Enough of Feeding the Monster Under the Bed (Fear)

by Sheila South

A The Kids & Me Contributor

Moms, let’s have a tough talk about Halloween.  Dressing up is great fun, mingling with neighbors builds community, and eating candy can’t be beat!  So what’s the problem? 

Hold on tight, you might have never considered these things before.

Let me ask you:

Would you mimic something gruesome that ancient people did out of fear just because other people today are still mimicking it?

Would you intentionally subject your children to something that scares them, makes them sleepless, or causes them to carry fear within them in the name of ‘fun’?

Would you purposefully allow dark forces to influence your child that could manifest as hopelessness and despair and lead them towards death?

I’m thinking you answered “NO” to each of those questions; so let’s see what they have to do with Halloween.

Origins of Halloween

The origins of Halloween are spiritual. 

The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain was celebrated as a pagan religious festival on October 31st; it marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter (or the “dark half of the year”) which was a time associated with death. Celts believed that on this night, the boundary between the living and the dead blurred, and spirits could return to earth.  The Celts left offerings of cakes outside their homes and towns for the Sidh fairies and dressed up as frightful creatures or monsters so the fairies would not kidnap them.

For in depth information on Samhain,

you can read more on the History site: https://www.history.com/articles/samhain

By 610 AD, the Roman Catholic church was celebrating “All Saints Day” in May to recognize and honor their dead and martyred.  Apparently, in order to compete with the pagan holiday of Samhain (Oct 31), Pope Gregory later moved All Saints’ Day to Nov 1. (source)  Sometimes this celebration is referenced “All Hallows’ Day” (a “hallow” is a revered soul or a saint).  You might notice again the theme of DEATH.  

You might also notice that the day before “All Hallows’ DAY” (Nov 1) would be “All Hallows’ EVE” (Oct 31).  See what happened there?  Squish HALLOWS’ and EVE and that’s the origin of HALLOWEEN.  You might also notice that during many Halloween celebrations today there are practices which started back with the Celtic pagans who were afraid of the dead, spirits, and fairies coming to attack or kidnap them:  dressing up as monsters, carving scary-faced fall pumpkins, and putting out treats.

The Spirits

Anytime we delve into the spiritual, we are inviting either holy influence (from God) or demonic influence (from Satan) in our lives.  The Bible is full of information about spirits. 

Hebrews 1:14 describes angels as "ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation.”

Ephesians 6:12 warns us "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."   

John 4:1 tells us "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…”

So basically, we cannot participate in spiritual matters without spiritual consequences.  Dabbling in the occult and enticing dark spirits will bring unwanted consequence:  fear.  

These practices “feed the monster under the bed.”

Let’s face it Moms, is it fun to be scared?  Truly scared?  There’s enough real-life danger around us.  Here in Charlotte, we read of stabbings and shootings daily, even among strangers. 

Do we need to generate more fear for our children with big furry spiders, ghoulish specters, bloody vampires, haunted zombies, and wicked witches? 

Horror movies, Halloween decorations, and costumes are celebrations of gore and gruesome death.

We have to face facts: Halloween is not simply a fun community gathering for children.

Images from Charlotte in past Halloween seasons

And I leave you with these thoughts:

Do we want to cultivate thoughts of fear and death....or LIFE... in our children? 

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."  ~said Jesus in John 10:10

Why would we subject our children to the things of Halloween knowing that there are emotional and spiritual consequences?

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.“   2 Timothy 1:7

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Message on this topic from local Pastor Loran Livingston:

https://centralchurchcharlotte.subspla.sh/mp96tnb

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Companion post on Halloween alternatives focusing on celebrating LIGHT.