Christian Halloween: Is It A Good Idea?

Every year the lines are drawn in the sand, and Christians pick sides. In October we have to decide where we stand on Halloween. We must know for ourselves but also because it feels like everyone wants to know our stance! Adding to our decision is the knowledge that to Halloween or not to Halloween is arguably the touchiest nonessential Christian issue of modern times. Adding my unsolicited opinion to this public discourse, I suggest that Christian Halloween is inadvisable.

History Of Halloween

I touched on my thoughts concerning whether or not we should focus on the roots of holidays in an Easter post. To sum up my thoughts, I don’t bother with it much.

The histories of holidays are always interesting to learn about, but I find they have little bearing on most people’s understanding or intention behind the holidays. Therefore, they add little practical application in most circumstances. Of course, history is not without its merit. For those who care, then, let’s do a quick Halloween history rundown.

Halloween’s History…It’s Complicated

Research Halloween’s history for a few minutes, and you’ll find more than one history. Dare to spend an hour or more, and you’ll wonder if anybody knows where it came from. Ask someone in the comment section of a blog, though, and that’s where the real confidence lives. Ten people will give ten versions of the real history of Halloween.

So, I’ll be honest. I don’t know what is true and what is legend. It does seem, however, that certain aspects of Halloween’s history appear throughout nearly all accounts. I’ve put together some of those common claims below.

The Alleged History of Halloween (According To Some)

Halloween began as a Celtic new year celebration over 1,900 years ago called Samhain. It was celebrated on November first. Samhain did not include Snickers, horror films, and costume contests. However many accounts of the history claim roots to some of our modern traditions can be found in this ancient celebration.

The prevailing belief was that the dead could mingle with the living on this day, but unlike with some celebrations (e.g., Día de los Muertos), the dead were not entirely welcome. So, people tried to hide from the demons and spirits by dressing like them. Alternatively, they might leave offerings of sweets to appease them. Many sources also cite bonfires and giving out fruit as part of the celebration.

As I said, I’m not going to say these things are definitively true. However, they are commonly referenced and believed by many. The history gets much darker in some sources and much lighter in others.

Christian Halloween

It is generally accepted that Christians adopted these pagan traditions and added Christian twists. This is true of essentially every pagan holiday. People claiming Christ would come in and accumulate practices buffet-style from the pagan culture they had entered and make it suit their own faith. Why? This made Christianity more palpable to potential converts, of course.

It reminds me of the seeker-friendly approach…doing anything to get unbelievers interested.

Christian Concerns Over Halloween

Over the years, Halloween has morphed into whatever our culture wants. For me, culture is where I turn to in order to examine whether or not to celebrate Halloween. The here and now. The practical day-to-day application. I wonder, leaving a debatable history behind, if there is anything wrong with Halloween as a Christian.

1. Halloween Doesn’t Glorify God

Sometimes the argument, “but it doesn’t glorify God” falls flat for me. Seriously, can’t there be things that don’t glorify Him yet also do no harm? I bet we can all think of ten things off the top of our heads that are benign. I washed my face this morning and made a pot of coffee. Is that glorifying God?

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

Oh. Ouch. Everything I do, is in service to Him. Our lives belong to Christ, and I either glorify Him or not.

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Colossians 3:23-24

These verses serve as a necessary reminder to me because, frankly, it is so easy to forget that I can glorify Him in everything.

Christians Can Glorify God With Halloween, Right?

A lot of us want to have fun and do what everyone else is doing. Halloween is so “normal” that even public school classrooms spend the day in costume and/or trick-or-treating in the building. “It’s for the kids,” they say. So, what harm can there be in active Christian participation?

The focus on Halloween is neither kid-friendly nor glorifying to the Lord. The basis of Halloween in modern culture is fear, evil, and darkness. You need only enter a pop-up Halloween store or watch kids march through your neighborhood in costumes to recognize this.

The Bible speaks against fear and anxiety repeatedly. It is antithetical to God. Christians should not spend time playing with fear. It is inherently ungodly.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:7

And what of the darkness and evil? Halloween heavily focuses on the macabre, horror, demons, evil spirits, zombies, etc. I’m unconvinced that any Christian (or nonbeliever) would say those things jive with walking with the Lord. Maybe that’s why horror films often pit the evil and darkness (literal and metaphorical) against the religious characters and themes throughout them. Even the world understands these two are diametrically opposed. God knows it, too.

“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:”

1 John 1:5-6

First John is a great book for an occasional Christian check-up. Are we friendly with darkness? If so, the Scriptures suggest we may have a big problem. If God is light but we love the darkness, then we need to consider the condition of our spiritual walk.

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

Ephesians 5:11

Rather than join in darkness, call it out for what it is.

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16

Let others see Christ in you. Although we can try, and many do, Christ doesn’t shine through as we actively participate in a day that mocks and challenges the very nature of God.

2. Halloween Glamorizes and Normalizes Sin and Evil

Haunted Houses

Think about a haunted house. I’ve been inside many throughout the years. Halloween was my favorite holiday by a landslide. I reveled in the creepy decorations, frightening movies, tarot card readings, Ouija boards, and seances. I was terrified, but I was also enamored with it all. Still today, I feel a draw to it, but the Lord regularly convicts me about leaving it where it belongs. In my past. For many others, though, these things are very much a part of their present.

A typical haunted house is filled with screams, death, gore, disorienting lighting, maze-like hallways, literal darkness, and often someone breathing loudly right behind you. Who would voluntarily go into a place like that?

Apparently, someone will. A lot will, actually. Haunted houses reported earnings are between 300 and 500 million dollars a year. That may not sound like a lot of money in this day and age, but think about how limited the season is for haunted houses within which to operate. They’re raking it in! If even a quarter of the horrors that await haunted house patrons occurred to them in real life, then they would be permanently scarred. When Halloween arrives, however, people seek these experiences out. They are all too willing to hand over fistfuls of cash and stand in long lines in order to experience the terror that waits inside.

Costumes

Little Kids

The costumes for Halloween range from bunny rabbits to hot dogs to serial killers. Costume shops can be a lot of fun, but I steer clear when the Halloween season hits. The last time I walked into a Halloween pop-up store was several years ago with my husband. While on a date we decided to go into one on a lark. Oh, my…

Upon entering we saw adorable costumes for babies, toddlers, and small children. This section was representative of the costumes people recall while defending the innocence of Halloween. How can it be bad for a little girl to dress up like a princess? OK, well, let’s see what that little girl will be led to dress up as when she grows up.

Just For The Ladies

Within eyesight of the cute costumes I could see the “sexy” costumes. It just so happens that anything can be a “sexy” costume if it is short enough with a low-cut neckline. Anything. Nurses, maids, teachers, Little Red Riding Hood, witches, Satan… They can all be “sexy” if a woman wears it and it’s too small.

What are we doing with these kinds of costumes? Normalizing sin. Women are using Halloween to flaunt their bodies and draw sexual attention to themselves by anyone who will give it. Add a Halloween party and some alcohol, and we will probably have a night defined by sexual sin and drunkenness. Not to mention, these women are making fools of themselves in these skimpy outfits. As the musician, Matthew West, tried to tell us before being attacked on social media, modest is hottest, ladies.

Ghoulish Halloween Garb

Cute bunny rabbit costumes tend to go out of style by the time a person reaches his or her preteens. A small number of youth and adults continue to wear silly and funny costumes, but if they don’t wear “sexy” costumes, then they’re wearing ghoulish, macabre, and demonic ones. It’s nothing to see a twelve-year-old boy walking around in late October dressed up to look like a mass murderer or some version of the undead. His female friend is probably dressed in a similar manner and embracing the occult with her witch costume.

“It’s only dress up. The costumes are meant to be worn in fun and jest.” I don’t doubt it, but I disagree with it, nonetheless. Rather than viewing sin and evil as God views it, our culture treats it like something fun to roleplay. Christians, we should be grieved when we see this, not inclined to join in. We should encourage others to think twice before participating in something that makes sin and evil a game rather than tease the Christians who seek to honor God and live a testimony of God’s holiness.

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Isaiah 5:20

Halloween And Entertainment

We can’t move on from the normalization of sin and evil through Halloween without addressing entertainment. Movies come out every year to tempt us into the movie theaters to watch as people are stalked, sexually assaulted, and grotesquely murdered. Of course, gratuitous nudity and sex scenes are a welcomed bonus to these films.

Each year people binge-watch horror films in preparation for Halloween, and I can’t help but wonder how much this hardens our consciences concerning violence, sex, the occult, and even the Enemy. If we make such a joke out of Satan, then do we really understand him? Do we believe he is real?

Satan has quite the foothold in the life of a believer who doesn’t see him as a real enemy. Yes, he loses the war thanks to Jesus Christ, but he still aims to attack us and tempt us into those sins Halloween aids in numbing us to.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

1 Peter 5:8

3. The Occult and Halloween

Everyone who celebrates Halloween is active in the occult. No! That’s ridiculous. Please, if you believe that, take a deep breath and consider how over-the-top that is to say. But is there at least some relationship between Halloween and the occult? Yes.

Aside from the costumes and movies that glorify witchcraft, magic(k), Satanism, and communing with the dead, there is a lot of that actually going on during Halloween.

To some people, Halloween is a High Holy Day, and they believe they can contact the dead. Many of these individuals are not dangerous. They are just foolish and deceived, yet others choose Halloween to commit abhorrent acts. Some do, in fact, practice blood sacrifices. Typically, this would be animal blood. Still others choose to commit violent crimes, vandalism, or theft because the are part of the occult or are just criminals capitalizing on an opportunity.

To think that Halloween truly offers a chance to commune with the dead or demons is naïve. However, to believe that people are not trying to do that is naïve, as well.

Christians And The Occult

We may not be taking part in occult activities, but to fellowship with it through media, costumes, events, and Halloween activities (e.g., girls’ night at the psychic) is spiritual immaturity at best and deliberate sin at worst.

“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”

Deuteronomy 18:10-12

What Is A Christian To Do With Halloween?

Despite our many attempts, we cannot create a Christian Halloween. There’s no such thing. We don’t have to hide in our homes with the lights out either. Christians can reach out and share the gospel, but let’s be thoughtful about how we do that, eh?

Trunk-or-Treats

I’m steadfastly against trunk-or-treats. It invites all the elements of Halloween from the culture around us, but it’s shellacked in Christianese. Plus, it looks like a sad grab at relevance. Picture a ten-year-old walking through the church event wearing a bloody shirt, knives for fingers, and a grotesque mask. Church workers share the gospel with him, but he doesn’t see how he’s any different from them. They were celebrating Halloween, too. Besides, didn’t the youth pastor’s kid have on a devil costume?

Ultimately, trunk-or-treats, in my opinion, are not separate enough from the world to create an effective Christian witness.

Harvest Parties

These can be a lot of fun with activities to celebrate the fall season. Apple bobbing, bonfires, s’mores, pumpkin carving or painting, and cake walks are just some of the kid-friendly activities a harvest party can offer. This is also a great way to invite families into church and share the gospel.

A word of warning: Try to separate this from Halloween. Have it a little earlier. First, you won’t be competing for visitors when children are focused on trick-or-treating. Second, it will allow you to have a fall event without yoking with a controversial holiday. Finally, some Christians want nothing to do with Halloween on any level, therefore, your church won’t be a stumbling block to the brothers and sisters who need or desire full separation from Halloween.

Be Available And Kind At Home

Turn on the lights at home. Buy good candy. Answer your door. Smile. Hand out candy. Simple, right? Share a gospel tract with your candy or engage the people at the door. The tract, though, will probably be easier.

Pro tip: The tracts that look like money always delight kids. Just don’t try to fool them into thinking it is real money. That’s unkind, and it seems incongruent with the message you’re sharing. Living Waters Ministry has great resources for evangelism, including tracts.

Final Thought

Is participation in Halloween a sin? It would be easier if I could just say, “yes” or “no,” but this is not a salvific issue. I think it is a conviction issue. Also, no matter where a Christian falls on the topic, spiritual maturity plays a role. We can land on any position and do so without prayer, meditation on the Word, and out of pride.

I encourage all Christians to evaluate why they handle Halloween as they currently do. You might end up exactly where you are today. Others, like myself, may drastically change their view over time as they mature and understand the Bible better.

As for now, I stand against any idea of a Christian Halloween. I want to be present to be a witness of Christ, but I also want to be clearly separate from the world in doing so.

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

Ephesians 5:11

Christians, let’s consider dumping Halloween. It wasn’t ours to begin with, and it doesn’t do anything to glorify God or encourage us to be like Christ today, either. Maybe we can strive toward Philippians instead of toward the world.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Philippians 4:8

Do you celebrate Halloween? Why or why not?

Image courtesy of David Menidrey via Unsplash.