Halloween Revisited

God is calling every one of us out of darkness and into his wonderful light. We understand that Jesus has commanded us not to blithely blend into this world's darkness, but to be different so we can shine a light into the darkness. It's easier said than done. We need to be reminded of our calling often, because it's a lifetime endeavor, and we all wrestle with what it really means to get out of darkness. The Apostle Peter reminds us:

"...you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9)

Should we as Christ-followers celebrate Halloween?

The question bears asking. Let me start by saying my purpose here is not to call anyone out on the carpet, or to judge your Halloween practices. The purpose of this examination is to ask ourselves the question of whether the celebration of Halloween is truly innocent fun? I don't want any of us to be misled about Halloween if there is any risk to our families in its celebration.

Jesus instructed us:

"You are the light of the world...let your light shine before others." (Matthew 5:14-16)

So the real question is:

Is celebrating Halloween consistent with a Christian's role of being the light of the world?

Let's handle some objections right up front.

Objection: We celebrate Halloween but stay away from the scary stuff

Some of us will let our kids dress up in princess costumes or as a favorite superhero for Halloween. But it's funny, we don't see houses decorated in superhero themes for Halloween. Strangely, none of our neighbors have their front porches decked out in pink princess dresses, tiaras, and scepters. So this raises the question: What are we actually celebrating? What are the themes and symbols of Halloween? Wikipedia seems to know the answer to that question, but perhaps we have not given it serious thought. 

I think the themes of Halloween are obvious from the decorations. What is the vast majority of Halloween decor? Skeletons, severed heads, half-decayed corpses (imagined to be inhabited by partially-conscious souls), ghoulish faces carved in vegetables, spider webs, and headstones in the front yard. What are we celebrating here? These are symbols of horror, decay, and death. So the question boils down to this: As a Christian, is death a good thing for me to celebrate?

The Bible says that death is our enemy. On top of that, it is the last enemy that Jesus will destroy:

"The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (1 Corinthians 15:26)

So is death a good thing? Is it worth celebrating? Is death worthy of embracing by decorating our homes with its symbols?

Objection: Halloween is a Christian holiday

Some of us may have been taught that Halloween began as a Catholic holiday to remember saints and martyrs of the Christian faith. That is not a fully honest treatment of the history. The Catholic tradition of All Hallow's Eve and All Hallow's Day were implemented partially as an attempt to supplant pagan rituals that existed long before Pope Gregory III's 8th century oratory for relics of martyrs. In any event, it is clear that today's practice of Halloween does not accurately represent or remember martyrs, and that any attempt to Christianize the pagan autumn celebrations has failed. In referring to the already-deceased Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Jesus pointed out that "He [God] is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Mark 12:27). But the symbols of Halloween don't reflect Jesus' view that the deceased are alive in God's presence. Instead, Halloween tradition depicts the deceased as half-rotting corpses or disembodied ghosts; zombie-like apparitions of horror which are a mockery of God's promise that "...the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:52). 

We have another holiday where we honor the dead: Memorial Day. Do people decorate with skeletons and mangled corpses to honor the dead on Memorial Day? Enough said - it is abundantly clear that Halloween as it is universally practiced is not honoring of saints or martyrs.

Objection: We don't want our kids to miss out on the fun

No doubt, it is fun and exciting to participate in an event with lots of neighbors where the kids bring in a haul of candy. So, why don't we start an equestrian holiday on April 15 where we all decorate our front porches with horseshoes, bridles, and cardboard cutouts of horses; dress up as cowboys and cowgirls; and take the kids to the neighbors' houses to collect some candy? The point is this: Aren't there hundreds of harmless potential holiday themes we could use as an excuse to pass out candy to our children? Why then do we hold a candy-fest with a death/horror theme? This doesn't make logical sense. Something insidious is going on here. This isn't just innocent fun. No, I'm not claiming that Halloween is a conspiracy. This is not paranoia about some unidentified threat.

Objection: It's not like we're sacrificing animals or worshiping Satan. Aren't you making a big deal out of nothing?

Let's remember what the Bible tells us about the devil's plan for our lives, even after we have placed our faith in Jesus. The Apostle Peter knew a lot about believers falling prey to the devil's traps. Jesus told Simon Peter, "Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to have you apostles for himself. He wants to separate you from me as a farmer separates wheat from husks." (Luke 22:31). Later that night, Peter denied three times that he even knew his savior Jesus. Armed with his first-hand knowledge of Satan's schemes, Peter wrote to fellow Christians:

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

Please note that Peter wasn't writing to non-believers here. He was telling believers to be on alert. If there was no risk to believers of harm from the devil (as some pastors teach), then Peter's warning would be a waste of words and irrelevant. The devil is our enemy. We try not to think about it, but he is actively looking for a way to destroy us. Just as with Peter, Satan is wanting to separate us from Christ. Since this is the reality in which we live, can we afford to take a casual approach to life? Should we treat any potential influence as amoral, even seemingly innocuous things like holiday decorations? Are the icons and symbols in our decorations really meaningless? Should we ignore what these decorations represent, and the message they communicate? Or should we with sober minds examine if we are unwittingly opening the door to subtle influences that could harm us or compromise our faith? Even after embracing Christ, we must still make the effort to continue to come out of darkness, as the Apostle Paul exhorted Christians in Ephesus:

"Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead expose them." (Ephesians 5:11)

The devil is a liar

So let's think about how the devil tries to subtly gain a foothold in our lives. How does he carry out his goal of devouring Christians? Jesus was quoted as saying,

"He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44)

How does Satan ensnare us in lies? Perhaps he is successful at times because his lies are not blatant, or they are intertwined with attractions that appeal to our emotions. It's hard to take a stand against a night of fun and candy. But just because an event has some good in it (like candy for the kids), that doesn't mean it merits our participation. Is it possible that the devil hides a message of death and demonic philosophy in the lure of children's candy? Is it possible that the Halloween celebration itself is relatively harmless, but that it leads to casual familiarity with witchcraft and other demonic influences? Perhaps it's a doorway to something much worse?

Which is more likely: Do you think Satan could talk you into outright Satan worship? Probably not. But what if he could get us to unthinkingly embrace a death-themed holiday because it is wrapped in a fun innocent-looking children's activity with candy? What if the devil knew he could ever-so-subtly influence our minds with dehumanizing images and fearful feelings from watching horror movies during the Halloween season? If the devil can influence our minds, he doesn't have to kill us. By getting us to accept small lies, over time he neutralizes us, and then we are not as effective as the light of the world. Jesus said:

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?" (Matthew 5:13)

Would Jesus have said this if it were impossible to lose our effectiveness? The devil knows we can lost our saltiness, so he is always roaming around looking for ways to nullify our ability to impact others for Christ. If he can destroy us, fine. If he can nullify us, that's just as well. Either way, he wins.

Why do we struggle with Halloween?

No doubt, some of us struggle with even the suggestion that perhaps we should limit or refrain from the celebration of Halloween. To gain clarity, these are some questions we should probably ask ourselves:

Why do I celebrate Halloween?

What is it that I am really celebrating through my participation? 

What am I promoting with my decor?

What influences am I unthinkingly accepting into my life?

Why am I embracing a death-themed holiday?

What am I teaching my kids by allowing their participation?

Am I afraid of what others will think if I stand apart as the light of the world?

Peer pressure is a strong influence, even for adults. It is easy to go with the flow. 

"...wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

Can we embrace both spiritual darkness and light, or are light and darkness opposed to each other? Can we celebrate both? Many of us celebrate Halloween, a holiday whose theme is spiritual darkness and death, and then two months later we celebrate Christmas, a holiday whose theme is the advent of Jesus, the light of the world and giver of eternal life. Does this make sense? Celebrating death and darkness, then celebrating life and light?

By letting our kids participate in Halloween, are we teaching our kids to be discerning of truth and error, or are we conditioning them to accept potentially poisonous ideas and influences as long as they are accompanied by fun and excitement?

Where does Halloween lead?

I honestly don't know where Halloween leads. I'll defer to others who have gone down that path.

It's interesting to search Google for Christian testimonies of former witches and satanists to get their take on Halloween. It's interesting that they have such strong opinions about not celebrating Halloween. It seems they have no qualms about where it leads. They have experienced the full force of its darkness which they once embraced. But for the rest of us, the devil doesn't make Halloween look horribly evil. He makes it look like innocent fun. Are we unwittingly swallowing spiritual poison pills when we decorate our houses with severed heads, skeletons, and the living dead? What if our death-themed decorations form a sort of "welcome mat", signaling to the demons of hell that our houses are a welcome place for their entrance? From all appearances, our Halloween decor is publicly displaying our support of their goals of death and darkness to mankind, right?

Our response to Halloween

What should be our response to Halloween? Should we even participate in Halloween at all? 

I have seen different approaches through the years. Some of us attend harvest parties or "trunk-or-treat" events as an alternative. Others actually leverage Halloween by evangelizing to neighbors on this rare night where they literally come to our doors. Some treat it like any other night, turning off the porch light and ignoring the occasional doorbell ring which we know will be followed by the teasing threat, "trick or treat!" 

Over the years I have done all the above...harvest parties, trunk-or-treats, passing out tracts, hanging out on the front porch to connect with neighbors, or curling up inside with the porch lights off and ignoring the world outside. Some years I celebrated Reformation Day instead. One year I even carved a "Jesus defeats death" pumpkin. Each year I re-evaluate my response to Halloween. This year I invite you, too, to take time to consider your approach to the holiday. 

My intent in this article is not to dictate your response to Halloween. I believe that "those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God." (Romans 8:14). In other words, if we let God's Spirit lead us, we will find out how to be the light of the world. We will learn to come out of darkness, and into God's wonderful light. 

May God bless you as you consider for yourself Halloween's themes, origin, and potential impact on your family. May God grant us the courage to be different in the world, so that we will stand out as lights, instead of blending into the darkness where nobody notices any difference.