I was just watching a show on TBN (I know, I know) about spiritual warfare. It was implicitly about Halloween and how Christians who celebrate it are bringing Satan into their homes, much to their destruction. They had this one guy on who said before he was a Christian his kids read the Goosebumps books which almost ruined their family. He said that he would stay out late at night drinking because he couldn’t stand to go home and hear about the horrible stories his kids were reading. After he accepted Christ at work, the kids got rid of the evil books and he stopped drinking.

Without getting into the Halloween debate too much, I would like to say that blaming your problems on a book series is pretty bad. I know this guy was a new Christian and was obviously under some odd teaching, but come on, if you’re a drunk then it’s your fault and not some books. I think part of being a follower of Jesus means taking responsibility for what you were/are and not trying to pass the blame on something else. “The devil made me do it” might sound like a good argument when you’re five, but for an adult it sounds like bull crap.

As for Halloween, read this essay by James Jordan (ht: Travis, who had some good links last year). Whether or not a family has anything to do with this day (and I don’t care either way) it takes a lot of nerve to tell me that I’m actively inviting Satan into my home by letting my kids dress up and beg for candy. I just hope such a person holds other holidays to the same standard (Christ mass, Mr. Fundamentalist?).