Can Christians Participate in Halloween?
Have you ever struggled with this question? Or met someone who has? Perhaps you grew up in a family or a church that forbade celebrating Halloween. Or perhaps you didn’t, and you’re wondering what the fuss is all about. Maybe you didn’t even know there was a fuss.
Well, there is. And it’s a good ‘fuss’ to think through because that process will help us think through other conscience issues.
To answer the question, here are series of thoughts:
1. To be clear upfront, Halloween is not inherently sinful. There’s nothing wrong with dressing up in costumes and going trick-or-treating. Just as having a Christmas tree doesn’t mean you’re upholding a pagan tradition or putting green dye in your food on St. Patrick’s Day means you’re honoring Catholicism.
2. In fact, Halloween is All Hallows’ Eve, a Catholic holy day, observed with fasting and prayer the day before All Hallows’ or All Saints’ Day. All Saints’ is a day to remember departed saints. Over time, All Hallows’ Eve blended with pagan and secular traditions to become what we know as Halloween.
3. But Halloween is a secular tradition in our society, with no religious significance. That’s important to keep in mind because no one who participates in Halloween does so for religious reasons. But people who refrain do so for religious reasons usually.
4. However, there are certain features of Halloween that are un-Christian. Consider what comes out during this season - the demonic, black magic, and other spiritually dark realities. The normalization of the demonic is on full display during Halloween. And so is the normalization of characters who commit horrific violence and evil. Many of them have been turned into cultural icons, memes, and have become popular costumes and decorations. But the Bible condemns murder (Exod 20:13). It condemns sorcery (2 Chron 33:6; Gal 5:20; Rev 9:21). It condemns the demonic (1 Pet 5:8; 1 Jn 3:8). And God doesn’t want us to approve what is evil (Rom 1:32).
5. But it’s not all black-and-white with Halloween. Why? Because, while the Bible condemns certain aspects of Halloween, it doesn’t give us an absolute law on our individual participation in Halloween. It remains silent there, as it does with the gray areas of life. This means Halloween, overall, is a conscience issue.
6. A conscience issue works this way . . . . if you can’t participate in Halloween without feeling as if you’re sinning, you shouldn’t. You should only do that which your heart is comfortable with (Rom 14:22-23). But it also means that if you feel free to participate in Halloween, you can. You can glorify the Lord either way (Rom 14:6)!
7. If we’re not careful with a conscience issue like Halloween, we can be tempted to make our stance normative for all. But if we do that, we end up hurting others and our Christian witness. How? Because we divide from believers over a preferential issue and make the gospel look like it’s about what you can and cannot do (cf. Rom 14:17).
8. Therefore, we must uphold the freedom of every conscience. Those who don’t participate in Halloween must not scorn those who do (Rom 14:3). And those who participate must not judge those who don’t (Rom 14:1). In other words, we must really love one another. So much so that we’re willing to fight for a fellow believer’s freedom to participate in Halloween even though we don’t. And fight for a fellow believer’s freedom not to participate in it even though we do.
9. So, if you know a believer who feels as if they would be sinning if they went trick-or-treating, guess what? You don’t invite them. You don’t pressure them. And if you don’t participate in Halloween, guess what? You don’t denounce those who do. You don’t pressure them not to participate. Both parties must be happy for each other.
10. What can such protection of each other’s conscience look like in our hearts’?
For the Halloween-“green light” believers – they should make sure their costumes and decorations don’t cross any biblical lines. Yes, there are gray-area decorations and costumes. But just check your heart and ask, Why am I wearing this costume or putting out this decoration?
For the Halloween-“red light” believers – they should calibrate their conscience with Scripture. This is true for everyone, but all the more so for a sensitive conscience, especially if it has many sensitivities. Why? Because a sensitive conscience can make it difficult for you freely to be part of a church where people are different from you. It’s also potentially going to be harder for you to reach out to unbelievers.
11. Now, we are all weaker or stronger in different areas. The one who can’t drink can watch an R-rated movie. The one who can’t watch an R-rated movie can drink. Neither is morally superior. The goal isn’t to have one conscience rule the church. The goal is to do everything by faith.
12. Personal example – On a missions trip to Turin, Italy, we visited a museum dedicated to Italian cinema. One of our team members didn’t want to go inside because her past in theater had many associations with moral darkness. So, she stayed outside, while the rest of us went in. But there was no condemnation. Instead, she told us to enjoy our tour. When we returned, there was no barrier between us. That’s the heart of a believer who abstains by faith. Her faith was proven not only by not going, but by her desire to protect others’ freedom of conscience.
13. Here’s a summary on the question of a Christian’s participation in Halloween:
(1) Make sure that what we’re doing with our participation doesn’t cross any biblical common-sense lines;
(2) Protect each other’s freedom of conscience;
(3) Calibrate our conscience with Scripture and prayer;
(4) Partake in Halloween or not from faith; and
(5) Love one another through our differences. Don’t presume on people’s motives for doing or not doing something (1 Cor 4:1-5). Have a wide heart that can embrace both the participant and the abstainer. We’re not meant to be uniform. We’re meant to be united . . . . because we already are in Christ (Eph 4:3).