Today, I read an article by Albert Mohler, “Christianity and the Dark Side – What About Halloween?” The thought is provocative that millions
of people across the country will be embracing the dark side tonight in
contradiction to their Christian faith. So
I took the bait, read it and have outlined below a counterargument.
Mohler criticizes the Pagan background of Halloween: “How
should Christians respond to this pagan background?... [some] argue that the Pagan roots
of Halloween are no more significant than the Pagan origins of Christmas and
other church festivals.” I’m glad he
skirted this argument without addressing it.
He should look more closely at the origins of Christian holidays just to see how
close it is with other faiths, such as Christmas Trees and Santa Claus. In fact, many modern practices and traditions
were absorbed from Paganism. I encourage
you to research Paganism and you'll realize it's still present today in many surprising places.
Why is there an inherent darkness in the holiday’s history
of celebrating the dead? Should we forgo
all funerals and memorials from now on? “All
Hallow’s Eve” is more likely to be a celebration of life than it is of death. Little kids go from door to door to get free
treats from complete strangers. Adults
attend parties and laugh and dance, celebrating life. In the tagline phrase “trick or treat”, isn’t
it comforting that the overwhelming choice is “treat” and not “trick”? Halloween brings out more good than bad; more
good deeds than sins. Ultimately, this
is a social celebration of community and people.
Even if there is darkness in Halloween, an examination and transportation to the darkness can
actually help society appreciate the light as well. One day of darkness as a learning experience is better than only being
exposed to good things. This confrontation
with darkness is also true in the New Testament with the introduction of Hell,
the Devil and Sin. So a fundamental
pillar of the New Testament contradicts Mohler’s theory.
He quotes Skal, “One’s identity can be discarded
with impunity. Men dress as women, and vice versa. Authority can be mocked and
circumvented, and, most important, graves open and the departed return.” Mohler should also accept that dressing up as
a zombie is not a tacit endorsement of soulless, man-eating beings walking the
face of Earth. The weirdness that is on
display for Halloween should be accepted for what it truly is: people putting
their inner weirdness on display once a year.
That weirdness exists regardless whether or not we can see it while walking
down the street on an average day.
Mohler: “Skal’s approach is more dispassionate and focused
on entertainment, looking at the cultural impact of Halloween in the rise of
horror movies and the nation’s fascination with violence.” The nation’s fascination with violence exists
364 other days of the year as well; this can be seen in action movies, car
wrecks, sports, video games, etc. Let’s
not forget that the bad guys usually lose in Hollywood--even in Horror
movies.
“For most parents, the greater fear is the encounter with
occultic symbols and the society’s fascination with moral darkness.” I’m not a
parent so I cannot fully address the validity of this one but
this mentality seems like a rarity. There doesn't seem to be any worshiping or religious practices involved in trick-or-treating
or dressing up as a sexy nurse to go to a party. Let’s also not forget that 99% of this is just pretend
fun. It’s not even serious. In fact, it is ten times more likely to be
mocking evil than praising it. In the
end, the choice between dark and light seems to exist more in the choice of how
you perceive it; my way or Mohler’s way.
If you remain unpersuaded, here are some additional questions you can pose to yourself to come up
with alternative conclusions about Halloween: Why do people watch scary movies? Why do people
dress up in costumes; and are they always scary? What are typical Halloween activities? Do they worship anything? To spite its origins, what is the modern
practice (and how much influence do the origins have)? Do people actually choose evil on this day?
