Halloween- the Christian view of it please.

[BeckerLleytonNever]

that really.

is it harmless fun or more sinister?

A police friend says Haloween is the worst time of year for crime as people are wearing masks and disguises, so that's one thing bad about it.

DC freaks out with everything horror, including displays in shops, as for the trick or treat, I put a notice on my gate saying NO.

and in this day and age, youngsters going out in the dark without adult supervision.....

and the spiritual element? No fighting please!

[Bunbaker]

I think it is just a bit of fun and games. You have to really believe in evil to believe that Halloween is sinister.

[LilQueenie]

I dont know the christian view of it because its really not a christian thing. Its about remembering those who have past away. The veil between worlds is said to be thinner on this night of the year. Thats it basically. I often light a candle to remember those who have passed on halloween. We also do all the halloween spooky stuff because I have a 4yr old and its fun. Harmless fun. Sinister stuff happens every day of every year its not limited to one night.

[FattyNinjaOwl]

Yes, its about remembering the dead. Including saints/hallows. Hence all hallows eve. The veil between world's is apparently thinner, I was always told the reasons for dress up was because the veil was thinner, entities mat pass through to our world so if we dressed up scarily we would scare them away.

[BeckerLleytonNever]

okay, but the blood and guts and gore stuff? Isnt that scary for some children?

(I know, I know, theres stuff even in cartoons that has limbs dropping off etc etc).

[BeckerLleytonNever]

but people/kids aren't remembering the dead and a time of rememberance and reflection is it? its all throweing eggs/dog mess (where I live its awful) etc etc, scaring the elderly and vulnerable, ...

sorry, I sound like a right old grump!

[blaeberry]

The 'veil is thinner' thing is not Christian though.

[FattyNinjaOwl]

Well possibly for some children it will be scary, but its just fun.
To be fair though my DCs arent easily scared, so I'm not best to answer that.
I think if you explained it as a fun thing to dress up then it wouldn't scare them as much

[FattyNinjaOwl]

Xpost, eggs and dog mess is anti social behaviour and nothing to do with Halloween. That's just vile.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

DS goes to a RC school. They hold a Halloween disco for older pupils and a Halloween procession for the children in Reception. All the children dress up in spooky costumes and there are prizes for the best.

They must see it as harmless fun and games. As do I.

[AcrossthePond55]

I'm a Christian (Protestant & American). It's a day to dress up and go trick-or-treating and/or to parties. It has no religious connotation whatsoever (for or against) as far as my personal religious beliefs go. It had none for my parents, either, as we went to parties and T or T'ing as kids.

The closest we ever got to 'religion' on Hallowe'en was eating sugar skulls & buñuelos the next day at some friend's houses for Dia de los Muertos. They'd have a beautiful altar display for their deceased relatives with saint's candles and stuff.

[HSMMaCM]

Someone once told me that lighting a candle in a pumpkin is to summon the devil, but I haven't seen any backup for that.

[vividpicture]

I think some christians may find Halloween sinister. It is an old pagan festival.
Many christians think that pagan religion is evil.

[Alfieisnoisy]

My son went to a Catholic primary school where the local priest preached all manner of warnings about Halloween.

Six months into Y3 he ran off with a single parent of a child in DS's class and left the priesthood. That year the PTA had a mahoosive Halloween party and fundraising stall. It was very popular

[EdithSimcox]

Whoa becker that sounds grim. Round here trick or treating is children going door to door, dressed up in spooky costumes, with their parents hanging round behind, asking nicely, being given sweets, and saying thank you. There are no tricks at all. If no-one answers you just move on to the next house. Apart from having to teach the kids that it is not ok to take sweets from strangers in any other circumstances it is completely harmless as done round our way.
And no religious connotations positive or negative from a Christian perspective that I'm aware of.

[ReallyTired]

Samhain as celebrated by pagans in the UK is no more harmful than Hindus celebrating Divali or Muslims celebrating Eid. The Christian approach to these festivals is to be polite to those who celebrate those festivals but not join in. There is nothing wrong with wishing Pagans, Muslims or Hindus well on their holy days.

Modern Halloween is nothing like Samhain.

[SparklyTinselTits]

Halloween is a pagan festival for the end of the harvest. It's also the day before All Saints Day where the veil between this world and the afterlife is said to be thinner. It was thought that if dead loved ones could pass through this veil, then so could sinister spirits - hence the dressing up to confuse them. The pumpkin was originally an offering to the spirits left on the doorstep so they would not need to enter the house, then later on the scary face was carved into them to scare evil spirits away.
I think it's a lot of different ideas all smashed into one day that is just treated as a bit of fun nowadays

[specialsubject]

going out after dark is no more dangerous now than it was if you've taught them road sense. The world has no more mad axe-murderers/child molesters than it ever did, you just hear about more.

I also have a 'no trick or treat' sign. No-one has to play the game. It's just another retail fest.

christmas has been turned into a mass piss-up too, there are many in our society who don't need much excuse.

if your kid doesn't like some of the displays keep him out of the shops. Why's he going shopping anyway?