I used to have a love affair with Halloween. In fact, you might have called it an obsession. 

Even several years after I gave my heart to Jesus, I still harbored a pretty decent crush on costume shops, individually wrapped miniature candies, and “good” spookiness, all in the name of fun.

Even when I started to feel a little uncomfortable with it, I purposed that I would simply tone it down a little and not let it consume too big a part of my heart. Just a little flirting once a year, because surely my one true Love knew my heart belonged to Him. Just like my husband wouldn’t mind at all if I spent a little time with old boyfriends once a year — you know, just for old times’ sake. After all, he wants me to be happy and would never want me to miss out on any fun.

You know I’m kidding, of course. My husband would have nothing to do with that sort of thinking. And neither did God’s Holy Spirit. After a few years of ignoring his gentle tugging on my heart, I finally decided to prayerfully consider giving up Halloween.

The more I learned, the more I became convinced that this “holiday” (a word that means “holy day,” by the way) was not honoring to God in any way. I began to see that my refusal to give up Halloween was evidence of a divided heart. (And doesn’t my Lord Jesus Christ want my whole heart?)

Ever since deciding to “just say no” to Halloween, I can honestly tell you that the blessings and joy of obedience are far greater than any fun I ever had “celebrating.”

And since many people, even Christians, think my decision is odd or even legalistic, I finally decided to put together a list of the top ten reasons I kissed Halloween goodbye.

1. Halloween glorifies evil, not God.

It’s no secret that Halloween is all about witches and ghosts and fear and death. Haunted houses, Hollywood movies, even neighborhood patios are graced with blood and dead bodies and axe murderers … giant replicas of poisonous spider and cobwebs … scary organ music, skeletons, and gravestones. Can anyone deny that this holiday glorifies Satan and every evil thing?

“Oh, but our family only dresses in good costumes,” we are quick to point out, as if somehow sugarcoating the evil with smiling pumpkins and sparkly Disney princess costumes somehow changes the meaning of the celebration.

I too continued to dress up for several years, but no matter what creative spin I put on it, eventually I could no longer justify that anything I was doing in respect to this holiday was honoring to God. 

Sure, my costumes were cute. Sometimes they were even sophisticated, clever, funny, or smart. But none of those things changed the fact that the holiday itself glorified evil, and I could no longer lend my talents and attention to remain part of it.

Most of us know that Halloween is one of the highest, most holy days for witches and Satanists. Even though we ourselves may not be involved in the practice of witchcraft, we give credence to the holiday by celebrating it. 

If we abhor evil, should we not also abhor any day designated to celebrate it? The Bible says to avoid even the appearance of evil.

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” —1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

It also doesn’t take a rocket scientist to discern that the Halloween is all about fear. Scary costumes, haunted houses, and horror movies are designed for no other purpose than to frighten us. Seeking out opportunities to be scared is, on this day at least, the highest form of entertainment. 

If we do not have a spirit of fear, should we even acknowledge a day whose purpose is to invoke a spirit of fear in us?

“For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” —2 Timothy 1:7

2. If the seed is bad, the fruit will be bad.

Halloween has never been a Christian holiday. The foundations of Halloween are occultic, and the symbols and traditions we continue today all have roots in pagan practices.

God tells His people over and over again to avoid all pagan rituals and traditions.

Halloween derives in part from the occult traditions of the Druids, the pagan priests of the Celts, whose fall festival was the precursor to Halloween as we know it.

“To ancient Druids, the end of October commemorated the festival of the waning year, when the sun began his downward course and ripened grain was garnered from the fields. Samhain … was celebrated with human sacrifice, augury and prayers; for at this season spirits walked, and evil had power over souls of men.” [¹]

When the first Christians came to America, they knew of Halloween’s occult beginnings and banned its celebration. [²]

“[B]ecause of Christianity among so many of the settlers, Halloween celebrations were not celebrated until the 1800’s when several immigrants from Ireland and Scotland introduced their Halloween customs. They brought various beliefs about ghosts and witches with them. Other groups added their own cultural influences to Halloween customs. German immigrants brought a vivid witchcraft lore, and Haitian and African peoples brought their native voodoo beliefs about black cats, fire, and witchcraft.” [³]

Today, we have become so accustomed to the traditions of men that we refuse to question them. 

Even Christian families have been honoring this holiday for generations.

But doing so ignores the fact that this festival in no way honors God, and in fact celebrates the very practices God abhors:

“When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
There shall not be found among you any one that taketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that Seth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.” —Deuteronomy 18:9-11

Putting a Christian label over the top of a pagan practice does not make it pleasing to God.

In fact, we are to get rid of all pagan practices and have no part of them:

“These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.
Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:
And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.
Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.” —Deuteronomy 12:1-4

God doesn’t want us to keep the ways of the world and sprinkle Christianity on top. 

He wants us to elevate Him alone: His ways, His philosophies, His deliverance, His celebrations.

Any other practice is sin and eventually bears bad fruit.

3. Don’t dine with devils.

Samhain was the one day of the year when the dead were allowed to come back into the world and commune with the living. People traditionally set a spot for the dead at their table, inviting them in. 

Since there was also the possibility that evil spirits would come looking for them, people took to “guising” themselves for protection. In other words, it’s okay to dine with devils — as long as you wear a costume to protect yourself.

“Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. Ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.” —1 Corinthians 10:21

(By the way, “Ye” in the Bible means “all of you,” not just a single person. This does not bode well for our country.)

So are we really supping with devils? Sharing food with someone represents a sacred connection. Adam and Eve first ate with God in the garden, but then chose to share an apple without God in the presence of Satan. Jesus spent much of his time on earth dining with sinners, because that is who He came to save. The last thing Jesus did before he was crucified was to share a meal with his disciples, and he commands us to continue remembering him in that way until he comes again. When we see him in heaven, it will be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” — Revelation 3:20

Satan is the world’s greatest counterfeiter, so he tempts us to sit at his table and join his feast (festival, festivity) by making it as attractive as he can. He knows we will say no if his festival looks like pure evil, so he’s let us create our own G-rated version that we aren’t as likely to resist.

But God says, “…for what fellowship hath righteousness with lawlessness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God;…” —2 Corinthians 6:14-16a

4. Halloween is an excuse to flaunt sexuality.

It’s true. Halloween is becoming more risqué every year. In fact, sometimes I think its real name is “Dress Like a Porn Star” Day. Girls dress more provocatively, and at much younger ages, on this day than any other. There seems to be an unwritten competition to have the raciest costume.

For those passing on ghoul or gore, the only other worthy goals seem to be shock and immodesty.

“But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

“Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:” —Ephesians 5:3-8

I can vouch from personal experience that when we put on a costume, we often detach ourselves, sometimes ever so slightly, from our inhibitions. After all, it is much easier to act a tad bit naughty when our real identity is hidden. 

It’s almost as if bad behavior is somehow excused when we are in costume. And it’s much easier to explain in the morning: “I wasn’t actually sinning; I was just staying in character.”

Even though we are not to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, we prefer to emulate them and parade them on our Facebook pages as if they are somehow deserving of honor.

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” —Ephesians 5:11-12

5. We play how we practice.

This is one of my husband’s favorite sayings. He is usually referring to table manners with our sons: If you use a knife and fork correctly at the kitchen table, then you won’t have any problems when it counts — when you’re at a nice restaurant with your employer or meeting your future wife’s parents for the first time. How we practice spills over into real life.

The same applies to Halloween. We think we can entertain the macabre, erect gravestones in our front yards, and prop dead “bodies” on our front porches. “Oh, but they’re not real,” we demur. 

Then we are appalled when a 17-year-old has a fascination with dead bodies and decides to act on his morbid desires.

Do we really have any right to be shocked or even surprised when some among us decide to act out in real life the fascination with evil we insist on holding dear? 

We can’t have it both ways: if we choose to be entertained by evil, we should be prepared for the time when it becomes reality.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” —Ephesians 6:12

Let us not drop our guard for a moment, or even camp out one night a year “for fun” on the side of the enemy.

6. Are we causing others to stumble?

Even if we don’t believe it’s dangerous to dabble in the ancient pagan practices of Druid priests, have we given any thought to the impact our actions might have on others?

The Bible tells us just how important it is that we not lead His children astray (Matthew 18:6) or cause them to stumble (Mark 9:42). If we present witchcraft, promiscuity, and the occult in a fun and seductive manner now, are we opening the door to involvement in those practices in the future?

Will our children learn values we want them to learn by participating in this “holy day,” or would they learn better values, perhaps even courage, from seeing us stand up against evil even when our culture says it’s fine?

It probably goes without saying, but what values are we impressing on our children when we send them trick-or-treating? Is the lie “give me your candy or I’ll play a trick” really becoming of anyone?

If we forego Halloween but give our children a substitute celebration instead, are we sending the message that “I am trying to compensate because I think you’re missing out on something really amazing”? 

I want my children to believe what I myself believe: that we have been given something so much better than this! No more bobbing for apples in the church basement (a pagan fertility ritual, by the way) when I have true joy in knowing God’s true Son!

7. Be faithful in the small things.

For many Christians, the thought of whether to celebrate Halloween is a small issue, maybe even a non-issue. After all, it’s only one day a year. And what harm is there really in a handful of Snickers miniatures and a pillowy pumpkin costume?

Let me answer that this way:

First, our character, integrity, and devotion to God is evident in the small things. If we can’t be faithful in the small things, how will our hearts be faithful in the big things?

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much..” —Luke 16:10

So, yes, even something as seemingly small as how we handle Halloween is important.

Second, God has told us to focus on what is pure, noble, right, lovely, and admirable (Philippians 4:8). Is Halloween any of these things? No, and therefore it is unworthy of any of our time or thoughts.

Third, “… For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” —1 John 3:8b

If God came for the purpose of destroying the works of Satan, why do we then try remember, imitate, and even elevate those very things?

How do we expect we will be able to keep ourselves faithful when the big temptations come along when we can’t even say no to glorifying evil in what we do for fun?

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” —James 1:27

But we’ve joined forces with the world. In fact, instead of keeping ourselves unspotted, we have become one giant spot with it! We are so much alike no one can tell where the world ends and the Church begins.

We need to start keeping ourselves pure in the small things, so that we will be able to stay pure and undefiled in the big things.

8. God wants to bless us — but not in the way the world blesses.

For those of us who love Jesus, why is it so important to entertain the macabre and flirt with the dark side for one day, one week, or one month out of the year, instead of delighting in the joy the Lord Himself has set before us?

“Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: …” —Jeremiah 10:2-3a

We often say we don’t want to deprive our children of candy, of dressing up, of the “fun” they have by participating in this holiday. But God has already told us the customs of the world are vain — they are futile!

Is this is the kind of happiness we want for our children, we are clearly setting our standards too low. Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and he will provide all of the other things we need.

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” —Psalm 37:3-4

God in his divine sovereignty did not give us Halloween for our entertainment. Instead, we thought we were missing something and we hijacked it! 

Just like Eve in the garden, we believed Satan’s lie that God was withholding something good from us.

God, however, has far better things in store for us than candy corn and parlor games. Why do we continue to grovel in the plastic sandbox when God has given us the entire beach? [⁴]

We continue pouring time and money into what is overall something that has no lasting fruit and does not in any way glorify God. Would our time be better spent in prayer, teaching our children about the real dangers their friends face by dabbling in the occult?

As a Christian, I don’t want to spend even a penny of my money on a $7-billion-a-year event that is so dishonoring to God. As a nation, it is woefully evident where our hearts are.

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” —Luke 12:34

9. There is sin in the camp.

Even if we think our costumes are not sinful (as if it’s the costume that’s the problem and not the fact that we are still giving reverence to the holiday itself), what about others who have decided that there is nothing wrong with their costumes either? After all, they aren’t really practicing witchcraft, just dressing up as witches. So … do we excuse the dressing up but draw the line at Ouija boards? What about pretending to cast spells?

We have made ourselves the judges of what is good and evil instead of following God’s command to avoid even the spoils of the enemy.

I have two words to say to that kind of thinking: Remember Achan.

In Joshua 7, Israel was accursed and could not even stand before its enemies because just one man, Achan, had taken the spoils of Jericho, when God had said no one was to touch them.

By the sin of one man, the entire nation was judged.

“O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
Israel hath sinned. 
Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from month you.” —Joshua 7:8-13

It’s just a holiday — what’s the big deal? The darkness of Halloween is devoted to destruction and is in no way honoring to our Father of lights (James 1:17) — and no orange and black sugar coating will make it so. 

God is a jealous God, and all pagan beliefs are sinful in God’s eyes. We can’t choose how much or even how nicely we want to celebrate.

And we need to help hold each other accountable because we may all bear the judgment for sin in the camp.

At this time in history more than ever, we are in great need of God’s mercy on our land:

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” —2 Chronicles 7:14

Yet how many of us are truly humbling ourselves and turning from wickedness?

We say we are followers of Christ, but we refuse to surrender in complete obedience to his Word in even the simple act of turning from a holiday that glorifies evil.

If still we refuse to repent and seek God’s wisdom in every aspect of our lives, we should not be surprised when God further removes his hand of blessing and protection from this great land.

10. Come out from them and be separate.

Perhaps the reason I finally let go of Halloween was precisely because I didn’t want to.

If that sounds like a contradiction, let me explain.

You see, the very fact that I kept coming up with reasons and excuses so I could continue celebrating eventually led me to question my motives.

Why was I hanging on so tightly? Was it possible that my celebration of Halloween had become an idol to me? Certainly it appeared so, because still I embraced the traditions of men even when I knew God’s heart on the matter.

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” —2 Corinthians 6:17-18

God wants His people to be holy, which means to be set apart.

If everyone else is doing something, and I’m doing it too, that is a good time to examine myself to see if I’m really in the faith. 

If people don’t look at me and think I am peculiar (1 Peter 2:9), if I fit right in with our culture and no one can tell I am any different, then that’s a good sign I am probably doing something wrong.

The Bible doesn’t say that we should have less to do with darkness than other people do; it says have nothing to do with evil.

By even acknowledging and associating with the holiday, I was giving credence to it in my life and opening myself to deception.

It is my prayer that everyone who follows Christ will be open to prayerfully seeking God’s wisdom about the traditions of man.

“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” —Ephesians 5:6-10

© Copyright 2021 by Michele Blake

Article may be shared in its entirety by linking to this website.

End notes:

1 http://heartofwisdom.com/blog/should-christians-observe-halloween/

2 http://www.logosresourcepages.org/HalloweenBook/history.htm

3 http://heartofwisdom.com/blog/should-christians-observe-halloween/

4 See also C.S. Lewis’ quote: “It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses