Most Christians Are Wrong About Halloween

by | Oct 28, 2016

I’ve been in the “Christians verses Halloween” debate many times. It compelled me to write this post last year, and I am sharing it again – edited a bit – because it continues to contribute to the active conversation going. Not all will agree with me, but here’s why most Christians are wrong about Halloween.

For starters, we Christians are quick to state that God is the same God past, present and future. So let’s frame this conversation by asking a few questions: What are Halloween’s origins? What is the reason for modern-day Halloween? And finally, what is the current trend for Halloween?

The Origins of Halloween

The name Halloween (according to this 2012 Crosswalk post – Is Halloween Pagan in Origin?) is the blending of the words All Hallows’ and Even or E’en. It’s referring to the evening before All Holies Day, or All Saints’ Day, which is observed on November 1. Early Christians celebrated the heroes of the faith, otherwise known as “saints.” This should not be confused with the New Testament’s use of “saints” referring to all believers. By the 7th century, All Saints’ Day was an annually celebrated holiday throughout the Christian world. Orthodox churches celebrated it on the Sunday after Pentecost while Roman Catholic churches observed it on May 13.

The believed connection to Paganism begins in second century B.C. The Celtic order of Druids ended its year on October 31, believing that the Lord of the Dead assembled the souls of all persons who died during the previous year and allowed them a brief visit to their relatives. Those souls were said to play tricks during their recess, so Druids tried to appease them with gifts and other fare. This tradition continued in medieval Europe, where black cats were also ritually sacrificed because they were believed to be witches in disguise [Halloween as a Consumption Experience].

The Catholic Church and Halloween

In the 8th century, the Roman Catholic Church moved the observance of All Saints’ Day to November 1. It has been suggested that it was an attempt to overrule Samhain, a pagan holiday. While that might be possible, there are many reasons this also may be a false assumption (again, see Is Halloween Pagan in Origin?). Pope Gregory IV placed Halloween on the church calendar during the ninth century, declaring it a day to observe to honor martyrs on a common day.

In addition to the Samhain theory, fellow blogger, Gene Whitehead observes of Halloween;

Halloween is found by some scholars to be linked to the ancient Roman holiday feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruit trees and orchards, or in a Roman festival called Parentalia, or “ancient days,” a 9 day feast honoring ancestors.

I find it interesting that the proposed forerunners of Halloween have their purposes rooted in harvest time rituals (in which participants give thanks) and/or a time for honoring ancestors and heroes. Whether is it viewed through a lens of Christianity or Paganism, it’s roughly the same intent.

Modern Day Halloween

Halloween began to evolve into its modern iteration in the early 1900’s. As settlers came to America from the British Isles, their Halloween practices came with some of them. However, due to strict Protestant beliefs prevalent in colonial New England, it didn’t become popular until later.

By the 1890’s, many magazines and newspapers articles popularized and helped spread Halloween traditions on a much larger scale [source]. In the early 1900’s, the Dennison Paper Company took that popularization to a new level. As a means for selling their wares, they forwarded the notion of decorations for all occasions. Halloween was no exception.

Dennison published a “bogie book” that became a go-to guide for all things Halloween. It contained party ideas, instructions for creating decor and so much more. Oh yeah, they also sold all the materials so would-be party hosts could spend their cash while following the suggestions. According to the Henry Ford, “The Denison [sic] Paper Company specialized in paper party goods, particularly crêpe paper, and their Bogie Books were developed as a vehicle to sell everything from Halloween costumes to decor.”

Is Halloween a Pagan or Christian Holiday? Yes.

Halloween - Christian or Pagan?

Like anything in life, Halloween is what you make of it. It’s a day of fun and tradition. It’s a season to be silly, to provoke a few thrills and maybe have a reason to gather. If it is a pagan Holiday, it’s because Christians have labeled it as such. The Lord can and does use all things for his Glory. Even Halloween.

It is common for Christians to question if Halloween is exactly the sort of practice the apostle Paul refers to when encouraging fellow believers to disassociate themselves from the customs of such societies? Paul wrote to the Corinthians, (2 Corinthians 6:14–17).

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,

Paul Was Not Addressing the Corinthians About Halloween

This is perhaps the biggest source of Christian indifference toward Halloween. And I understand the conflict. However, I must suggest that Halloween is not the proper context, unless those you’re surrounded by at Halloween are truly worshiping the Devil or any God before our Lord.

First, if a Christian were to use this passage as a case for not participating in Halloween, I would therefore also expect that this Christian does not work for an employer that employs both believers and non-believers. I would expect that they do not attend sporting events, that they don’t socialize with any other individuals outside of church. I personally believe this passage has more to do with marriage, business partnerships and unnecessary associations with outright lawless people.

Further, Paul was also addressing the Corinthian’s tendencies to blend worship of God with that of other Gods:

In other words, the people wanted to be Christian while still partaking of all the activities that marked the worship of the Greek gods. The attitude seemed to be that they could be spiritually Christian “inside” while the physical body could still enjoy the wild pagan lifestyle of Corinth. [Source: The Voice]

Secondly, as we are reminded in this Theology of Work post, “we must be careful to not turn Paul’s words into an us-versus-them mentality against non-believers.” By attacking our cultural peers because they like to dress up, have fun, give candy, play games, etc., we are casting a judgmental stigma. It’s a stigma that then is cast back to us in return. And then we wonder why they’re unwilling to listen when we “sincerely” want to help them learn about salvation through Christ. We cannot genuinely engage a people when we are continually thrusting stones toward them.

Wait! How Can Halloween be BOTH Pagan AND Christian?

Like anything in life, Halloween is what you make of it. It’s a day of fun and tradition. It’s a season to be silly, to provoke a few thrills and maybe have a reason to gather. If it is a pagan Holiday, it’s because Christians have labeled it that way. The Lord can and does use all things for his glory. Even Halloween. Shame on us for not trusting God. Even the demon shudder at the power of our Lord (James 2:19). Our avoidance of Halloween has essentially become Christians GIVING the day – a day our LORD HAS MADE – over to Pagans.

We’re Teaching Our Children to Avoid a Culture We’re Commanded to Pursue

If we refuse to allow our children to engage with culture, how can we possibly expect them to share the Gospel with that culture? Are we content to sit in our church buildings (big or small) and simply wait for people to show up at our doorsteps so we can evangelize to them?

Christian parents that shield children from participation in dressing up, attending Halloween parties, and (yeah) enjoying a little candy are doing more harm than good. What’s more, they are taking a cowardly and lazy approach to rearing their children.

Rather than explain to their kids that this is done in good fun and not as a means of worship, but instructing them in the ways they should go, parents are instead saying “we don’t participate in it because it is a pagan holiday” and ending the discussion. Guess what parents; sooner or later your kids will demand a better explanation.

Are you prepared to give them a better answer?

More Halloween and Christianity sources: