Halloween Exposed!

“HALLOWEEN EXPOSED”

Thursday, October 31 is Halloween.  After the last light of day has faded many children will don their costumes and go around begging for candy.  The annual debate rages.  Some believe this to be a satanic holiday refusing to have any part in it.  Others believe it to be harmless fun.  Which is it? 

Scripture tells us that “everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.” (I Corinthians 10:23)  This means with issues that the bible does not specifically address, we must use prayerful discretion.  The goal of this article is to help you make an informed, Spirit-led decision. 

Where did Halloween get its start?

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. (An old Irish word that literally means “summer’s end”.)  The Celts celebrated November 1 as their New Year.  October 31 was Samhain, the official end of the summer harvest season. It was a time to take stock of the crops and make plans for winter. 

The ancient Gaels believed that on this night, the barrier between the physical and spiritual worlds was thin.   This allowed for the deceased to come back to life, some for good, but many others for evil.  The festival involved bone fires (bonfires) and the wearing of scary masks to ward off any evil presence. 

The practice of “Trick-or-Treat” resembles the medieval practice of ‘souling’.  Poor people would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1) receiving food.  In exchange they would offer prayers for the dead on All Souls Day. (November 2)  National attention to Trick-or-Treating in the USA did not come about until 1947 when an issue of the children’s magazine “Jack and Jill” ran an article about it.  From there, it was mentioned on several radio shows and eventually made it to television with the Ozzy and Harriet show.  It did not take long before children everywhere caught on to the idea of free candy! 

The Celts also carved turnips and lit candles inside of them to commemorate the souls who were still in purgatory.  In the USA, we adapted this practice by using pumpkins because they are larger and easier to carve. 

The Christian is caught in an obvious tension.  Halloween clearly has a mixed history.  Do we really want to celebrate a night that has such auspicious roots? In our own modern culture, the rise of vampire books, movies, and “slasher” films with a preoccupation of death have lulled us to sleep.  We think it is only fantasy. But is it?

I Thessalonians 5:22 tells us clearly “Do not imitate what is evil.” 

II Corinthians 11:14 warns us that “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”  He is a lying, masquerading beast.  He wants us to discount him and consider him as harmless.  The less we think of him, the better he can deceive.  Isn’t it ironic?  Satan masquerades as an angel and we dress our kids up as devils.  Something is twisted.

So how can a Christian respond?  A few ideas come to mind:

#1 This Halloween, students from our AWAKEN! youth ministry will be in the church parking lot seeking to bless the children of Woodbridge Street with candy and a friendly smile.  (You could join us!) 

#2 Others participate in the trick or treating but do not allow their children to wear any scary, evil costumes.

#3 A few families in our church redeem the night by “reverse trick or treating”.  They go around the neighborhood giving gifts to their neighbors in the name of Jesus. 

#4 Others redeem the night by praying for their neighbors.  If the devil gives you a chance to knock on your neighbor’s doors and bless them, take it! 

Whatever we do, let’s not be ignorant of the event.  Let’s be wise in the way we live our faith in this world.  If you would like some more info, you can Google “Halloween history”.  There is much to learn!