What do I feel about celebrating Halloween, the Easter Bunny, and Santa in light of my beliefs as a Christian?
Before I answer, let me say a few words about the various attitudes out there. On one side of the equation are believers who embrace the demonic side of Halloween, who give more "airtime" to the Easter Bunny than the ressurection, and who spend most of the Christmas season trapped in consumerism and Santa stories. On the other side are those individuals who feel convicted that these cultural festivities detract from the true meanings and beliefs of our faith, sometimes to the extreme of cloistering themselves away lest the secular icons taint them.
I believe that anyone who spends Halloween dressed up as a hooker or a demon is probably not walking very closely with Christ. They are not recognizing the reality of spiritual warfare, which probably indicates they don't take the bible too seriously. Likewise, if a family is so engrossed with bunnies and elves that they essentially deny the celebration and power of the nativity and the gospel - then I would have real difficulty in saying that was ok. I tend to think that such actions might even be denying Christ to some degree.
On the other hand, if someone is a sound believer with orthodox faith and they feel convicted that their family should not participate in the cultural activities - so be it. I don't believe that we should injure our conscience when it bears out decisions that are believed to be biblically-based (where the bible doesn't speak). I would also argue that no other believers should give that individual grief over their beliefs. If that person was trying to condemn others for participating in the holidays - then it may be appropriate to respectfully debate the issue, but we should never seek to make others (acting in accordance with their biblically based conscience) feel as if they are outsiders. Reasonable discussion may persuade, insults and mocking never does.
I personally advocate the Way of the Mean (thanks Aristotle!) - that is, we should seek to avoid deficiency (withdrawing from the world) and we should also seek to avoid excess (emersing ourselves in the world). We should strive to be "in the world, but not of the world." (I do not have a bible handy to give reference on that, sorry)
My family does participate in Halloween, we do talk about mythical bunnies, and yes we lie to our child about the existence of that jolly old soul. It is my belief that culture is so full of these things that we can't lock ourselves away from them. Yet, I also feel that culture is too enamoured with these things for its own good. Thus, I walk a middle road...
We celebrate Halloween with pumpkins, scarecrows, and hay rides - not ghosts, skulls, and zombies. We dress up as firemen, lions, and knights - not demons, monsters, or vampires.
We talk about the Easter Bunny as the bearer of an Easter morning fun basket - but we stay focused that the basket is to celebrate the ressurection of Jesus. Our Easter books aren't about Peter Cottontail, they are about the empty tomb.
We play the Christmas Eve game about St. Nick coming down our non-existent fireplace and we put up a Christmas tree - but, it is our Little People Nativity Set and our emphasis on the birth narative that hold the central place in our home.
I believe that you can do great damage to your children by allowing them to fall into the faithless vacumn of holiday celebration that our "Christian nation" has created. Don't start off your kids life by teaching them to value dark spirits and fairy tale creatures more than the risen Lord. When they grow up, their foundation will be weak and a storm may surely sweep them away.
I also think that damage (but much less damage) can be done by attempting to remove your kids from the culture around us. One day they will be exposed to these things and they will have to make independent, intelligent decisions on how to balance the mocking they will receive at school with the fundamentalism they were taught. Why put them in a position where it may be difficult for them to share the gospel because they are seen as "those weird Christian kids."
There is a better way, be in this world (just as Jesus ate with sinners) and yet, do not partake in those activities that overshadow or bring shame on the cross. I think we can play a role in Halloween, talk about the Easter Bunny, and allow our kids to believe in Santa without doing so to an extreme that blots out Christ. I encourage everyone to think about this issue and seek the middle ground.
Ultimately, we want to raise our kids with the ability to proclaim the Gospel. To do that they must venture into "enemy territory", our job is to equip them to survive and make headway in that battle. Sending them out unarmed AND keeping them back at base are both ineffective ways to raise the flag for the glory of God in Christ!
Having seen Zombieland and the Nightmare Before Christmas (for the hundredth time) this week, I feel primed to talk about celebrations of death.
ReplyDeleteBefore I start, let me make it clear - I've got cutesy little pumpkin and skull lights strung over my fireplace. I also view death, in and of itself, as a curse.
There's a place, I think, for a sense of irony in the Christian worldview. For example, take my appreciation for The Nightmare Before Christmas (we'll leave the defense of my love for zombie films for another post).
At the outset, Nightmare appears to be a celebration of all things death and decay. Instead, the climax of the film comes when the main character, a skeletal pumpkin king, is in danger of dying. Death is neither trivialized nor celebrated. The story turns out to be more about delight in disorder and beauty in alien places than glorifying the grave.
I can appreciate those themes, and I can also appreciate the artistry and imagination that Burton was able to push forward in the telling of his story.
Don't get me wrong - Nightmare comes up wanting in a few areas (some common to most films, some not). And yet, it uniquely and clearly wields irony through the Halloween motif.
We feel pretty confident about our decisions regarding Halloween (we give out candy and have dressed up in mild or whimsical costumes), and while I don't expect to do a lot of evangelizing based upon my willingness to give out chocolate once a year, I do expect to meet neighbors I've never met before. That my sense of irony is exposed doesn't bother me in the least. Hopefully that can come into play the next time I get to talk to those neighbors.
Further things could be said (maybe about those zombie films and the relationship between depictions of monsters and the activity of the devil), but I think this is one of the more important things.