This was the first year the girls became really aware that many of their church friends do not participate in Halloween. A few families went so far as to refuse to participate in Children's Choir that week because the kids were allowed to come in costume. They didn't want to confuse their kids about Halloween. "Halloween celebrates evil and the unclean."
I guess I don't understand being afraid of a day, and essentially locking my children away from the world. We are repeatedly told in scripture that "[He] has over come the world." John 16:33. And again in 1 John 5:4. So why fear the "Devils day"? He lost. How do you remind people of that if you are locked away in your house? When someone tells me " We don't do pagan holidays." I want to choke. Apparently you missed something in church history because most of the major holidays celebrated in the US are pagan holidays that the early church decided to takeover. We know Jesus wasn't born on Dec 25th, but guess what? We took over a pagan holiday and changed the script. Thanksgiving? Again we changed the script from pagan Harvest celebrations, honoring his creation in place of the creator or giving offering to various gods and goddesses to focusing on the one true father. The examples can go on and on, so why aren't we changing the script for Halloween? Why are Christians locking themselves away, in stead of going out in the culture and changing it? If not you then who?
And by the way this is what you missed:
* teenage girls turning from catty to sweet instantly when my 7 year old told them they were beautiful, and then really taking time to remind my daughter how beautiful she was.
* Older teens stopping in the middle of their street to sing the Teletubbies theme song to an excited 3 year old.
* neighbors sitting out with each other sharing a gorgeous evening talking.
* a golden chance to teach concrete lessons in manners, etiquette, and greed.
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