By Ricky Andrews · Contributing Writer
It’s October again, and you know what that means: another season of falling leaves, apple cider and Christians debating the legitimacy of Halloween — from a historical perspective, a modern one and, most importantly, a theological one.
Many faithful, God-loving Christian brethren find themselves with strongly opposite opinions on the topic of Halloween, and it often causes friction or even division between fellow believers.
But what actually is Halloween? What are its origins, and how did it become the candy-filled, costume-adorned, “spooky season” that we know and have mixed feelings about today? And, understanding Halloween, how can we better form our own decisions on whether to celebrate it?
Halloween traces its origin to the ancient practices of the Gaelic Celts, who celebrated a harvest feast called Samhain around November 1st. This festival, celebrated as the warmth and light of summer faded into the darkness and cold of winter, was also an important time spiritually for the Celts.
The Celts believed that a supernatural barrier separated the land of the living from that of the dead, and that this barrier was at its thinnest point during this time of the year. They believed that during this time, the souls of the dead could pass through the boundary, re-entering this world to haunt people and cause mayhem. To protect themselves from these wandering spirits, they would light bonfires, offer sacrifices (which possibly included human sacrifices), wear disguises and place food offerings for ghosts.
Christianity first enters the Halloween narrative in the eight century when Pope Gregory III declared November 1st as All Saints Day (or All Hallows Day), a day for honoring the saints and martyrs of Christendom. The night preceding All Hallows Day was known as All Hallows Eve, later shortened to Halloween. The placement of All Saints celebrations on November 1st was intentional — the Church intended to replace and Christianize pagan festivals (Christmas and Easter are also examples of this).
The idea that Christians should abstain from celebrating Halloween because of its pagan origins and the common perception of it as a time of fear, darkness and demonism is not an unfair one. In 2 Corinthians 6:16, Paul writes “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’”
Furthermore, there are repeated commandments from God throughout Scripture for His people to separate themselves from all ungodliness and uncleanliness, and especially to rid themselves of anything resembling the pagan world that the Israelites and early Church lived in. However, there’s something to be said for the medieval church’s effort to take the godless, depraved traditions from paganism and form them into something that honors God.
One could even say that this is what Christianity is all about — just as Christ was sent from the Father to transform our sin-diseased selves into children of the perfect God, Christ has sent us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
We are ambassadors for Christ, and salt and light. Salt and light bring radical change wherever they are introduced, turning bad into good. This is what the Church sought to do with pagan holidays in the Middle Ages: take what once was evil and turn it for good — something God loves to do. Is there merit in seeing Halloween in this way?
How to view Halloween is not a choice I will make for you, dear reader. What is most important is honoring each other as fellow Christians — “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way” (Romans 14:13).
If your choice to celebrate Halloween or not is a stumbling block to your brother in Christ, is it really worth it?
