Is Halloween truly harmless?

[Lilac#18]

That's perfectly understandable. To ease some of your feelings, though, quite a few practices of Halloween have nothing to do with pagan practices. For example, carving pumpkins isn't really based on any pagan practice. There is a bit of Irish folklore about Jack O'Lantern, who outsmarted Satan but was not allowed into Heaven or Hell for his deeds, and Satan threw a coal from Hell at him, which Jack put into a turnip he was eating to make a lamp to light the way for his soul.

Which is really just a cool story from Irish mythology, and not pagan at all...plus, it was a turnip in the story, not a pumpkin. I'm not sure how pumpkins became the plant of choice. I guess they're bigger and easier to carve than turnips, at least. And tastier too.

Trick or treating, also, has no real pagan origins. The actual historic practice seems to have been masked guisers going from house to house and putting on a simple play or musical performance in return for food and drink...at New Year's. There was, however, a custom in rural Scotland on and before the turn of the century in 1900, but this was at Hogmany (January 1, New Year's Day) at not on Halloween. The "Carmina Gaedelica" shows that curses were invoked on homes that didn't treat their Hogmany holiday visitors. But again, not a lot to do with pagan Halloween practices.

The words "trick or treat" apparently were not in use until 1941, when they first appear in files of Merriam-Webster, Inc., after being used as the title of a poem in The Saturday Evening Post. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase "trick-or-treating" first appeared in The Sun in Baltimore in 1950.

So actually, yeah, Christmas and Easter have more pagan practices than Halloween does. XP

[color="Plum"]I did't know any of this. Especially about Christmas and Easter having more pagan practices.


I use to think Halloween was harmful until I read all these posts and voted just a little while ago, that it's harmless. I did celebrite it when I was a kid until we went to a different church. I was taught at about 11 yrs old, that Halloween is a devil holiday.
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[rocklobster]

Selenite, the name Easter itself is pagan. It's a name for a spring festival. (or the goddess of spring, I forget which)

[Lilac#18]

[color="Plum"]I didn't know that either. Thanks.[/color]

[Davidizer13]

So are you saying that we shouldn't talk about hell when we share the gospel? If so, than I couldn't agree less. It's an integral part of the gospel, and while I agree that it shouldn't just be used as a scare tactic, it's necessary to teach about hell as well, because it shows God's love so much more when you realize that we all deserve hell but he died for us and saves us even though we've committed treason against him.

I agree that our sinfulness and how we're doomed apart from God is a huge part of the Gospel, but I don't think things like Hell houses and fire-and-brimstone preaching by themselves are effective evangelism. Sure, we deserve to be separated from God, and that's why we need salvation in the first place, but it's through His love that we are reconciled - it's two sides of the same coin. And like MSP said, scaring people into Christianity will do no good, because it replaces the choice of following Christ out of love with the threat of eternal torment if they don't.

Additionally, most vistors to Hell houses, from what I've heard about them, are Christians anyway, so in the end it's more about scaring Christian teens straight and preaching to the choir than about saving non-believers.

Personally, I don't observe Halloween - whatever "pagan" origins it may have had have been lost over the years, but since then, it's gained new connotations, being associated with people who do stupid/evil things on the day. I won't begrudge other people from celebrating it, but I myself choose to avoid it for those reasons as well as for the huge time/monetary input it takes to celebrate the day.

[CrimsonRyu17]

Additionally, most vistors to Hell houses, from what I've heard about them, are Christians anyway, so in the end it's more about scaring Christian teens straight and preaching to the choir than about saving non-believers.

I don't know how anyone can look at Hell houses and not be absolutely appalled and disturbed by them. If you wanna preach about humanity's doom and Christ's salvation then fine. But practically brainwashing/scaring people into it is pretty messed up.

[firestorm]

I dunno. I don't see how using Halloween to minister (I'm assuming you mean like Hell Houses where they also minister to you and stuff) is all great. I think using scare tactics to tell people why Hell sucks is a poor and anti-Christ way to preach the gospel. It's focused on the fear of Hell and eternal suffering instead of the love of Christ. It's trying to portray one opposite by exposing another. Instead, why not just focus solely on love? I used to partake in them, hoping for the salvation of people and stuff. Can't say I share that same sentiment now.

I'd see what you talking about for most "Hell Houses". The way I'd do it if I had run a christian haunted house would be like my cousin does it. He does his haunted houses like a metaphor. Like one I participated and helped him in, he had his church made into a theme of a lab, and wrote a script where the audience was "sprayed" by a zombie and if they don't find the cure within 30 minutes they become zombies too. this guide leads you trying to help you find the cure and as you go you see things like a guy falling halfway off the roof dead, one zombie jumps out of a room and grabs a labtech guy thats with your group, and several people that are "in the group" also get killed (that was my role, I got dragged underground.). Anyways, You soon find this one guy who apparently is immune to the disease and it turns out he was born special and the lab experimented on him, so his blood is actually a cure for the disease when sprayed. of course during the event he eventually sacrifices himself for the group and at the end comes back to life when they get surrounded by zombies at the end and he takes them to safety.

Basically (creative liberties aside) Hey does a pretty good job of showing how, like the disease, sin nature is something we all have and how we were destined for something worse unless Christ died for our sins. It doesn't just scare you into it. It presents the gospel to you. and if it's not as clear, they still have a person at the end to give the gospel message after.

I like it cause while it's fun it also shows what Christ did in a really creative light. It's a great ministry tool. Infact, I went to his new haunted house yesterday and he told me 44 people had gotten saved that night.


and today I'm helping my mom with homework and giving candy with tracts to children as well XD

[Mr. SmartyPants]

So are you saying that we shouldn't talk about hell when we share the gospel? If so, than I couldn't agree less. It's an integral part of the gospel, and while I agree that it shouldn't just be used as a scare tactic, it's necessary to teach about hell as well, because it shows God's love so much more when you realize that we all deserve hell but he died for us and saves us even though we've committed treason against him.

Honestly, at this point I don't even think I believe in Hell, nor do I think that Jesus preached on it in the way that we have collectively interpreted as. But I dunno.

[Nate]

of course during the event he eventually sacrifices himself for the group and at the end comes back to life when they get surrounded by zombies at the end and he takes them to safety.

No offense to your cousin, but uh...this actually sounds...really terrible and cheesy. Like...as a Christian, if I went to somewhere that did this, I'd basically say "You have GOT to be kidding me" and walk off laughing. And if I'd do that, I'd hate to think how non-Christians would respond.

Anyway all I can think of now is Homestar Runner.

"Did you guys go to that house where they let you into this big room and there's all these people wearing black hoods and they ask you these questions about life and existence and if you answer them wrong you get eternal damnation, but if you answer them right you get a Twizzler?"

[firestorm]

No offense to your cousin, but uh...this actually sounds...really terrible and cheesy. Like...as a Christian, if I went to somewhere that did this, I'd basically say "You have GOT to be kidding me" and walk off laughing. And if I'd do that, I'd hate to think how non-Christians would respond.

Anyway all I can think of now is Homestar Runner.

"Did you guys go to that house where they let you into this big room and there's all these people wearing black hoods and they ask you these questions about life and existence and if you answer them wrong you get eternal damnation, but if you answer them right you get a Twizzler?"

lol It's not that cheesy when you go through it I guess. It's actually pretty good we've had people come through it, and end up coming the next day with friends cause they liked it so much. It's actually pretty good. but like I said, I like it best in that it doesn't really preach the gospel in the same way hell houses do. In most hell houses they show how it is in hell and that's a major point in their attempt in preaching the gospel to people. This is a metaphorical story of Christ's sacrifice for us, but the story itself besides that just so happens to be scary. I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder, but after actually working in one and seeing people, with no fear in their eyes, being asked if they want to accept Christ as their Saviour and and them willingly raising their hands and accepting him into their hearts, I can tell you from my experience that at least from the way this one is run I think those people that come through mean every word and are not the least brainwashed by it. But that's my oppinion.