Many Christians have strong feelings about Halloween.
Some are dogmatically opposed to any observance of it whatsoever. They think that it’s “the devil’s holiday,” and that even a substitute “harvest festival” is a compromise with the world.
Others are completely fine with it, as long as one doesn’t actively participate in actual witchcraft or demonic activity. They think that it’s just a fun time for kids to dress up and get some candy. Some even observe it as a Christian holiday (holy day), which it once was and technically still is (more on this later), even if its original meaning has been mostly obscured.
Many others are somewhere in the middle.
In this article, I’m not going to try to convince you of either “side,” but I do want to give some reasons why Halloween should not divide us. Both “sides” need to respect one another and tone down the rhetoric.
A Corrupted Holy Day
First, we shouldn’t divide over Halloween because Christians can reasonably disagree over whether to try to reclaim the true meaning of Halloween or simply abandon it to secular culture.
Contrary to popular myth, Halloween does not have its roots in pagan harvest festivals such as the Celtic festival of Samhain. Some have tried to trace certain Halloween practices back to these festivals, but that’s a little like tracing the roots of a Christmas tree back to Germanic pagan tree worship: the historical connection is tenuous, and even if it can be established, it’s a logical fallacy to claim that something is wrong because of its origins.
The true origin of Halloween is in the name: Hallow-een. “Hallow” means “holy” (think “hallowed be thy name”). “Een” (e’en) is short for “evening.” “Hallowen” means “the evening of All Hallows Day”—or in modern English, the evening of All Saints’ Day. If you’ve never observed All Saints’ Day (always November 1), it’s understandable why this means nothing to you. But for many Christians, including many Protestant Christians, All Saints’ Day is one of the most important days of the entire year. It’s essentially the “Memorial Day” of the Church Calendar, except that it focuses on how the dead are in fact alive with God in heaven. It’s a time to remember all the dead in Christ—not just the “big name” saints, but also the lesser known or unknown ones, from martyrs in unmarked graves to our own grandparents or great-grandparents who handed down a legacy of godliness. John Wesley frequently noted his love for All Saints’ Day:
- November 1, 1767 — “a festival I truly love.”
- Nov 1, 1788 — “I always find this a comfortable day.”
- Nov 1, 1789 — “A day that I peculiarly love.”
- Nov 1, 1756 — ”How superstitious are they who scruple giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints!”
As I’ve begun to observe All Saints’ Day over the last few years, I too have come to love it. The Presbyterian Book of Common worship beautifully captures why it has become so significant to me:
All Saints’ Day is a time to rejoice in all who through the ages have faithfully served the Lord. The day reminds us that we are part of one continuing, living communion of saints. It is a time to claim our kinship with the “glorious company of apostles … the noble fellowship of prophets … the white-robed army of martyrs” (Te Deum). It is a time to express our gratitude for all who in ages of darkness kept the faith, for those who have take the gospel to the ends of the earth, for prophetic voices who have called the church to be faithful in life and service, for all who have witnessed to God’s justice and peace in every nation.
To rejoice with all the faithful of every generation expands our awareness of a great company of witnesses above and around us like a cloud (Hebrews 12:1). It lifts us out of a preoccupation with our own immediate situation and the discouragements of the present. In the knowledge that others have persevered, we are encouraged to endure against all odds (Hebrews 12:1–2). Reminded that God was with the faithful of the past, we are reassured that God is with us today, moving us and all creation toward God’s end in time.
Even if All Saints’ Day means nothing to you, at least pause to consider that it means a lot to many good Christians, and that it is customary to begin observing major feast days on the evening before. For example, Christmas Eve begins our Christmas celebration, and the Easter Vigil was historically (and still is in many churches) the climax of the entire Christian year. Christians who observe All Saints’ Day as one of the major feasts of the year may regard Halloween the way that you regard Christmas Eve. I personally know some Christians who are passionate about reclaiming the “true meaning” of Halloween, just as many evangelicals are passionate about “taking back” Christmas and Easter from Santa Claus and the Easter bunny! Some are working to redeem the holiday by having a Trunk-or-Treat at their church and passing out gospel tracts, or by encouraging their kids to dress up as famous saints from church history (especially fitting before All Saints’ Day). Ignoring these Christians and badmouthing Halloween as “the devil’s holiday” is simplistic and unhelpful, to say the least.
Christians can reasonably disagree over whether to try to reclaim the true meaning of Halloween or simply abandon it to secular culture.
With this said, those who are passionate about the “true meaning” of Halloween need to acknowledge that Halloween is much further gone than Christmas or Easter. At least at Christmas, you can still find nativity scenes at Walmart and hear “Joy to the World” playing on the speakers at the mall. Almost no one, and even relatively few Christians (at least in America), are aware of any Christian meaning in Halloween. It’s not what it once was. For this reason, it is not unreasonable for some Christians to say, “It’s not worth fighting this battle. It’s too far gone. It’s getting darker and darker. Let’s just avoid it.” Badmouthing these people as “legalists” is also wrong.
A Matter of Conscience
Second, we shouldn’t divide over Halloween because Christians should be given the liberty to follow their conscience as long as they are not blatantly violating Scripture.
All Christians agree that on Halloween (and the rest of the year), we should not play a ouija board or cast spells. The real issue is whether or not Christians can engage in any Halloween practices, such as dressing up in costumes, going trick-or-treating, or putting decorations in their windows.
Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14 is especially relevant here. In Corinth, pagan temples would offer meat to idols, but since the idols (obviously) didn’t eat the meat, they would then sell it in the marketplace. Some Christians felt strongly that it was wrong to partake. They had formerly worshipped idols before becoming Christians, and they couldn’t separate the meat from the idols. Other Christians, however, essentially said, “What’s the big deal? Those idols are just wood and stone. They aren’t real. Meat is meat. It’s a gift from God. Sanctify it through prayer and thanksgiving. As long as you aren’t actually worshipping idols, eat up!” Paul did not view the more “careful” Christians as spiritually superior (in fact he said that their conscience was “weak”). However, he also didn’t view the more “free” Christians as superior! Instead, he said, “Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do” (1 Cor. 8:8). And he urged the more “free” Christians to respect and be sensitive to the conscience of their brothers and sisters.
Paul takes a similar approach to several issues in Romans 14. Some Jewish Christians were still observing certain Jewish feasts and avoiding “unclean” foods (they had even become vegetarians). Others believed they could eat anything and didn’t recognize the Jewish feasts. Paul again viewed them more “careful” Christians as being “weak in faith,” not spiritually superior. However, he also didn’t dismiss these Christians as legalists. As long as both “sides” were trusting in Christ for salvation, he classified the dispute as a matter of “opinion” (Rom. 14:1) that shouldn’t be quarreled over. In such issues, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5), and both “sides” should refrain from judging one another: “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master [Christ] that he stands or falls” (Rom. 14:4).
Whether or not to dress up in costumes, go trick-or-treating, or put decorations in the windows—those things are likewise opinions. Some Christians are deeply opposed to such practices. And some of these Christians have come out of pagan or demonic cultures (as some Corinthians came out of idol worship), and so their consciences are more sensitive about such things. Other Christians, however, are completely comfortable with such practices. My great-grandfather and great-grandmother George and Mary Straub were very conservative “Holiness” Christians, but they put witches and ghosts on their windowsills at Halloween.
Christians should be given the liberty to follow their conscience as long as they are not blatantly violating Scripture.
Some Christians even find great spiritual significance in such practices. Part of the original logic behind dressing up as ghosts and skeletons and the like was to mock death because it has been conquered by Christ. Remember: the focus of All Saints’ Day is on the saints who have died and are now alive with God in heaven awaiting their resurrected bodies. I strongly recommend watching the three-minute video by Glen Scrivener, “Halloween: Trick or Treat?” which captures this idea:
On the cusp of the customary All Saints Day
The Christ-i-an kinsfolk made mocking display.
These children of light both to tease and deride;
Don darkness, doll down as the sinister side.
The idea has its roots in one of the greatest Christian books ever written, On the Incarnation by Athanasius. His book focuses on the victory of Christ over death, and he points to Christians and even children embracing martyrdom without fear. Athanasius explains that if a fierce lion is in the streets, people hide in their houses. But if a child sits on the back of the lion and plays with its ears, everyone comes out, because they realize the lion has died and there is nothing to fear. That’s the logic of dressing up on Halloween. By dressing up as the Grim Reaper, for example, Christians say, “Christ has delivered us who ‘through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery’ (Heb. 2:15). Death is no longer scary, because Christ is risen! Now, the saints go straight to heaven when they die, and the devil is powerless to stop them!”
Christians today are a lot like those at Corinth. Some say, “That’s wrong! The Grim Reaper is a symbol of evil!” Others say, “What’s the big deal? We know that the Grim Reaper isn’t real. God gives life and takes it away. Life and death are in his hands. It’s a symbol that we fear death no longer, and that the forces of evil have no power over us Christians. We’re mocking death! Let the kids dress up!” As at Corinth, both “sides” need to respect one another’s concerns, stop judging one another, and stop quarreling over opinions.
Tone Down the Rhetoric
Christians who are more “free” need to avoid looking down their noses at those who are more “careful.” It’s not loving to simply dismiss with a pious attitude someone’s sincere concerns. On the other hand, Christians who don’t observe Halloween need to avoid casting aspersions on those who do. I’m especially troubled by Christians who annually share quotes like this from Anton Lavey, founder of the Church of Satan: “I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night a year. Welcome to Halloween!” First of all, there is no evidence that Lavey ever said this. But even if he did, it’s fearmongering and irrelevant. It’s like a Christian saying on Christmas, “I am glad that atheist parents let their children worship Jesus at least one night out of the year.” This is of course not what actually happens. Saying it doesn’t make it true.
Some observe Halloween to the Lord, as the evening of All Saints’ Day or an opportunity to connect with their communities. Others do not observe it all. Some dress up and decorate to mock death and show that their faith has set them free from all fear of evil. Others are concerned with the appearance of evil and with fully disassociating from darkness. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. Brothers and sisters: Halloween shouldn’t divide us.
See also: “Q&As on Personal Convictions.”
