As we get closer to October 31, this question becomes more pressing in the minds of believers, especially parents. I hope that I can offer some helpful food for thought for anyone wrestling with this issue.
Before we can answer whether Christians should participate in Halloween, we need to define our terms.
In the 7th century AD, Pope Boniface IV established “All Saints’ Day” on May 13, a date that was later moved to November 1 by Pope Gregory III. This Christian holiday was dedicated to honoring saints and martyrs.
The evening before November 1 became known as “All Hallows’ Eve,” eventually shortened to “Halloween.” Thus, the Christian holiday celebrated on October 31 and known as “Halloween” was born.
Prior to the medieval Catholic Church establishing Halloween and All Saints’ Day for October 31 and November 1 respectively, there were celebrations associated with harvest.
In some parts of the world, these harvest festivals incorporated pagan practices — most notably, the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts believed that on the night of October 31, the boundary between the living and the deceased blurred, allowing spirits to return and cause havoc.
Over time, the Christian observance of Halloween / All Saints’ Day merged with harvest festivals and some pagan traditions — evolving into what is today’s “Halloween” which is known for costumes, trick-or-treating, and various spooky themes.
The challenge facing us is which traditions or practices associated with Halloween or the fall season, in general, are harmful and which are harmless.
When I was a kid, I went trick-or-treating each Halloween. And I was raised by devout Bible-believing, church-going Christian parents. I saw no conflict then. I still don’t today. Now, before any of you react angrily, let me explain…
I’m talking about parents letting their kids go trick-or-treating. I’m NOT saying that everything that takes place on the day we call “Halloween” is good. There is a lot that takes place on Halloween each year that Christians should have no part in!
For example, there are haunted houses that are over-the-top gory and gratuitous in their portrayal of evil. There are teenage parties that involve Ouija boards. There are movie parties featuring some of the scariest films ever made — such as The Exorcist or The Conjuring. There are seance events and all kinds of troubling things.
Stay away! Stay FAR away from all of that!
There are plenty of things associated with Halloween today that Christians should have no part of. None! Let me be abundantly clear on that.
That’s why churches, in my opinion, should (if they are able to do so safely and effectively) offer family-friendly and (most importantly) God-honoring alternatives for the kids in their church fellowship and their mission field (i.e., local community). I love it when churches do “Trunk-or-Treat” or harvest festivals or similar activities.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying hayrides, pumpkin carving, corn mazes, harvest festivals, dressing up in costumes, getting candy, and the like. Other than perhaps for health and dietary reasons.
Wait! Costumes!? Yes, the church I grew up in periodically did a fall festival party where kids could dress up as Bible characters. I thought it was cool.
Bottom line: There are some traditions and events associated with Halloween that Christians should stay away from and there are others that are completely harmless.
If you’re a parent, it’s up to you to navigate through that. If you prayerfully choose to err on the side of caution and total avoidance… great. No harm, no foul. But…
I just hope you’ll show grace to parents like mine who struck more of a balance. They said “no” to that which was evil and “yes” to candy and (clean) costumes.
I think I turned out okay. 🙂
God bless you.
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Stay tuned for my forthcoming book Faith & Fantasy: A Biblical Perspective in which I go into this subject more in-depth (along with questions Christians face with respect to entertainment more generally).
Great post just one simple question, what do you have to say about satins’ priests and ex satiness saying that Halloween is the celebration of the Devil? like all of it, not a little bit not most of it all of it
It’s simply not correct that “all” of the customs and traditions associated with modern Halloween are celebrating the Devil. Satanists may SAY that. They can SAY anything, but it’s just not correct.
For example, many cultures throughout history have celebrated harvest festivals. And have done so without ANY homage to Satan or false gods.
What IS correct is that they’ve laid claim to the day and have hijacked its customs and traditions for their purposes — or have tried to. When I say “they,” I mean Satanists as well as Wiccans, witches, pagan spiritualists, etc., etc.
Obviously, Christians should have no part in any of that. And that’s why I’ve endorsed Halloween alternatives. If a church organizes a hayride as part of a harvest festival during the “Halloween” season, that’s doing exactly what the church should be doing — shining a light in the dark.