Not trying to make a controversy here, but this may just be the precursor to another post swirling in my head.  I just read a post at Enjoy The Journey about Halloween, and celebrating it as a Christian.  Most of the commentors agreed with the author.  I, however, had a different take on it.  I hope that I did so graciously, but I expounded on my thoughts in my comment, and I thought I’d copy it here.  If you you respond, please be gracious as well.  Like I said, this will not in anyway change my relationship with friends/family who do celebrate.  

My comment: “I guess I will speak up as the only dissenter here. I recently did a short post on my take on Halloween. I don’t like it. I guess the argument that we aren’t celebrating evil and gore doesn’t stand up to me, just because our kids dress in “nice” costumes. When it’s Halloween season, what do you see in the decor? Witches, evil eyes, and gory costumes. How are events and even store sales advertised? Boo at the Zoo. Spooktacular savings. Someone challenged me to google the origins of Halloween. I guess for me, whether or not the traditions of Halloween began as pagan or Satanic rituals isn’t the point. Even if that’s not where some of these things come from, Halloween in it’s present secular form presents itself as dark. I know my spirit feels disturbed by it. We are challenged to “guard our hearts and minds”, to “raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord,” to “think on these things (whatsoever is lovely, pure, of good report, any virtue, any praise, etc.), and to “abstain from the appearance of evil.” For us it comes down to personal conviction. We believe celebrating Halloween is wrong. We are responsible to keep our children safe from questionable influnces, and that doesn’t just mean physical. Perhaps the most crucial to that is their spirits. They are so open, and until they have reached the maturity to discern things for themselves, we must do it for them. Our question to our children when making a choice about our actions is: Does it make God smile? If I could answer with certainty that God would smile at our participation in Halloween, then we might do it. My concern is that as Christians, this is not something to take lightly, and we’ve convinced ourselves that if we do such and such, and don’t allow this and that, we’ll all be just fine. That being said, we would never let this conviction bring disunity with fellow believers who do celebrate. I appreciate that this is a matter of personal conviction, and it’s not my job to convert anyone to regard it the way we do. If the Holy Spirit wants someone’s mind to change on this issue, He can do it without me. So, my best friend celebrates, and we remain best friends. Thanks for sharing your viewpoint on it.”