Dear Mama Bears, The “will we” or “won’t we” debate on partaking in Halloween trick-or-treating and other traditions is raging in our house. As Christians, we’re aware that it isn’t the most God-honoring holiday, but the kids love to play dress up on normal days and it feels like we’re robbing them of a traditional childhood by saying “no” to Halloween. Help! – Haunted by Horror, North Carolina
Dear Haunted: Halloween has a murky history. In some places, the day is a religious celebration honoring saints, and in other places, it’s a day to commune with the dead.
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What is it here in America? For some, it’s still a sacred pagan holiday – just ask your local policemen what weird things they find in the woods after Halloween. But for others, Halloween is just a day to wear silly clothes and get candy. What do we, as Christians, do? Is there a hard and fast rule?
We love easy answers, don’t we? Black and white; cut and dry. The problem is, as with most things in life, it’s rarely that simple.
Are there things that Scripture is absolute on? Yup. Are there even occult things that Christians are always forbidden from participating in? You bet.
But just because absolutes exist doesn’t mean that every issue is an absolute issue. On the flip side, just because grey areas exist doesn’t mean that every area can be turned into a grey issue. There are absolutes and there are grey areas, and if we are to be faithful to Scripture (and if we want to continue in peaceful Christian fellowship), it would behoove us to know the difference.
Just so we’re clear, Christians are not to dabble in occult practices. This could be anything that claims to give you secret knowledge (like fortune tellers, mediums, or Ouija boards). Nor are we to take lightly anything that claims to give us access to special powers (like charms, spells, or chants). Things like this are directly participating in occult activities and, as Christians, we should stay away.
When it comes to Halloween, there are some who feel convicted to forgo all activities. “No, we don’t celebrate Halloween, and neither should you! What fellowship can light have with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14)? God says to avoid the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22)!”
If you are a Halloween celebrator, don’t be too quick to lump this group in with hyper-fundamentalist legalists. There is wisdom in their approach. Not to mention, you don’t know their story or their heart.
In my experience, many of the staunchest non-Halloweeners are those who have a history of dabbling in the occult. They have already peeked on the other side of that spiritual veil and they — more than most — understand what people are dabbling with. They have every right to be concerned, and they have every reason to want to warn others.
Now, we also want to address those on the flip side. There are some Christians who say, “How exactly does my toddler dressing up as Buzz Lightyear and getting candy from the neighbors put me in the category of ‘fellowshipping with darkness?’”
Every day is the Lord’s day. No day belongs to Satan, so I’m not giving him the dignity of owning this day either. I hardly think that dressing up and getting candy is making anyone think “Wow, that Christian family is totally on board with devil worship.” If you are a non-Halloween celebrator, don’t be too quick to lump this group in with watered-down worshippers who are (at best) compromised, and at worst, just making excuses to do what they want to do. You don’t know their story.
You don’t know if they came from an abusively legalistic family and are just now discovering that God isn’t waiting to smite them for playing cards or going to a school dance. They may be new believers who shouldn’t be saddled with 101 extra rules. Or they may be mature believers who legitimately have not felt the Holy Spirit convict them about dressing up and getting candy because for them it is neither tempting nor confusing. Their kids know what is an appropriate costume (something fun) and what isn’t (something demonic or dark). For them, it’s just making memories, and that is okay too.
Has the Holy Spirit deputized us to go and convict others? No. As it says in Romans 14:5, when it comes to certain convictions, “Each person should be fully convinced in their own mind.”
So, the real question is, how do we go about making this decision for our own family?
At Mama Bear Apologetics, we have a handy Halloween Guide that goes into these issues more in-depth. But for the time being, here are a few tips for making this decision for your family.
First, decide on purpose. Don’t default to your decision because that’s what you’ve always done. Be fully convinced that you are doing what God has called you to do. If the Lord has convicted you to not partake, then don’t partake. If you have fully looked into all the issues, understand the history behind Halloween, and have taken into account the concerns that others have and still feel like it’s okay for your family, then have fun! Whatever you do, do it because you have run the decision by the Holy Spirit and He has given you wisdom for your family, knowing that it’s okay for others to have different convictions for their own families.
Will there come a day when our culture tells us “Anyone who participates in Halloween is giving their stamp of approval for everything it stands for”? Sadly, it might come to that. And on that day, we should all take the advice from 1 Corinthians 10:27-28. But we’re not there yet.
Let’s teach our kids the wisdom that the Lord has shared with us. And by all means, don’t let this become another instance where loud infighting tarnishes whatever good we may be trying to accomplish.
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Hillary Morgan Ferrer is Founder and President of Mama Bear Apologetics and coauthor if the bestselling books “Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies” and “Mama Bear Apologetics’ Guide to Sexuality.” She has degrees in both film and biology and spends her time as an author, speaker, teacher, and apologist encouraging others to discern culture from a biblical worldview.
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