I am a Christian. Should I celebrate Halloween?

For me, God’s answer is a resounding NO.

This morning, upon opening my computer to read the day’s headlines, the following article popped up under the heading “Religious Revival” on NBC.Think. I’ve included a link, but encourage you to read this post before you follow it to read the article.

Why paganism and witchcraft are making a comeback !
On a recent trip to Salem, Massachusetts, I overheard the same question: Is magic really real? For me, the answer is yes.

By Antonio Pagliarulo, author of the forthcoming “The Evil Eye: The History, Mystery, and Magic of the Quiet Curse”

This weekend the world is celebrating Halloween. Even Christians are getting involved in “Trunk or Treat” or “Harvest Festivals” on Church campuses. The rest of the world, at least here in the U.S., are throwing “Halloween” parties, brawls and bashes. This weekend at least 153 people were killed and dozens more hurt in an apparent crowd surge at packed Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital of Seoul, local officials say. The crush took place in the nightlife district of Itaewon. Google says, “Today, Americans spend an estimated six billion dollars annually on Halloween, making it the country’s second-largest commercial holiday after Christmas.”

Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on the first of November. It was believed that on that day, the souls of the dead returned to their homes, so people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires on the night before, commonly known as Allhalloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, to ward off evil spirits. It is considered a powerful turning point in the wheel of the year, signifying the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

Halloween is the time when people who follow ‘new-age’ teaching release and let go of negative and lower energies that hold them back and celebrate the new energy that will eventually take its place. New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in the Western world during the 1970s. Although analytically considered to be religious, those involved in it typically prefer the designation of spiritual or Mind, Body, Spirit and rarely use the term New Age themselves. It has been described as a buffet style religion where one can pick and choose the tenants preferred from any religion, including an eclectic range of beliefs and practices based on Buddhism and Taoism, psychology, and psycho-therapy; paganism, clairvoyance, tarot and magic. Essentially, one can create a custom-made belief system. Part of that system encourages the use of Psychotropic drugs, which New Age recommends taking in order to help practitioners interact with the spirit world. New Agers call it channeling, but it’s actually demon possession. Other practices encouraged include belief in reincarnation, astrology, psychics and the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects like mountains or trees.

People who follow Wicca are called “Wiccans“. For them, Samhain marks the New Year and is the most important Sabbat. It’s the time to remember the ancestors, and the time to celebrate the harvest and all that has been accomplished over the year. The word “wicca” means “witch” in Old English. Before the name “Wicca” was adopted, the religion was sometimes called simply “the craft”. Wicca is now used as an umbrella term for many different paths that have branched off from original practices.

The founder of the church of satan, Anton LaVey, is quoted as saying. “by dressing up, either by wearing a costume or coloring oneself for Halloween, is tantamount to worshipping the devil.”

Anton LaVey, the founder of the church of Satan

Anton LaVey, the founder of the church of Satan, himself declared that by dressing up, either by wearing a costume or by coloring oneself in celebration of Halloween, signifies that you allow Satan to own you. He further said that when you adopt these pagan practices, you subconsciously dedicate yourself to the devil. He took joy in Christians who take part in the tradition, saying: “I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year. Welcome to Halloween.”

LaVey’s statement is corroborated by a former Satanist, John Ramirez, who said that when you dress up even as an angel or a mermaid for Halloween, “you give the devil the legal rights to change your identity.” Ramirez further warned that there’s a much darker reality in Halloween beyond costumes and candy. The former Satanist turned Christian pastor said in an interview on CBS News (October 20, 2018): “I was a general to the kingdom of darkness in witchcraft. I would sit with the devil and talk to him like I’m talking to you today. It was that kind of communication. It was that kind of relationship”

What Does God Almighty Have to Say?

Scripture does not speak at all about Halloween, but it does give us some principles on which we can make a decision. In Old Testament Israel, witchcraft was a crime punishable by death (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27). The New Testament teaching about the occult is clear. Acts 8:9-24, the story of Simon, shows that occultism and Christianity don’t mix. The account of Elymas the sorcerer in Acts 13:6-11 reveals that sorcery is violently opposed to Christianity. Paul called Elymas a child of the devil, an enemy of righteousness and a perverter of the ways of God. In Acts 16, at Philippi, a fortune-telling girl lost her demon powers when the evil spirit was cast out by Paul. The interesting matter here is that Paul refused to allow even good statements to come from a demon-influenced person. Acts 19 shows new converts who have abruptly broken with their former occultism by confessing, showing their evil deeds, bringing their magic paraphernalia, and burning it before everyone (Acts 19:19).

All of this is, of course, contributes to my personal choice, but as a mature believer and a ‘literalist’ when it comes to dealing with God’s Word, I have made what I consider to be an informed decision. I will not, under any circumstances participate in any celebration of this day that the world has come to consider a “holy day.”