What about....

[Katydid]

There is a thread in General Theology about Halloween, it is getting pretty vicious. I was just wondering what everyone here does about the Halloween thing.

[CharlesYTK]

What's a Halloween?

[By Grace]

I'm struggling with it this year. Growing up, I wasn't usually allowed to participate. As an adult, I would do the candy thing and carve a pumpkin, and I didn't mind dressing up if it wasn't something scary.

This year, of course, I am more committed to avoiding it altogether, but it's difficult. Our playgroup wanted to do a dress-up party; I suggested a harvest party instead, and they seemed fine with that, though I think they'll still probably have their kids in costumes. Our neighborhood is doing a Fall Festival, which is a lot of fun, but they're incorporating a few typically Halloween customs (bobbing for apples, face painting).

The next weekend, they're also doing a neighborhood trick-or-treat. I could just leave our porch light off and not participate, but I'm not sure if DH will go for that. And even if he does, he may still want me to dress up the girls and bring them to his office for their office trick-or-treat where they have all the employees' kids go around to the different departments to show off their costumes.

Of all of our old fall traditions, this one is probably the most important to my DH, and therefore the most difficult to get him to give up. I'm struggling with deciding on whether to take a stand, or just give in to him and do whatever he wants. Usually I was the driving force behind making all the traditions happen, so at first I thought it would be easy to drop them out of our lives. But I'm finding they were more important to him than I thought.

Unfortunately, I don't anticipate Christmas being any easier to handle...

[visionary]

I try not to participate in any form, and I am fortunate that I am not on a busy road where I can be found by trick or treaters. If I make no effort, it can be forgotten, by everyone except the influences of the schools, and then I will take her to the fall harvest festival if necessary. But I really do not go for the trick or treat. It is by these pagan festivals that we can see how far we have come out of them. I wish my love was following the truth a little closer so that we may be separated totally from these pagan festivals. But alas...it is not so.

[insaneinthebrain]

I'm just too lazy to go out and buy candy to hand out. ;)

Honestly, at it's very core, it's a religious holiday for a religion I don't follow. Therefore, I'll be ignoring it just like I always have.

[ShirChadash]

I am against Halloween in every way possible.
It's one of the most pagan, evil holidays out there and I avoid it at all costs.
I can't believe how it has infiltrated so many churches these days.
:( Ditto here.


With one exception: I carve pumpkins and do put candles in them on hell o we'en night for all the passersby and kids (who unfailingly tromp up onto the porch and ring our doorbell) to see and read.

They say...

Jesus RULES

Jesus REIGNS

and

Jesus LIVES.

:)

[debi b]

We go out for pizza :thumbsup:

[mjterry87]

Oh my G-d, I absoutley LOVE Halloween! I would have to say that it is my most favorite holiday of the year! I accept Yeshua as my L-RD and savior, and I try my best to live by his teachings, so to me Halloween is nothing more than fun! Scary ghost and witches, it is just plain old fun. Come on guys, don't be sticks in the mud, carve a pumpkin, and give some little kids some candy, Yeshua would!

[ShirChadash]

:eek: I don't think He would MJT.

Jeremiah 10:1 Hear the word that the Lord has spoken to you, house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says:
Do not learn the way of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the heavens,
although the nations are terrified by them, 3 for the customs of the peoples are worthless....
Don't even learn the way of the nations, much less practice a festival and feast day that is absolutely nothing but paganism; their customs are worthless. Worthless. They have no worth, no value, no redeeming qualities. None.

What fellowship have you, MJT, one who seeks to be observant of all HaShem requires of you and of all of His feasts of Light... one who seeks to be a light in this world as a follower of Him... with the darkness that is hellowe'en?

Surely, we have carved pumpkins in the past (Love to roast seeds with my children :) ) but MJT, we hope to be a witness to the world in the midst of the hellowe'en darkness... and we can't do that if we are behaving the same way.

In love,
~Z~

[Rabbi Klein]

I dress up like a Jew on that day.

[ShirChadash]

*chuckle*

Just on that day, Rabbi?

[Rabbi Klein]

For the most part yes. :)

[mjterry87]

:eek: I don't think He would MJT.

Jeremiah 10:1 Hear the word that the Lord has spoken to you, house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says:
Do not learn the way of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the heavens,
although the nations are terrified by them, 3 for the customs of the peoples are worthless....
Don't even learn the way of the nations, much less practice a festival and feast day that is absolutely nothing but paganism; their customs are worthless. Worthless. They have no worth, no value, no redeeming qualities. None.

What fellowship have you, MJT, one who seeks to be observant of all HaShem requires of you and of all of His feasts of Light... one who seeks to be a light in this world as a follower of Him... with the darkness that is hellowe'en?

Surely, we have carved pumpkins in the past (Love to roast seeds with my children :) ) but MJT, we hope to be a witness to the world in the midst of the hellowe'en darkness... and we can't do that if we are behaving the same way.

In love,
~Z~
Wow there, I really think that you guys are putting way to much into this. On October 31 I just like to put on a scary mask, get some candy, and have fun with my friends. How is that so bad? I am not a pegan, and to me, Halloween has nothing to do with peganism, it is just plain old fun! What is next, we are not allowed to celebrate thanks giving? Or veterins day? I guess new years is out too. Sorry if I sound like a jerk, but I just don't see the problem in getting some candy and having things a little spooky, its fun! I am not trying to woship some pegan G-D or anything like that, infact I think that the last time someone did that it was probily in the early AD's in Ireand! Halloween is just a spooky day, to get some candy, and have fun, that is it. I realize that the holiday originated from a pegan holiday, but that is not what it is, atleast not to me. And again, sorry if I sounded like a jerk, but I just think it is stupid to put off Halloween. :wave:

Shalom

[P_G]

Halloween?

Here? Me?

Say it aint so!

Sorry gang but this house and our soon to be house is
sanctified ground, sealed and given over to Ha'Shem.

How can I put a mezzuzah on my door Claiming all inside is kosher and
sanctified unto the Lrd and in front of it put a pagan idol?
"Thou Shall have no other gods before me"

Sorry
No halloween
No harvest festival
No dancing naked around a broom and chanting things
No giving glory to the one who wants me dead!

Shalom

Pastor George :preach:

[Henaynei]

it is not my holy day - therefore I don't participate

as a public school nurse the closest I get is standing in the door of my clinic and smiling at the pre-k-5th graders that parade by on the last day of school before their holy day - and I treat sugar overdose all day ....

[Henaynei]

Each of us is a tree fo HaShem's own choosing - some grow very fast, others take a steady and more deliberate path...... an oak that grew like a palm would be no good to anyone - to each their progress on the path of Torah - remember: *NONE* of us are *there* yet ;)

food for thought.....

when it comes to putting on a costume and acting strange and having fun - try Purim!! ;)

[Buccaneer]

I have a philosophy concerning Christmas and Halloween and easter: Words (customs) have only as much meaning as you give them Regarding their roots; that is in the past like the distance of the gentiles. The reasons of old are dead and all that remain is the opinion of the living toward what these days mean.
If I in any way were to celebrate christmas for example, I never have and never will regard it as anything to do with the birth of messiah nor any other previous meaning behind it. (He was actually born in august or september I believe) Instead I believe it is just a fun thing for little kids and an excuse for them to be happy.
I do not exault or condemn none of these traditions of men.
Every day is the Lord's day and while you should take caution not to be swept up in the ways of the world, do not look at things as they once were, rather how they are in their present state.

[Nossa-the-Lame]

Well, for me I have to think hard about this one. Last year I really didn't DO anything for holloween. Allthough the week beforehand I went to an oncology (cancer) camp for kids between ages 18-25, and for any friends/family of that age too. We carved some pumpkins, did a little fun, no dressing up, oh wait we did a little bit. It wasn't on holloween, it was for fun and for fellowship of our trials and tribulations. All I gotta say is that the camp I went to was for fun, but I think the "holiday" is more..."evil" so I probably will have nothing to do with it...even though I have a strong urge to dress up as a doctor and diagnose kids with low blood sugar with RX of candy....:(

[Bon]

Luckily here in Australia, Halloween is not a big issue.

In fact, it is the Aussies who are being influenced by "all-things-American"
who are starting to incorporate it into their pagan festivals.

It's no big deal here............yet!

Shalom from Bon

[oldrooster]

I love Halloween, celebrate it every year.....I love little candy bars.....

[CharlesYTK]

I love Halloween, celebrate it every year.....I love little candy bars.....
HEY! I know you. Aren't you that guy with the ""Pagan and Proud" bumper sticker on the back of your pickup? :D

[By Grace]

MJT,

2Ti 1:7 For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

Even before I discovered MJ, I avoided the scary stuff on Halloween. G-d is love, not fear. The only thing we should fear is G-d Himself, not goblins or whatever. I hated ghost stories when I was younger b/c the fear would just consume me. I don't think we should do anything that gives fear more of a stronghold in our lives. Fear of the enemy is the enemy. If we're not afraid of him, he has much less power (if any) in our lives. JMO.

[Katydid]

Here is my concern, my stepson just came to live with us in January. Every other year, by his mother's request, we have made sure that he was at her house so that he could do the whole trick-or-treat thing. Well, he can't go to her house, and now he is already talking about it even though we have never done it. I told him that there will be a harvest festival, but he won't dress up for that, he is really upset about this, so what would you all do???

[P_G]

Ahh what to do what to do

OK here is where I become the most unpopular guy on CF!

We tell our children about goblins and monsters
They get older and find out they are not real

We tell our children about the tooth fairy
They get older and find out she is not real

We tell our children about Santa Claus
They get older and find out he is not real

We tell our children about the Easter Bunny
They get older and find out he is not real either.

Then we sit them down and tell them about this invisable G-d
who lives in heaven and loves them and cares for them. Who did great deeds long ago and that they need to believe in him and follow his rules.

Why on earth would they believe us?
We have proven that we are liars already!


Pastor George :preach:

[Talmidah]

OK here is where I become the most unpopular guy on CF!
Unpopular?!?!?!? I would think that most everyone here would agree with all of this!

[ShirChadash]

:clap::thumbsup::amen::clap::preach:

Preach it, Bro. I couldn't agree more.