How Should Christians Respond to Halloween?

Alright. It is that time of year again, Halloween. What should Christians do about Halloween? How should Christians feel about Halloween? Does God address the issue in His Word?

A couple of years ago I posted an article on one of my myspace groups. As you will read below, the response was overwhelming that “I” was wrong on the position I took on the subject of Halloween. I will defend the Truth until the day I die. I am fed up with complacent compromising Christians who make a mockery of the Lord Jesus Christ and who refuse to accept loving correction. Biblical correction does not always set well with Christians, even though God’s word clearly tells us that “He who hates reproof is stupid.” (Proverbs 12:1 NASB). God is serious when He commands us to “Abhor what is evil” (Romans 12:9 NASB). We are to love that which God loves and hate that which God hates.

As Christians we are called to be “set apart” (Romans 1:1 and John 17:14-19) and to be a “peculiar people” (Deut 14:2). We are not to conform to the ways of this world, but conform to the standards that have been set for us in Jesus Christ.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

I totally understand this is a controversial issue within the Christian community, but I also understand that God’s word is cut and dry on the subject of HIS children participating in pagan practices. He is the standard to which all Christians should be striving to achieve. We are not to conform to the cultural whims of the world, but conform to the image of Jesus Christ. Do we miss the mark, always, but by His grace we are set apart as HIS children to bring Glory to Him. Partaking in the festivities of Halloween does not fall under the overly abused category of “Christian Liberty” because God has made His position clear on this matter; “abstain from EVERY form of evil” (1 Thess 5:22, emphasis mine). I am not sure how much clearer He can be on this issue.

Just in case someone wants to throw out the “not celebrating Christmas and Easter argument”, let me go ahead and address that. Does anyone (without googling it) even know the pagan holiday that was celebrated on Dec 25^th or the pagan holiday of Easter? Probably not, and that is because the pagan practices are NOT being celebrated today, which means the Roman Catholic Church actually achieved its goal of weeding our those pagan practices by infiltrating it with a Christian practice. I think we all know Christ was NOT born on December 25^th. Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection can and should be celebrated in the life of the believer each and every day by living a life that honors and glorifies God. The pagan practices that took place on Dec 25^th and on the holiday of Easter are no longer in practice today. This is very much different than Halloween. Halloween was not created to honor or worship the One True Living God, but it was designed to worship a pagan god. This holiday is still being practiced by Satanists and pagans around the world. If the pagan holiday that was celebrated on Dec 25^th continued to be celebrated now, than I can assure you the Christian community would pick a different day to celebrated Christ’s birth. So using this argument to justify the allowance by GOD for Christians to knowingly celebrate a pagan and wicked holiday is a moot point.

My entire point with Christians celebrating or remotely giving the appearance of celebrating Halloween is that in order to claim it is “allowable” there needs to be scriptural evidence by providing book, chapter and verse (within context) that God would be pleased by HIS children partaking in a known pagan holiday’s festivities (of any kind). God is either pleased or not pleased by the manner in which we conduct ourselves and the positions we hold to in mind and in heart. God never gives us the impression, within His word, that He is a neutral God, not having a solid position on all matters. Do your research and find out what each thing practiced during Halloween means. What does the jack-o-lantern symbolize? What does dressing up in costumes symbolize on Halloween? What does “trick or treating” symbolize on Halloween? Read up on the history of the Halloween and then test it with the Word of God and see if it is something God would be pleased with or condone. This is what Christians are supposed to do, go directly to God’s word on EVEYRTHING. It is apparent to everyone that the marketing of Halloween does not in any shape, form, or fashion glorify God or represent anything even remotely consistent with His character and nature. Not a single aspect of Halloween or its rituals (symbols within each traditional act) that glorify God and what He should represent to the believer. The holiday definitely preys on the innocence of children when they are in their most vulnerable and impressionable stages. It teaches them the fear of something else other than God, or it desensitizes them to the real evil of satan and his every scheming plans to destroy us all. It turns evil and the reality of demonic influences into a game to be laughed at. Simply putting “happy” in front of the word Halloween, doesn’t make the holiday less pagan. How can we explain the evilness of the holiday and yet allow them to even remotely participate in Halloween’s festivities, and think we are not contradicting ourselves AND God’s word? Basic logic would tell us that saying something is evil in origin and is bad and God abhors evil, yet allow them to participate in it; is ridiculously two-faced.

I leave it to you all who claim Christ as your Lord and Savior, the One who conquered sin, death and the grave; to be like the Bereans and search diligently God’s word on this subject and every issue that comes across your path that should raise the question “Would God be pleased if I…?” After all our lives are not about serving us, but serving an infinitely Just, Righteous, and Holy God who demands that we love that which He loves and hate that which He hates.

Serving God and My Family,

Crystal <>< (SAHM)

(My responses are in red)

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Initial Post (Oct 2007)

I found this article and think it would behoove Christians to read it. Malachi and I decided when we got married that our children would not participate in Halloween, nor are we giving any merit to Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy. I think as parents we all want our children to grow up with a sound moral compass and not instill in them that lying is "ok" at anytime for any reason. So why would we start lying to them when they are young and impressionable!? Makes no sense to me. Most people I believe do certain things out of a sense of "entitlement". I would love to see where these people can justify their feelings of "entitlement" with scripture.
The other day when we were at the doctor’s office; the nurse asked what Sofia was going to be for Halloween, to which we kept silent and smiled, not wanting to offend this lady. I see now that I should not be ashamed to stand up for what is right. We could have used that opportunity to share our faith, but we felt like we would be "labeled". WHO CARES?! This lady told us that we just can't deprive our child of Halloween...are you kidding me?! Depriving her? I just laughed and laughed at the absurdity of this lady. Then of course I realized that in her ignorance she didn't have a clue!

I posted the article on my myspace blog or you can click on the link below and read it from the source.

Unmasking Halloween: Is it just harmless fun?

God Bless
Crystal <><

Unnamed Woman's Response:

Posted: Oct 18, 2007 12:52 PM

I read that article and I just wanted to say that I think it is fine that you choose not to participate in Halloween. If you feel that the Holy Spirit has led you to this conclusion then I think it is commendable and right to follow where you feel you are being led. But, in my own personal walk with God, I have not been convinced that allowing my children to trick-or-treat is wrong. I've read through Scripture and questioned God about it. No definitive answer came to me in Scripture. I have been led by the Holy Spirit to believe that there is no harm in it. I think it's a personal choice and that there is no right or wrong stance on the subject. (Romans 14) I just wanted to put that out there to say that some things are not black and white and that they require guidance by the Holy Spirit. My family belongs to Christ and He knows our hearts and sees that we are not engaging ourselves in any kind of pagan rituals or anti-Christian sentiments when we walk around door to door on Halloween. I don't believe that there is anything wrong with allowing my children to participate in the festivities with family or at school.

*Btw, I'm not trying to start an argument. I respect your decision and I hope that you respect mine as well. I think you are a very godly woman and I admire that you have made a decision about this subject and will stand by it because the Holy Spirit has led you in it. I am firmly rooted in my decision as well.
We, as believers, need to let God's spirit guide us in matters such as these and not try and make other believers adhere to what we think is right. God works in our hearts in different ways.

My Response:

Posted: Oct 18, 2007 1:06 PM

No need to debate or argue over this topic, but what I find in scripture is very much against practicing in celebrations that are pagan or pagan in origin.
I had this debate with a friend yesterday, who has since deleted me from her myspace.

This is my conversation with the friend that deleted me from her myspace. Do people really think that they have hurt my feelings for deleting me? I find this silly and childish. It is like saying "You made me mad and uncomfortable so I don't want to be your friend anymore!" To this I say "wha!")

The bulletin about Halloween is not a popular one I understand this. All who have me on their "friends" list knows that I am sold out for the Lord and not the world. I may be radical by some people's opinions, but I would love to know what standard these people are appealing to? Is it just their feelings? And if so what makes one person's opinion better than another? Opinions are not equal; one opinion will always be closer to the Truth than another one. The real deciding point is what standard of Truth are we appealing to when we feel a need to give our opinion?

When posing an argument to a position I make known that you disagree with, if you are not going to use scripture to back up your opinion then you are wasting your efforts.

Ever since I became a Christian and my life changed, my natural response has been to RE-EVALUATE everything that I held to be true to see if it is pleasing to God. I have found that God is neutral on VERY FEW subjects. My position on Halloween is in harmony with the scriptures. If it is not, then feel free to show me otherwise using scripture because that is the standard.

God Bless
Crystal <><

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MY FRIENDS RESPONSE

Halloween has pagan roots stemming from the ancient Celtic festival, Samhain. This harvest festival of the Druids ushered in the New Year, beginning on the evening of October 31, with the lighting of bonfires and the offering of sacrifices. As the Druids danced around the fires, they celebrated the ending of the summer season and the beginning of the season of darkness. It was also believed that at this time of year the invisible "gates" between the natural world and the spirit world would open, allowing free movement between the two worlds. In the 18th century, Pope Gregory III moved All Saints Day to November 1, officially making October 31 "All Hallows Eve, " as a way of claiming the celebration for Christians. However, some of the pagan beliefs and practices associated with the celebration have persisted. There is no direct reference in the Bible prohibiting the celebration of Halloween, or Trick or Treat!!

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MY RESPONSE

Of course the Bible doesn't mention Halloween, it wasn't established until well after the Bible was written. It also doesn't mention communism, does that mean it pleases the Lord and that communism is acceptable to God? To say that the passage in Deuteronomy doesn't apply because Christians don't practice child sacrifice is a fallacious argument. That scripture is written as part of God's initial Law in Deuteronomy reflecting God's position on evil practices that the pagans were conducting. God's positions on those things have not changed, because the Bible clearly states that God DOES NOT CHANGE. And Halloween glamorizes the very things that God despises in Deuteronomy 18:10-12. Also, these verses were not written to Christians, as there were no Christians in that time. Christians are those who profess to believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. How could the Hebrews in the OT do this? The Bible clearly states that if we are aware of a pagan association with something, whether it be a meal or a holiday, then we are to refrain from it, lest somebody think we are approving it which can lead others to sin. 1 Corinthians chapter 8 clearly tells us that for the sake of others we are not to partake in anything that is associated with paganism. As far as "becoming all things to all men", that is in reference to bringing the Gospel to every level of mankind. It in no way is implying that we are given allowance to practice in that which has already been established as ungodly. So to say it means otherwise is to take it out of context. It seems as though the verses you bring up you are agreeing that the Bible does disagree with what Halloween stands for. SO the question is, knowing the origins of Halloween, is it pleasing to God that we practice it? If one is not a Christian than the debate on whether celebrating Halloween is right or not is pointless as the unbeliever has bigger issues to deal with. If one is a professing Christian, then the debate on whether to celebrate Halloween is right or not, is based on how much authority the person puts on scripture and God's Commandments in their life. To say that because the BIBLE doesn't mention Halloween and then therefore it is ok to participate in it, is an argument from silence. It is the same as saying that "God likes turtles" isn't said in the Bible therefore God must hate them. The Bible says there is nothing new under the sun. The principles of the things that are going on today have been going on for over 6, 000 years. These are MY convictions based on God's Word, the Bible. To try and use scripture to say that God's doesn't care either way if someone practices in a holiday with it's roots in paganism is proving that you have absolutely no clue who God is and what He commands of us. His very nature and character goes against anything that is rooted in evil! We may justify the harmlessness of a practice because much time has passed between its true roots, but time does not change God, who is timeless and He is just as offended 4, 000 years ago as He is today when we are distracted by ungodly things.

Everyone will have their own opinions and positions on just about everything. As Christians we need to make very sure that our opinions and positions line up with God's Word and His character. Period.

God Bless
Crystal <><

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Unnamed Woman's Response:

Posted: Oct 18, 2007 1:56 PM

Crystal-

I wasn't trying to convince you that I am right. I gave you the 14th chapter of Romans as a source of Scripture. But, like you said, there was no Halloween when the Bible was written. I said that I did not want to argue with you and I am not going to because there is nothing to argue about. I respect what you have said and my decision is between me and God. I think that you are right in not participating in Halloween if you feel that is what God's word and His spirit has led you to. And I feel that I am right and justified as well because of what I feel God's word and Spirit are saying to me. This whole debate has nothing to do with salvation or the basic principles of our faith nor does it in any way imply that either of us is not a believer for being one side or the other. It is a point on which we disagree. I think we should agree to disagree.


Romans 14

The Weak and the Strong
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written:
" 'As surely as I live, ' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

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My Response:

Posted: Oct 18, 2007 3:30 PM

Do you believe God's Word and His Spirit will say opposite things to two different people?

Romans 14 is referring to meat that was being sold in the market places, in which some of the meat was from animals that had been sacrificed to idols and some meat was not. What it is saying is that it doesn't matter whether it was or not, we have liberty in Christ, and the Lord blesses both. They didn't need to find out the origin of the meat in order to eat it because of our freedom in Christ.

Notice that Romans 14 is not saying it is ok to go into the pagan temples and take their sacrificed meat. This would be the equivalent of us taking part in Halloween, whether we believe in what it stands for or not, for the fun of it, or to get candy.


God Bless
Crystal <><

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Unnamed Woman's Response:

Posted: Oct 18, 2007 5:08 PM

Crystal-

Shame on you for insinuating that God's Spirit is not in me! Who gave you the authority to say such things? It is obviously futile to debate this. Go ahead and think what you want. I never said you were wrong and I never said that I was absolutley right. I applauded you for sticking to your guns.

I used Romans 14 because it talks about letting disputable things remain between God and a believer and not condemning His people for what they believe is from Him. God knows my heart and I am held accountable to no one but Him.

Posted: Oct 18, 2007 5:48 PM

Let me re-word my previous statement. I don't think Halloween is a matter of the Spirit, it's a matter of conscience. You are absolutely right Crystal that the Spirit would not contradict itself. The Spirit says nothing about Halloween and the Scripture does not address it either. It is completely a matter of conscience. I choose to believe that Halloween is not detrimental to my faith, has nothing to do with my salvation and is not contradictory to God's word or Spirit. If your conscience tells you to refrain from participating in it then you should listen to it and you are right in doing so.

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My Response:

Posted: Oct 18, 2007 6:13 PM

You cannot say that your application of Romans 14 applies to Halloween, You are using that passage inappropriately.

I am in no way insinuating that the Holy Spirit is not with you. I asked you, can the Holy Spirit tell opposite things about the same issue to different people?

The point is the practice of Halloween was a pagan holiday and IS still a pagan holiday. It is the most celebrated day for Satanist, witches, wiccans and all religions dealing with the occult. Knowing this how can we possibly justify any involvement in that holiday and mark it up as exercising our Christianity liberty? That is absolutely absurd and unscriptural.


I am not judging you, I am judging the pagan holiday of Halloween and how it lines up with scripture! There is a difference and I think you lost that in this entire conversation.


It is completely true that we have freedom in Christ over non essentials.
But if you can, in good conscience participate in a holiday that is currently celebrated by Satan worshipers and witches, for the purpose of harmless fun, then maybe you need to re-evaluate where you received your convictions of Christian liberty. Maybe you should ask yourself why this particular day is celebrated by occult religions?


God Bless
Crystal <><

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Unnamed Woman's Response:

Posted: Oct 18, 2007 6:38 PM

I will be resigning from this group. I am sorry that this dispute has gotten so far. God bless all of you.

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My Response:

Posted: Oct 18, 2007 6:58 PM

I want to make this known, that I am not telling Christians not to participate in Halloween. I am encouraging Christians to evaluate Halloween in light of scripture. The difference is this:

A. By not participating in Halloween you cannot go wrong.

B. By participating in Halloween there is a possibility you can be wrong.


So, for me not to participate and not allow my children to participate in a known pagan holiday I am NOT sinning or causing my child to sin. However, on the other side, if a Christian does allow themselves to participate then it is "possible" they are sinning and by allowing their children to participate "could" be leading them straight into sinning. So I chose to err on the side of caution, which lines up with scripture. As Christians if we participate in a known pagan holiday we need to ask ourselves why and what for? Are candy and a little "harmless" fun worth the risk?

I just have to ask...why would a Christian in any way defend celebrating a pagan holiday? What is to gain about defending the celebration of a known pagan holiday? Even if you don't believe that you are celebrating the pagan practice, there are those who do practice Halloween for occultic satanic reasons. Knowing this why would any Christian want to be associating themselves with it?


God Bless
Crystal <><

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Some other lady who wants to make a comment:

None of that is up to you. it is up to God and God alone. I'm sorry but I'm also resigning from this group because I don't think there is any place for judgment between sisters in Christ. We will be held accountable for what we allow our children to participate in, and it does not hurt you or concern you or anyone else but our spouse and the Lord. So please get off the spiritual high horse you are on and stop condeming people for the areas they believe God has allowed them liberty. There is NO condemnation in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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My Response:

Posted: Oct 18, 2007 10:15 PM

Again, let me repeat myself, I am speaking out against a pagan holiday, not those who practice it. If you feel singled out that I have exposed what Halloween is than that is between you and God. Why go through the effort of defending a pagan holiday!?


God Bless
Crystal <><

Posted: Oct 18, 2007 11:08 PM

Also where in the world did you get the idea that I was here to "unify sisters in Christ"? I am all about unity but not at the cost of compromising the Truth! If anyone who reads the Bible thinks that we as Christians are not allowed to make any judgments than you need to read your Bible a little more carefully. It has nothing to do with self righteousness; it has to do with exposing a holiday for what it is. Halloween is a pagan holiday, period. No one can argue with the truth of this.

It seems as though people have been fed that maintaining peace between our fellow people is the common goal, which it is not. We are supposed to be separate from the world, and not take part in those things that are against the Lord or work against Him. Halloween and the celebrating there in conflicts with scripture in that it is a day dedicated to worshiping Satan. How much more obvious can it be that just maybe we as professing Christians would refrain from partaking in it in any way?

Why is this even a debate? Why are their people here defending Halloween? I mean are you kidding me?

It seems as though the ones this has "dinged" are those who celebrate Halloween and wish to continue doing so regardless of the nature of the holiday. Just outrageous! We are to be imitators of Christ, right? Why would we knowingly partake in a holiday that is celebrated with worshiping Satan? Isn't one of our chief goals to not cause unbelievers and those who are weak in the faith to stumble?

Please know that it in no way hurts my feelings or causes me to rethink what I have said here today because individuals want to resign from this group over celebrating Halloween.

As I said in the beginning of this post this is not a popular topic. I believe it is not popular because Halloween has become an American tradition where kids get to dress up and get candy. Yeah seems like harmless fun, until you learn what the holiday is actually celebrating. What is it about this holiday that makes some Christians continue to celebrate it? Is it having fun that they think will be lost if they no longer celebrate Halloween? Are they afraid their children might pitch a fit and demand to go trick or treating because mommy and daddy have allowed them to in the past? (Seems like they set themselves up for that in the beginning) Why even go there? Why not err on the side of caution? God abhors evil. God abhors pagan practices, and Halloween is one of those pagan practices. Where in scripture can anyone show me where God has said, "sure, go have a little fun playing in the pagan pool?"

An alternative thing to celebrating Halloween, would be if someone knocks on your door saying "trick-or-treat" (which you may want to do some research on what that really means) hand out Gospel tracts, or hey I have a thought, share the Gospel with them yourself. This year as you drive around your section of this world, tell me if the Halloween decorations Glorify God in anyway. Halloween was never meant to be this sweet pretty celebration of kids dressing up in cute costumes and getting candy. It is a night to scare people. It is a holiday of instilling fear in people, including those precious little babies that the Lord has placed in our care. Give me a break! There is nothing about Halloween that Honors God or Glorifies Him. It does just the opposite. So why would we want to participate or be associated with it? For fun and candy? Or because you "feel" that you are entitled to have fun because of your Christian liberties. That would be called licentiousness.

Paul tell us in 1 Corinthians 10 we cannot drink of the cup of the Lord, and of demons. 1 Corinthians chapter 8 tell us to be careful with our liberties.

9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall."

1 Corinthians 10:20-28 tells us that basically once we have been made aware that something we are about to partake in is associated with paganism we are not to partake in it.

"20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
23 "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. 24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. 25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." 27 If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice, " then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake-- "


It seems as though scripture has a lot to say about Christians knowingly partaking in or celebrating pagan holidays. There are very few issues that the Lord is neutral on. I think Christians have compromised to a point where Halloween is no longer offensive to us. It should be repulsive to us, but we have been so desensitized to it, that even we are celebrating paganism. Halloween is a great way to draw children into the occult. Why would we set them up for this?

Again, as you drive around your section of the world, and you see all the Halloween decorations on homes and other places, ask yourself what these decorations glorify and represent.


God Bless
Crystal <><