Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? Pastors Discuss Scripture and How to Use the Day for Good
Since its inception, Halloween seems to be among the more controversial subjects for Christians. Some argue that it is just a normal day, while others claim it's a day of the Devil.
The Christian Post spoke to a few pastors for them to weigh in on the holiday, which has a storied and complicated past.
It is important to note that although the day has its roots in pagan origins, the actual name Halloween comes from All Hallows Eve, which is the day before All Saints Day or All Hallows' Day, a Catholic holy day that remembers the dead, saints, and those who have died for their faith.
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The pagan roots of Halloween date back to Gaelic Ireland during the Medieval times. In short, on this day the people believed that the spirits of their ancestors and even fairies would be coming to visit them. They also believe these spirits could cause harm, so the people would dress up in disguises and build large bonfires, hence the costumes today.
The actual giving out of candy stems from the U.K. also, as children would go house to house singing songs in exchange for food.
As the years went by, certain aspects and beliefs in different traditions came and went until the holiday became what it is today.
So what is the correct thing for Christians to do on Halloween? Are believers who celebrate wrong, and are believers who do not celebrate right?
Pastor Tim Lucas of Liquid Church believes the answer is both yes and no.
He said that while the Bible speaks against being involved in things pertaining to the occult and demonic activity, things can be done in conscience according to the Bible.
Citing 1 Corinthians 10:25-26, Lucas mentioned a time when Christians asked Paul about eating meat that was once sacrificed to idols.
"Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For the earth is the LORD's, and everything in it," the verse states.
What Lucas demonstrated is that according to the Bible, if we as a believer participate in something that may have been wicked at some point, our faith in Jesus negates it. Knowing how we feel in our faith and what we believe in our hearts is a way we can avoid the stigmas of any evil that happens on that day.
See what Lucas is speaking about here, and watch a more detailed discussion with other pastors here.
Youth Pastor John Colonello of New Life Church in Athens, Ala. sees the day as a great time to witness.
"I think we automatically approach it with a condemning attitude and that we will have nothing to do with Halloween. I get it, Halloween has some evil background. People do evil things, but we can turn it around and use it for God's glory. He does that, He turns bad things into good," he said.
The Youth Pastor over 15 years then offered some suggestions of what believers can do on Halloween.
"Instead of closing our door and shutting the lights like no one is home, give out some scripture candy, a little bit expensive, but powerful and can be found in Christian bookstores. Have some cool tracts that you give with the candy (be generous with candy). Be a light on a dark day," Colonello explained.
"In the South and in some places in the North, take your family to a church that is doing a Fall Festival. There is usually plenty of candy, food, prizes for costumes (non scary)," he continued. "Last night, I spoke at a Youth Event at Blackburn Baptist church in Athens, AL and they did an event called 'Holyween.' They had pizza, allowed the students to dress up in costumes and had giveaways and prizes. Many encountered the Lord last evening. They turned a dark day into something great for the Lord."
Pastor Timothy McIntyre of Oasis Christian Center in Staten Island, New York admits that through the years his stance on the day has changed. He now views Halloween as a day to reach the community with God's light.
"For a long time we didn't have our kids participate in anything to do with Halloween. We felt it represented fear, death, and darkness. We never really bought the whole 'Satan's day' thing; scripture says every day is a day the Lord has made. We just didn't see anything positive about it," Mc Intyre said.
"We recently began to see it as an opportunity to engage our community. How often does your community get out in the streets together for anything? We lessened our restrictions somewhat on our kids. We still want to keep them safe from some of the foolishness of the day, but don't feel that they can't participate at all. We feel we've trained them well enough to understand the difference between fun and participating in the other less attractive aspects of the day," he said.
With all that being said, what has God pressed upon your heart as a follower of Christ? Do you believe everything can be used for God's glory, or do you feel the day should be avoided all together?
Please share your thoughts in the comments, and if you have any ideas for other Christians on what your family does on Halloween, share!
