Is Celebrating Halloween a Sin?
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- Published Oct 13, 2023
As October gets into full swing, it is the month of pumpkins, apple cider, bonfires, and beautiful leaves. The air is crisp, the candles smell amazing, and the sweaters come back out. It is a time when many of us enjoy going to the mountains or taking walks. We love the vibrant colors in nature and the local festivals. To top off the fun, the end of the month is the 31st, Halloween. Typically, this is a time of dressing up in costumes and going around to get candy. However, like other topics, not everyone who is a believer is convicted the same on this matter. The question is then asked, “Is celebrating Halloween a sin?”
A Foundational Verse for Making Decisions
Perhaps you are a parent, or you are just curious for yourself. A foundational verse for making this decision is found in 1 Corinthians 10:23-33. During this time in biblical history, Christians from a Jewish background were debating if it was ok for them to eat food that the Gentiles had offered to idols. During this time Christ following Jews would be invited to unbelieving Gentile homes and not know how to handle the meal respectfully to the person and in a way that honors God.
This is how I personally view Halloween. This is a holiday in our culture which came from an ungodly history of the Celts trying to ward off ghosts; however, the way in which it is celebrated might be able to be done in a godly way and apart from that history. Just like we celebrate Thanksgiving and the positive pieces of that, even though years later other settlers wrongfully pushed out and killed many Native Americans, we could also find a happy ground for Halloween.
1 Corinthians 10:23-24 says, “‘Everything is permissible,’ but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible,’ but not everything builds up. No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person.”
Everything Is Permissible but Not Everything Is Beneficial
In thinking through this, I am not going to give you my personal convictions, but here are some questions to simply ask as your make decisions. It is likely not going to be an all in or all out scenario. This is what makes it tricky to say one way for all people, however we can pray and ask the Holy Spirit to make clear the convictions that He desires for us and give peace where it is permissible for us.
- Is what I am participating in worshiping anything but God?
- Is what I am participating in causing me or others to sin?
- Is what I am participating in instilling negative things within my heart and mind?
- Is what I am participating in leading me into temptation?
You could ask these questions of things like: Eating candy, dressing up in a costume, trick or treating, or trunk or treating, etc.
Things We Know Are Not of God
There are some clear boundaries that we can hold onto. Anything demonic is not of God and we should never mess with it or be involved with it in any way. There is a real spiritual war going on. The Bible tells us that angels and demons exist. We are called as Christians to put on the full armor of God. (Ephesians 6:10-18) This is a big deal. If we are watching, listening, or participating in things that dishonor God and elevate Satan and His demons, we can know confidently that is not God’s will for us and we need to get away.
Another example is that we are called in 1 Corinthians 10:31 to give glory to God. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” We can ask questions like, “Does this costume I have chosen bring glory to God?” Or, “Is this activity glorifying to God?” Or even, “Does the amount of candy I am eating bring glory to God?” Convicting? Yes. Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial to us and to others.
Our Decisions Impact Others
For example, it can be real easy for a young woman to put on a costume in which she finds cute, but others would find sexy. Even if she does not think it is scandalous, it can be a huge temptation and stumbling block to others. The fact is that our decisions impact others. We need to think about not only are we personally convicting by being part of something, but how does it look to others. This is not to hide who we are or fake anything, but out of a respect before we give a yes to a certain party or event. The apostle Paul tried to think through his decisions before he made them because he knew that what he did could encourage or confuse others. (1 Corinthians 10:32-33)
Whatever choice you are having to make in regard to Halloween, pray and think through it before jumping into something you will regret being a part of or have to back out of last minute. This is a time when many people wrestle through what to do, but we must always remember to filter our decisions through how what we do represents Christ, and we need to align ourselves with Him to make sure we are honoring Him and others.
So Is Halloween a Sin?
The question remains, “Is celebrating Halloween a sin?” Well, that depends on you. If you have a personal conviction that being part of any of Halloween is wrong and a bad testimony, then withhold and do not participate. If you feel like church events and costumes are ok but don’t want to step too far outside of that, then do that. If you feel like trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, getting candy, and enjoying the clean side of Halloween, go for it. At the end of the day, the Holy Spirit will guide each of us. It is not so much is celebrating Halloween a sin, but how we celebrate that makes the biggest difference. We can remember 1 Corinthians 10:31 as a basis for decision making, does what I am doing bring glory to God? If the answer is yes, if there is no conviction of the Holy Spirit when praying about it, then we can proceed with caution.
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