There are many Christians that
see Halloween as a demonic holiday.
They probably mean well in their show of disdain and scorn for it. However, I don’t completely agree with
them. I understand where they’re coming
from, but I don’t think it’s fully right to brand Halloween as essentially evil
and declare that those who enjoy it are sinning. I don’t believe that it’s necessarily a time
of glorifying darkness and evil. On the
contrary, I think it’s a capital opportunity in declaring the Light (but I’m
getting ahead of myself; more on this later)!
In this article, I will be
discussing my thoughts on Halloween. As
usual in discussing these matters, I will do my best in tackling this in accordance to God’s standards. But, of course, it’s always a possibility
that I’m wrong with my beliefs and arguments, and I always welcome instruction
and correcting from wiser people.
Nevertheless, at this point, what I will be laying down below is
something I believe to be acceptable, logical, and would exalt Christ in the
matter at hand (i.e. Halloween).
Background of Halloween
It’s considered by several
historical sources that Halloween originated in an ancient pagan Celt festival
named Samhain, on which the Celts simultaneously celebrated their harvest time
and new year (November 1). The ancient Celts also
believed that during the last day of their calendar year (October 31), the
spirits of the dead haunted the world of the living, so they would wear masks
to ward off ghosts.
When the ninth century rolled in,
Medieval Christians started celebrating “All Saints’ Day” on November 1. Some historians hypothesized that, like the
case with other pagan holidays, this was done by Christians in order to
neutralize Samhain. Vigils were done a
night before the feast, and it came to be known as All Hallows’ Eve (“hallow”
means “saint”, so it’s basically “All Saints’ Day Eve”) or Halloween, as the
Scots put it.
The practice of dressing up for
fun started with young people in Britain in the 16th century, which
they called “guising.” These
merrymaking, costumed young people would go house to house asking for “treats”
in exchange for jokes, poems, or songs.
And this tradition would be carried over by immigrants to America, and would
evolve into the Halloween that we know of today.
There’s also an alternative,
darker belief on the origin trick-or-treating.
Some say that it started with the Druids, wherein they
would go house to house to collect virgins or children as human sacrifice for their pagan
rituals. But what is being done in the
present is closer to that 16th century fad than this ancient pagan
practice.
Modern Halloween Does Not Necessarily Celebrate Evil
It’s inappropriate to use
Halloween’s pagan origin against it. The
relation of modern Halloween to the pagan practices of Samhain is pretty insubstantial,
if there’s still one at all. If you
would choose to condemn Halloween because of its pagan connections, then you
should also condemn Christmas, Easter, worshiping on the day of Sunday, and
birthdays because all of these also have
links to ancient paganism. It was only because
early Christians Christianized these pagan celebrations and practices –
redeeming them and redirecting their purposes and form into those that will
glorify God instead – that we modern Christians deem them appropriate in the
present.
You may counter, “Regardless of
its pagan connections or lack thereof, doesn’t modern Halloween celebrate
darkness and horror anyway, and thus, it’s a demonic holiday nevertheless?” That may or not may be true. Either way, it’s not the really the heart of issue. I will elaborate later on, but let me give my
personal opinion about it. I don’t think
Halloween celebrates darkness per se, but a fictionalized
version of it; “horror” in this context is that of fantasy. Witches, ghouls, vampires, and other monsters
– as they are being depicted in Halloween – are make-believe. They aren’t any different from any other
fictional characters – whom, by the way, people are also dressing up as during
Halloween. If anything else, the merriness
is rooted in the dressing up and the treats obtained from dressing up, and not from having a delight in darkness
per se.
Also worth noting is the overlooked
fact that the original purpose of the early Christians to illustrate the Devil with horns, tail, red
suit, and pitchfork is not to lionize him and depict him as terrifying, but to mock him! Martin Luther once said that “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
popular visual representation of the Devil is for satire rather than for
horror. Thus, if one dresses up as the
Devil in this appearance, it’s actually more apt that it’s to ridicule than to
honor – as what early Christians had intended.
So the “darkness” of Halloween
doesn’t necessarily pertain to its actual essence, but merely a make-believe
caricature.
Maybe there are some – Satan
worshipers – who deliberately celebrate evil during Halloween. But, as mentioned above, that’s not how
Halloween is being essentially considered by most people. It only becomes “demonic” if one treats it as
such. Besides, how the world celebrates a
tradition or holiday has no bearing at all on how Christians should approach it.
Halloween Is a “Man-Made
Pleasure”, Thus, Permissible… to an Extent
I’ve already written a more in-depth essay about man-made pleasures as a whole in the past (I suggest you
read that, too). But the arguments there
also apply for Halloween.
Halloween has elements of fun and
thrill and delight and beauty. I’m personally
charmed of the impressive, intricate work on the costumes and props being made; the
generosity for candies and other gifts; the creative pumpkin designs; the
entertaining Halloween cartoons; and the jovial and excited atmosphere. So, clearly, there’s something pleasurable about
Halloween. And Christian should treat
Halloween like how he or she treats any other pleasures that he encounters in
this world – be that a tradition, a work of art, or a celebration – that they
are gifts from God (John 1:17) which he or she must be thankful for (1 Timothy
4:4), enjoy in accordance to His provided instruction (according to the
parameters of His Word; e.g. sex is only for married couples, consume in
moderation, etc.), and, most importantly, be able to project the delight he or
she derives from them into his or her ultimate delight in God.
Of course, since this world is a fallen one, the pleasures that God had intended for good are warped and now tend to
misplace our joy and satisfaction. Good
thing is we Christians can repurpose them for the glory of God. While the world enjoys these pleasures
wrongly and incompletely in its own way, we can however take what is beautiful,
discard or cure what is corrupted, and then sanctify
these pleasures to serve as things that can glorify God. (Yes, I believe Halloween can be sanctified,
too. I will be discussing this a little
bit later.)
In accordance to 1 Corinthians
6:12, we Christians – who are already free from the Law – are given the freedom
to eat anything, drink anything, and do anything (as long as it’s not sinful). However, 1 Corinthians 10:31 also stated that
whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we should do it for the glory of
God. Therefore, we are permitted and
allowed to do anything as long as we don’t neglect glorifying God through
it. So how can we then glorify God
through our enjoyment of a particular pleasure – in this matter, Halloween? We should first ask these things:
1.) Will we get a lesson from
it? Will it help us in our pursuit of
holy living?
2.) Will it make us contemplate
of God’s goodness and other attributes?
3.) Will enjoying it sharpen our
own ultimate joy in God?
4.) Will we able to use it to
point others to God?
If the answers are all
affirmative, then why not? Let’s go
enjoy it.
On the other hand, if there are
doubts that we’ll be able to achieve those things, then it might be preferable
to abstain from it. Besides, in the same
verse that declared we are permitted to do anything (1 Corinthians 6:12), it’s
also pointed out that not everything is beneficial. Hence, we should also consider carefully if
enjoying a particular pleasure will truly benefit us and others. Even if we’re permitted to enjoy something,
we should still ask ourselves further:
1.) While enjoying it, will there
be a high risk of being tempted to sin?
2.) Will I offend or trouble
others when I proceed to enjoy it?
3.) Will I cause someone to
stumble in his or her faith when I proceed to enjoy it?
If these would be the case, then
we probably would please God more if we choose to abstain from it, even if it’s
permissible to be enjoyed.
Glorifying God and recognizing
that God is our greatest joy. That
should be what’s paramount to us Christians.
In the end, everything eventually comes down to it whether we should
proceed to enjoy something – be it Halloween or any other pleasure – or
not.
Sanctifying Halloween
Sanctification doesn’t mean
“being separated from the world” only, but more accurately, it means “being
separated from the world to be used for
God’s purpose.” And God’s purpose
for us in this world is to know Him and make Him known. We might not be of the world, but still, we
are sent into it to be its salt and light.
Halloween isn’t anything
different. It can be sanctified. The world might be celebrating it in its own
imperfect way, but we Christians can use it to declare God’s glory.
Again, Halloween has elements of
fun. And things that are fun and joyful are
opportunities to draw an audience to witness to and point them toward the splendor of
Christ.
Kids, especially, are the ones that
have the most fun during this event, with the candies and treats and costumes and all that. This fun occasion can be used to teach
biblical lessons to them, and make them realize that the reason they can enjoy
themselves is because they are under God’s grace, and lead them towards the
supreme joy in Christ.
Examples of some practices being
done by Halloween-observing Christians (that I’ve read about) are giving out
Gospel tracks along with treats to those who go trick-or-tricking on their
homes, and having fun “counter-Halloween” parties in their churches wherein
kids dress up as biblical characters or famous Christian historical figures.
What is preferable during Halloween,
having a fun time and doing some witnessing or
being bitter and gloomy and critical about it?
Halloween Reflects Men’s
Fascination and Fear of Death
Though I don’t agree that
Halloween celebrates evil, what can’t be denied is it’s the time of year
wherein everyone is provoked to think about death. For centuries – through the various forms
that Halloween has taken through history – death is something that humans are
both fascinated and fearful about, as they conduct various means – from the
ancient Celts’ mask-wearing to Hollywood’s horror films (and moviegoers’ penchant
of watching such films, even the terrible ones, making the genre very profitable)
– to both distract themselves of its eventuality and reflect on it.
This state of contemplation on
death during Halloween is a great opening to share to unbelievers about the truth
of eternal death that awaits in Hell and the eternal life that is found in
Christ.
I Have Nothing but Respect for
Those Who Don’t Celebrate It and Reject It
Nevertheless, if you’re a
Christian that isn’t convinced that Halloween is okay, that it’s too uncomfortably
dark, and reject it, then good for you.
That’s absolutely fine, too. As
I’ve mentioned before, what’s important is the thought of glorifying God. Therefore, if your own personal faith and
convictions led you to the conclusion that Halloween isn’t pleasing to God,
then I really respect that.
In the Christian pursuit of
exalting God, we are given the freedom of making choices without fear of
condemnation when we pick the wrong choice out of innocent ignorance. That’s why my advice to anti-Halloween
Christians is to be not too quick to harshly rebuke their brethren who celebrate
Halloween. Take into mind that their
purpose is the same as yours – glorifying God – and if they are indeed wrong in
their means of doing so, like celebrating Halloween, let the Holy Spirit
convict them about it. You can gently
share your opinions – preferably, with supporting Scriptures – why you think
Halloween doesn’t glorify God, but you don’t have the right to objectively
declare it as evil and condemn those who do celebrate it.
Remember who our
real enemy is – it’s the Devil, not the kid in the devil costume. And remember what our life’s
main purpose is – it’s declaring the magnificence of Jesus Christ to others, not
convincing everyone that Halloween is evil.
Don’t be mean and reprimanding just because someone greets you a “Happy Halloween,” or be sullen and stingy to someone who knocks at your door for some “trick or treat.”
Don’t be mean and reprimanding just because someone greets you a “Happy Halloween,” or be sullen and stingy to someone who knocks at your door for some “trick or treat.”
I Actually Don’t Celebrate
Halloween
With all my defense of Halloween,
I actually don’t celebrate it myself.
For three reasons:
1.) Halloween isn’t deeply
ingrained in Filipino traditions. With
all the facets of Halloween that I find interesting, Halloween itself is not
something that I believe to be culturally significant and sentimentally
important to be celebrated as a Filipino.
2.) I belong in a Christian
community that frowns upon Halloween.
Though I personally believe there’s nothing wrong with celebrating Halloween,
I abstain from it to avoid offending or confusing other Christians in my circle.
3.) Reformation Day fascinates me
more.
Reformation Day is a holiday that
commemorates the Reformation. It
coincides with the date (October 31, 1517) wherein Martin Luther notably nailed
his 95 theses on the church door of Wittenberg, considered by many to be the
time the Reformation kicked off. It’s a
terrific supplement to those Christians who celebrates Halloween, and a
terrific alternative to those Christians who don’t.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Reformation Day also falls on the date of Halloween.
All Hallows’ Day and All Hallows’ Eve are, after all, the commemoration of the lives of the saints throughout history. Thus, it’s a perfect time to thank God for using saints like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other Reformers, who through their courageous and dedicated labors enabled Christianity to break itself free from the bondage of false doctrines.
All Hallows’ Day and All Hallows’ Eve are, after all, the commemoration of the lives of the saints throughout history. Thus, it’s a perfect time to thank God for using saints like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other Reformers, who through their courageous and dedicated labors enabled Christianity to break itself free from the bondage of false doctrines.
Furthermore, “Post tenebras lux” is a Latin phrase that
the Reformers had taken as one of their slogans. It means “light after darkness.” So, while Halloween has been associated with
death and darkness, the Reformation has brought life and light to Christianity,
which had been buried in false teachings and corruption for centuries. It’s a wonderful analogy on what Christ has
done for us. From darkness to
light. From death to life.
Reformation Day dramatically
changes the paradigm of Halloween. So instead
of Halloween serving as a reminder of darkness and death, we can now gratefully
reflect on Jesus’ words in John 8:12:
“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
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