Reflections on Halloween and Death
Halloween is growing in popularity, more and more of my neighbors investing in morbid lawn displays of horror and death. While I have never been against my children trick or treating and donning costumes, I do wonder whether or not Halloween has become an indicator of American confusion concerning tragedy and death. Few of my neighbors live according to a Christian world view and so their view of death and the spiritual realm is different than mine. (I am aware of the history of Halloween, that its roots lie in the soil of syncretism, the church co-opting pagan rituals, creating a church holiday.) But few Americans know the connection between October 31, All Hallows Eve and November 1, All Saints Day and few Christians consider Halloween today to be a Christian holiday. A growing number of Christians not only refrain from celebration but speak publicly against Halloween as a cultural evil. Continue reading »
