Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
By Michael Lennox
Every year as people around the world start prepping costumes, buying candy, and putting up spooky decor in October, a question resounds for many Christians: should we celebrate Halloween? This can be a tricky topic to navigate with many different perspectives and ideas surrounding it. In order to best address this question, we have to first look at the origins of Halloween and also consider the modern implications of the holiday.
Interestingly, the origins of this holiday are steeped in a religious background. The earliest celebrations of “halloween” were held as evening vigils held before All Saints’ Day or All Hallows’ Day, a Catholic holiday honoring deceased church saints. Over time, this celebration before All Hallows’ Day became known as All Hallows’ Eve, and eventually Halloween. Additionally, the practice of honoring dead church saints introduced the focus on death and the afterlife associated with this holiday. Pagan influences and practices became linked to Halloween and introduced a focus on the supernatural, the macabre, spiritual influences, and death. Over time, a religious holiday (already problematic in what it was celebrating) became a cultural phenomenon that spread across the globe, resulting in what we know as Halloween.
But what is the celebration of Halloween rooted in today? Well, that depends. The prevailing cultural celebration of Halloween focuses on silly, scary characters, costume parties, and treats. However, there is absolutely an underlying glorification of pagan spiritualism, the occult, and evil that presides throughout the season as well (think horror movies, demonic influences, witchcraft, etc). It also seems that in our modern world there is an increasing interest and serious desire to learn and seek after ideas related to the occult (a word to describe spiritual forces dealing with magic, sorcery, mysticism, and spirits).
How then do we as Christians engage with Halloween? Is it wrong to go trick-or-treating? Is it wrong to have a costume party? What about carving a Jack-O-Lantern? Does the Bible have anything to say about this?
The short answer is yes - the Bible does have some insight into some of the ideas related to the celebration of Halloween. Stick with me.
For starters, throughout Scripture, believers are told to flee from witchcraft, spiritualism, and occult practices because they are 1) evil and 2) rooted in demonic influence (Leviticus 19:31, Exodus 22:18, Revelation 21:8, Deuteronomy 18:9-14, Acts 13:6-12). Right before Paul describes the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, he lists of things that are evil and not becoming of a believer in Christ: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21. He says that the works of the flesh are evident, and included in that list is sorcery or witchcraft. Additionally, as believers we are commanded to submit ourselves to God and resist the devil (James 4:7) and to seek the things above (Colossians 3:1-3), not allowing ourselves to be led astray but to dwell on what is right (Philippians 4:8).
Right now you may be thinking to yourself, “whoa Michael, settle down. It’s not like I’m joining a cult by having a Halloween party or watching a scary movie”. And you’d be right to have this reaction. While the Bible does specifically speak to evil practices, behaviors, and beliefs, it of course does not directly say “thou shalt not participate in Halloween activities”. This is a much more nuanced question with a much more nuanced answer and two vastly different conclusions made by Christians across the board.
We have on one side the Christian who gives little to no thought about whether or not is okay to celebrate Halloween or the implications of that decision. On the other side, we have Christians who would never dream of anything to do with Halloween. Guess what? That’s okay. How we engage with Halloween is one of those issues that is ultimately left up to the conscience of the individual.
However, we do have plentiful principles from Scripture that we can and should apply to make a wise decision as to how we engage with or participate in Halloween activities. I want to leave you with a few questions to consider regarding the celebration of Halloween, regardless of where you fall on the spectrum just discussed.
If I do celebrate Halloween, what exactly am I celebrating?
This is an important differential that the Christian must wrestle with. If you are celebrating this holiday in the same way as many in our culture do (i.e. glorifying things that God calls evil, deep interest in things God calls evil, etc.), that is wrong. Due to the nature and origins of the holiday, to say that you celebrate Halloween as a Christian is likely problematic. Many of us participate in activities culturally associated with Halloween (i.e. costume parties, carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating, etc), which isn’t inherently wrong, but if these activities are rooted in the celebration or glorification of what God calls evil, that is wrong. Take some time to evaluate your heart.
Is my engagement with Halloween glorifying to God?
Consider what activities you participate in surrounding Halloween (scary movies, music, parties, etc.). Are these things glorifying God? Are they building you up in your faith? Are they distracting you from what matters or leading you to dwell on things that God would not dwell on or celebrate? If your answer to any of these questions is no, then it is appropriate to take a look in the mirror and consider how you could adjust your behaviors to focus on participating in things that honor and glorify God.
In conclusion, I actually want to share a summary paragraph from an article on GotQuestions.org as they say it very well:
“So, should a Christian participate in Halloween? Is there anything evil about a Christian dressing up in an innocent costume and going around the block asking for candy? No, there is not. Are there things about Halloween that are anti-Christian and should be completely avoided? Absolutely! If parents are going to allow their children to participate in Halloween, they should make sure to keep them from getting involved in the darker aspects of the day. If Christians are going to take part in Halloween, their attitude, dress, and most importantly, their behavior, should still reflect a redeemed life (Philippians 1:27). There are many churches that hold "harvest festivals" and incorporate costumes, but in a godly environment. There are many Christians who hand out tracts that share the gospel along with the Halloween candy. The decision is ultimately ours to make in the spirit of Christian freedom. But as with all things, we are to incorporate the principles of Romans 14. We cannot allow our own convictions about a holiday to cause division in the body of Christ, nor can we use our freedom to cause others to stumble in their faith. We are to do all things for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).”
Additional Resources
Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? Article from GotQuestions.org