#6 Who's Afraid of Halloween?


Christians don't need to be afraid of Halloween. We can celebrate it as a day for fun, friends, and family, and use it as a chance to grow closer to God and each other.


As you watch the episode, consider:

1. Even though many people day that Halloween is and always was a pagan and satanic holiday, what was it really?  Why was Halloween created, and what has it become today?  Is it really pagan and/or satanic?

2. How does Saint Basil's "Address to Young Men on the Right Use of Greek Literature" apply here when we determine whether or not to celebrate the holiday?

3. Is Halloween truly evil?  What are some ways we can celebrate it simply as a way to spend time with family?  What are some ways we can fall into the trap and end up doings things we really shouldn't do?




And here are some articles you may find to be helpful:

1. Mystagogy, "How Christians Made Halloween Satanic"

2. Mystagogy, "Halloween: An Orthodox Christian Perspective" 

3. Orthodox Youth Ministry Blogspot, "Pretend You Don't See the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" 


Hey everybody this is Steve, and Happy Halloween!  Are you dressing up this year?  Because I've got something in mind.  Now I realize some people don't like the celebration of Halloween, especially for Christians. They say the pagan holiday. Well, lets talk about that. About fifteen hundred years ago there was a big disagreement in the Church about whether it was okay for Christians to read books by non-Christians.  Pagans specifically.  Whether its works of philosophy by guys like Plato and Aristotle, or works of literature, like guys like Homer.  It actually kind of reminds me of what happened when the Harry Potter books came out. 

Saint Basil the Great wrote a really important letter on the topic, and he said, you know what don't worry it's okay.  You can read the Iliad, for instance, and not lose your Christianity.  He told us to "Be the Bee,” to take what was good when we were reading and leave behind what's bad.  Just because Homer was a pagan doesn't mean that his books are bad to read today.  And just because Halloween may have been a pagan holiday hundreds of years ago doesn't mean that it's bad for us to celebrate today. 

Look, if Halloween means doing bad stuff like throwing eggs at your neighbors or God forbid worshiping the devil, then yes stop, don't do it!  But I'm pretty sure that's not what Halloween is for most people.  Halloween is a chance to put on a fun costume, eat some candy, and more importantly spend time with family and friends. Those all sound like really good things I'm pretty sure.  We don't need to be afraid of Halloween any more than we need to be afraid of Homer.  All we have to do is celebrate it properly.  Make sure that we use it to draw closer to each other, and to God. So let's be the bee, let's celebrate Halloween like Christians. Be the bee and live Orthodoxy. Remember to like and subscribe. I'll see you all, next week.

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