Should Christians celebrate Halloween? The answer to you question might surprise you.
“She’s (the Wicked Witch) gone where the goblins go, Below – below – below.”
Credit: Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead, lyrics from the movie, “The Wizard of Oz.”
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Celebrating All Hallows Eve
What’s Celebrated?
Halloween, All Hallows Eve, is the evening before November 1, which, in some Christian traditions, is the time in the liturgical year when Christians celebrate those who’ve passed on into the next life. Somehow, the evening before that day has taken a dark turn as a celebration of horror.
Children dressed as goblins, demons, skeletons, witches, and other symbols of evil and death. Adults decorate their lawns as graveyards, in cobwebs, or other symbols of the underworld, the occult, or from countless genres of horror.
On any other day, God-honoring Christians would avoid these imageries.
What’s a God-fearing Christian to do?
What’s at Stake?
Is Halloween just an innocent celebration where children enjoy dressing up in costumes and going door to door to receive candy? Or is it a celebration of evil and an open door to the occult?
“Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?” (1 Corinthians 10:22).
Or should we look at it as just another day? Do the Apostle Paul’s instructions to the Church apply here?
“Therefore let no one judge you regarding food, or drink, or in respect of a holy day or new moon or sabbath days. These are shadows of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ (Colossians 2:16-17).
How Does ‘Knowledge’ Help?
When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about questionable practices, he took an unusual approach. He first stated that believers are free to practice that activity. His teaching about meat sacrificed to idols is one example. He tells them that their ‘knowledge’ as Christians tells them that because they know there are no other gods but the true God, that therefore participating in idol feasts means nothing. And if it means nothing, then they’re free to take part. Paul says,
“So concerning the eating of foods that are offered in sacrifice to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one”(1 Corinthians 8:4).
Then he goes on to show that partaking in food offered to idols is really joining in worshiping that false god. There’s also the danger of causing others who don’t have this ‘knowledge’ to join in the same sinful practice of worshiping the false god represented by the idol:
“But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. I do not want you to have fellowship with demons…. You cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons” (1 Corinthians 10:20-21).
Awareness
So, Paul begins by saying idols are meaningless because there is no other true God. Therefore, it’s within a Christian’s freedom to eat meat sacrificed to idols. But then he showed them why they should never eat meat sacrificed to idols. Paul’s bottom line: He said it’s okay if it’s done innocently, so ask no questions about where the meat came from either in a marketplace or in a private home. But if someone becomes aware that someone offered the meat, he forbids eating it.
Is it Wrong for Christians to Celebrate Halloween?
Questions
Is there anything wrong with handing out candy to children? No.
Can a Christian use the occasion to advance God’s Kingdom through a church gathering, testimony, or tracts? Yes.
Should a Christian participate by wearing costumes or having decorations representing the occult, death, horror, or the like? No! This includes any practice that might offend God.
Is ignoring the day a good decision? Yes.
Should Christians forbid others from coming to a different conviction, assuming their observance is godly? No.
So, should a Christian celebrate Halloween? The choice is yours, guided by your personal conviction and respect for God.
