So who is right?
I’m sure that we’ve all heard some of the gruesome tales told by some about Satanists, Druids and Witches capturing and sacrificing animals, especially black cats, as well as kidnapping young children as offerings to their god, the devil, on Halloween. One of the popular purveyors of these stories is Chick Publications. This repugnant literature, my opinion, can be found in some Christian bookstores in the form of religious tracts and comic books. Regrettably, their material is spilling over with untruths.

“Most contemporary Satanists celebrate their own birthdays as their most important ‘unholi’-day, which is to be expected from adherents of a religion that is focused on self-worship, self-indulgence, and self-gratification. The actual incidence level of satanic-associated crime is very low, and on Halloween consists mostly of petty vandalism and desecration of graveyards and churches, satanic graffiti; raucous rituals including drug and/or alcohol use and sexual promiscuity, and very rarely sexual violence or animal killing. The most well-known documented criminal activity associated with Halloween are the ‘Devil’s Night’ fires that were rampant in the Detroit area for several years. These destructive bonfires were not, however, religiously inspired, but were instead a convenient excuse for out-of-control juveniles to act destructively, often in their own communities.

“It is not true that Satanists look for ‘Christian virgins’ to rape during Halloween rituals. A young Christian is much more likely to be in danger of a drunk driver, or a party that gets out-of-hand with drug or alcohol use than of satanic abduction. Occasionally anti-social, criminally committed individuals or small groups that also practice self-styled Satanism commit crimes on Halloween, but they invariably betray a pattern of sociopathic behavior at other times as well.

“It is not true that poisoning or sabotaging of Halloween treats is a significant risk if parents take sensible precautions. Most of the horror stories are unsubstantiated rumors that quickly cross the country, gaining embellishments, and unnecessarily frightening parents. . .”

It has been confirmed by some evangelical Christian journalists that these stories are spread by frauds and con-artists creating hype and often milking the fundamentalist, evangelical and charismatic Christian market. There are big bucks in scaring Christians and unfortunately many Christians are easily frightened. Some Christians see “the devil” at every turn and under every rock.

So where does this leave the Christian as to whether or not to observe Halloween?

I believe that each Christian must decide whether or not to give credence to this day which appears to be increasingly more popular in our country. Nearly every public school decorates and has class parties at Halloween. We are told that next to Christmas more homes decorate for Halloween than at any other time of the year. Dressing-up for Halloween is featured in many work places. Some churches offer an alternative party to Halloween. You must decide.

It is difficult to wade through the vast quantity of material that purports to reveal the factual origin of Halloween but I’ll take a crack at it.

Halloween is the New Year of Wicca (witchcraft). It is embedded in the ancient pagan calendar which divided the year into the seasons of Summer and Winter with two fire festivals marking this division. The origin of this day can be traced to many years prior to the beginning of Christianity. It appears to go back to the ancient Celts with many of today’s Halloween customs and traditions coming from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Northern France - Gaul and their priests, the Druids. The Celts had at one time an extensive realm. I have a particular interest in the Celts as my family heritage on my father’s side is Scotch-Irish. The ancient Celts worshipped nature and had many gods. The sun god appeared to be their favorite god. They gave enormous allegiance to the sun god believing that “he” commanded their work and their rest times, and made the earth abundant. Some sources believe that Halloween was part of the Celtic Feast of Samhain (sah-ween). It appears that a festival of Druid priests from the British Isles and France commemorated the start of Winter on this day. It was believed by these ancients that on this particular night the veil between the present world and the world beyond was pierced. In early days this night was a celebration marked by sacrificing animals and on occasion humans, giving offerings to the dead, and bonfires that were symbols of recognizing departed souls. These offerings were done to placate the gods. It was thought that the bonfire represented the sun, hence it was used by the Druids to battle with the powers of evil. The term bonfire comes from the words “bone fire,” literally the bones of sacrificed animals and at times sacrificed humans. It was also believed that on this night demons, witches, hobgoblins, and elves were released en masse to badger and tyrannize the living. For self-protection many Druids would dress up as witches, devils, and ghouls, and would engage themselves in demonic activities and thus believing they were protected from attack from the spirit world.

As the Roman Church ultimately gained dominance and control of the British Isles it had to deal with the superstitions and pagan practices of individuals who professed to be Christians. Many of these people had become Christian in name only but not in understanding or experience. The people continued to hold many pagan practices. In trying to abolish pagan practices and customs, the Church sought to introduce ideas which reflected its doctrines and practices. Halloween has developed into a strange mixture of folklore from pagan cultures and Christian beliefs. The pagan Romans had a holiday called Feralia. The purpose of this Roman holiday was intended to give rest and peace to those who had died. The Romans observed this day annually on February 21st by offering sacrifices in honor of the dead, offering up prayers, and making oblations to them. Pope Boniface IV introduced what the Church designated as All Saint’s Day. This day was instituted to replace the pagan festival of the dead. Originally it was observed every May 13th. In the year 834 Pope Gregory III moved All Saint’s Day from May 13th to November 1st. For the Christians this became an opportunity to remember all of the saints of the church who had died as well as to remember all of the dead of the Christian community. With this October 31st became known as All Hallow’s Eve (‘hallow’ means ‘saint’). This would seem to have originally been a good idea. However, many of the pagan customs survived and were blended in with Christianity.

Wicca is an incredibly old religion. Today it is rapidly growing as the world is experiencing a revival of paganism. Witches, who are vital to witchcraft religion, are taking a more active role in this spread of paganism. It is interesting to note that during Halloween witches and witchcraft play a dominant role as themes for its celebration. In addition to the growth of Wicca other pre-Christian nature religions are also growing throughout the Western World. This is especially true in the militant feminist community. These religions include worshipping Norse, the Greek and Celtic gods and goddesses, and other pagan deities. The Bible warns believers to avoid pagan religion. Witchcraft is anti-biblical. See – Galatians 5:16-21; Rev. 22:15; Deuteronomy 18:10-14.

Contrary to what public schools appear to believe, Halloween is based in religion; a false religion. Its roots are pagan to the core. Isn’t it ironic that those so vocal for dismissing any semblance of Christianity from the public place are willing to accept a pagan holiday with no qualms? As a Christian I personally do not see one positive quality to observing Halloween. I view it as playing with fire. Even though I take issue with those who spread erroneous claims about what happens on Halloween, I am of the opinion that it would be better for Christians to steer clear of participating in this pagan observance. A testimonial by Tom Sanguinet, a former high priest of Wicca said,

“the modern holiday we call Halloween has its origins in the full moon closest to November 1, the witches’ New Year. It was a time when the ‘spirits’ (demons) were supposed to be at their peak power and revisiting the earth planet.” He then went on to say, “Halloween is purely and absolutely evil, and there is nothing we ever have or will do that would make it acceptable to the Lord Jesus.”

Whether or not you altogether agree with the above statement by this former Wiccan high priest, it does cause one to consider seriously the implications for the Christian who observes Halloween.

Witchcraft (Wicca) cannot exist without witches. As already stated Wicca is a religion. In fact, it is a recognized religion by the US government thus the armed forces now permit Wiccan chaplains. Where you find witchcraft you will find divination, occult practices, etc. In Acts 19:18-19 we have a documentation of how those who became Christians renounced all dealings with the occult and burned the occultic material that they had:

“Dressing up like witches, ghosts, or goblins is incompatible with a Christian’s testimony. Furthermore, many of the customs of Halloween are associated with the worst kind of pagan ceremonies; they are usually centered on the sinister things such as demons, witchcraft and superstition.”

What is quoted above by John MacArthur should have no place in the lives of God’s people. Christian parents, I believe, have a responsibility to counsel their children to avoid such practices, not simply pooh-pooh the dark side. That there is “a dark side” is very real. I am one of those people who believes that Satan, the devil, is a very real spirit being. He has considerable power and influence however he is not all powerful. He is spoken of thusly by the apostle Paul, “The god [small ‘g’] of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord . . . “ (2 Corinthians 4:4-5a).

If the above account is indeed fully accurate, why on earth would we Christians relate to Dracula in any way whatsoever?

Only fantasy?

Many of us have considered Halloween as merely a time of fun for the kids. After all isn’t it only fantasy as they dress up in various costumes? But is this really so?

In newspapers and on TV when a mass murderer is on the loose killing and maiming innocent people we are horrified. If such an individual is roaming in our neighborhood we keep a tighter than usual watch over our children and loved ones. Then on Halloween we laugh, tease, call it fun and glorify some of the very same things that normally we look upon with disdain. Do you see the paradox in all of this? Children repeatedly have difficulty separating between fantasy and fact.

Part of the mystique of Halloween is its emphasis on fear. The supposed haunted house fun can become a nightmare for some children. Fear is no joke. In fact, fear is a powerful and often damaging emotion. Why expose a child to such traumatizing influences? They serve no useful purpose, hence probably best to stay away from.

The Enemy seeks to hoodwink people to accept the supernatural of the occult. There is a resurgence of spiritism throughout the world today. Over the last few years the occult has moved into the mainstream of America – in television, movies, magazines, business, and other areas of our lives focusing on the supernatural realm. The self-styled ‘psychics’ advertise, maintain hotlines, hold psychic fairs, and appear on TV shows. People are encouraged to meet their alleged ‘spirit guide.’ Every major city has its share of bookstores devoted to New Age and the occult. Many universities offer courses on witchcraft and magic – usually the supposed ‘white’ variety. It is reported that there are some 6000 witches, and approximately 10 million people involved in the occult.

You ask: “But what’s wrong with innocent Halloween participation?” It can, for some, be a stepping stone into other aspects of behavior that are un-Christlike. The Scriptures exhorts, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thess. 5:22). Does my position make me a rigid, joy-squashing, hard-noised fundamentalist? I hope not. I’m just a Christian wanting the best for our children and for the Church at large.

[1] This section “Rumors” is taken from an article What about Halloween? Christian Research Institute.