Savior…. Well, I would have to stop following you. So, I scrolled down, then thought, no I have to see where she stands, so I scrolled back up, hoping for the best.
I was so happy to see you post what I have been saying for a long time. Last year, my daughter went to her youth group at church and the topic was what they were going to dress up as. Our church called it reformation day, gave out candy, had everyone dress up, renamed it, and somehow thought it was a great idea. My daughter was pretty upset. She is shy, and felt put on the spot when she had to explain that we do not celebrate ANYTHING on October 31 that includes any tradition related to halloween. Doesn’t matter what you call it, we don’t do it. She was shaking and in tears telling me about this. She said the “teacher” seemed to feel sorry for her, and everyone got very quiet and moved on when she simply said, we are not participating. Needless to say, we are no longer going to that church. I have just gotten to the point that I am tired of having non biblical stuff shoved down my childrens throat. I go to church to be lifted up, to be sharpened, to be in a set apart place. If I need more of the world, I could just go anywhere. If I wanted my children exposed to that kind of peer pressure, I would live a different life. I certainly think the churches need to rethink these things. I don’t care who celebrates it, or how they celebrate it. But, do not make it part of the church! Please, let the church be our safe place! Especially if you want me to consider the church my family or my home.
Thank you for being bold enough to take a stand publicly. It is hard. We have been rejected for what we believe in by many….. Family, Church family, friends…. Etc… I love when people tell me that I am legalistic, and I obviously do not understand what Christ died for. Makes me sick. I never tell anyone else what they should do. I stay pretty quiet. The only reason the topic ever comes up is because others seem to think they should push their ideas on me and my family. Then, when I am honest in my reply, I get the “you’re a bad christian” lecture.
Thank you again. Blessings!
Thank you so much for sharing. I am glad I was able to be a blessing to you!
That’s some amazing daughter you have there. You are right to leave a fellowship that follows too much of the world, but your daughter will be stronger for having had to stand against it. Refining doesn’t happen in a place of ease.
You all are so ignorant with Pagan roots and satan. Pagans do not worship satan. Halloween is a day honor our the ancestors…jack o lanterns (ooooh so scary!!) are to ward off eveil spirits. Isn’t that the kind of stuff you Christians like to do? Pagan means earth centered…what’s more of this world than that? It really makes me mad to think that so many of you are taking away your children’s childhood over some stupid un-fact based lie. Its a shame to see that you think jack o lanterns are of the devil. Grow up! And stop taking all this stuff so seriously!! Why live your life for a reward of death when you can be rewarded by just living and enjoying life?
Thank you! We haven’t celebrated Halloween since, my now 26 year old, was four. My two youngest have never celebrated it. I do not understand why our church does a harvest festival. It is supposed to be an alternative to Halloween, but is held on the Saturday before.
I used to be into the New Age movement, when I was in college. I know all about Halloween, or Samhain, as it used to be called. It has no place in the church.
Thank you again for posting this.
I’d love to read the article by two former witches, but the link isn’t working for me. Will you please verify that it goes where you intend? I appreciate and sympathize with your point of view. For many years, we celebrated “Reformation Day” rather than partake in Halloween activities. Now we live in a neighborhood that brings hundreds of trick-or-treaters to our door every year, so we are taking the “redeem the holiday” approach by passing out gospel tracts along with our candy. Some years, we even station church members in our yard to talk to parents about Jesus while the kids are on the porch getting candy.
God for you for refusing to compromise your values! God isn’t looking for lukewarm followers, whom He says He will vomit out of his mouth! (Revelation 3:16). Or consider this passage from Mathew 7:
“21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
One cannot be both repentant and freely dabbling in evil.
And don’t worry about drawing a line that separates you from your family, friends, and church. The gospel is supposed to be offensive (Gal. 5:11). In fact, Jesus was a heretic since he didn’t toe the line of the religious establishment, but stood for truth instead. Be proud (so to speak) to be like him in this. He also said in Matthew 10:
“34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
“Not worthy of Me” is pretty strong language. And if Jesus says this regarding our immediate family members, don’t you think he would say the same of our churches? I know people who put their church before God. (SOOO many sadly do!) I know He has challenged me in this way in my life, to the point that I had to walk away from my lifelong church dating back to my grandparents, but He has also been faithful to give me an amazingly stronger, more dedicated and pure fellowship in its place. I’m not saying God is asking this of you yet, but a true believer in Christ must be willing to go the hard places whatever the cost.
You are right to give others space for their walks with God, though. I have friends that also know better than to celebrate Halloween, but God has taken them right into the middle of others’ celebrations at times, when there was something He wanted to accomplish in it.
I meant “Good for you for refusing to compromise your values!” but maybe “God for you” is even more apt. 😉
I don’t agree with incorporating any aspects of Halloween into church.. I’ve caved a few times and allowed my kids to trick or treat, I’ll admit that. But now, as a more mature Christian, I just can’t participate. At some churches not agreeing with using halloween to draw on more children can be a bad thing. But I have to follow what He wants above all else. 🙏