By COGwriter
Halloween is an old English word meaning "hallowed" (or holy) evening."
It has been reported that "Halloween is the second-largest commercial holiday in America, typically grossing around $10 billion in sales, according to the National Retail Federation."
Although many claim that the origins of Halloween are Christian, the fact is that this commercial holiday has pagan overtones which is why October 31st was chosen for it.
Should Christians celebrate Halloween?
Here is a link to a related sermon: 5 Ways Christians Can Biblically Celebrate Halloween?
Are there biblical reasons to observe it or not?
Each year, at least in the United States, various Protestants put out articles as to why they feel that the celebration is appropriate.
This article will contain excerpts of claimed reasons by mainly Protestant writers as well as some comments from them on the inappropriateness of celebrating Halloween.
Let's start with a headline from Christianity.com published on September 12, 2024:
5 Ways Christians Can Biblically Celebrate Halloween
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/5-ways-christians-can-biblically-celebrate-halloween.html
The article came out in plenty of time for people to consider whether or not to celebrate Halloween in 2024.
Now, if Christians should celebrate Halloween, certainly the reasons would have biblical support.
Jesus taught:
"It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:4)
The Apostle Paul taught:
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Jesus told us we are to live by every word of God, while Paul taught there is enough in scripture to be complete enough to be corrected and equipped for every goog work.
So, yes the scriptures can be trusted.
But not all who claim to use the scriptures can. The Apostle Paul also wrote:
12 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:11-15)
The Apostle Jude wrote:
17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. (Jude 17-19)
With those passages from Paul in Jude in mind, consider the following from Christianity.com:
We do not have any examples from Scripture that tell us how to celebrate October 31, but we do have guiding biblical principles to help us glorify God in our celebration. We can participate in Halloween in God-honoring ways.
The above clearly admits that who one should celebrate Halloween is NOT in the Bible. But it says, correctly, to rely on biblical principles.
Yet, it has confused various lusts of the flesh for biblical priniciples.
For example, note the first reason that it gives:
1. Pass out Tracts with Candy
Families often walk around neighborhoods or stop by houses to collect candy on Halloween. ...
Jesus has told us to make disciples of all people (Matthew 28:18-20). We participate in this disciple-making work by introducing people to the Savior, sometimes in small and practical ways. By passing out tracts to children, we are planting a seed that could grow into faith in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:6).
So, let's quote what Jesus said in the scriptures cited:
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)
Did Jesus command that one should observe pagn holidays?
No, of course not.
Is Halloween basically a pagan holiday?
Yes.
Even the Christianity.com article partially admits:
Some Christians decide not to celebrate the holiday because of its association with the occult and paganism.
Now, Halloween is pagan and is not something real Christians should celebrate.
Now, back to the Christianity.com article:
Also, if we are going to pass out candy and tracts, we need to ensure that the candy is of good quality. By passing out quality treats, children and parents will have a better impression of the gospel tract.
It is not clear what the Christianity.com article means regarding quality treats. Presumably this mean some other than the cheapest one.
But even then, is sending out candy the right thing to do?
The Bible teaches:
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, (Isaiah 55:2)
Now, I have a lot of cavities. Now, I have not gotten any since I was a teen who stopped celebrating Halloween--and Easter.
I liked the candy for both those holidays. But I most definitely ate a lot more candy because of Halloween and Easter. And while most people can handle a small amount of candy, I am fairly sure that my mouth full of cavities came from them -- particularly since I was never much of a soda drinker.
Anyway, no, the gospel message is not made sweeter by giving sweets to children.
The article cited 1 Corinthians 3:6 where the Apostle Paul states:
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:6)
Does anyone really think that Paul was encouraging to planting of seeds with paganism?
Hopefully not.
Yet, many Protestants have the wrong biblical view on this.
Notice something else that the Apostle Paul was inspired to write in the same book:
20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? (1 Corinthians 10:20-22)
The Apostle Paul is clearly teaching that Christians are NOT to blend worship of God with pagan practices.
But isn't that what Halloween is?
As it turns out, some Protestants have claimed that their faith was strong enough not to be affected by such blending, yet the Apostle Paul warned against that as well.
Let's look at the second way Christianity.com article claims is scriptural to celebrate Halloween:
2. Dress in Costumes That Represent Goodness and Truth
Another way to celebrate Halloween biblically is to choose costumes that exemplify Christian virtues. Many choices of costumes for children, teens, and adults are based on characters from horror movies.
Oftentimes, these characters promote murder or the occult. Teens and adults also face difficulty because some costume choices are provocative.
The fact is that many costumes related to Halloween promote occult themes or are intended to provoke lust. The Bible is clear that women, for example, should dress modestly:
8 I desire therefore ... 9 ... that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. (1 Timothy 2:8-10)
That eliminates many Halloween costumes, yet many who claim Christianity violate that.
Where did the idea of costumes for this day come from?
Well, the wearing scary costumes on Halloween originates with the Samhain tradition of disguising yourself to hide from evil spirits (https://hauntpay.com/2023/10/the-history-of-halloween-and-its-traditions/#:~:text=Wearing%20scary%20costumes%20on%20Halloween,to%20our%20most%20beloved%20characters).
But, of course, demonic spirits can tell that someone is wearing a costume, so that did not work. The truth is that dressing in any costume will not deceive Satan or his demons.
Back to the Christianity.com article:
The Bible encourages us to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Also, Christians should seek to glorify God in everything they do (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17).
That is true.
Let's look at each of those scriptures starting with Philippians 4:
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8)
If one were to meditate on Halloween, one would realize that it is not something praiseworthy from a Christian perspective. It is NOT a true Christian holy day, is NOT something that is pure as those who push the occult and/or dress provocatively demonstrate, and is not a holy day of virtue. Hence, these are reasons that Halloween is not appropriate for Christians.
Let's now look at 1 Corinthians 10:31 which the the Christianity.com article pointed to:
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
The Christianity.com article failed to connect the 31st verse with the 20th and 21st verses of the chapter which specifically teaches against combining pagan practices with the worship of the true God. Also, you do NOT follow paganism for the glory of the true God.
Jesus said:
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24)
The truth is that Halloween is not a way to honor the Father. Wearing costumes is not a form of worshiping God in spirit and truth.
Let's now look at Colossians 3:17 which the the Christianity.com article pointed to:
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)
After referring to, but not quoting the three scriptures, the Christianity.com article stated:
These verses from God’s Word give us a filter when choosing Halloween costumes. If the character we are thinking of dressing up as does not fit these characteristics or glorify the Lord, then we should stop and consider if it is the best choice.
Those verses are not a filter from God's word. The word of God is NOT purifying Halloween or Halloween costumes. It is blasphemous, for example, to suggest that wearing Halloween costumes is being done "in the name of the Lord Jesus."
The Apostle Peter warned:
15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; (2 Peter 3:15-18)
And twisting scriptures from the Apostle Paul is what the in the Christianity.com article. Promoting Halloween is promoting wickedness.
But many people, prefer to accept lying excuses, instead of the truth and keeping God's commands. That is also warned against in the last book of the Bible:
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Revelation 22:14-15)
Considering Halloween celebrations as scripturally supported is a lie.
Let's look at the third way Christianity.com article claims is scriptural to celebrate Halloween:
3. Go Trunk-or-Treating
Churches regularly hold fall festivals that include trunk-or-treating. These events are alternatives to traditional trick-or-treating.
Actually, the Bible enjoins four festivals that are normally in the Fall.
Here is a list from the Bible:
2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. (Leviticus 23:2)
23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.'"
26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath."
33 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.
37 'These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day — 38 besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord.
39 'Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.'"
44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord. (Leviticus 23:23-44)
Halloween and Trunk-or-Treating are not among them.
Now, Protestants tend to say, well that was Old Testament and Christians do not need to keep them.
There are there things people may wish to consider:
1) The Holy Days listed in Leviticus 23 are actually in the Bible, whereas Halloween is not.
2) Jesus and the Apostles kept those Holy Days.
3) Early Christians kept them--for proof, see out free online book: Should You Keep God's Holy Days or Demonic Holidays?
With those in mind, consider that the Apostle Jude wrote:
3 ... contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 3)
While the biblical holy days were part of that faith once for all delivered to the saints, Halloween was not.
Yet, pretty much every year various Protestant leaders contend for the pagan-attached Halloween and not for the biblical holy days.
Why?
Here is a warning from the Apostle Jude:
4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 4)
Hence, because of false teachers who push lewdness, Christians need to be sure they contend for the original faith. That faith did not include Halloween. While these false teachers claim that they teach and do not deny Jesus as Lord, they will not obey.
Jesus warned about such:
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (Matthew 7:21-23)
The fact that many call Jesus "Lord" does not make them a real Christian. Those who promote Halloween are, in actuality, promoting lawlessness.
Getting back to its Trunk-or-Treat, the Christianity.com article states:
Instead of focusing on skeletons, vampires, and other scary decorations, those who participate in the trunk-or-treating adorn the trunks of their cars with fun and often biblical-themed decorations.
Such events are a wonderful way to fellowship with other believers, as the Bible encourages us to do (Hebrews 10:25). Also, fall festivals or trunk-or-treating at church are creative opportunities for outreach.
Hebrews 10:24-25 states:
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
But that is NOT an admonition to get together to celebrate demonic holidays, which basically is a violation of 1 Corinthians 10:20-21). If Protestants really want to not forsake the assembling of themselves together, they would do so on the weekly seventh-day Sabbath and the biblical Holy Days. Yet, those are days that most do forsake.
Anyway, the bulk of Protestants who celebrate Halloween approve of trick-or-treating--not this trunk idea.
Getting back to its Trunk-or-Treat, the Christianity.com article states:
Children and families from local communities could attend the event and meet Christians who lovingly live out their faith (1 Peter 2:12).
Children and families can best "lovingly live out their faith" by striving to live according to the original and true Christian faith, which did not include October 31st celebrations. Now, let's see what the scripture cited actually states:
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:12)
In the day of visitation, will Christians have made the proper example to Gentiles by encouraging pagan celebrations such as Halloween or biblical ones such as the weekly Sabbath and the annual holy days?
Jesus said:
14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)
We let our lights shine by living as an obedient and loving Christian, not by being one who wants to compromise and attend parties derived from paganism.
Let's look at the fourth way Christianity.com article claims is scriptural to celebrate Halloween:
4. Incorporate a Prayer Walk While Trick-or-Treating
Notice that after advocating Trunk-or-Treating, the article gets back to trick-or-treating. Hence it is endorsing that.
Let's look at some article that relate to the history of trick-or-treating:
If there are ghosts, goblins, witches, astronauts, cartoon characters, and a wild variety of oddly dressed creatures visiting your door asking for candy, chances are it's Halloween.
Before you shell out the sweets, most of these visitors probably shout “trick or treat!" But why do they do that? …
The phrase is a subtle suggestion that if a treat (like candy) is given, then the child will not perform a “trick" (mischief) on the owner of the house. This popular Halloween custom has its origins in the ancient practices of “souling" and “guising."
In the Middle Ages, poor people in Ireland and Britain would go “souling" on Hallowmas (November 1). “Souling" consisted of going door to door asking for food in return for saying prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2). Accessed 10/01/24 https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/Why-Do-You-Say-%22Trick-or-Treat%22#:~:text=The%20phrase%20is%20a%20subtle,souling%22%20and%20%E2%80%9Cguising.%22
The History of Trick-or-Treating Goes Back Centuries
From the ancient Celts to medieval English, the Halloween tradition precedes the costumed children who will soon swarm your block
October 24, 2023
It’s almost that time of year, when kids get into costume and traipse around the neighborhood ringing doorbells and begging for treats. When you think about it, trick-or-treating is kind of a weird thing. Where did it come from, anyway?
Halloween’s origins go back 2,000 years, to the Celtic holiday of Samhain, which marked their new year, according to National Geographic. Ancient Irish and Scottish people believed the veil between the worlds of the dead and living grew thin each year on November 1, allowing demons to roam the earth again. Along with displaying offerings and lighting bonfires for spirits, the Celts dressed up as the dead, hoping to blend in with real demons and therefore skirt spiritual confrontation.
Fast forward to the 7th century, when the Catholic Church was in the business of converting pagan holidays into God-fearing ones. They turned the Celts’ demon dress-up party into “All Saints Day,” moving their celebration of the church’s heavenly saints to November 1 during Pope Gregory III’s reign, between 731 and 741 C.E.. The church’s holiday was also called “Allhallows” or “Hallowmas,” with “hallow” meaning holy. By the early 11th century, the church had also designated November 2 as All Souls’ Day, an occasion on which to honor the dead who are waiting in Purgatory before being sent to Heaven.
All Souls’ Day became an occasion for door-to-door “souling,” according to History.com. Poor people would visit the homes of the wealthy, offering to pray for the homeowner’s dead loved ones in exchange for “soul cakes.” The practice was soon taken over by children, who asked for money, ale or food.
Back in Scotland and Ireland, kids were doing something similar, but in costume. They visited households promising not prayers for the dead, but entertainment. “Guising” children would put on a disguise and bring some talent door-to-door, like singing or poetry recitation, in exchange for treats. …
A November 1923 article published in the Saskatchewan Leader-Post described a quiet Halloween, noting that “‘Treats’ not ‘tricks’ were the order of the evening,” while a November 1924 article published in Alberta’s Red Deer Advocate stated:
Hallowe'en night was observed in the usual manner by the young "bloods" in Penhold. "Fun is fun, and tricks are tricks," but when such public buildings as school and Memorial Hall are molested with no option for "Treat or Trick," we can not see where either fun or trick is enjoyed by the participants.
In the U.S., the earliest recorded example of the phrase dates to 1928, according to Popik. That November, Michigan’s Bay City Times claimed residents dreaded Halloween night, when they’d encounter on their doorsteps the “fatal ultimatum ‘Tricks or treats!” uttered in a merciless tone by some small child who clutched in one grubby fist a small chunk of soap capable of eliminating the transparency from any number of windows.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-history-of-trick-or-treating-goes-back-centuries-79408373/
In Detroit, windows were soaped and other things often happened to houses where they either did not answer or ran out of candy.
If you think about it, the expression “Trick or Treat” is wrong for a Christian to say. It is wrong if the person is intending to cause damage if they do not get candy and it is also wrong to say it if there is no intention to cause damage as basically it is a false threat.
Now back to the Christianity.com article, which states:
Praying for your neighbors as you pass their houses can be a powerful way to remember the need to love and point others to Christ.
Believers are encouraged to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We are also told to “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion,” which would apply to Halloween (Ephesians 6:18).
Yes, Christians are to pray:
17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-19)
But this is not a discussion about praying while participating in anti-Spirit of God activities.
Let's look at Ephesians 6:
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:11-13)
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:17-18)
We are to put on the spiritual armor of God to resist the pulls and deceits from demons and dark forces. We are not supposed to violate the word of God and then tell ourselves because we are praying our activities are blessed when we are following the way of the pagans.
Speaking of Ephesians, notice something the Apostle Paul wrote prior to chapter 6:
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 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. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:
"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light."15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, (Ephesians 5:1-19)
Halloween is a holiday of darkness.
Notice that Christians are "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."
That is what I am doing in this article.
Furthermore, while children tend to overly indulge in candy on Halloween, many adults do overly indulge in alcohol on Halloween.
But even if one is not getting drunk on Halloween, it is a time of darkness and Christians are NOT being "imitators of God as dear children" when the observe Halloween.
Let's look at the fifth way Christianity.com article claims is scriptural to celebrate Halloween:
5. Celebrate the Good
In addition to passing out tracts, dressing in costumes that honor God, participating in a trunk-or-treat at church, and incorporating a prayer walk, Christians can biblically celebrate Halloween by celebrating things that are good.
Sometimes we can be so focused on things we need to avoid that we forget the things we can celebrate. The season of autumn gives us many good and beautiful things that we can enjoy and be thankful for.
God is the source of all that is good in the world (James 1:17). Hence, we can celebrate blessings like delicious treats, time spent with family, changing leaves, pumpkins, and fun games.
Let's look at what the Apostle James wrote:
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. (James 1:17-18)
But Halloween is not a gift of God.
The article at Christianity.com concludes with:
We can participate in Halloween in God-honoring ways while avoiding activities that promote the occult.
A few ways that Christians can biblically celebrate Halloween include passing out tracts with candy, choosing costumes that exemplify goodness and truth, participating in a trunk-or-treat event at church, doing a prayer walk, and thanking God for His loving gifts.
Well, I believe I addressed each of the scriptures the above article cited. Yet, none of them give reasons why a Christian should be part of a pagan holiday.
Here are some excerpts from an article in the Protestant publication called Christianity Today that Halloween endorses Halloween:
America’s preachers also hope they’ll consider coming to church, according to a new phone survey of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors from LifeWay Research.
While a minority (not quite 1 in 10) of Protestant pastors tell church members to skip Halloween altogether, two-thirds say they encourage church members to ask their neighbors to a church-related event like a fall fair or trunk-or-treat.
Half tell their church members to befriend those who trick-or-treat at their doors.
Most pastors see Halloween as an opportunity to reach out, says Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research.
“This is a time when your neighbors literally come to your doorstep,” he says. “Pastors don’t want their church members to waste that chance to make a connection or invite someone to church.”
Halloween has become a major social and retail event in American culture. Seven out of 10 Americans (69%) plan to celebrate Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation. The average American consumer will spend about $83 on candy, decorations, and other goodies. That’s up from $74 in 2015.
Most pastors want church members to take part in the season’s activities as well.
Two-thirds (67%) encourage church members to invite friends and neighbors to a fall festival, trunk-or-treat, or judgment house. Pastors at bigger churches (those with 250 or more in attendance) are most likely to ask church members to invite their neighbors (86%) to an event at the church. Those from small churches (50 or fewer in attendance) are least likely (48%).
Holiness (82%), Baptist (77%), Pentecostal (75%) and Methodist (73%) pastors are more likely to ask their members to invite friends to an event. Lutheran (56%) and Presbyterian/Reformed pastors (55%) are less likely.
About a quarter of pastors encourage church members to hand out gospel tracts at Halloween. [Editor’s note: The most prolific creator of tracts, Jack Chick, died on Sunday.]
But pastors are twice as likely to encourage members to befriend neighbors who trick-or-treat (52%) than to tell members to hand out gospel tracts (26%). Pastors at larger churches (63%) are more likely to want their members to build relationships with trick-or-treaters than those at smaller churches (42%). ...
A 2015 LifeWay study found about 6 in 10 Americans say Halloween “is all in good fun.” But about a third say they either skip Halloween altogether (21%) or avoid its pagan elements (14%).
Self-identified evangelicals are mostly likely to either skip Halloween (28%) or skip its pagan elements (23%).
The more people go to church, the more skeptical they are of Halloween. Less than half (44%) of those who attend religious services at least once a week say Halloween is all in good fun. Most Americans who only go to church on religious holidays say Halloween is all in good fun (82%.) http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2016/october/trick-or-treat-tracts-pastors-want-gospel-given-halloween.html
Halloween promotes a FALSE GOSPEL (for more on the true gospel, check out the free online book: The Gospel of the Kingdom of God). People claiming Christianity are not helping their neighbors by embracing it. It is NOT GOOD fun. By the way, Christianity Today put the title RESEARCH at the beginning of this article. Yet, its 'research did NOT include scriptures.
The Bible repeatedly teaches:
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12)
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 16:25)
8 "You shall not at all do as we are doing here today — every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes (Deuteronomy 12:8)
Furthermore, consider:
8 "Now you shall say to this people, 'Thus says the Lord: "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. (Jeremiah 21:8)
19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; (Deuteronomy 30:19)
The demonically death-themed Halloween is not the way of life that the Bible advocates.
No truly "Christian" publication would promote it.
The prophet Jeremiah was inspired to write:
2 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 10:2-3).
At the absolute best, Halloween customs are futile and detract from the emphasis to worship the true God. Moses was inspired to write:
24 You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars (Exodus 23:24).
Note that not only are God's people not to worship other gods, they are not to "do according to their works" (of those who did)--like Halloween.
Consider also the following words of Nehemiah:
29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.
30 Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan. (Nehemiah 13:29-30)
Nehemiah was a leader that God appointed and he rightly stood against foreign pagan contamination that affected what was supposed to be the religion of God’s people. Today, as the New Testament also supports (e.g. 1 Corinthians 10:21), true Christian ministers are to stand against pagan contamination.
Although it sees various positives with Halloween, the Protestant Focus on the Family posted:
Reasons Why Christians Don’t Celebrate Halloween
Swirling around Halloween’s fall festivities and trick-or-treating are the not-so-subtle connections to problematic supernatural practices. Despite the distance from its period of origin, Halloween still remains connected to paganism.
On a general level, Halloween is a time of the year celebrated by advocates of Wicca, a network of practicing witches. As the official religion of witchcraft, Wicca believes October 31 to mark the time when the separation between the spiritual and physical realms is the thinnest. In other words, Halloween is the best time to try and interact with the supernatural realm, according to Wiccans.
Going further, some of those otherworldly connections align with Satanism. Halloween has always maintained a relationship with occultism. Additionally, Halloween’s premise includes an intentional and public display of imagery, mischief, and behavior generally looked down upon any other time of the year. https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/should-christians-celebrate-halloween/
To take that a step further, let's look at something else that the Apostle Paul wrote:
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
"I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people."17 Therefore
"Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you."
18 'I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
Halloween is a holiday for unbelievers and witches. The Bible does not support endorsing their practices:
18 You shall not permit a sorceress to live. (Exodus 22:18)
10 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, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. 14 For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. (Deuteronomy 18:10-14)
Halloween is about promoting aspects of witchcraft, or at least putting things like witches in a positive light.
While those passages were in the Old Testament, the last chapter of the Book of Revelation condemns sorcery as does the following from the Apostle Paul:
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: ... 20 idolatry, sorcery, ... outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 ... drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21).
Halloween is clearly a heresy that with elements of revelries that the Bible teaches against.
It is not a day for Christians.
Here is a report related to a former Satanist, who became a Protestant minister:
October 5, 2022
As the annual debate nears about whether Christians should celebrate Halloween, one man who spent 25 years immersed in Satanism issues a strong warning. John Ramirez, a born-again minister who strives to “make Jesus Christ proud,” tells CBN News he once “sold my soul to the devil.” He got married on Halloween in a “demonic wedding” and baptized his 11-year-old daughter “to the dark side.”
Satanism was his entire life, Ramirez tells Charlene Aaron. He “breathed, ate, and slept witchcraft,” trying to “capture” people for the devil by astral-projecting and placing curses.
When asked why he does not advise Christians to celebrate Halloween, even through Trunk or Treat events or biblical costumes, Ramirez says, “I don’t see how you can cheat on God…on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Satanists don’t come hang out with Christians on Good Friday, he notes, so “why would you put your kids, your family…your whole eternity on a demonic altar? … Why would you bring that kind of curse into your house and curse your family for three to four generations?”
Don’t be fooled by fun aspects of the secular holiday, Ramirez warns parents. “People from different walks of life pray over these candies,” including witches. Then kids put that stuff into their bodies.
Pointing to the Fall in Genesis 3, Ramirez says Adam and Eve lost everything through one mistake. Though they were made in God’s image, Satan tricked them with sin and changed their identity. So even if you dress kids up as Bible figures, observing Halloween involves “changing your kids’ identity.” That, he adds, “is the trick of the devil.”
Ramirez quotes Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, as saying, “I want to thank every Christian parent for allowing their child to celebrate Halloween—the devil’s holiday—one time a year.” (The church denies LaVey said that.) https://www.kingdomlifestyleministries.org/halloween-is-a-trick-of-the-devil-warns-satanist-turned-christian/ accessed 10/02/24
As far as Anton LaVey goes, in 1969 wrote The Satanic Bible. On page 96 (in the 1976 version) it mentions Halloween:
After one’s own birthday, the two major Satanic holidays are Walpurgisnacht and Halloween (or All Hallows’ Eve). (Lavey A, Gilmore P. The Satanic Bible. Avon, September 1, 1976, p. 96–note it is on page 53 of an online version I found also).
It is interesting that Halloween is considered one of the three most important holidays to these Satanist worshipers (birthdays are actually number one according to Anton Lavey’s book–Walpurgisnacht is observed sort of like another Halloween).
The Bible never encourages the celebration of Halloween, birthdays, or other pagan worship practices. Instead, it tends to speak in a negative manner concerning them (cf. Matthew 14:6-11; Jeremiah 10; 20:14-18).
Many pro-Halloween articles claim that Halloween is really a Christian holiday and not a pagan one.
Notie the following from the Washington Post:
Guess what? Halloween is more Christian than Pagan
Halloween has similarities with (possibly accretions from) Samhain, the Celtic end-of-summer celebration. But that does not make it a pagan holiday.
As historian Nicholas Rogers, author of “Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night” (Oxford University Press, 2002), puts it: “If Samhain imparted to Halloween a supernatural charge and an intrinsic liminality, it did not offer much in the way of actual ritual practices, save in its fire rites. Most of these developed in conjunction with the medieval holy days of All Souls’ and All Saints’ day.” ...
First, we know that festivals commemorating saints (All Hallows Eve) existed in Europe by 800.
So, that proves that these were not part of the faith of the original Christians.
Back to the article in the Washington Post:
In fact, John Mirk’s Festial (the most popular orthodox sermon compilation in late medieval England) actually explains how “All Hallows Eve” came about. Pope Boniface IV converted the Roman Pantheon into a Christian church dedicated to saints and martyrs during the 7th century. This day was then commemorated as All Saints’ Day.
While Mirk’s story does tell about the Christian appropriation of a pagan temple, his narrative is firmly situated in a Christian event (the dedication of a new church) far removed from the Celtic world of Samhain. From this medieval perspective, “Halloween” is a celebration of Christian triumph over paganism, rather than a pagan holiday masquerading as Christian. Opinion | Guess what? Halloween is more Christian than Pagan - The Washington Post
Combining veneration of statues with night that was venerated by the pagans does not represent the triumph of Christianity over paganism--it is a compromised faith--one that did not reman separate from the world as the Apostle Paul admonished true Christians to be.
Back to the article in the Washington Post we see it states:
From emphasizing dead souls (both good and evil), to decorating skeletons, lighting candles for processions, building bonfires to ward off evil spirits, organizing community feasts, and even encouraging carnival practices like costumes, the medieval and early modern traditions of “Hallowtide” fit well with our modern holiday.
So what does this all mean?
It means that when we celebrate Halloween, we are definitely participating in a tradition with deep historical roots.
But those "deep historical roots" are not biblical ones. Jesus encountered similar issues in His day. Notice the following scriptures:
1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
3 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' 5 But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" — 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8 "These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matthew 15:1-9)
Many Protestants and Greco-Roman Catholics think that the tradition of observing Halloween and All Saints' Day is much more important than keeping the biblical holy days. They are no better than the tradition-attached Pharisees that Jesus repeatedly condemned in the gospels.
Now, notice something from a different article at Christianity.com titled All Saints' Day - The Meaning and History Behind November 1st Holiday:
This holiday is a yearly reminder of our connectedness as Christians to the church. Perhaps you were taught to think of saints as statues in a church building.
Well, on All Saints Day, most who observe it do so by utilizing statues and they often pray to them.
That article also states:
All Saints Day was changed by Pope Gregory III to today's date--November l. People prepared for their celebration with a night of vigil on Hallows' Eve -- Halloween (possibly because of the strong holdover influence of the Celtic Samhain festival, which many Christians in Ireland, Britain, Scotland, and Wales had continued to observe). https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/all-saints-day-november-1.html
Yes, there is a connection.
Plus the FACT of witches, goblins, etc. being connected to Halloween even today shows that it is not a Christian holiday. True Christians never would have endorsed
Here is something from Protestant Matt Arnold, editor of The Christian Parapsychologist Journal:
Was Halloween originally a Christian festival?
31 October 2023
Much has been written by Christians about the subject of whether or not we should be celebrating Halloween. Some see the celebration as originating in satanic influences and, therefore, should not be touched by Christians who should seek to avoid all forms of evil. I was brought up in this kind of church tradition. ...
The origins of Halloween are often said to be satanic, as we’re told in certain cartoon tracts that portray ancient druids going around asking for children to sacrifice to their lord of darkness, Samhain. ...
The actual origins of Halloween are solely rooted in the Church, not any fictitious religious pagan feast from ancient times.
After a few centuries of Christian martyrs under pagan Roman emperors, various churches began celebrating a day to remember and pray for them, similar to Hebrews 11’s roll-call of the departed faithful. The Syrian Church celebrated a martyrs day during Pascha week; the Greek Church similarly celebrated this the first Sunday after Pentecost; the Irish Celtic Church chose April 20th, and the Anglo-Franco-Germanic churches picked November 1st.
609AD saw Pope Benedict III rededicate the Roman Pantheon (pan-all, theon – gods) to become the church of St Mary and All Saints. ... For the Roman Church, 13th May was the celebration of All Saints, or as it would later become known, All Hallows.
By 835AD, Pope Gregory IV decided to go with the date of the Anglo-Franco-Germanic churches of 1st November. With the symbolism of death and decay evident in the landscape, it made much sense to choose this time as a time of remembering and giving thanks for the dead and as a reason to have a celebration for people to enjoy at such a dark time. There are no records of a pagan religious festival of Samhain.
No, Halloween was not originally a Christian holiday nor is it appropriate form Christians now.
The fact is that, yes, there was a pagan festival for Samhain on October 31st of each year:
Samhain, which begins at nightfall on October 31 and continues until sunset on November 1 every year, is considered one of the most important festivals of the ancient Celtic religion. Samhain is considered to be the time when gods become visible to humankind, and they tend to play tricks on their worshipers. This day used to be a day of fear and danger. Sacrifices were one of the vital rites of the festival as Celts believed they were essential to prevail over the perils before them that the deities could have laid down. ...
In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV created All Saints Day, which a century later was moved to November 11 — it acted as a Christian substitute to Samhain. https://nationaltoday.com/samhain/ accessed 10/02/24
Let me also add that my wife and I have visited the Pantheon in Rome. It still looks like a pagan place of worship and people still bow down before statues.
The World Book Encyclopedia reported:
The Druids, and order of priests in ancient Gaul and Britain, believed that on Halloween, ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches, and elves came out to harm people. They thought the cat was sacred and believed that cats had once been human beings but were changed for punishment for their evil deeds. From these Druid beliefs come the present-day use of witches, ghosts, and cats in Halloween festivities...The custom of using leaves, pumpkins, and corn stalks as Halloween decorations comes from the Druids. The early peoples of Europe also had a festival similar to the Druid holiday...In the 700s, the Roman Catholic Church named November 1 as All Saints' Day. The old pagan customs and the Christian feast day were combined into the Halloween festival [Halloween. World Book Encyclopedia, vol 9. Chicago, 1966: 25-26].
The Apostle Paul wrote:
8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:8-12)
No, we are not to follow heathen practices because we may think we will not be affected.
Notice the following from History.com:
How the Early Catholic Church Christianized Halloween
September 6, 2023
Halloween may be a secular affair today, dominated by candy, costumes and trick-or-treating, but the holiday is rooted in an annual Celtic pagan festival called Samhain (pronounced "SAH- wane") that was then appropriated by the early Catholic Church some 1,200 years ago.
The ancient Celts were an assortment of tribes and small kingdoms once scattered across western and Central Europe with distinctive languages and culture, explains Frederick Suppe, a historian specializing in Celtic and medieval history at Ball State University in Indiana.
Even after the Romans conquered their realm, Celts continued to survive and thrive in places such as Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland, and Wales.
Halloween Inspired by Samhain
Samhain, the Celtic festival that is the ancestor of Halloween, was related to the Celts’ way of looking at the world. “All the Celtic peoples conceived of a fundamental dichotomy between light and dark, with the former representing positive, lucky, fruitful values and the latter representing negative, threatening, destructive values,” Suppe explains.
The Celtic year began at sundown at the end of the autumn harvest, continued through the darkness of winter and the early spring into the brightness of the summer growing season, and concluded with the harvest. Two big holidays divided their year—Beltane, which took place April 30-May 1 on our calendar, and Samhain, which occurred from October 31 to November 1.
Samhain was the moment when the spiritual world became visible to humans, and the gods enjoyed playing tricks on mortals. It was also a time when the spirits of the dead mingled with the living. ...
. Pope Gregory I, also known as St. Gregory the Great, who headed the Church from A.D. 590 to 604, advised a missionary going to England that instead of trying to do away with the religious customs of non-Christian peoples, they simply should convert them to a Christian religious purpose. For example, “the site of a pagan temple could be converted to become a Christian church,” Suppe says.
In that fashion, Samhain, the Celts’ dark supernatural festival, eventually was converted and given a Christian context.
“The ancient Celts believed that all sorts of threatening spirits were out and about on Samhain,” Suppe says. “The early medieval Christian church believed in saints—Christians who were remarkable for their devout religious beliefs and lives.” But saints also had a supernatural side, such as their involvement in miraculous occurrences.
So the Church mixed the traditions involving Celtic spirits and Catholic saints. In the 800s, the Church designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day.
“The old beliefs associated with Samhain never died out entirely,” folklorist Jack Santino wrote in a 1982 article for the American Folklife Center. “The powerful symbolism of the traveling dead was too strong, and perhaps too basic to the human psyche, to be satisfied with the new, more abstract Catholic feast honoring saints.”
Instead, the first night of Samhain, October 31, became All Hallows Day Evening, the night before the saints were venerated. That name eventually morphed into Halloween, and it became the time when Christians could turn the supernatural symbolism and rituals of Samhain into spooky fun. https://www.history.com/news/halloween-samhain-celts-catholic-church
Thus, it should be obvious to any interested in the truth that Halloween came from paganism and compromises with paganism.
Getting back to Mark Arnold also added:
If the ancient druids were so evil, why did St Columba, the Irish evangelist to Scotland, write “Mo drui, Mac Dé”, which translates as “My druid [is Christ], the Son of God”. To St Columba, the druids were holy people, and Christ was the most holy person, his “archdruid”.
Well, first of all, we have no proof that Columba was a true Christian saint as most of the information we have about him is not certain. Secondly, it would not make sense that a true Christian leader would call the unconverted Druids as the "holy people."
Thirdly, on All Saints Day, Greco-Roman Catholics pray to saints to intervene in their lives or the lives of others. Yet, the Bible tells us to pray to God the Father. Remember that Jesus taught:
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:6)
Nor are we to pray to the saints as our mediator. Jesus is our mediator as the Apostle Paul wrote:
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
Praying to dead people the Greco-Romans consider to be saints to intervene and/or mediate between us and the Father is what is done on All Saints Day. But such should not be done. This is not the scriptural way. Although the All Saints' Day - The Meaning and History Behind November 1st Holiday article teaches against praying to or through saints, it still advocates All Saints Day.
Basically, Christianity.com is saying that, well, you can keep Halloween, but try not to keep it the same as some pagans and you can keep All Saints Day, but do not keep it as most Greco-Roman Catholics keep it, and then God will approve of that.
That is absurd.
Notice also the following "justifications" by Protestant Pastor Alan Rudnik (my comments within {} brackets):
Here are 7 ways Christians can take back Halloween:
1. Understand that All Hallows Eve (Halloween) and the ancient pagan festival of Samhain are not the same. ... Gregory III (731–741) and Gregory IV (827–844) moved the Christian holiday All Saints’ Day from May 13 to November 1 to replace the pagan rituals on October 31 and November 1. Gregory III instructed people to dress up as saints. Let the occult have Samhain, we are taking All Hallows Eve back.
{First of all Halloween is not a biblical holy day. Secondly, pagans often change practices associated with their holidays and celebrations, so what Halloween now is is basically that. And thirdly let's consider Pope Gregory III. Per Wikipedia, accessed 10/04/24, one of the things he is most famous for is pushing idols and teaching that professors of Jesus should not destroy them, but should use them in worship--which he did in a synod in in November 731. He also had various idols/icons put into numerous churches. He built a new oratory in St. Peter's Basilica to house the relics of a number of saints--that is consistent with practices of various pagan religions. Gregory III did not practice original Christianity and hence his attempting to accept modified paganism does not make him one faithful Christians would want to follow}
2. The establishment of Christmas and Easter in Europe had pagan connections but we do not abandon these holidays. Neither should we abandon All Hallows Eve. ...
{Two wrongs do not make a right. Certainly yes, Christman and Easter are pagan. Early Christians did not keep them. Christmas is related to the pagan Saturnalia celebration and December 25th was the claimed birthday of the pagan sun god Mithra. Easter, according to Roman Catholic sources, is supposed to be Passover, which it is not, and its name comes from a pagan goddess--many practices related to Easter come from paganism as Roman Catholic scholars will admit.}
3. Understanding that early Christians contextualized early pagan holidays into Christian holidays helps us to see that we do not have to compromise our beliefs with pagan ones. Anthony McRoy, a Fellow of the British Society for Middle East Studies at Wales Evangelical School of Theology reminds us:
Of course, even if Christians did engage in contextualization—expressing their message and worship in the language or forms of the local people—that in no way implies doctrinal compromise.
{Actually, absolutely it does. Greco-Roman Catholics and Protestants do nto understand God's plan of salvation--and one of the reasons for that is their acceptance of pagan days and practices as opposed to keeping the biblical days and following the practices of Jesus, His disciples, and those of the faithful early Christians.}
4. “Evil” themes in our current secular Halloween observances were not always present. Thus, we can recapture the spiritual with the innocent. Halloween does not have to be a holiday filled with Draculas, bloody masks, or witches. ...
{Well, evil still is present in Halloween--and it was present from the beginning of it becoming a Roman Catholic holiday. And the fact is that Halloween is still a holiday filled with Draculas, bloody masks, or witches. But even if you remove those, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) position on honoring their saints is anti-biblical in many ways. The RCC teaches that 1) you should pray to saint, 2) that the saints can hear your prayers, and 3) that the saints can intervene for you with God. But none of that is true. Nor did early Christians believe any of that. Early Christians taught that the dead were not conscious, but were basically asleep--see What Happens After Death? It was from paganism that the idea of the immortality of the soul can from-- Do Humans Possess Immortality? Halloween is pagan, even without witches and vampires.
The Apostle Paul wrote:
21 hold fast [to] that which is good; 22 abstain from all appearance of evil; (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, LSV)
Participating in Halloween activities clearly not consistant with avoiding the apperance of evil. But Christians are to avoid even the appearance of evil. As far as holding fast to that which is good, the Bible and early Christians enjoined the observance of God's holy days, and Halloween certainly was not one of them.}
5. If you still think Halloween is an evil day, then maybe you should see All Hallows Eve as a time when Christians can laugh and even mock evil. Anderson M. Rearick, assistant professor of English at Mount Vernon Nazarene College in Ohio, challenges us to rethink Halloween:
Should the forces of evil be mocked? Should Satan be laughed at? He most certainly should be. At the beginning of The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis includes two telling quotations, the first from Martin Luther: “The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn.”
{The Bible does NOT teach that. The Apostle James wrote:
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
"God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble."7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:4-10)
Those who promote Halloween for Christians are, at best, being spiritual Adulterers and adulteresses!
We are to resist, not try to taunt Satan.
Martin Luther himself did NOT hold to sola Scriptura or original Christianity. If he did, he would not have held to the many anti-biblical and pagan positions he taught. Many of those are documented in free online book: Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism.}
6. Christians should focus and teach the concept of celebrating All Saint’s Day, November 1st in churches.
The term “saint” is used over 60 times in the New Testament. We protestants use the word saints to describe the Christians living and dead. We can also honor our loved ones who have given us Christ, such as our parents, grandparents, etc… We thank God for them and pray that the living “saints” may live in community. Churches can use All Saints Day to light candles as an act of prayer for thanking God for the special people (“saints”) in our lives.We can also learn from the saints of the church for the last 2,000 years. We protestants have often been fearful of honoring and learning from the Church saints for fear that we are venerating them as Catholics do.
{Praying to dead people is NOT Christian. Early Christians did NOT pray to dead saints, etc. All who profess Jesus, whether they consider themselves Protestants, Greco-Roman Catholics, or Church of God Christians are to as the Apostle Jude wrote, "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). That faith included nothing like Halloween or All Saints Day.}
7. Christ holds the “keys to death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). We can take comfort in the fact that Christ defeated death. Even the mere name of “Jesus Christ” can make evil shutter and even follow the commands of God. (Pastor Alan Rudnik. 7 Reasons why a Christian can celebrate Halloween. October 28, 2010. http://www.alanrudnick.org/2010/10/28/7-reasons-why-christians-should-celebrate-halloween/ accessed 10/18/15)
{Yes, Jesus defeated death and the biblical holy days point to that and how God's plan to save humans the second death. Halloween does not do that.}
Anyway, Christians cannot "take back" what is anti-biblical--Halloween was never a Christian observance.
But apparently according to that Protestant pastor, if you feel that the Bishop of Rome has authority over your spiritual life (1), that you are to venerate dead saints and/or consider them mediators in conflict with 1 Timothy 2:5 (1,6), that modified paganism pleases God (1,2), that multiple wrongs make something right (1,2), that adopting pagan customs is not doctrinal compromise (3), that although vulgar and bad costumes are often used that because not all costumes are that way this is holiday is okay (4), that people spend Halloween mocking evil and the devil when they celebrate a pagan holiday (5), that you should venerate dead saints and light candles like the Church of Rome (6), that Halloween is a type of memorial to Christ's death (7), and that keeeping Halloween is following the commands of God (7), then you clearly do not believe the Bible, so, if this is how you 'take back' Halloween, then clearly you worship a different God than we in the Continuing Church of God do.
Getting back to the articles at Christianity.com and others that promote Halloween, they bring to mind something that Jesus said to the religious leaders of His day:
15 You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. (Luke 16:15)
Yes, the article at Christianity.com seeks to justify what God considers to be an abomination. Consider the following:
29 "When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, 30 take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' 31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
32 "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:29-32)
God is clearly condemning the adoption of pagan religious practices. God further warns to not add nor take away from His commands. Halloween is a pagan addition and not observing the biblical holy days is taking away from His commands.
Yet, I have seen Protestants who have written something to the effect that since they do not actually burn children, that these verses are not applicable to them and their observance of Halloween.
Satan also misapplied scriptures (Matthew 4:3-6)--Jesus was not impressed but instead rebuked him (Matthew 4:10). This article is a rebuke of Protestants promoting worldliness with misapplied scriptures.
Halloween is pagan, and many Protestant leaders know it, yet condone it. Notice the following from the Grace to You website:
The Pagan Origin of Halloween
The name "Halloween" comes from the All Saints Day celebration of the early Christian church, a day set aside for the solemn remembrance of the martyrs. All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Saints Day, began the time of remembrance. "All Hallows Eve" was eventually contracted to "Hallow-e'en," which became "Halloween."
As Christianity moved through Europe it collided with indigenous pagan cultures and confronted established customs. Pagan holidays and festivals were so entrenched that new converts found them to be a stumbling block to their faith. To deal with the problem, the organized church would commonly move a distinctively Christian holiday to a spot on the calendar that would directly challenge a pagan holiday. The intent was to counter pagan influences and provide a Christian alternative. But most often the church only succeeded in "Christianizing" a pagan ritual—the ritual was still pagan, but mixed with Christian symbolism. That's what happened to All Saints Eve—it was the original Halloween alternative!
The Celtic people of Europe and Britain were pagan Druids whose major celebrations were marked by the seasons. At the end of the year in northern Europe, people made preparations to ensure winter survival by harvesting the crops and culling the herds, slaughtering animals that wouldn't make it. Life slowed down as winter brought darkness (shortened days and longer nights), fallow ground, and death. The imagery of death, symbolized by skeletons, skulls, and the color black, remains prominent in today's Halloween celebrations.
The pagan Samhain festival (pronounced "sow" "en") celebrated the final harvest, death, and the onset of winter, for three days—October 31 to November 2. The Celts believed the curtain dividing the living and the dead lifted during Samhain to allow the spirits of the dead to walk among the living—ghosts haunting the earth.
Some embraced the season of haunting by engaging in occult practices such as divination and communication with the dead. They sought "divine" spirits (demons) and the spirits of their ancestors regarding weather forecasts for the coming year, crop expectations, and even romantic prospects. Bobbing for apples was one practice the pagans used to divine the spiritual world's "blessings" on a couple's romance.
For others the focus on death, occultism, divination, and the thought of spirits returning to haunt the living, fueled ignorant superstitions and fears. They believed spirits were earthbound until they received a proper sendoff with treats—possessions, wealth, food, and drink. Spirits who were not suitably "treated" would "trick" those who had neglected them. The fear of haunting only multiplied if that spirit had been offended during its natural lifetime.
Trick-bent spirits were believed to assume grotesque appearances. Some traditions developed, which believed wearing a costume to look like a spirit would fool the wandering spirits. Others believed the spirits could be warded off by carving a grotesque face into a gourd or root vegetable (the Scottish used turnips) and setting a candle inside it—the jack-o-lantern. ...
Christian converts found family and cultural influence hard to withstand; they were tempted to rejoin the pagan festivals, especially Samhain. Pope Gregory IV reacted to the pagan challenge by moving the celebration of All Saints Day in the ninth century—he set the date at November 1, right in the middle of Samhain.
As the centuries passed, Samhain and All Hallows Eve mixed together. On the one hand, pagan superstitions gave way to "Christianized" superstitions and provided more fodder for fear. People began to understand that the pagan ancestral spirits were demons and the diviners were practicing witchcraft and necromancy. On the other hand, the festival time provided greater opportunity for revelry. Trick-or-treat became a time when roving bands of young hooligans would go house-to-house gathering food and drink for their parties. Stingy householders ran the risk of a "trick" being played on their property from drunken young people. ...
Whatever level of Halloween participation you choose, you must honor God by keeping yourself separate from the world and by showing mercy to those who are perishing. Halloween provides the Christian with the opportunity to accomplish both of those things in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's a message that is holy, set apart from the world; it's a message that is the very mercy of a forgiving God. What better time of the year is there to share such a message than Halloween? https://www.gty.org/library/Articles/A123/Christians-and-Halloween#:~:text=Christians%20should%20use%20Halloween%20and%20all%20that%20it%20brings%20to
Well, a better time would be to let your light shine throughout the year and to keep God's holy days. We honor God our Father by obeying Him, not seeing how to participate in a pagan holiday.
Now, there was a list of "Faith-Filled (and Fun!) Ways to Celebrate" for Halloween at what looks to be a Protestant site called EquippingGodlyWomen.com. Items that were in the are not included below to reduce duplication:
Christians and Halloween? Here are 10 Faith-Filled (and Fun!) Ways to Celebrate This YearConsider hosting a “Light Up the Night” event at your church or home. Encourage members to decorate with bright, colorful lights and cheerful decorations ...
https://equippinggodlywomen.com/trending/best-ways-christians-can-celebrate-halloween-this-year/#:~:text=Halloween,%20often%20associated%20with%20spooky%20costumes,%20candy,%20and%20ghostly%20decorations, accessed 10/02/24
The night my wife Joyce and I arrived in Sri Lanka I was suprised by the bright Christmas lights in many places. But since we arrived in October, the timing seemed odd. And because Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country it seemed odder. The fact is that the pagans there used bright lights at night, so why would Christians want to imitate the pagans?
The EquippingGodlyWomen.com article also had the following:
Host a pumpkin carving night with a Christian theme. Encourage participants to carve uplifting messages or symbols into their pumpkins, such as crosses, hearts, or messages of hope.
The custom of using pumpkins as Halloween decorations come from the Druids.
Here is the probable origin of of lanterns:
The practice of creating lanterns stems from the use of fire to scare off evil spirits. 10/12/20 https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/halloween-traditions-words-you-only-22832656
In Ireland and Scotland, originally, carved turnips were used for jack-o-lanterns, though most now use pumpkins.
Here are some more on origins:
According to historian Ronald Hutton, in the 19th century, Hallowe'en guisers in parts of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands commonly used jack-o'-lanterns made from turnips and mangelwurzels. They were "often carved with grotesque faces to represent spirits or goblins". In these areas, 31 October to 1 November was known as Samhain and it was seen as a time when spirits or fairies were particularly active. Hutton says that they were also used at Hallowe'en in Somerset (see Punkie Night) during the 19th century. Christopher Hill also writes that "jack-o'-lanterns were carved out of turnips or squashes and were literally used as lanterns to guide guisers on All Hallows' Eve." Some claim that the jack-o'-lanterns originated with All Saints' Day (1 November)/All Souls' Day (2 November) and represented Christian souls in purgatory. (Jack-o'-Lantern. Wikipedia, viewed 04/05/15)
Guisers are people in disguises, such as mummers and those wearing a mask.
Now, what about carving crosses into pumpkins--certainly that is biblical?
No, it is not.
The Bible never discusses crosses as Christian symbol. Furthermore, the word often transated as cross in the New Testament, stauros, means a stake, not a cross (see also What is the Origin of the Cross as a Claimed 'Christian' Symbol?).
Crosses have long been pagan symbols.
Carving them into pumpkins does not make them a Christian symbol or appropriate for Christians.
The EquippingGodlyWomen.com article also had the following:
Host a family-friendly movie night at your church or home featuring Christian-themed films or movies with positive messages.
Now, the above can be a fine thing to do. When we lived in the city we would sometimes go to the movies on Halloween, not to celebrate or observe it, but so that we would not be home or have any lights on at our house in case people wanted to trick-or-treat at our door.
The EquippingGodlyWomen.com article also had the following:
Participate in community Halloween events and festivals. Set up a booth or table to engage with the community, share information about your church, and offer free snacks or hot cocoa.
If you do that, you are telling the community that you and/or your church endorse Halloween. That is not setting the proper example.
The Apostle Paul praised the Christians in Thessalonica because they "became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 2:14). The "churches of God which are in Judea" were not keeping pagan holidays. There is no record of praise in scripture for Christians blending in with pagan practices.
As far as blending with paganism goes, notice something from Catholic.org, a Roman Catholic site:
Nov. 1st was the day of the Celtic Summer’s End feast of Samhain, the day when the dead returned to the earth. We have retained some of these pagan elements to Halloween, as is true of Christmas and Easter.
Why would a pope put the Catholic celebration of the dead on top of the pagans’ celebrations of the dead? Because the Catholic feasts are in continuity and fulfill the meaning of the pagan ones...
So what about the indulgence in the spooky and scary? Skeletons are spooky, but they are also very Catholic. In fact, one couldn’t find a better haunted house for a Halloween pilgrimage than the various “chapel of bones” that can be found across Europe (Killian Brian. Halloween, as autumn celebration, reminder God’s name is hallowed. Catholic Online International News. 10/31/06. http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=21818).
No, God's plan was not to take pagan holidays and continue their use by Christians to fulfill their meaning. While God's name is hallowed according to scripture (Matthew 6:9), there is no hint in the Bible that October 31st is to be hallowed. It is NOT one of God's holy days.
God gave His holy days in the Bible. Early Christians kept them. We in the non-Protestant Continuing Church of God, continue to keep them as well as teach their meaning and aspects of their past and future fulfillments. To prove that we are not Protestant, check our our free online book Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism. To prove that we proceeded the Greco-Roman Catholic churches without their doctrinal changes, check out the free online book: Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession?
Denouncements From Roman Catholics
Interestingly, the powerful Roman Catholic archdiocese in Mexico City condemned Halloween observance as pagan in 2007, though it is still being observed by practicing Catholics there:
Mexico's Roman Catholic church slammed Halloween as "damaging and against the faith" on Monday, as conservatives sought to stem celebration of the ghouls-and-goblins holiday and return to the country's traditional Day of the Dead.
The U.S.-style holiday has made broad inroads in Mexico, with monster costumes almost as widely sold as the marigold flowers traditionally used to decorate relatives' graves during Nov. 1-2 Day of the Dead ceremonies, when families build altars and leave food, drink and flowers for the dearly departed.
"Those who celebrate Halloween are worshipping a culture of death that is the product of a mix of pagan customs," the Archdiocese of Mexico published in an article on its Web site Monday. "The worst thing is that this celebration has been identified with neo-pagans, Satanism and occult worship."
The archdiocese urged parents not to let their children wear Halloween costumes or go trick-or-treating — instead suggesting Sunday school classes to "teach them the negative things about Halloween," costume parties where children can dress up as Biblical characters, and candy bags complete with instructions to give friends a piece while telling them "God loves you."...
Pre-Hispanic cultures celebrated a similar holiday in August, but after the Spanish conquest, historians say the date was changed to Nov. 1 to coincide with the Catholic holiday...
In another article, Onesimo Herrera-Flores complained that "Halloween, for a variety of reasons, has imposed itself on other nations, displacing native customs."
Celebrating Halloween, he said, citing a church authority, is "like inviting Satan into your home." (Mexico's Catholic church slams Halloween; conservatives call for return to Day of Dead. Associated Press - Oct 29, 2007 http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/29/america/LA-GEN-Mexico-Church-Halloween.php
In 2009, the Vatican itself took steps to condemn Halloween:
Vatican condemns Hallowe’en as anti-ChristianThe Vatican has condemned Hallowe’en as anti-Christian, saying it is based on a sinister and dangerous “undercurrent of occultism”.Telegraph - Oct 30, 2009The Holy See has warned that parents should not allow their children to dress up as ghosts and ghouls on Saturday, calling Hallowe’en a pagan celebration of “terror, fear and death”.
The Roman Catholic Church has become alarmed in recent years by the spread of Hallowe’en traditions from the US to other countries around the world.
As in Britain, it is only in recent years that Italian children have dressed up in costumes, played trick or treat on their neighbours and made lanterns out of hollowed out pumpkins.
The Vatican issued the warning through its official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, in an article headlined “Hallowe’en’s Dangerous Messages”.
The paper quoted a liturgical expert, Joan Maria Canals, who said: “Hallowe’en has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian.”
Parents should “be aware of this and try to direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death,” said Father Canals, a member of a Spanish commission on church rites.
Last year a newspaper controlled by the Italian bishops, Avvenire, called for a boycott of Hallowe’en, calling it a “dangerous celebration of horror and the macabre” which could encourage “pitiless [Satanic] sects without scruples”.
Earlier this week the Catholic Church in Spain also condemned the growing popularity of Halloween….
Also notice:
...in recent years the Catholic church has been criticising, for instance, Halloween: it views Halloween as a symbol of subtle and dangerous secular values opposed to Christian ones; and it fears competition from its growing popularity. (Franco M. Is this the Vatican's twilight? Guardian, August 5, 2011. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/aug/05/vatican-ambassadors-holy-see)
In the Philippines, Catholic schools have discouraged Halloween:
The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) has called on its member schools to shun Halloween parties...“Iwasan natin ang mga ganyang Halloween party kasi hindi naman Christian holidays... (Let's avoid holding Halloween parties because Halloween is not a Christian holiday...),” CEAP president Fr. Gregg Bañaga reportedly said in a CBCP News article. The report also noted that the Catholic Church has been against the idea of glorifying evil during Halloween rites. (No more Halloween parties, Catholic schools told. GMA News, October 27, 2012. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/279915/news/nation/no-more-halloween-parties-catholic-schools-told).
It is good when religious leaders discourage those who profess Christ from observing pagan holidays with pagan practices.
Notice also something from the Roman Catholic Church in Poland:
Poland's Catholic Church has warned that modern Halloween rituals risk promoting the occult.
In a statement on its website, the Church said that celebrating Halloween could contradict Church teachings and Christianity.
One archbishop said the 31 October celebrations were promoting paganism to young people.
Archbishop Andrzej Dziega warned that Halloween was behind a "culture of death".
"This kind of fun, tempting children like candy, also poses the real possibility of great spiritual damage, even destroying spiritual life," the archbishop of Szczecin-Kamien wrote in a letter to be read out at Sunday sermons, according to the Polish Press Agency.
10/29/12 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-20131808 accessed 10/14/20He wrote that "irresponsible and anti-Christian fun" introduced young people to a "world of darkness, including devils, vampires and demons" in the name of "fun".
Yes, Halloween promotes the occult.
Halloween is pagan and leaders in many professing Christian churches know this.
Protestants Err
The Halloween promoting Protestants, like the Sadducees of old, are mistaken as they "do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God" (do Mark 12:24). Yet, the Sadducees, like Protestant ministers, claim to be teaching the word of God. Yet, instead, they teach traditions and opinions of men that are opposed to the Bible.
The Apostle John warned:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)
Those promoting Halloween want to be part of the world. Halloween tends to be a lust promoting holiday, with children wanting more candy than they need, some women dressing provocatively, many displaying "pride" in various ways, as well as the promotion of a pagan holiday.
Holidays that encourage women to dress like harlots are not holidays that Christians should want to endorse.
Christians and Halloween do not belong together.
The Bible also warns:
4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:4-8)
Philosophies, traditions, and unbiblical arguments from Protestants and others do not make Halloween appropriate.
While there are many false arguments to celebrate Halloween, there is basically one reason not to (beyond the sinful aspects): the Bible does not endorse it and condemns various things associated with it.
Halloween places emphasis on pagan religious practices, and participation in them is futile at best, and biblically considered to be abominable. Christians should rely on the Bible for doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16-17), including doctrines related to the celebration of religiously related days.
The Apostle Paul wrote:
4 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)
Halloween was most certainly NOT part of what Timothy was taught to continue. Nor was this something taught by any early true Christian.
While I have quoted several Protestant sources that support Halloween, let's look at a Protestant article that provides several reasons to consider against it, even though it replicates some of the reasons I have given against Halloween. In several ways the following article, while adding some items, basically summarizes what my article has been advocating:
September 9, 2024
What is the Origin of Halloween?
Many historians trace the origin of Halloween to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated over 2,000 years ago. Samhain was a pagan festival that marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, which the Celts believed was a time when the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. Farmers would bring in livestock for winter and harvest their crops, offering sacrifices of crops and animals to appease their pagan gods in hopes of protection through the harsh season. This was seen as a way to guard against evil spirits and gain favor from the gods for the year ahead.
The Celts Believed the Dead Walked on October 31
One of the central beliefs during Samhain was that the dead could walk the earth on October 31. The Celts believed spirits of the dead returned to visit the living, and these wandering spirits could bring harm by damaging crops, causing sickness, or even possessing people. To ward off these spirits, people would dress in costumes, often of animals or monsters, to confuse or scare away the spirits. This practice echoes the modern tradition of dressing up in costumes during Halloween.
In addition, bonfires were lit to keep away evil spirits, and people would huddle near them for protection. It was believed that these fires also helped the souls of the dead find their way. While these practices were rooted in superstition, they highlight the fear and reverence ancient cultures had toward the afterlife.
Pagan Roots of Popular Halloween Traditions
Trick-or-Treating also began during Samhain. The tradition was an ancient custom of “souling.” The poor would go from house to house to beg for soul cakes. In return for the “soul cakes” the beggars would pray for family members who had recently died. Soul cakes were round loaves of bread filled with currants.
Pumpkins and Jack-o-Lanterns were also part of Celtic lore. A tale was told that a drunken farmer named Stingy Jack was so wicked that when he died, he restlessly wandered between heaven and hell, unable to enter either one. As he roamed the darkness, he hollowed out a turnip and placed a burning coal inside to light his way.
Celts carved “Jack-o-Lanterns” to guide lost souls home on the eve of Samhain.
Bobbing for apples also has mythical roots. The Celts believed that the practice used to be considered a form of divination. According to NPR, bobbing for apples was a practice where people would dunk their heads in a vat of water and try to bite into floating fruit in a quest to figure out their future spouse. Ladies would mark an apple and toss it into the tub. The thinking was they’d be destined to whoever pulled it out of the water.
In 800 A.D., the Catholic church moved “All Saint’s Day” from Spring to November 1. Hallow’s Mass is November 1, and All Saint’s Day is November 2. One would think this Catholic celebration would be an opportunity to Christianize Halloween, but it is not. Author Scott P. Richert, content manager for Sunday Visitor, the largest Catholic publishing company, writes that the purpose of All Souls Day is to pray people out of purgatory by prayer, almsgiving, and the Mass. But purgatory, and praying people out of purgatory is an anti-biblical practice. https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/pagan-roots-of-halloween.html#:~:text=Others%20may%20choose%20to%20abstain%20from%20Halloween%20due%20to%20its
In this article, I have attempted to show that the so-called scriptures or reasons why a Christian should keep Halloween are wrong. There is nothing in the Bible that enjoins keeping Halloween.
There are no scriptures that support modifying a pagan holiday and calling it Christian.
The Bible has warnings about the time of the end:
12 lawlessness will abound (Matthew 24:12).
1 Now the Spirit expressly says in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. (I Timothy 4:1)
Halloween is a lawless observance that involves deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
The Bible also warns:
4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:4-8)
Philosophies, traditions, and unbiblical arguments do not make Halloween appropriate.
The Apostle Paul taught that Christians are to be separate from the world as well as to not mix the cup of demons with the cup of the Lord--in other words Christians are not to use pagan worship practices and attempt to merge them in with Christian ones.
Those claiming scriptural reasons for Christians to observe Halloween do err not knowing the scriptures.
Consider again something that the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:
19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? (1 Corinthians 10:19-22)
If people REALLY want to observe any days from the Bible--the same days that early Christians observed--they would keep the biblical holy days, not pagan-connected days like Halloween.
Do not blend paganism into your life and worship. True Christians do not celebrate Halloween.
Here is a link to a related sermon: 5 Ways Christians Can Biblically Celebrate Halloween?
Thiel B. Reasons False Christians Give to Celebrate Halloween. COGwriter (c) 2024 https://www.cogwriter.com/hallo5plus.htm 2024 1005