Navigating Halloween with Spiritual Clarity
As Halloween approaches, many Christians find themselves wrestling with the decision of participation. While the holiday may appear harmless, understanding its origins and potential spiritual implications is crucial.
This conversation is vital for several reasons:
to safeguard our relationship with the Lord, ensuring it remains consistent, unhindered, and fruitful.
to cultivate the mind of Christ, and filter all aspects of our lives through His lens which demands acknowledging the spiritual realm in which we exist
to remain vigilant against spiritual desensitization, preventing casual entanglement with darkness instead of embracing the light.
This post explores the historical roots of Halloween, providing Scripture verses that offer guidance, and ultimately emphasizes the importance of spiritual awareness in our journey with Christ. By understanding these aspects, we can navigate Halloween with clarity and conviction.
The History
Halloween's roots go back over 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated on November 1st. The Celts believed that on the eve of Samhain, the line between the living and the dead became blurred, allowing spirits to wander.
Celtic Traditions: During Samhain, the Celts would light large bonfires and wear costumes, typically made of animal heads and skins, to ward off roaming ghosts. They believed that the presence of otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Celtic priests to make predictions about the future. These prophecies were an important source of comfort during the long, dark winter. However, these priests did not serve the One True God. Their religion was tied directly to polytheism (the belief in more than one god), nature worship (what we would call “New Ageism”), and making organized rituals and offerings to idols.
Roman Influence: By 43 A.D., the Roman Empire had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. Over the next 400 years, two Roman festivals were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the tradition of bobbing for apples that is practiced today.
Christian Influence: By the 9th century, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted older Celtic rites. In 1000 A.D., the church made November 2nd All Souls’ Day, a day to honor the dead. It is widely believed that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related but church-sanctioned holiday. All Souls’ Day was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. The All Saints’ Day celebration was also called All-Hallows, and the night before it began to be called All-Hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.
Halloween in America: The celebration of Halloween was extremely limited in colonial New England because of the rigid Protestant belief systems there. Halloween was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups and the American Indians meshed, a distinctly “American” version of Halloween began to emerge. The first celebrations included “play parties,” which were public events held to celebrate the harvest. At these parties, neighbors would share stories of the dead, tell each other’s fortunes, dance, and sing. Colonial Halloween festivities also featured the telling of ghost stories and mischief-making of all kinds. By the middle of the 19th century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country.
Modern Halloween: By the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks, and witchcraft. At the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of the season, and festive costumes. Parents were encouraged by newspapers and community leaders to take anything “frightening” or “grotesque” out of Halloween celebrations. Because of these efforts, Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century.
However, as the late 1900s came along, these “frightening” and “grotesque” costumes emerged again, and it has been rapidly becoming darker each year. Kids are now dressing up as former serial killers, evil monsters, dead people, and witches, all in the name of “fun.” Kids dress up, go door-to-door and ask for candy. This act that occurs on Halloween night in modern American culture is called “trick-or-treating." The history of trick-or-treating can be traced back to medieval England, where the practice of "souling" involved people going door-to-door on All Souls' Day, offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food, typically pastries called "soul cakes.”
Our Current Traditions
We already learned that the Celts, who believed in the link of the divine and natural realms, saw Samhain as a day to honor the dead. I wanted to list a few of the ways the Celts honored the dead and I want you to process how these practices still show up in our modern day celebrations.
The Celts built large bonfires to help spirits on their way and to keep the dead away from the living
The Celts burned crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
The Celts wore costumes, often made from animal skins, to disguise themselves and drive away harmful spirits.
The Celts left food and drink out to appease the spirits and prepared food for the living and the dead.
The Celts lit candles to help loved ones find their way back to the spirit world.
The Celts set places at the dinner table for their deceased friends and relatives.
The Celts decorated their gates and doorways with carved gourds and turnips, placing them in their windows to ward off the spirits they believed would roam on Samhain. These decorations were meant to protect their homes and keep the otherworldly at bay.
Are you beginning to see any similarities for today?
Even if you are not personally participating in events that have similarities, the goal here is to show where these activities originated. At this point, you might be asking, “if all of our modern Halloween practices originate from pagan practices, what CAN I do for halloween or to celebrate October? I want us to each ask the Holy Spirit to answer this for us.
Let’s look at a few Verses from the Bible
The Bible provides clear guidance on how Christians should approach practices associated with darkness and the occult. Here are some key verses:
Ephesians 5:11: “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
1 Thessalonians 5:22: “Abstain from every form of evil.”
Deuteronomy 18:10-12: “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.”
It's highly unlikely that anyone reading this is actively involved in practices like child sacrifice, interpreting omens, practicing divination and sorcery, casting spells, or acting as a medium or sorcerer. However, let's delve into one word that often gets overlooked.
What does it mean to “Engage”
The word “engages” in Deuteronomy 18:10-12 implies active participation or any passive involvement. Here’s a deeper look at what this might mean:
Active Participation: Engaging in witchcraft or any form of occult practice means actively participating in rituals or behaviors that are rooted in darkness. This goes beyond mere curiosity; it involves a deliberate choice to partake in activities that God has forbidden.
Acceptance and Endorsement: We can engage in an activity and be completely unaware of the darkness of that activity. By simply participating, this can show our acceptance and endorsement whether intentional or not.
What are the Spiritual Dangers?
Satan is a master deceiver, often convincing Christians that certain aspects of the world are harmless and for mere entertainment. However, Scripture is clear: anything that is not "of God" is inherently evil. As 1 John 1:5 states, "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."
What ways can participating in Halloween Fesitivities effect your relationship with God?
Desensitization to Evil: Constant exposure to horror and demonic imagery can desensitize us to the reality of spiritual warfare and the seriousness of evil. We can unknowingly normalize darkness, which can pull us away from the Lord if we don't actively resist it. We cannot afford to give the enemy any space in our lives. Therefore, we must resist his influence by wholeheartedly submitting to the Lord.
Spiritual Oppression: Participating in activities that glorify darkness can open the door to spiritual oppression, impacting our spiritual well-being. Even seemingly harmless things like Halloween decorations, watching demonic movies or TV shows, can subtly affect our prayer life, Bible study, worship, and daily routines, inviting darkness into our homes and lives.
Compromised Witness: As Christians, we are called to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). Embracing a holiday steeped in pagan origins and demonic imagery sends a mixed message, blurring the lines between our light and the world's darkness. How can we be children of the Light while passively participating in something that contradicts our beliefs?
Tips to Exercise Spiritual Awareness
We all yearn to love the Lord our God with our whole being – mind, heart, soul, and strength. This blog wasn't just about sharing a history lesson; it's a heartfelt plea to see the church become a pure and spotless bride, with eyes fixed on Jesus, unhindered by the enemy's attempts to bring greater oppression upon the body of Christ.
Here’s what I feel the Lord inviting us into:
Seek the Lord’s thoughts about Halloween in prayer: Seek His wisdom and discernment about the holiday and other cultural practices. He will answer you, for He desires for you to walk on a path that aligns with His will. Ask His thoughts about family traditions, decorations, and your plans for Halloween.
Remove any and all demonic symbols/decorations from your house: This might feel challenging, especially if you have a tradition of displaying certain items like witch dolls, ghost figures, skeletons, or eerie décor like tombstones or bloody imagery. Remember, these images don't symbolize life but, death and destruction. They do not establish the presence of the Lord in your home but instead create a space where you and others passively engage with evil imagery and practices. Walk around your home, stop at each piece of decor, and ask the Lord to reveal whether He wants it in your home.
Share the historical and spiritual implications of Halloween with fellow believers: By creating a community of awareness, support, and discernment, we can collectively navigate this season with clarity. This, in turn, can impact those who are not followers of Jesus, helping them understand how Jesus embodies true life and freedom.
Should we celebrate Halloween but, celebrate it in a more Biblical way?
Let’s think back to the History section of this blog, specifically the Christian Influence section. Is it possible to take a demonic practice and make it simply less demonic? Consider this scripture:
“But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.”
Did God instruct the Israelites to simply relocate or modify the pagan idols? Would adding “yahweh” to them make them acceptable? What about a different carving to make them into a new image for Him? No. He commanded them to break, smash, chop down, and burn the idols.
Let this powerful truth resonate within our hearts. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth and align our hearts with His will as we dismantle any practices in our lives that contradict His ways, especially during this season.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
I want to honor you in every way I can. I want your Spirit to be my guide, my direction, and I desire to follow your voice in everything I do. I pray that you continue to keep me distant from the things of the world and the manipulation of Satan. Lord, if I have done anything apart from you regarding this season, I come before you with a repentant heart, acknowledging that I have celebrated Halloween in ways that are not pleasing to you. I have allowed myself to overlook the darkness and ungodly elements associated with this holiday. I ask for Your forgiveness for any actions or thoughts that have strayed from Your will. Lord, I seek Your guidance and wisdom to navigate my life according to Your will. Help me to walk in purity, spiritual maturity, and holiness. Strengthen my resolve to resist the temptations of this world and to stand firm in my faith. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, that I may discern what is right and true. Lead me away from anything that does not honor You, and help me to be a light in the darkness, reflecting Your love and truth to those around me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.