It’s a touchy subject.

Ok. I’m about to wade into the fray. I don’t want to offend anyone, but, I’ve just got to talk about this for a minute. If you’re a follower of Jesus, I hope you won’t shut me down. I hope you’ll read to the end.

As a follower of Jesus, I am very uncomfortable with Halloween. I told you it was touchy.

Forget the history and origin of this event. I’m not sure what I can and can’t believe about this anymore. I just want to look at Halloween today. What does Halloween look like today?

Everywhere I look, I see skeletons, zombies, corpses, headless beings, mummies and ghosts – images of death. Haunted houses – houses inhabited by spirits of the dead. Rotting flesh. Dripping, smeared blood. Gory. Morbid. Macabre. The more gruesome, the better.

I also see characters of darkness in Halloween. Witches, warlocks, sorcerers, voodoo doctors and dolls, demons/fallen angels, fortune-tellers and mediums, vampires, grim reapers, satan, lucifer and devil are the roles we like to play at Halloween. We have costumes of these for both adults and children. (I won’t even get into the sexualized nature of Halloween or adult costumes. And, dare I say, even some children’s costumes have hints of sexuality.)

You also see the tools of Halloween. Knives. Meat cleavers. Machetes. Axes. Chainsaws. Rope. Scythes. Through the skull. In the heart. From the back. Sticking out of an eye. Around the neck. Carried in costume as one who uses these items as instruments of torture and death. All used to invoke terror.

And, speaking of terror, it’s the emotion of Halloween. How scary can we make it? How gross can it be? We want to frighten children and adults alike. We want to horrify, shock and terrify.

We dress our bodies in it. Paint and cover our faces with it. Decorate our homes with it. Cover our yards in it. Wrap the walls of our schools with it. Decorate our businesses in it. And – I’m heartbroken to say – we even garnish our churches with it. (yes, spider webs, ghosts and the like decorate children’s areas.)

What has happened to us as Believers, followers of Jesus, children of God? How have we come to the place that we are comfortable with this in our homes? Churches? With the whole idea?

If you are not in relationship with Abba through Jesus, I totally get why this would be normal. What’s not to like about dressing up, having a party and eating candy. It seems fun. Seems harmless. A nice diversion from everyday life.

But, as Believers, our perspective should be different. First Thessalonians 5:5 (NLT) says as followers of Jesus, we…are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. We are children of Light because Jesus is the Light of the World. (John 8:12) And, Ephesians 5:11 (NLT) tells us to Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.

I don’t know about you, but I just don’t see any “Light” in Halloween. I can’t see the fingerprints of God in this. I can’t see Jesus, the Light of the world, anywhere in all that.

What I do see is the glorification of death, the enemy of humanity, the one Jesus gave His life to conquer (1Corinthians 15:55-57). And, once our enemy was defeated, Colossians 1:13 (NLT) tells us that Abba rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son,…. So, if death had to be defeated for us, and we had to be rescued from darkness, why do we want to go back there, and play with our enemy in his kingdom, even if for just a few hours?

I don’t see any Light in the characters of Halloween either. I listed some of them above; witches, warlocks, fortune-tellers, mediums, sorcerers, demons, etc. Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV) says that The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

As followers of Jesus, this passage tells us to avoid witchcraft and sorcery. So, why would we want to pretend we are those things – even for just a day? Why would we want to identify with/as something the Bible tells us to leave alone?

And, just think about it for a moment: as followers of Jesus, would we celebrate a day to promote sexual immorality and impurity? Would we condone a day for debauchery – extreme indulgence in sensual pleasures, usually involving sex, and/or mind altering substances? Would we approve a day that promotes hatred? Or fits of rage? Drunkenness? Certainly not. So, why are we ok with a day that features and encourages witchcraft and all its accessories?

Now, I can hear many of you say: “But, that stuff is not real. There aren’t real witches or warlocks. Or voodoo doctors. There’s not a real devil. he’s just symbolic or mythological creature created by religion to intimidate Christians. (yes, there are professing Christians who believe this) And, as for fortune-tellers, horoscopes and mediums, they are just entertainment. Gimmicks to amuse us. That stuff is make-believe. Fantasy. Imaginary.”

Really? Then, why would the Bible tell us to avoid it? If it’s not real, doesn’t affect us, harm us or create issues in our lives, why would the Bible tell us to stay away from it. Why would the Bible say that involvement in something imaginary will keep us from the Kingdom of God? It must be real if the Bible is addressing it. It must be real if it will keep us from the Kingdom.

The action of Halloween is murder. That sounds so harsh, doesn’t it? But, that’s what all the knives, hatchets and chainsaws are for. No one is trimming trees or cutting meat. They are used as instruments of death. How could we as followers of Jesus ever be comfortable with that idea? At the risk of sounding prudish, there’s no humor or fun in the idea of murder. Murder is horrible, devastating and heart-breaking. Ask anyone who’s had a loved one stolen from them. It’s amazing how hysterical society can be with violent video games, guns and bullying, but turns a blind eye to cleavers lodged in a chest or knife in the skull.

And, the goal of Halloween is fear – evoking fear. But, the problem here is fear is not an emotion. Terror, horror, anxiety, fright, distress – those are emotions. But, fear – that’s a spirit. (2Timothy 1:7) I do believe in spirits and I don’t think they are the remains of those who have died. Spirits are demonic forces with an agenda to steal, kill and destroy us. (John 10:10) And, the way fear steals from us is through terror. It paralyzes peace. Robs us of sleep through nightmares. It steals joy and produces the emotions of terror, horror, anxiety, freight and distress in us.

Fear does not come from God. First John 4:16 tells us that God is love and vs 18 says love has no fear.…. The word fear in the original Greek is phobos and it means terror, alarm, panic. God does not have or cause terror, alarm or panic. In fact, the rest of vs18 says ….perfect love expels all fear. Fear cannot co-exist with Him.

Jesus is not in the center of fear-based activity. He isn’t even on the fringes.  So, if Jesus isn’t in the center of something, as followers of Jesus, why would we want to be involved?

And, as we participate in fear based events, could it be possible that we open the door for fear to operate in our life? For other demonic forces to harass us as well? Could participation in this darkness open the door for witchcraft to operate in our life, creating chaos? It’s something to think about.

I’m not suggesting that dressing up as Robin Hood, a cow or a clown is evil. (though, some would disagree with the clown part). I’m not saying that having a costume party is wrong. I’m not insinuating that a costume party on October 31st will send you to hell. I’m not even saying that carved pumpkins are from the devil.

What I am saying is this: any activity, event or “day” that glorifies death, contains characters of darkness, makes light of murder and promotes fear can NOT be good for the spiritual health of a follower of Jesus. It is the opposite of everything Jesus is.

While I don’t think it is the intention of any follower of Jesus to do something that will damage their relationship with Him or damage their spiritual health, could it be that we’ve been negligent to investigate what we’re participating in? Have we taken society’s perspective and assumed it was ok for us as children of Light? Have we just followed the crowd?

I know this is a touchy subject for so many followers of Jesus. We are easily offended by the idea that Halloween is wrong. That witches exist and satan is real. But, if you are a follower of Jesus and have been participating in Halloween, can I challenge you to set aside our opinions and experiences and ask Jesus what He thinks about Halloween? Ask Him how He feels about our participation in it? Ask Him if it’s healthy for us? Our families? Our children?

And then, listen. Honestly listen.

By now, you obviously know my position of this subject. But, I’ll share what I discovered when I asked Him the question: 1Thessalonians 5:22(NLT) Stay away from every kind of evil. And when I look at Halloween, I saw (and still see) evil – dark, wicked, malicious, foul, nefarious, sinful.

 

NOTE: When I write, I always use lower case letters for the enemy’s name and the pronouns that refer to him – even if it’s the beginning of a sentence. I can’t bring myself to dignify his existence with a capital letter.

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Comments 24

  1. Great word Kim. I don’t want to put anything in my spirit that invokes fear. Why does anyone want to open a door for the enemy to harass them. I for one do not want anything in my spirit that God has already delivered me from. Keep teaching what the Word of God says. The world needs to hear it!

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  3. I love this and totally agree with you on this, Kim! I love, love, love how open and honest you are and not afraid to point out a topic that is touchy to some! <3 A few years ago I felt God really speaking to me about this and since then we have family fun night together instead of participating in halloween stuff. In addition to some of the scriptures you shared God also brought to my mind Philippians 4:8 "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." NLT. To my surprise, my kids (ages now: 10, 11, and 13) look forward to our time together, in fact, they started asking when we were going to start making our plans at the beginning of this month!! (They don't even feel like they are "missing out" and have said family fun night is so much more fun and better!) We plan in advance what games we are going to play, what Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations we are going to make, and what movie we will watch (last year it was God's NOT Dead. We have pizza and make caramel apple boats …YUMMY!! And best of all we are focused on our family and Jesus! Simply amazing how much more fun we have since we changed what we choose to focus on!

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      Melissa,
      Thanks for sharing! I love your family’s halloween plan. It’s an alternative – so they don’t feel deprived, it’s great bonding and makes wonderful memories. PLUS – established Truth in their lives in this area. Most of all, I love that you listened to God on this and as you followed His leading, you’ve strengthened your family <3

  4. I just asked someone this past Sunday, “Why do we as Christians celebrate Halloween?” Answer: “Because we don’t want to see it as a “holiday” that lifts up evil, because it’s fun to dress up and get all that candy, especially as a child.” Great post! A real eye opener.

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      Juanita,
      Thanks for stopping by! It’s always good to hear from you 🙂
      You are exactly right. Sadly, we see it the way we want to see it, instead of seeing it for what it is. And that can create so many problems in our life.

  5. Kim, I am in total agreement with you on the subject of Halloween. I feel that it opens the door for the devil to enter into our homes and family. Just like the honor movies the media puts out now. I think those movies just like Halloween open the door for the devil.
    It is a excellent article.

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      Bonnie,

      Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! And, you make a great point: horror movies, shows/cartoons about witches (even good witches) and the dark side are all connected to the same spirit that rules halloween. I’m not comfortable with any of it.

  6. Great article! Yes, for Christians I think it is the elephant (or witch, ghost, mummy) in the room no-one really wants to talk about. I’m very uncomfortable with anything that is dark and promotes death. Thank you for a great read!

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      Thank you Teresa! You’re right – no one really wants to talk about this. We’re afraid of being accused of judging and we’re afraid of the criticism we might receive. So we don’t say anything and darkness advances.

  7. Pastor Kim,
    I have had the privilege to be raised in a Christian home in contrast to what actually was meant to have happened. My brother, sister, and I are the first generation in my dad’s family to not be raised as satan worshipers, he was saved as a young adult and struggled to raise us with Jesus ever since. Halloween was Christmas and Easter all rolled up in one, a two day event devil’s night and all hollows eve. So I am very aware of the effects of Halloween. My family has nothing to do with any of it, not even the fall celebrations that go on that mix in the Halloween stuff. I admit when the children where younger it was hard because they didn’t understand because kids at school where doing. So I would make popcorn, get a bowl of candy, watch cartoons, and then I would tell them stories from the bible that celebrated others finding Jesus. It worked and kept them safe. As a person with a personal relationship with Jesus I believe that it is my responsibility to keep all my Christian family members covered in prayer during this time of year especially. I start praying in September and continue to until the new year that the light that burns in all Christians burns to become a touring flame to guide and keep them on the path that they should be traveling. I’m proud to have a pastor that will stand up and speak out for what is right. Thank you for taking the time to address a subject that shouldn’t be touchy but unfortunately is. I’m with you on all you said. Keep going don’t ever stop sharing it matters.

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      Heidi, thank you so much for sharing your story! What a brave man your Dad was. To be the only one in the family who follows Jesus, leaving everything he’d ever known – he inspires me!
      So many people don’t believe that the kingdom of darkness is real and active, but you know first hand just how real it is. I love that you take this season seriously and don’t just ignore it, but pray throughout the season. That’s so powerful!
      I’m proud to call you friend! I hope you’ll stop by often and share with us ❤️

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  8. Great sermon!!! I immediately thought of several places I would like to share this with!!!
    I pray GOD’s blessing on you as you continue to step out in the boldness of the LORD!!!
    It’s obviously the HOLY SPIRIT speaking through you!!!

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  9. Hello Kim; We are Heidi’s parents, and we completely agree with you, on how you feel about this subject. It is hard to raise children in this time . But now more than ever the parents need to teach their children and protect them from this evil. I know for a fact have lived it, never will go back. But the first thing that satan wants to do is desensitize the children to this evil. make it a everyday thing, and than he is in their minds. Our people need a teaching on Halloween when it started and what it represents. Than they will be able to make a better judgment call for their children. Thanks for listening and thank you for your stand on this subject. In my home it is not a touchy subject. It is a totally wrong subject. See you next Sunday.
    God Bless
    Gerald and Bonnie Hoover

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      Gerald & Bonnie,
      Thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts with us! I agree with you, the enemy is very subtle and works to desensitize us so that we are comfortable with his activity and don’t push back., but instead opens the door and makes it easy for him to steal, kill and destroy.

  10. I absolutely agree. I dont celebrate any Halloween event. I celebrate the Harvest time. Plants and flowers!!! Pumpkins that do not get carved up. I just dont do it. Haven’t in years and years. I have been guilty of handing out candy to sweet faces and wondering if they know what they are doing?? Just stopping by to get candy or celebrating an evil night. We we were young it was a night to dress as a ragdoll or funny plastic face and get candy from country neighbors. Today it is entirely different. It’s scary. This year I may pass out candy with scriptures. Why? Because someone has to plant a seed to grow a forest of believers dense enough to push out the evil Halloween and cover the 31st of October in light and love. Turn it into a harvest of souls!!! How neat it would be if on that night we had more Christian conversions than any other time of the year??? We must all try harder!!! We have to reach these children. We can’t just turn off the porch light a d pretend we aren’t home…

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      Neta, I love the idea of making it a night to shine the Light, Jesus! Talking about His love, His goodness, and His kindness. Darkness can’t stay when you share the light 😁

  11. Thank you, Kim, for taking such a strong stand against an evil, yet culturally-accepted holiday! More Christians should stand up against it. Here’s some background history about Halloween– the ancient Catholic Church celebrated November 1st as All Saints’ Day (still do I believe) and the day before, October 31, (Halloween) as All Soul’s Day. They believed that on All Souls’ Day the spirits of the dead would rise and go searching for a body to inhabit. That’s why the local folks would carve scary faces on vegetables like pumpkins and place them on their door steps in hopes of scaring away evil spirits– hence carving faces on pumpkins. They would chant “Trick or treat’ which meant, “I will pull a prank (dirty trick) on you if you don’t give me a treat!” Of course it’s satan’s holiday and even more evil as witches in covens still do offer sacrifices — animal and even human sacrifices on this, their holiest of days. And there are covens even now in our own county. If only more people, including uninformed Christians, would research Halloween and realize that it is a satanic holiday. Then they wouldn’t want to give the devil more power– especially when we’re children of the Living God! And as such, we have all the power!

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