There’s a lot of debate as to whether or not Christians should celebrate and participate in Halloween. Is it alright to dress up our kids in costumes and allow them to go trick-or treating in our neighborhood? Is it okay for us to attend Halloween parties dressed in some evil-looking and demonic costumes?

And what about having profile pictures on our social media accounts that look demonic? If we do any of this, are we celebrating an evil holiday?

I was browsing my Facebook News Feed yesterday when a profile picture and cover photo of a Christian friend caught my attention. With an app she made herself look like a zombie. You know, bloody mouth and clothes, thick eyeliners and all that. Obviously, she changed her profile picture in celebration of Halloween.

So what’s with Halloween and what is its origin?

Origin of Halloween

Halloween is a word which is derived from the term “All Hallows Eve;” it is an annual festival that is celebrated on the evening of October 31st which is said to have its origins in the Celtic Festival of Samhain in ancient Britain and Ireland. It is believed that during this time the dead could walk among the living and would visit their family and relatives.

Did you know that second to Christmas, the yearly observance of Halloween in North America amounts to a billion-dollar industry – selling party costumes and supplies, candies and other food items, tours of so-called haunted houses and several other forms of entertainment? Business owners are making lots and lots of money annually because people love to celebrate Halloween.

Many in our society believe Halloween is nothing more than a harmless festival that allows kids to dress up as their favorite superhero and go door to door asking for candies and playing tricks on people. But is it?

I know for a fact that there are Christians and pastors who celebrate Halloween. Some churches even have a Zombie Run. Really? In the house of God? But I also believe that some maybe involved in the celebration without knowing its origin.

I want to think that my friend had no idea what Halloween really is all about and that’s why she thought it would be fun to have a zombie-looking profile picture and cover photo. In a spirit of full disclosure, when I was a new believer I often went with my boss’ kids trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. That’s because other than not seeing the harm in it, I wanted to make the kids happy.

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? 

Wanting to know the answer to this is what motivated me to do some research on the origin and implications of Halloween on man. And what I found out convinced and convicted me that contrary to what many people think, Halloween is not just some harmless and fun festival.

5 Reasons Christians Should Not Celebrate Halloween.

1) Halloween which falls on the 31st of October has long been known as “The Festival of the Dead.”

This day is celebrated as the marker for the change from life to death. While God is a God of life, Halloween focuses on death. How can Christians who have passed on from death to life celebrate the opposite?

Scriptures tell us that anyone who believes in the Father who sent Jesus His Son has everlasting life and shall not be judged but has passed from death into life (John 5:24). We were dead in our transgressions but were made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:1); we were separated from God because of sin but God in His grace and mercy gave us the gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

So how can Christians who were rescued from death celebrate the festival of the dead? We want the Gospel to reach every lost soul so they too will come into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and be rescued from death to life. In the same way that the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10), Christians should celebrate and rejoice over every dead soul that is born again.

2) Halloween is a celebration of witchcraft, a high holiday for Wiccans which is the official religion of witchcraft.

Halloween is also a time when witches attempt to communicate with the dead through various forms of divination The Bible never mentions Halloween but it does speak concerning witches, paganism and occultism. The Word of God makes it clear that these practices are detestable to the Lord and considered an abomination to God (Deuteronomy 18:10-13).

Christians should do well not to get involved with the occult, witchcraft, lucky charms, demonism, communicating with the dead and all other forms of divination.

A Christian who participates with any of these detestable practices is in clear violation of God’s command and is due to face judgment. When Christians participate in Halloween, they approve the celebration of a holiday that promotes divination, witchcraft and other occultic practices.

If a Halloween celebration is centered on demons, devils, evil spirits, etc., why would Christians want anything to do with it? Why would Christians want to celebrate alongside Wiccans and get involved in something that is detestable to God?

3) Halloween is a dark holiday implicating darkness and fear.

Romans 13:12 exhorts us to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Why would we want to celebrate darkness after God has rescued us from its dominion and conveyed us into the kingdom of His Son and into His marvelous light (Colossians 1:13; 1 Peter 2:9)?

Before I came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, I was always afraid of the dark. I became even more afraid after my father died. A few days after his burial, I couldn’t go out at night without a torch because I feared that I might see or bump into a ghost or spirit of some kind. After I got saved, I knew I had nothing to fear because God is always with me, right by my side.

God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7); fear comes from the enemy. I have been delivered from fear so why would I want to participate in a holiday that has fear as its foundation? Why would Christians celebrate darkness and fear when the Bible says that light has nothing in common with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14)? Is celebrating a dark holiday something a child of the light should be doing?

4) Do you know why kids dress up in costumes today during Halloween and go door-to-door seeking treats?

Occultists taught that spirits and ghosts left their graves on Halloween night to seek out warmth in their previous homes. The villagers who fear that they will be visited by the ghosts of past occupants would dress up in costumes to scare them away. They would also leave food and other treats at their door to appease the spirits so they would not destroy their homes or crops.

Is it pleasing to God when we dress our kids like the devil, witches or any other scary characters? Isn’t this demonic?

5) What’s with the Pumpkin on Halloween?

Pumpkins with a scary face carved into them are used by occultists to scare away the spirits hoping that they would move on to another home or village and spare their homes from destruction. At times, the villagers would also light a candle and place it within the lantern. This is how the carvings into pumpkins at Halloween started.

Conclusion

When Christians set aside a day to celebrate death, evil, witchcraft, darkness and fear, it brings disdain to God. God is not pleased when His children choose to take part in the ungodly celebrations of this world. We should not celebrate what the world celebrates, especially when it does not glorify God.

Those who are in Christ are not to conform any longer to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2). We maybe in this world but we are not of this world because our eternal home is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).

To the Christian parents who allow their kids to celebrate Halloween, do you know that Anton Lavey, American author, musician, occultist and founder of the Church of Satan was quoted saying, “I’m glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year.”

So what do you do when neighbors come to your door on Halloween expecting to receive something? Open your door and give them JESUS! Invite them in and share the Gospel message of salvation. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world … let your light shine before men so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Do not celebrate Halloween. Instead, celebrate life, celebrate God, celebrate Jesus!