Cider, Foliage...and Ghouls

I absolutely love the Fall season. If you happen to live in the Northeast, you most likely have experienced the gush of color that comes upon the mountains and makes afternoon walks all the more delightful. It reminds me that while we may not be able to see a physical, human form of God, that he truly is beautiful and this creation of his can in no way be by chance. Fall is a time to pick apples, bake pies and roll in the leaves. There is hardly a negative thing that I could think of when contemplating this season; except for this lone eyesore that sticks out like a wolf among sheep, Halloween. Stores are already stocking costumes and candy, and people are already planning their evening wear.
Halloween, All Hallows Eve is in most cultures a day to remember the dead, hence, Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. Halloween began as the pagan holiday, Samhein, where ancient Celts marked the first day of their winter and the only day of the year that the dead could revisit the living. These spirits were given offerings of bonfires and goodies, in order to revel in their night on earth and leave the living unharmed. By the Middle Ages, the Church tried to root out the pagan holiday by naming November 1st, All Saints Day. Since then, there has been a constant battle between the Church, pagans and others who see it is a harmless holiday.
Christians have been mocked for their fear of the pagan holiday, and others have entered in the merriment. I for one, have indulged in a party or two in the past, though I had never been trick or treating. I have experienced many astonished remarks such as, "your parents never let you go trick or treating?!" Oh dear, I really must see a psychiatrist asap, lest the neglect my parents put me through destroy my character! (Another scandal, courtesy of my parents; they never lead me to believe that a merry fat man came down our chimney...I'll save that for another day.) The truth is, I don't feel deprived and never have. In fact, I intend to carry on the tradition with my own children. My reasoning begins with my faith and ends in my logic of the uselessness of such a holiday.
Anderson Rearick, an assistant english professor for Mount Vernon Nazarene College, admits in his article "Hallowing Halloween" that the holiday has satanic, demonic origins. Rearick explains that modern Halloween is intended to mock Satan and his spirits. "Should the forces of evil be mocked? Should Satan be laughed at? He most certainly should be." He then quotes Martin Luther, who had said that if Satan will not yield to scripture, that one should jeer and flout him. Christians, according to Rearick should celebrate Halloween with "gusto" and that our having a good time at the Devil's expense will cause him to flee. His thinking is as flawed as the shooter of George Tiller; you cannot honor God by participating in an act that will dishonor him simply by claiming it in good-will or intentions. (For those of you who don't know, Tiller was an abortionist shot in church, his killer ended his murder of babies, but did so by committing murder himself.)
Halloween's purpose is to glorify un-Godly things. Even if you do believe that Halloween is an innocent holiday with no satanic roots, let's look at what it entails... People dress up as their favorite or most scary character, those who are old enough end up drunk, children are taught to demand goodies from their elders and to cause fear in someone else is viewed in a positive light. All the while, I believe, the Devil is rubbing his hands in delight not scampering away in humiliation. After all, we are honoring false idols by dressing as a character we are not, demonic figures are made to seem fun and inconsequential, and children learn once more to think of "me, me, me." What bothers me most is that causing fear is a good thing...God does not delight in his people being fearful, "perfect love casts out all fear" is what my God is about, not creating it. Could laughing at Satan really cause him to crumble? Well, if you are ever held at gun point, see what laughing at your assailant does for you. Evil is not a laughing matter, it is real and it is unforgiving and relentless. You cannot control evil by participating in it. It should rather be respected as you would a bear in the wild; don't touch it!
Even if I did not hold myself accountable to a perfect God, I doubt Halloween would be a day I would have much excitement for. As I mentioned before, the idea of intentionally causing fear in someone is not appealing to me. I watched one scary movie (Stephen King's "It") when I was little and for years could not shower without watching the shower drain the whole time I was cleaning. I like to live in a world that is real and tangible, fairytales are something for those who cannot deal with reality (in my humble opinion). So spending your time pretending to be some fantastical character seems a little childish to me, granted it is only for an evening. Halloween employs so many ugly creatures from goblins and vampires to ghosts and little pointy eared satans with a pitch fork...why in the middle of a perfectly beautiful season do we have to tarnish it with such monstrosities?
I know there are Christians who celebrate the holiday, and I certainly cannot judge them. For their sake, many probably do not even consider that it could be anything but innocent, that is what society rams into our brains constantly. After all, if Halloween were portrayed as a negative day, then Brachs would go out of business. (And there would be no Peeps if the market realized Easter wasn't really about furry bunnies and cute ducklings.) Whether someone celebrates Halloween or not, is a personal decision. So when I choose not to don my children in cute little ladybug or princess outfits, that is something my husband and I have weighed heavily before deciding upon. Whether you believe Halloween is evil or not, an honest person would acknowledge that either way it is probably not pleasing to God. If it is not pleasing to God, then what is its purpose? Maybe October 31st will be a family game night for us, I'm not quite sure yet. I am by no means judging those who plan to celebrate...for me, I prefer Fall for it's natural decor, aroma...and good food.