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Christian parenting halloween

Is Halloween incompatible with Christianity?

Halloween has roots in paganism, and as a result, some modern Christians feel that they should not celebrate the holiday. All Hallow's Eve, as it is sometimes known, was originally the one night of the year that ghosts of deceased people could make contact with the living. Later other creatures were added to the mix, such as witches, goblins and ghouls. Linus of The Peanuts spends each Halloween waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arise, and other common traditions include bobbing for apples, walking from house to house trick or treating, and having parties where even adults get to dress up. But christian parenting and halloween still seem to be at odds. There are so many subcategories such as seventh day adventists, episcopalians and catholics under the banner category of Christian, and each group seems to have their own distinct beliefs. What can make christian parenting and halloween difficult is the fact that schools often encourage costumes parades, in which every child brings their Halloween outfit to school and shows it off for all to see.

How do you ask your child to forego something that all the other kids are doing without causing social problems or resentment? Well, this is a deeply personal choice that shouldn't be arrived at lightly. Something else to consider is the fact that Christians and non-Christians often celebrate the same holidays, but in different ways. For example, non-Christians celebrate christmas as a day for gathering family together and exchanging gifts rather than as Christ's literal birthday. Non-Christians celebrate Easter as a time to search for eggs and eat sweets rather than Christ's resurrection. Just because pagans or neopagans celebrate Halloween a certain way doesn't mean Christians are automatically precluded from following it another way.

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