2008 Woodie Awards
Halloween debate brews over celebration practices
Katie Lannom
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Forum
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Everyone is getting ready to celebrate Halloween. Yards are decorated, costumes and candies are bought, and parties are planned.
Many SBU students are celebrating as well. However, from hearing the opinions of fellow students, they have mixed feelings.
Most students are lukewarm about the issue of celebrating Halloween as opposed to being all for it or totally against it.
"My family never did anything for Halloween, but our church threw a 'Hallelujah' Party on that night instead, so we went to that," said freshman Justin Andrews. "Our church also invited all the local kids. Then we all dressed up in goofy costumes, sang praise songs and then went to the carnival in the gym to win candy. My standpoint on Halloween is that while people do not necessarily have to be celebrating evil when they celebrate Halloween, it is difficult to argue that Halloween is a Christian holiday or that it brings glory and honor to Christ."
More and more churches now try to get away from celebrating Halloween by holding other activities that praise God.
Children still dress up, enjoy treats and have fun while at church.
It is an alternative for Christian families if they do not want to participate in the pagan holiday.
"I think Halloween is all about how you choose to celebrate it," said sophomore Brooke Dye. "Growing up, my family always celebrated Halloween, and I loved it. Mom made my costumes, and my family hosted Halloween parties. Christians can celebrate Halloween without making it a satanic holiday."
In case you did not know the facts on the backround of Halloween, other names for the occasion are All Hallows Eve and All Saints Day.
Halloween did not start in the United States. In fact, it originally came from the Gaelic Festival known as Samhain, which is the Celtic New Year.
Ancient pagans made bonfires and threw in bones of slaughtered livestock.
They believed the boundaries between the world of the living and the dead overlapped. The deceased would come back to life and cause chaos.
Many SBU students are celebrating as well. However, from hearing the opinions of fellow students, they have mixed feelings.
Most students are lukewarm about the issue of celebrating Halloween as opposed to being all for it or totally against it.
"My family never did anything for Halloween, but our church threw a 'Hallelujah' Party on that night instead, so we went to that," said freshman Justin Andrews. "Our church also invited all the local kids. Then we all dressed up in goofy costumes, sang praise songs and then went to the carnival in the gym to win candy. My standpoint on Halloween is that while people do not necessarily have to be celebrating evil when they celebrate Halloween, it is difficult to argue that Halloween is a Christian holiday or that it brings glory and honor to Christ."
More and more churches now try to get away from celebrating Halloween by holding other activities that praise God.
Children still dress up, enjoy treats and have fun while at church.
It is an alternative for Christian families if they do not want to participate in the pagan holiday.
"I think Halloween is all about how you choose to celebrate it," said sophomore Brooke Dye. "Growing up, my family always celebrated Halloween, and I loved it. Mom made my costumes, and my family hosted Halloween parties. Christians can celebrate Halloween without making it a satanic holiday."
In case you did not know the facts on the backround of Halloween, other names for the occasion are All Hallows Eve and All Saints Day.
Halloween did not start in the United States. In fact, it originally came from the Gaelic Festival known as Samhain, which is the Celtic New Year.
Ancient pagans made bonfires and threw in bones of slaughtered livestock.
They believed the boundaries between the world of the living and the dead overlapped. The deceased would come back to life and cause chaos.
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