Regardless of where you stand in this debate, and how you view this holiday in today's culture - sadly, this holiday has an origin rooted in Paganism. Unfortunately, we don't have an "easy out" with this one, for the bible mentions nothing of this holiday.
There is plenty of scripture however that speaks about occultism and witchcraft, and we know that these practices can be found in the Halloween Holiday. People who practiced witchcraft in the Old Testament paid a strict penalty and this should show us just how God feels about it.
There is plenty of scripture however that speaks about occultism and witchcraft, and we know that these practices can be found in the Halloween Holiday. People who practiced witchcraft in the Old Testament paid a strict penalty and this should show us just how God feels about it.
Exodus 22:18 say's,
Leviticus 19:31 say's,
Leviticus 20:6 say's,
You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
Leviticus 19:31 say's,
Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 20:6 say's,
And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.
Leviticus 20:27 say's,
A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’”
Some interesting facts about Halloween are that it used to be called Samhain, and in the Gaelic culture it was a celebration of the end of the harvest season. Samhain was also observed by the Pagans and marked a time to stock of supplies from the harvest for winter. The Gaels also burned bonfires on October 31st (Samhain) for they believed that this night served as a boundary between the living and the dead. They feared that the dead could come back and bring disease on the living and create other chaos like destroying crops.
I actually didn't know most of this until I watched the History Channel the other night and it may also surprise you, but the Church shares in the responsibility for changing this holiday into what we know it as today. The church, which at the time was predominantly Roman Catholic, wanted to take the attention away from the pagan's holiday and make it their own. Knowing they couldn't simply replace it, they strategically chose November 1st and deemed it as "All Saint's Day" and later called November 2nd "All Soul's Day".
All Saint's Day was referred to as Hallowmass. This made October 31st the eve before Hallowmass, which was then called All-Hallows-Even, and eventually shortened to Halloween. Trick or Treating is directly derived from early Church practices, as the poor would go out on All Saint's Day from house to house and people would give them "Soul Cakes", a small cake with raisins in it. In exchange for the "Soul Cake" the person would offer up prayers for the person's dead relatives and it was widely believed that their souls, with enough prayers, could be pulled up out of purgatory and received into Heaven. This practice was called "Souling".
The wearing of costumes is also reminiscent of Samhian, but also the church practices involved the afterlife, so the dead has always been a mainstay in the holiday.
Today, there is hardly any commercialization of All Saint's Day or All Soul's Day, although you can still find them on the calendar. Halloween, in it's now Americanized customs, has taken the central stage. Kids wear costumes, go door to door yelling trick or treat, and get candy. All the while their innocent little minds have not a clue why they do it. Just ask a kid why they do it and you will hear them say, "To get candy!" as if that was a no-brainer question, and you are an idiot for asking it.Their parents are also more than likely oblivious of the traditions as well.
So now the question arises again. Is it wrong for a Christian to celebrate this holiday? The answer depends on which pastor you ask, and many of them don't know all of the origin of the holiday, so don't expect the best answer.
As for myself, I'm guilty as charged. Me and my wife Ann took the kids out to Trick or Treat when they were younger. When they got older we attended Church Alternatives with corny names like "Hallelujah Night" and we participated in handing out candy to the trick or treaters, and usually included a tract with the Gospel it the treat bag. As a former pastor, I led the church folk in handing out treat bags with tracts in them and we saw it as an opportunity for evangelism within the community.
Here is my humble 2 cents worth as a pastor in the body of Christ, as a family man with kids (now grown), and as a scholar who has researched both the history of the holiday and most importantly, the Holy Bible.
As I displayed first and foremost, according to the bible we see clearly that God does not want us to mess around with the practices of the occult. We are to therefore stay away from all things evil. Can this be done while celebrating Halloween? I think it can be. Ann and myself steered the kids away from the evil aspects of the holiday and they still got the candy. Candy by the way is the kids only goal in this holiday. How they get it is usually not an issue for them.
A robot, a princess, a cowboy, an astronaut, and the list goes on. These are all costumes that are not evil. A church party with a costume contest... bobbing for apples... a hayride... a cookout... None of these are evil activities.
I also believe in my heart that if we, as salt and light, bring God into this and any situation. We then lift Him up to be glorified, then we cannot go wrong here. I fully believe that the tracts people have received glorifying the Lord in our treat bags have produced eternal rewards. Halloween is not mentioned in the Bible in specific, but some of the dark practices associated with it are.
Steer clear of evil, glorify God in all you do, be safe, and have a Happy Halloween!
I'll now leave you with the words of the apostle Paul...
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
Philippians 1:27
