Many of us share concerns that the cultural Halloween of our youth has morphed into something darker. Many homeowners seem bent on displaying Hollywood-quality flying ghosts, witches, demonic figures, and two-story tall skeletons, and much of it seems to appear on lawns sometime in September! People in the USA spent a remarkable 13.2 Billion Dollars on Halloween last year, according to Statista, significantly more than just a few years back.
Halloween's origins seem to date back to the pagan Celtic festival of Samhain, which was believed to be a time when the lines between the dead and the living were blurred, and that the dead could be communicated with. God prohibits us from participating in the occult (check out Galatians 5:20, Acts 19:19, Acts 13:6:6-11). Historians also write of this festival involving human sacrifice, and of course, we know from the Ten Commandments and elsewhere in scripture that murder is strictly forbidden.
Over the centuries, in some cultures, a blurry connection occurred between Halloween and the early church’s All Saints and All Souls days (October 31, November 1, and November 2, respectively). Some were taught that we could ask the dead to plead with God on our behalf and that we could pray someone out of purgatory into Heaven. When we turn to the Bible, we learn that we are to depend upon Christ alone for salvation (Acts 4:12), and one finds no reference to purgatory.
As thoughtful Christ-followers, we should consider the connection between Halloween's pagan and occultic origins, but also the current cultural expressions, and ask whether it is pleasing or displeasing to God when we take part in them. If we do participate, are we unwittingly leading others who might be less discerning astray? While God gives us specific non-negotiable commands, he remarkably and thankfully gives us certain freedoms. While some of us might elect to avoid Halloween (and perhaps substitute it with a church Harvest Festival), others might hand out candy and send their own kids trick-or-treating to neighboring homes. In unity, let’s continue to look at scripture, pray, seek counsel from our pastors and other mature Christians, and do our utmost to follow our Lord and Savior.
For C.S. Lewis quotes, click here
For a short blog on "Alcohol and God", click here
For a short blog on "Anxiety", click here
For a short blog on "Rebounding in Personal Finance", click here