Christians Unsure if Halloween Should be Celebrated

By Katherine T. Phan, Christian Post Reporter Friday, October 15, 2004

Christians in the Bible Belt are highly concerned that Halloween, considered by some as the day of the dead and ghosts, falls on a Sunday this year, according to a recent Associated Press article.

The article said that some towns have decided to celebrate the holiday on Saturday in order to keep Sunday distinguished as the Sabbath.
"You just don't do it on Sunday," Sandra Hulsey, a parent from Greenville, Ga., told AP. "That's Christ's day. You go to church on Sunday. You don't go out and celebrate the devil. That'll confuse a child."

Some towns, which experienced such strong negative reactions in the past when they declared Saturday as Halloween, said now they would never switch the dates again and instead told people who do not want to celebrate the holiday to turn off their porch lights.

What's a Christian to do?

Focus on the Family’s Dr. James Dobson said the holiday can be something fun rather than something associated with the occult.

“If the Halloween experience is focused on fantasy rather than the occult, I see no harm in it,” said child psychologist Dobson in a Q&A column for Halloween. He suggested parents make playful costumes that represent fun characters such as Mickey Mouse or an elderly grandmother.

However, Dobson said he was only giving his personal opinions and advised parents to “Stay true to your own convictions.”