Trick or Treat?

On Sunday a friend asked me if I allowed my kids to go trick or treating. Their family does not celebrate Halloween at all. They say to start them young. If you never let them celebrate to begin with, they'll never miss it. After all, we are Christians and we should not glorify a holiday that clearly has satanic overtones.

In a way I agree with them and wished that my boys were as mature as their kids, willing to refrain from such tempting secular traditions and peer pressure. But Dustin attends a public school where Halloween is a big deal – complete with parade – so it would be unnecessarily cruel to not let him participate with his friends (plus since we both work, we would need Mr. Al Young to take him home). On the other hand, Colby's preschool is run by one of the biggest Christian churches in the bay area and they celebrate also. They may not call it Halloween, but kids are dressed up and I'm sure he'll come home with candy. Their only requirement is that the costumes should be of biblical or positive characters. Colby is dressed as Superman this year (we'll see if he gets sent home early).

So are we bad parents? Are we tempting our children down a path of darkness disguised with fun and candy? Are we blessing an activity that reflects poorly on our judgement? Honestly we've had this debate when deciding whether or not to pass out candy.

I think it's much more than just Halloween. We need to have faith in our children. We need to trust that they will make the right decisions in life and to discern right from wrong. To be selective of what friends to have and to know what is acceptable and non-acceptable in the eyes of God. But of course to do that we must constantly fill them with biblical teachings, honesty and love. Fortunately for us, our boys really love church and cherish the friendships they've developed. And Colby especially loves to pray and sing everyday. Unfortunately, this won't last forever. As they get older, they will be exposed to much more of what's evil in this world and neither I or Chrissy will be there to monitor them. So for now we can only steer them in the right direction and hold them accountable for their actions. This will train them toward a more independent life which we pray will carry on to adulthood.

So back to Halloween. I've been searching the web and 90% of them say Christians should not be celebrating it at all. They suggest offering "alternative" celebrations such as Harvest Festival but I know of none around here. Also these people warned more about embracing parties focused on wickedness, rather than just little kids dressing up to get candy. As you know on the web, views and beliefs run the full spectrum, but for a more contemporary viewpoint for our own situation, I'll end with a quote from Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family:

Whereas it can be argued that Christmas is a Christian holiday with Christian origins that has suffered the effects of growing secularism, Halloween can be traced to distinctly pagan sources. It is reasonable, then, that many believers would find some aspects of its celebration disturbing. I agree with them in that regard. The traditional emphasis upon the occult, witches, devils, death, and evil sends messages to our kids that godly parents can only regard with alarm. There is clearly no place in the Christian community for this “darker side” of Halloween.

Even here, however, there is a place for some harmless fun. Kids love to dress up and pretend. If the Halloween experience is focused on fantasy rather than the occult, I see no harm in it. Make costumes for your children that represent fun characters, such as Mickey Mouse or an elderly grandmother, and then let them go door-to-door asking for treats. This side of Halloween can be thoroughly enjoyable for the little ones.

Let me add, again, that I’ve given you my personal opinion. I realize that the topic is controversial among committed Christians, and I’m sensitive to the reasons for their misgivings. My final word to parents on the subject would be “Stay true to your own convictions.”