My Current Thoughts On Halloween
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A reader recently emailed asking my thoughts on Halloween, providing an article titled, Jesus With His Lights Out On Halloween. In the past, I was much more tolerant of Halloween than I am now, but I think this has much to do with how off-focus I was then, along with how much I’ve learned about Halloween since. Whatever you think about it, this issue is a must-discuss for all who call themselves Christians. Last night it became a topic of tension in my own family. My fiancé didn’t really feel there was anything wrong with letting our daughter go trick-or-treating. I disagreed, despite the fact that we both participated in Halloween before out daughter was born, and the fact that I reluctantly allowed trick-or-treating the first two years of her life. In this post, I’ll try to explain why I don’t want our daughter trick-or-treating this year. I wish I would have posted this earlier, but, better late than never. At least now I’ve got something written for next year.
First off, I didn’t like the way the author presented a dichotomy whose subtext read, “Only Christian Fundies are scared of Halloween.” The author writes, somewhat confident and dismissively,
Christians on Halloween. Scared to celebrate. Some with more than their pinky toes doing the talking. You know the ones. They are the only ones in the neighborhood who have their lights turned off. “Oh, here come the kids. They are going to come to our door. If we open it, we will have compromised and, in effect, told them that Satan is our friend, that Satan is our pal. Turn off the lights and HIDE! It is the only Christian thing to do.”
Ahem… please. Help us.
I can’t believe I am going to say this but, WWJD? Really, what would Jesus do? Can you see it? Jesus with his lights turned off on Halloween? That would be the Jesus history never knew. That would be the Jesus of western Fundamentalism. The one who is not a friend of sinners and tax gatherers. The Jesus that was never accused of being a drunkard. The Jesus who looked from a distance at the wedding of Cana, waiting for the sinners to wipe the dust off their feet before he talked to them. The Jesus who saw a child dressed up as a ghost and said, “I can’t take this anymore. It is not worth it. Give me that stone so that I can turn it into bread.”
I resent and lament this shallow, un-spiritual presentation. While probably the deciding factor for some Christians, sheepish fear of evil is not the only reason a Christian might shun Halloween. For me, it’s not even a reason at all. Ultimately, I have no fear of evil, only the One who can cast my soul unto. As for other reasons to abstain, primarily, there is love of the Lord, who stands adamantly against all forms of evil and idolatry. Then there is the love of one’s children, which entails the desire to protect them at any and all costs. Those alone should suffice for most.
The closest thing to a “positive argument” for Christian participation in Halloween comes here, citing Mark Young:
Christians are not Christians on Halloween. Not because they have compromised and participated, but precisely because they don’t participate. The one day of the year where children (“Permit them to come to me…” Mark 10:14) are attempting to come to us and we shut the door and turn off the lights. We left the class in tears and began to plan what we were going to be for Halloween.
Well. I’m sorry y’all let your emotions carry you away, but I have to correct you: Halloween is NOT the “one day” of the year when kids are coming to us. Any parent knows this is false. We have kids coming to us all the time! Complete with a verse out of context, Young implies that we are neglecting our Christian duties by not participating in this holiday. I call that pure nonsense. Aren’t we suppose to stand out from the world? What fellowship can light have with darkness? Aren’t we suppose to let our lights shine? What better way to do this than to take an active stance against holidays like this one? Who’s doing more for the gospel? The Christians who hand out candy because Mark Young made them cry? Or the Christians who explain politely to others why they abstain from Halloween?
Confident in his own position, and in mockery of people like myself (‘cuz we’re all Fundies, right?), the author continues,
Fundamentalist Pinky Toe (yes, he’s back): “But…but…but…It is not about the lights being on. Its not about giving out candy. Its about participating in the evil deeds of darkness. Don’t you know the roots of Halloween?”
Give me a break. Who have you been reading? Whoever it is, stop. First of all, how many kids do you know that are into witchcraft, Satan worship, or necromancy? What happened? Your eight-year-old was walking down the street in her witch costume and thought to herself: “I suddenly feel myself tempted to say a chant and worship Satan”?
In my opinion, this just shows the pure naiveté with which this author writes. How many kids are into witchcraft? Good grief! Read the stories of people coming out of witchcraft! Take notice how many talk of “special days” like Halloween, or participating in their first seance on Halloween, or getting initiated into their coven on Halloween. Most importantly, take notice of the young age at which most of these people entered these activities!
The natural faith of a child can be both blessing and curse. Recall that the apparition at Fatima appeared to young children. Children tend not to suffer from the skeptical, disbelieving mind. As such—and I offer this as my observation, not ironclad Scriptural truth—little children are more prone to contacting the spirit world, unbeknownst to them. Who’s unfamiliar with the kid who sees “monsters” in his room? Such fears are not always the result of an overactive imagination. This writer is clearly uninterested in educating himself, or even presenting a balanced treatment of the subject.
Why do I object to my daughter going trick-or-treating? On a purely secular note, there are sickos in this world, and many of them revere this holiday as a day to do sick things. When I was little, I remember watching my mother pull a razor blade out of a green apple from my trick-or-treat bag. Of course, solid parental supervision can go a long way towards curbing the secular dangers, but then there’s the spiritual side–where the dangers are subtle but the stakes much higher.
Scripture is clear that we live in a spiritual battlefield. Occultic and outright Satanic practices take place on Halloween (and all sorts of other days). It’s a high day for various sects of witches, Satanists, well-meaning but misguided Wiccans and others. When these people do their incantations, are we really so dull as to believe that the responding “energies” will politely contain themselves to the circles of the incanters? No! They go forth. They can easily “manifest” from behind the costumes of other kids and adults. This is the unseen environment we’re sending our children into. Would we let our children swim at the beach if there were a multitude of sharks?
After I asked if she knew the history of the holiday, my fiancé gave a short reply of, “Yes, All Hallows Eve…” and that was it. That’s only part of the story, and really only the part where the Church tried to combat this holiday. You can read more about that here. Many will say, “Yes, but we’re Christians, even though Halloween is rooted in evil we don’t consciously participate in that part of it.” How not? That one doesn’t outwardly acknowledge or practice these things is neither excuse nor protection. That, right there, is the heart of the spiritual error: you don’t have to consciously acknowledge evil in order to fall prey to its wares. Remember, Satan’s chief strategy is deception, and our own ignorance, mental passivity and aloofness can open the door just fine.
I know there are people who will judge me for this: “Aren’t you being a little extreme, cl?” “Isn’t Halloween just fun?” “Do we always have to be so serious about everything?” “Do you have to act like an anti-social monk just because you believe?” While some of those replies are a bit unfair, I can live with them. My entire position is rooted in love for God and family, and I don’t care what anyone thinks about me in that regard. Moreover, I’m not judging anyone here. If other Christians really don’t see any danger in this “harmless fun,” hey… that’s between them and the Lord. However, in light of what’s just been presented, at some point Christians have to ask themselves: if ever there was a place for the maxim, “better safe than sorry,” isn’t it here? Wouldn’t it be wise to err on the side of caution?
J.
says...I’m having trouble tying the “all forms of evil and idolatry” to taking children out, dressed up as whatever, and knocking on the door for candy. Halloween definitely gets darker the older one gets, but it all seems so innocent when they’re little. I think this ties into your deception plug toward the end of the piece and I have to agree that giving the kids such a safe feeling about Halloween at such an early age could prove disastrous at older ages. I have attended “adult” Halloween parties and I would have to say they aren’t for the practicing Christian. So much sin and temptation is better off avoided.
I agree, it’s a breeding ground for practices you mentioned, in addition to opening a potential path to destruction (secular adult Halloween parties, etc.). I’m not saying Halloween WILL lead to destruction, but it definitely CAN lead to destruction; and if I know that it CAN lead to destruction, why in the world would I let my kids participate in such an activity?! Especially with all the other known elements and ties to occult practices.
Sidenote.. I wonder what you think of the Harry Potter section in the article you posted vs. Bruce Charlton’s take: Soul and Prophecies in Harry Potter
I think this is the heart of the problem (for me, certainly!) and where I found my deepest conflict. My line of thinking was as follows: Is dressing up evil? No, is Oct. 31 evil? No, is knocking on doors for candy evil? No. Is dressing up on Oct. 31 and knocking on doors asking for candy evil? No. The problem with this line of thinking, which you already touched on, is that there are some sick people who like to prey on the innocent. So there is much more to it, than just me letting my children dress up and knock on doors for candy. (I also acknowledge there are worse flaws in that line of thinking.)
I definitely don’t find your stance to be too harsh and agree that erring on the side of caution is for the best. In the end, I like the way someone put it in comment section of the link you provided in the beginning:
“My family does not celebrate Halloween, not because we are scared, but because there is nothing redeeming about the holiday. Easter and Christmas, though celebrated around pagan holidays, focus on the birth and resurrection of Christ. As far as I can tell, Halloween is a celebration of fear and unbridled consumption (of candy). Another thing that bothers me about the Halloween discussion is that people talk like Christians shouldn’t behave any differently than the rest of the world. Do you see the problem with that thinking? Our kids have plenty of opportunities to dress up in costume and eat candy throughout the year.”
I think this comes across as less aggressive or “extreme,” and after much pondering, I will not be participating in Halloween in the future.
I appreciate the post!
Gabe Ruth
says...My own thoughts on Halloween are not at all rigorous, so obviously I can’t tell you you’re acting like a lunatic until I’ve reflected on the matter at least a little bit. But since you’ve been looking into Eastern Orthodoxy recently, here’s a guy I recently found who has written and thought extensively about the subject. I found it a little amusing and have only read a couple of his posts about Halloween, but maybe this will help kill two birds with one stone for you.
I don’t know how sound a representative of Eastern Orthodoxy he is, I have only poked around a little, but his preoccupation with Halloween brought him to mind when I saw your post.
Ronin
says...I had a conversation with my wife several years ago about Halloween. Yet, she explained to me she was taking the kids to have fellowship with family and friends, not for idolizing Halloween and such. I understood her point of view, but my concern was the meaning of Halloween. She told me neither the kids nor her were celebrating the origins of Halloween. I did not make it a big issue then, because I took the time to explain to my kids and her what Halloween really meant. My stance has been to be crystal clear with my wife and kids in what I believe. In fact, Christmas is the same way. Christ was not really born in December and the Christmas tree is pagan in origins, for example. What all this boils down to is the heart. Why is one taking the kids trick or treating, or what have you? Is it for Christ? Because Christians bickering about what they think is right or wrong has proven to be a waste of time at times. I mean, I know of people who give candy on Halloween, but they also give out Christian tracks. Halloween could potentially bring about circumstances when Christians witness to non-believers. But, I understand what you are saying…
cl
says...J.,
Sick people, and sick “energies.” In answer to the questions about what is evil, we first have to start with a simple definition of “evil.” My initial reaction was anything that sets itself up against the will of God. Of course, motive comes into play: is it “evil” to dress up to attend a non-Halloween costume party? I don’t really think so. Then again, what constitutes “dressing up?” Is a military man “evil” for dressing up? I’m not trying to be pedantic; my point is that anybody, and Christians especially, need to think instead of react blindly, emotionally or passively (all of which I’m guilty of at times).
In fact, I’m not even saying in my post that dressing up is part of what’s evil about Halloween. My primary concern is the effect to the spiritual environment. Looking back, I can only hope my post didn’t come across as Pharisaical.
Gabe Ruth,
Because I *AM* an opinionated fool, I am inherently distrustful of anyone who declares that they “used to be” an opinionated fool—especially amidst an abundance of opinions. That said, I had both reservations and agreements with the writer you linked. If I feel like investigating more, I’ll start with his claim that there is no evidence Halloween originated as a pagan holiday. That strikes me as obviously false, but then again, it’s those “obviously false” things that cause all sorts of trouble, right? Thank you for adding to the conversation!
Ronin,
We have some similar feelings on these holidays, it seems.
I agree that motive is key, and know first-hand that bickering usually proves fruitless :) However, though I sense an element of truth, I also sense danger in this line of thinking: can one erect Asherah poles for Christ? Can one attend seances for Christ? If not, when and where do we draw the line? And what of the issue that any answer to this question is ultimately the product of human rationality? Tough things to grapple with, at the very least.
I honestly don’t see anything wrong if Christians want to hand out candy and tracts. The first draft of my post had a paragraph about that, but I took it out because it was getting long. However, note the difference between a family staying at home and shining their light vs. a family going out into the darkness with the rest of the world. One might then ask, “Well, what if we walk around and hand out tracts while we trick-or-treat?”