1. Halloween glorifies evil, not
God.
It’s no secret that Halloween is
all about witches and ghosts and fear and death. Haunted houses, Hollywood
movies, even neighborhood patios are graced with blood and dead bodies and axe
murderers … giant replicas of poisonous spider and cobwebs … scary organ music,
skeletons, and gravestones. Can anyone deny that this holiday glorifies Satan
and every evil thing?
“Oh, but our family only dresses in
good costumes,” we are quick to point out, as if somehow sugarcoating the evil
with smiling pumpkins and sparkly Disney princess costumes somehow changes the
meaning of the celebration.
I too continued to dress up for
several years, but no matter what creative spin I put on it, eventually I could
no longer justify that anything I was doing in respect to this holiday was
honoring to God. Sure, my costumes were cute. Sometimes they were even
sophisticated, clever, funny, or smart. But none of those things changed the
fact that the holiday itself glorified evil, and I could no longer lend my
talents and attention to remain part of it.
Most of us know that Halloween is
one of the highest, most holy days for witches and Satanists. Even though we
ourselves may not be involved in the practice of witchcraft, we give credence
to the holiday by celebrating it. If we abhor evil, should we not also abhor
any day designated to celebrate it? The Bible says to avoid even the appearance of evil.
“Test
all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” —1
Thessalonians 5:21-22
It also doesn’t take a rocket
scientist to discern that the Halloween is all about fear. Scary costumes,
haunted houses, and horror movies are designed for no other purpose than to
frighten us. Seeking out opportunities to be scared is, on this day at least,
the highest form of entertainment. If we do not have a spirit of fear, should
we even acknowledge a day
whose purpose is to invoke a spirit of fear in us?
“For
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power, and of a
sound mind.” —2 Timothy 1:7
2. If the seed is bad, the fruit
will be bad.
Halloween has never been a
Christian holiday. The foundations of Halloween are occultic, and the symbols
and traditions we continue today all have roots in pagan practices. God tells
His people over and over again to avoid all pagan rituals and traditions.
Halloween derives in part from the
occult traditions of the Druids, the pagan priests of the Celts, whose fall
festival was the precursor to Halloween as we know it. “To ancient Druids, the end of
October commemorated the festival of the waning year, when the sun began his
downward course and ripened grain was garnered from the fields. Samhain … was
celebrated with human sacrifice, augury and prayers; for at this season spirits
walked, and evil had power over souls of men.”1
When the first Christians came to
America, they knew of Halloween’s occult beginnings and banned its celebration.2
“[B]ecause of Christianity among so
many of the settlers, Halloween celebrations were not celebrated until the
1800’s when several immigrants from Ireland and Scotland introduced their
Halloween customs. They brought various beliefs about ghosts and witches with
them. Other groups added their own cultural influences to Halloween customs.
German immigrants brought a vivid witchcraft lore, and Haitian and African
peoples brought their native voodoo beliefs about black cats, fire, and
witchcraft.”3
Today, we have become so accustomed
to the traditions of men that we refuse to question them. Even Christian
families have been honoring this holiday for generations. But doing so ignores
the fact that this festival in no way honors God, and in fact celebrates the
very practices God abhors:
“When
you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not
learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found
among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or
one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or
a sorcerer [pharmakeia], or one who
conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.”
—Deuteronomy 18:9-11
Putting
a Christian label over the top of a pagan practice does not make it pleasing to
God. In fact, we are to get rid of all pagan practices and have no part of them:
“These
are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the
land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you to possess, all the days
that you live on the earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the
nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and
on the hills and under every green tree. And you shall destroy their altars,
break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall
cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that
place. You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things.” —Deuteronomy
12:1-4
God doesn’t want us to keep the
ways of the world and sprinkle Christianity on top. He wants us to elevate Him
alone: His ways, His philosophies, His deliverance, His celebrations. Any other
practice is sin and eventually bears bad fruit.
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3. Don’t dine with demons.
Samhain was the one day of the year
when the dead were allowed to come back into the world and commune with the
living. People traditionally set a spot for the dead at their table, inviting
them in. Since there was also the possibility that evil spirits would come
looking for them, people took to “guising” themselves for protection. In other
words, it’s okay to dine with demons — as long as you wear a costume to protect
yourself.
“You cannot drink the cup of the
Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the
table of demons.” —1 Corinthians 10:21
So are we really supping with
demons? Sharing food with someone represents a sacred connection. Adam and Eve
first ate with God in the garden, but then chose to share an apple without God
in the presence of Satan. Jesus spent much of his time on earth dining with
sinners, because that is who He came to save. The last thing Jesus did before
He was crucified was to share a meal with His disciples, and He commands us to
continue remembering Him in that way until He comes again. When we see Him in
heaven, it will be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!
“Behold,
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I
will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” — Revelation 3:20
Satan is the world’s greatest
counterfeiter, so he tempts us to sit at his table and join his feast (festival, festivity) by
making it as attractive as he can. He knows we won’t say no if his festival
looks like pure evil, so he’s let us create our own G-rated version that we
aren’t as likely to resist.
But
God says, “For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what
communion has light with darkness? … And what agreement has the temple of God
with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” —2 Corinthians 6:14-16
4. Halloween is an excuse to flaunt
sexuality.
It’s true. Halloween is becoming
more risqué every year. In fact, sometimes I think its real name is “Dress Like
a Porn Star” Day. Girls dress more provocatively, and at much younger ages, on
this day than any other. There seems to be an unwritten competition to have the
raciest costume. For those passing on ghoul or gore, the only other worthy
goals seem to be shock and immodesty.
“But fornication and all
uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting
for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which
are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no
fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. For you were once darkness, but
now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the
Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is
acceptable to the Lord.” —Ephesians 5:3-8
I can vouch from personal
experience that when we put on a costume, we often detach ourselves, sometimes
ever so slightly, from our inhibitions. After all, it is much easier to act a
tad bit naughty when our real identity is hidden. It’s almost as if bad
behavior is somehow excused when we are in costume — and it’s much easier to
explain in the morning: “I wasn’t actually sinning; I was just staying in
character.”
Even though we are not to have
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, we prefer to emulate them and
parade them on our Facebook pages as if they are somehow deserving of honor.
“And
have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose
them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them
in secret.” —Ephesians 5:11-12
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5. We play how we practice.
This is one of my husband’s
favorite sayings. He is usually referring to table manners with our sons: If
you use a knife and fork correctly at the kitchen table, then you won’t have
any problems when it counts — when you’re at a nice restaurant with your
employer or meeting your future wife’s parents for the first time. How we
practice spills over into real life.
The
same applies to Halloween. We think we can entertain the macabre, erect
gravestones in our front yards, and prop dead “bodies” on our front porches.
“Oh, but they’re not real,” we demur. Then we are appalled when a 17-year-old
has a fascination with dead bodies and decides to act on his morbid desires.
Do we really have any right to be
shocked or even surprised when some among us decide to act out in real life the
fascination with evil we insist on holding dear? We can’t have it both ways: if
we choose to be entertained by evil, we should be prepared for the time when it
becomes reality.
“For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this work, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.” —Ephesians 6:12
Let us not drop our guard for a moment,
or even camp out one night a year “for fun” on the side of the enemy.
6. Are we causing others to stumble?
Even if we don’t believe it’s
dangerous to dabble in the ancient pagan practices of Druid priests, have we
given any thought to the impact our actions might have on others?
The Bible tells us just how
important it is that we not lead His children astray (Matthew 18:6) or cause
them to stumble (Mark 9:42). If we present witchcraft, promiscuity, and the
occult in a fun and seductive manner now, are we opening the door to
involvement in those practices in the future?
Will our children learn values we
want them to learn by participating in this “holy day,” or would they learn
better values, perhaps even courage, from seeing us stand up against evil even
when our culture says it’s fine? It probably goes without saying, but what
values are we impressing on our children when we send them trick-or-treating?
Is the lie “give me your candy or I’ll play a trick” really becoming of anyone?
If we forego Halloween but give our
children a substitute celebration instead, are we sending the message that “I
am trying to compensate because I think you’re missing out on something really
amazing”? I want my children to believe what I myself believe: that we have
been given something so much better than this! No more bobbing for apples in
the church basement (a pagan fertility ritual, by the way) when I have true joy
in knowing God’s true Son!
7. Be faithful in the small things.
For many Christians, the thought of
whether to celebrate Halloween is a small issue, maybe even a non-issue. After
all, it’s only one day a year. And what harm is there really in a handful of
Snickers miniatures and a pillowy pumpkin costume?
Let me answer that this way:
First, our character, integrity,
and devotion to God is evident in the small things. If we can’t be faithful in
the small things, how will our hearts be faithful in the big things?
“He that is faithful in a very
little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is
unrighteous also in much.” —Luke 16:10
So, yes, even something as
seemingly small as how we handle Halloween is important.
Second, God has told us to focus on
what is pure, noble, right, lovely, and admirable (Philippians 4:8). Is
Halloween any of these things? No, and therefore it is unworthy of any of our
time or thoughts.
Third, “the Son of God appeared for
this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” —1 John 3:8
If God came for the purpose of
destroying the works of Satan, why do we then try remember, imitate, and even
elevate those very things?
How do we expect we will be able to
keep ourselves faithful when the big temptations come alone when we can’t even
say no to glorifying evil in what we do for fun?
“Pure and undefiled religion before
God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” —James
1:27
But we’ve joined forces with the
world. In fact, instead of keeping ourselves unspotted, we have become one
giant spot with it — we are so much alike no one can tell where the world ends
and the Church begins.
We need to start keeping ourselves
pure in the small things, so that we will be able to stay pure and undefiled in
the big things.
8. God wants to bless us — but not in the
way the world blesses.
For those of us who love Jesus, why
is it so important to entertain the macabre and flirt with the dark side for
one day, one week, or one month out of the year, instead of delighting in the
joy the Lord Himself has set before us?
“Thus
says the Lord, ‘Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the
signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the
peoples are futile….’” —Jeremiah 10:2
We often say we don’t want to
deprive our children of candy, of dressing up, of the “fun” they have by participating
in this holiday. But God has already told us the customs of the world are futile!
Is this is the kind of happiness we
want for our children, we are clearly setting our standards too low. Seek first
God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and He will
provide all of the other things we need.
“Trust
in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your
heart.” —Psalm 37:3-4
God in His divine sovereignty did
not give us Halloween for our entertainment. Instead, we thought we were
missing something and we hijacked it! Just like Eve in the garden, we believed
Satan’s lie that God was withholding something good from us. God, however, has
far better things in store for us than candy corn and parlor games. Why do we
continue to grovel in the plastic sandbox when God has given us the entire
beach?4
We continue pouring time and money
into what is overall something that has no lasting fruit and does not in any
way glorify God. Would our time be better spent in prayer, teaching our
children about the real dangers their friends face by dabbling in the occult?
As a Christian, I don’t want to spend even a penny of my money on a
$7-billion-a-year event that is so dishonoring to God. As a nation, it is
painfully evident where our hearts are.
“Where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” —Luke 12:34
9. There is sin in the camp.
Even if we think our costumes are not sinful (as if
it’s the costume that’s the problem and not the fact that we are still giving
reverence to the holiday itself), what about others who have decided that there
is nothing wrong with their costumes
either? After all, they aren’t really practicing witchcraft, just dressing up as witches. So do we
excuse the dressing up but draw the line at Ouija boards? What about pretending
to cast spells? We have made ourselves the judges of what is good and evil
instead of following God’s command to avoid even the spoils of the enemy.
I have two words to say to that
kind of thinking: Remember Achan.
In Joshua 7, Israel was accursed
and could not even stand before its enemies because just one man, Achan, had
taken the spoils of Jericho, when God had said no one was to touch them. By the
sin of one man, the entire nation was judged.
“Stand
up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated
my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted
things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own
possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies;
they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to
destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to
destruction.” —Joshua 7:8-12
It’s just a holiday — what’s the
big deal? The darkness of Halloween is devoted
to destruction and is in no way honoring to our Father of lights
(James 1:17) — and no orange and black sugar coating will make it so. God is a
jealous God, and all pagan beliefs are sinful in God’s eyes. We can’t choose
how much or even how nicely we want to celebrate.
And we need to help hold each other
accountable because we may all bear the judgment for sin in the camp.
At this time in history more than
ever, we are in great need of God’s mercy on our land:
“If
My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, and pray and seek
My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and
will forgive their sin and heal their land.” —2 Chronicles 7:14
Yet how many of us are truly
humbling ourselves and turning from wickedness? We say we are followers of
Christ, but we refuse to surrender in complete obedience to His Word in even
the simple act of turning from a holiday that glorifies evil.
If still we refuse to repent and
seek God’s wisdom in every aspect of our lives, we should not be surprised when
God further removes His hand of blessing and protection from this great land.
10. Come out from them and be
separate.
Perhaps the reason I finally let go
of Halloween was precisely because I didn’t want to.
If that sounds like a
contradiction, let me explain. You see, the very fact that I kept coming up
with reasons and excuses so I could continue celebrating eventually led me to
question my motives. Why was I hanging on so tightly? Was it possible that my celebration
of Halloween had become an idol to me? Certainly it appeared so, because still
I embraced the traditions of men even when I knew God’s heart on the matter.
“Therefore
come out from them and be separate from them, says the Lord.” —2 Corinthians 6:17
God wants His people to be holy,
which means to be set apart. If everyone else is doing something, and I’m doing
it too, that is a good time to examine myself to see if I’m really in the
faith. If people don’t look at me and think I am peculiar (1 Peter 2:9) — if I
fit right in with our culture and no one can tell I am any different — then I
am probably doing something wrong.
The Bible doesn’t say that we
should have less up do with darkness than other people do; it says have nothing to do with evil. By even
acknowledging and associating with the holiday, I was giving credence to it in
my life and opening myself to deception.
“Let
no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of
God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with
them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as
children of light (for the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness,
righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.”
—Ephesians 5:6-10
Here
are additional Bible verses you can review regarding whether your family should
continue to celebrate Halloween:
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