If you want to throw a nice wholesome party on Halloween including nice wholesome costumes… hey, why not? What's the harm when your motives (and behaviors) are exemplary? Might even be a good witness. People can observe Christians having good, clean fun especially when churches offer alternative celebrations for their members and community.

That's all what I used to think.

To be honest, I really don't care much about the pagan origins of Halloween in ages past. It's not like most of us are even aware of them, and what do they really have to do with current times? Not exactly a motivating reason to change my lifestyle. But what I have come to care about is what Halloween stands for now, based on a few of my own observations:

In every neighborhood of every town of every state of our country during this celebrated week (and a few other countries as well), you'll find dark, scary decorations. Big hairy spiders in webs, hideous green witches donned in black, skeletons, haunted houses, coffins, bats… nothing is too dark or too evil to display. And don't forget the sweet little kids dressed as Grim Reapers, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and Freddy Kruegers.

Type "Halloween Crimes News" into Google, and you’ll get 349,000 results. There's a huge influx in alcohol and drug related revelry and crime that police departments far and wide refer to as "pandemonium," requiring increased police reinforcement.^[1]

Many pet shelters do not adopt out any black or white cats during the month of October, and many families keep their pets inside on and around Halloween. Whether or not it's true that Satanists use them for sacrifices (I'm not willing to take a chance with my black cat), it's absolutely a newsworthy fact that there is considerable animal cruelty on and around this holiday.^[2]

The dictionary defines "hallowed," from which the word, "Halloween" comes, as holy, consecrated, sacred, revered.^[3] In my mind, that opens up the question, "Who is being worshiped and revered on Halloween?"