What's Scarier Than Halloween?

            It's the time of year when leaves fall, temperatures drop, and pumpkin everything shows up.  It's also the time when lots of ghosts, goblins, and ghoulies show up in stores, on lawns, and especially on TV.  I don't pay much attention to it anymore, with the exception of planning costumes for myself and my girls, and the occasional trip to the pumpkin patch.

            But lately something strange has been happening, and I feel I have to weigh in.  So far as I can tell, Halloween is the only holiday when some Christians are bent on separating themselves from its traditions and customs.  Most cite the day's pagan origins and say that the celebration of such is akin to devil worship, making every trick 'or treater in a Paw Patrol costume a practitioner of evil.  While I understand the reasons and in no way scoff at anyone's decision to celebrate Halloween or not, the logic is a little hard to follow. 

            Especially when you remember that Easter and Christmas used to be pagan holidays, too. 

           The historical context is simple: Early clergy wanted to draw converts to Christ, so they merged existing pagan celebrations of the spring equinox and winter solstice (Beltane and Yule), with celebrations of Christ's resurrection and birth, respectively.  Which is why we still have Easter bunnies, egg hunts, Christmas trees, and Yule logs.  By the same logic of avoidance, you would have to eschew all these activities as well, because celebrating anything pagan is evil, right?

          "Halloween is evil, but leave the Christ in Christmas!" Right.

           The problem here is not in black and white, but a very fuzzy grey that makes it clear there are far more pressing matters Christians should be addressing.  If God sees into our hearts, then I can't imagine He would get hung up on taking the kids trick 'or treating when one out of three kids in America goes to bed hungry at night.  In fact, I think the Lord cares much more about how we treat each other every day, not on petty details of who dresses up as what. 

          Especially this year, there are far more frightening dangers lurking in our world.  Hunger, war, pain, suffering, and all the darkest and most vile crimes humanity is capable of, all have me much more scared than fake vampire teeth and carved pumpkins.  Only light can penetrate darkness, and the best way to do it is to let our words and actions be filled with love and kindness.  We can't do it by nitpicking at each other over which holidays to celebrate or which day of the week is the real Sabbath. 

           Don't we have better things to tackle? Like the people suffering in silence in our communities, the broken, the hurting, the lost?  Our first mission, our only mission, should be to show such mighty love to these, that no darkness can survive. 

            If you think a bunch of plastic spiders or fake blood is strong enough to defeat the light of love, then you seriously need to re-examine your faith.  And read up on the true history of your favorite holidays before you turn your nose up at others.  Because while you were "educating" everyone on the evils of Halloween, you probably missed an opportunity to really help someone.