Why do some Christians hate Halloween?

Question

OK, im a Christian. I have never understood why some others won't do Halloween. I have been given grief about celebrating it and people have told me it is a preocuption with evil. I honestly don't see any evil in a kid pretending to be something he or she is scared of one night out of the year. It's not like I look down the street and see kids burning crosses and sacrificing lambs. I see kids with candy, laughter, good fun, and a sense of mystery. A few local churches have tried to do trunk or treats where you go from car to car in their parking lot. I hate this as I think it defeats the purpose. Its supposed to be a little scarey and thats why its fun. I really want to know are you for or against and how many people are against one of our biggest holidays? And why? I'm a good christian, not perfect, but good. And I consider is just plain mean to deny this holiday from children. Right?

I know how it started. Originally a pagan harvest festival. Nothing about killing people, or hurting others. People to me seem very close minded. I want to know why.

just me, i like you. im hearing ya. i dont like the close mindedness of people. christian or other.

Answer 1

Hi Michael.

I TOTALLY agree with you on this. I was raised in a very conservative Christian home, but fortunately I was allowed to go trick or traeting. In fact, my church had real, honest to goodness haunted houses each year!

The view of which you speak is a cary-over from the spread of Christianity into pagan lands, when the church either Christianized pagan holidays or spoke out against them.

Halloween was originally known as Samhain and waas celebrated at the Celtic New Year and the day when the veil between the spirit and material worlds was the thinnest. This allowed Spirits to roam freely. People would put meals or treats on their doorstep to feed friendly spirits. They would often set another place at the table for the spirit of a departed loved one. They also put jack-o-lanters on the door step to scare away unwanted spirits.

As you can imagine, this was a MAJOR holiday for the people. So the church could not just ban it, so they adopted it and called it All Souls' Day/All Saints Day/ All Hallow's Eve/Halloween.

The costumes kids wear and going door to door represents the roaming spirits. Giving candy represents the treats or meals prepared by the living.

Is there anything wrong with it? Nope! Does celebrating Halloween mean that one is taking part in a pagan practice? Nope! It has been modernized and commercialized (like Christmas) to the point that very little of it really resembles the original holiday. And celebrating a pagan holiday is NOT the intention of the kids at your front door.

The Apostle Paul said to, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." So if you do not feel that there is anything wrong with it, then do not worry about it. Tell those nay-sayers who give you grief to mind their own business. Chances are they are gluttons, or hooked on soap operas, or have some other vice. Remember splinter in the eye, log in the eye?

Enjoy!

Answer 2

Because such a lot of them have no idea the historical past of Halloween. They do not recognize the truth that Halloween was once created by way of the Christian church to trap pagans into changing. All Hallows Eve (that is the day earlier than All Saints Day) started as an try to suitable the pagan competition of Samhain and inspire fans of the more than a few pagan faiths to become a member of the church. They notion that the overlapping vacations might make Christianity look extra attractive.

Answer 3

Well, Michael is the name of an arcangel, sounds like you are Christian.

Some Christians don´t like Halloween because it is associated with witches, etc. November 1st is All Saints Day and is a Holiday in some Catholic countries. There is an association with souls and spirits in both cases.

I am a Catholic and I don´t dislike Halloween. It gives you a chance to dress in a costume you like and the parents allow the kids to eat more candy than usual :-).

Answer 4

Some Christians are indoctrinated to think that anything that doesn't have a specific religious purpose is in some sense evil. This would apply to most of the world. Halloween is especially bed because of its association with death, "witches" and "magic", which are of course opposed to Christianity and the legitimate supernatural power of God.

It's a perversion of Christianity because "magic" is not supposed to be real. Supposedly, supernatural beings opposed to God are able to wield supernatural powers against ordinary humans under God's protection. Essentially this is a crude form of Gnosticism. Mainline churches mostly regard Halloween as harmless fanatsy, but Evangelical Christians get very superstitious.

Answer 5

I was in a meeting, open house, at my sons school the other night. The teacher was talking about the class parties they would have over the year and when she said Halloween she stopped and said "I really hate to use that word, I mean fall festival" I nearly fell out of my chair. I couldnt believe that a woman who was qualified to teach my children is so closed minded about this that she didnt even like to say the word.
Halloween has been turned from something meaningful to just a bunch of games and candy for children, its been a long haul in doing it but society has successfully done it.
To those of us that understand what the day truely is, we celebrate regardless of the Christian views and hatred of the day. Its a day of rememberance, a day of celebration of the lives of those who have passed before us. Yes, the pagan culture believes that All Hallows Eve is the one day a year that spirits roam the earth, good and bad ones. The costumes were originally meant to be a way to "blend in" with the spirits so that the bad ones wouldnt bother you, they would see you dressed up like them and assume you were another spirit and move on. Of course that is an old wives tale from way back, but it gives an understanding as to where the costume idea came from.
The candies were sweets offered to our passed loved ones, to remind them that we have not forgotten them. I encourage my children to celebrate this day, I spend the whole month in celebration and contemplation, decorating my house, putting up pictures of passed loved ones, basically doing excatly what the day is for.
I wish that people would open their minds and realize its not about bad things that go bump in the night, monsters, ghosts or the like. Its not about evil, its not about anything bad. It a celebration, just like any other holiday, and we should treat it as such.

Answer 6

Essentially, because it's based around a celebration of the pagan ceremony of driving evil spirits out by making a lot of noise and dressing up. The church tried, rather unsuccessfully, to appropriate the event by slapping 'All Hallows' on the next day, hence All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Hallows - a saintly day.

For a Christian, paganism is akin to satanism, and that tells you why they're all getting so excited about it.

Answer 7

Michael and Tempest, thanks for your question and opinion. I've been pondering your question as I form my opinion. Personally, I would like to know when Christians began to discourage Halloween. My church hands out and sometimes presents information on the pagan history of Halloween/Samain (sp?), and they offer a Christian alternative with moon bounce, games, candy...They ask that costumes be the non gory, non devilish/monstrous kind.

I like to be in my neighborhood having fun with my neighbors because there is precious little time for that these days. I even dress up. And I take candy to the neighbors I want to get to know and chat a bit with them. I think it is a lot of fun. My answer to the nay saying Halloween haters (h8ters, lol) is that Halloween is a safe way to develop one's imagination and push the envelope with no risk. See snopes for explanation of how supposed Halloween dangers are non documented, ie urban legend.

However, Satan and demonic influence/oppression is real and one should take care to not encourage it. I agree with Michael that trick or treaters are not thinking of that and enjoying being in a costume and the community of good will with their neighbors. I suggest having a healthy mind and a healthy wariness about demonic activity. I haven't noticed it in my personal experience but I know they are real and that, "The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy." Witch costumes, I admit, are not my favorite nor are the little red devils with horns.

Back to the why of halloween hating. Of course, the reformation challenged the pagan practices, tradition and non-biblical practices that had attached themselves to the Pope's domain. Some reformers allowed only what the Bible allowed and some allowed what the Bible did not disallow. Lots of good verses in this discussion and others about tolerance and working out your own salvation so I won't belabor that point.

Jumping to more recent times, Chick Publications linked Halloween and Satanism. I have to assume this stance was part of fundamentalism for decades at a minimum. Things may have ramped up in the 60s when teacher led prayer was declared unconstitutional because of young Bill Murray son of Madeleine Murray O'hare. I'm a child of the 60s and we had halloween parades at public school. Schools still have Halloween parties and that they are challenged by some parents.

wordout.net on constitutionality:

Common Halloween decorations and parties and Halloween-related assignments
which merely require students to read materials that have religious significance to some are unlikely to be held to violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. However, it is possible that a school’s use of chants or similar practices might be held to be an unconstitutional endorsement of religion or coercion of students to participate in a religious ritual. Moreover, although the Supreme Court has stated that parents have a right to control the education and upbringing of their children, recent court decisions have expressed a reluctance to recognize this right. There does appear to be a chance, however, that a court cwould recognize a parent’s constitutional right to have their child excused from an objectionable activity or assignment when the parental rights claim is combined with the constitutional right to the free exercise of one’s religion. Such a claim is most likely to succeed where students are required to act in a manner inconsistent with their religious beliefs, rather than merely being required to read about or contemplate objectionable material.

I think Halloween hate is a reaction to the end of teacher led prayer and the "War on Christmas." But Halloween and Christmas are different and Christmas activities are constitutional to some degree. Again wordout.net:

Even though Christmas is a clearly religious holiday, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment does not require public schools to avoid any inclusion of the holiday in the curriculum. For instance, courts have held that a public school chorus teacher’s inclusion of Christmas music with overtly religious themes as part of a broad choral program does not violate the Establishment Clause.4

Certainly, the Establishment Clause does not prohibit public schools from assigning A Christmas Carol or The Gift of the Magi. In fact, public schools could probably assign even the gospel story of the birth of Christ or the Last Supper in an effort to teach students about the historical background of the holiday.5

In determining whether a challenged government practice violates the Establishment Clause, courts ask whether the practice

(1) has a secular purpose,

(2) has a primary or principal effect that neither advances nor inhibits religion, and

(3) does not foster an excessive government entanglement with religion.6

So if Christians are looking for equal treatment under the law whether it is spiteful or not, I don't think their position is supported by law. However, they certainly have the right to avoid, have alternatives and withdraw their kids from Halloween related school activities. I think more is to be gained by joining in on the fun. But I know that for those who are more into control than creativity, that can be a challenge.

thanks again to all you responders. Happy Halloween 2014!

Answer 8

There is a verse in the bible that says, let everyone be resolved in their own mind (about something). If you feel it's okay for kids to go out trick or treating on Halloween, that's up to you. I personally also don't have a problem with it.

That being said, I used to dress up at work (I love costumes and the last one I made was a biblical character, although I've also dressed up as historical figures) and when I mentioned it, some of my Christian friends were aghast.

I say, take each thing before God and ask Him what He thinks of it before doing it. Be fully persuaded in your own mind, but also be mindful of His word and guidance.

I have since decided not to observe it anymore, by dressing up, etc. I don't wish to do anything that would cause a sister or brother in Christ to be upset. The bible tells me to take care with my actions that they not cause another believer to stumble.

Answer 9

obviously you don't know what Samhain was and is. it is a three day period when the veil between he world of the living and the world of the dead was thinnest. the dead were suppose to be able to walk the earth during these three days and if someone needed to go outside they wore a mask to hide their identity as a living being. hence , consumes and the association with death and being scared. its just another holiday assimilated by the church to help in 'converting' the pagans. they take their holidays and turn them in to something 'Christan' and claim it as their own. like yule/candlemas and turned it into Christmas...

Answer 10

I'm not a christian but I'm under the assumption that ppl are against Halloween because its all about things that are perceived to be dark, scary and evil...and perhaps because it originated from a pegan holiday. But if its all in fun to you i see know reason you shouldn't have your kids do it....that's your decision to make.