Ja, Paul ran into that in regard to eating meat that had been offered to idols, didn’t he? He seemed to think there was no problem with that, but not to look down on someone who did have a problem with it (I Cor 10:23)
23 m“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 nLet no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 oEat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For p“the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, qeat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean ryour conscience, but his. For swhy should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that tfor which I give thanks?
We have good friends who are Brethren, who don’t celebrate Christmas and pretty much disavow anything that wasn’t done by believers in house churches in the first century or so. We do celebrate Christmas and Halloween–but avoid criticism of them because it just wouldn’t help them at all.
Do you actually believe that Satan is another eternal being who is strong enough to thwart God’s will? Or perhaps God has been released on mankind to provoke and test us? Personally I’d prefer to think of Satan in purely allegorical ways. While I can make sense of a natural God existing alongside ourselves as a co-product of consciousness, I doubt very seriously that anything like Satan exists at all.
Well as a non-Christian I don’t believe that a natural God is all powerful. But neither do I think Satan is in charge. I’m pretty sure it is all up to us. Since Christians place a great deal of significance on God having given us free will, I think that means Christians really believe as I do for the most part. The difference is they think there is a higher power to bail us out or throw a flood at us when He is dissatisfied with our performance.
And you know what? If I could go to another planet, in another Universe, without all the garbage I see and experience here on Earth… I probably wouldn’t need any God either. But short of finding the big red button and pushing it myself, I can only hope that God comes and sorts this place out one day. I do not believe there is any other hope for this place. It certainly cannot correct itself!
Quote from the essay: I’ll be scared of a different sort of skeleton, my own, of what will happen after all my life of perpetual motion is over. Will my wife know that I loved her? Will my children see something in the way that I fathered them to point them to the Father God who always loves, who never leaves, who comes with both authority and mercy, both truth and grace?..But on that autumn night, I will take him in my arms, again, and I will say, “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. And I’ll protect you from that skeleton. It can’t hurt you.” In that moment, I will remember what I, as a child, loved most about Halloween. The fear will be there, not hidden away, not rationalized out of existence, not avoided in polite conversation. But behind the fear will be the kind of safety that comes only with a strong protector. The monsters are out there, and in here, but they will not win."
Halloween is All Hallows’ Eve, that is, the eve of All Saints Day. The Western Church celebrates All Saints’ Day on November 1, and All Souls’ Day on November 2. There are special prayers, hymns, etc. in church.
I don’t know of any religious observances on All Hallows’ Eve.
btw, I don’t see anything wrong with trick of treating.