Exegete A Christian Primer on A Christian Primer on HOW TO SURVIVE HALLOWEEN- originally Published Sept/Oct 1999
By Matthew Porter
Halloween is just around the corner. Or as Marilyn Manson calls it, “Casual Day.” And as the advent of fall brings a revival in the religion called “football,” it also brings the perennial debate about whether or not Halloween is “bad”.
Many Christians don’t participate in Halloween at all because of its allegedly evil overtones. Still, Christians have to ask themselves: how many things have ever gotten better by disowning them completely? None.
Sure, you might have cause to worry if you find little Billy swinging a chicken head while dancing around a fire, or if your teenager Brad wants to go to a human sacrifice-themed Halloween party that’s B.Y.O.V. (Bring Your Own Virgin). But outside of those admittedly silly examples, The Door suggests that you follow these simple guidelines for allowing your child to have fun on the 31st without them giving in to the Dark Side of the Force.
MOTLEY CREW, NOT MOTLEY CRUE — Often kids want to dress up as scary characters such as Freddy Krueger, the Devil or the Spice Girls. You can let your child trick or treat and still honor God by setting up guidelines about what kind of costume they can wear. Be open to compromise and try to find a middle ground. If your son wants to go as a ‘70s rock star, let him go as a dried-out ‘90s rock star. If your girls want to go as Hillary Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, let them go as Lady and the Tramp. If your child wants to go as an evil dragon with the power to alter people’s minds, tell them Barney isn’t cool anymore. Creativity is the key here.
HOLY FODDER — Halloween is the one time of the year when the words “Nerds” and “Runts” refer to the candy kids get in their loot bags, and not the children younger than themselves. Typically, kids come home after trick or treating with sugar equivalent to a Dixie Crystals factory in their pillowcases. To cut down on the sugar buzz and eliminate the middle man, you could just drop packets of Sweet’n Low into their bags.
Many households throw away all the toilet paper that litters their front lawns after their homes are “wrapped” by trick-or-treaters. But much of that paper can be reused, saving you money and helping Planet Earth. Of course, wrapping it back on the cardboard TP roll is always the hard part.
HALLOWED EVENING — Many churches organize their own Halloween alternatives, things like “Arktoberfest” where children dress up like different animals on Noah’s Ark. The Bible commands Christians to be in the world, not of the world. This is not a mandate to pull our heads so far inside our shells that we look like the Headless Horseman. Instead, we should make a difference in our culture by participating in it. That’s what Jesus did.
Uh...just don’t make Billy go as Peter Pan again this year. He’s really tired of getting beaten up.
This Article was taken from our Archived Issue #166, Originally Published September October 1999.
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