Whatever conclusion you may reach about Halloween, I believe that God has an answer on this subject, and He wants us to review the facts and make a decision that is based on our knowledge of His Word, the Bible.
Colossians 2:8 reads, "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception according to the traditions of men, or according to the elementary principles of the world rather than according to Christ."
1 John 2:15 says, "Do not love the world, or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
So, what is Halloween? Is it evil? Is it pagan? Let's look back to the origins of Halloween. Long before the advent of Christianity in Europe, the belief in witches, sorcerers, and magic was widespread. The worship of fertility was the main object of these early religious and mystical practices, which date back to the time of Christ.
The origins of Halloween, or "Samhain" in the Celtic religion, are well known. On the night of Samhain, the Celts believed that the barrier between the physical world and the spiritual world was at its weakest; and spirits, as well as souls of the dead, were free to roam the earth.
A sect of male and female priests known as the Druids, celebrated by staging a fertility festival to thank the spirits (demons) for the crops of that year. During the night, the Druids held black masses.
The religious ceremonies of the Druids were designed to protect the crops, herds, and the flocks from demonic influence. Animal and human sacrifices provided a means of divination, as well as being an appeasement to the gods or spirits, who may have been sent to plague them.
The custom of using leaves, pumpkins and cornstalks as Halloween decorations comes from this Druidic festival.
The name Halloween is actually a derivative of the name "All Hallows Eve," which dates back to 700 A.D. At that time, the Roman Catholic Church tried to counter the popularity of the satanic overtones of Samhain, by staging its own festival on the very same day, called "All Hallows Day". Later this celebration became known as "Hallows Eve" and eventually "Hallows-een" or Halloween.
The intermingling of pagan and church festivals resulted in many of our present day Halloween observances, which feature treats (formerly for roaming spirits), along with costumes and decorations, which acknowledged the popularity of sorcery and witchcraft. Also the Jack-O-Lantern (a pumpkin carved with an evil face) is an ancient symbol of a damned soul. And a candle lit inside a pumpkin and placed outside the home, was displayed to show sympathy and submission to evil spirits, thereby invoking merciful treatment from the evil spirits.
Understanding the pagan origins of Halloween, Christians should ask themselves whether pumpkins, witches, goblins, ghosts, and other Halloween decorations should be displayed in front of their homes.
If you're a Christian, any decision you make should be in harmony with what the Bible teaches. And by examining scripture, we can get a clear view of what a Christian's attitude should be toward playing around with the occult and fortunetelling.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says, "Let no one be found among you who ... practices divination" (such as fortune telling or using tarot cards), or sorcery (dabbling in voodoo or charms) "or interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium, or spiritist, or who consults the dead" (this would include someone who tries to contact demons).
Deuteronomy 18:12, concludes with the statement, "Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord."
I think the Bible clearly shows that we should not participate in any activity with occult overtones.
Although a person might feel as if trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, or dressing up as "evil spirits" is all very harmless, we must also realize that all of this is serious business to those who are involved, or have previously been involved, in the occult.
Today, very few people think of Halloween as the day before All Saints Day, a time for remembering godly men and women. Even fewer Christians observe All Saints Day, yet the evil and satanic overtones of Halloween continue to grow each year.
Remember, when a person accepts Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior, that person becomes a new creature. That means that the old life has passed away with all its sinful customs, including dabbling in the occult.
For example, Thessalonians 5:22 says, "Abstain from every form of evil."
2 Corinthians 5:17 states, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
As I've covered in this series of reports, Christian parents should carefully weigh the consequences of participating in Halloween, because of the heritage it communicates to children. Remember, the rituals of the world will always exist, but as Christians, there is a choice to make. You can seek God's will in this matter... or you can say "forget it, it's not important. Let the kids have their fun." Whatever you decide, I would encourage you to make the Bible your measuring line of truth, and don't forget to PRAY!