The Christian community has long been divided over the celebration of Halloween. Some think that dressing up and going trick-or-treating is all done in good fun, while others believe that the holiday is just plain evil.
Answers in Genesis founder Ken Ham decided to weigh in on the issue, and he told the Gospel Herald that parents should ask themselves what the holiday is "really all about."
"I think parents should make their own decision before God as to what they're going to allow their kids to participate in and why," Ham said. "More and more Christians are recognizing that this is an opportunity to use this time to witness to others."
Instead of going the traditional route and going trick-or-treating, a lot of Christian parents have opted for "trunk-or-treating" events. "Trunk or treating" involves parents filling the trunk of their cars with candy, games and decorations. Children will then go from trunk to trunk instead of house to house to get candy, and many parents believe this is actually a safer alternative.
Ham personally thinks this is a good idea, since "that way, children get involved in their churches while also having fun." He also suggested that parents also hand out Bibles alongside the candy to encourage more people to read God's Word.
"When people come to the door - this is what my wife and I do - we have a big bucket of candy and we also have some special gospel tracts that we give to them with the candy," he said. "We believe we are doing our best to get the message of God's truth to people."
Ham also said Christian families can start the initiative of "reverse trick-or-treating" by dressing up in costumes, going from house to house and handing out candies and gospel passages.
"I think it comes down to, parents have to make a decision, they're the ones responsible of their kids. As Christians, I think we need to ask, 'What is Halloween really all about and how can we use it to reach others with the message of the truth of God's word in the Bible?'" he said.
Earlier, former Satan worshipper, John Ramirez, wrote in an op-ed piece for Charisma News that he is shocked that some Christians are so eager to celebrate Halloween as he says the day is steeped in evil.
"Did you know that as soon as you dress up, whether you color yourself or put on a costume, the enemy owns you? Because by doing so, you have turned over your legal rights, and you have dedicated yourself and your kids to celebrating the devil's holiday," he said.
What do you think? Some harmless fun or evil, pure and simple?
