Halloween is thought by many to be harmless fun. But what does God say about it?

When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. Deuteronomy 18:9 (KJV)

Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain…. Jeremiah 10:2-3 (KJV)

Halloween is embraced by the world and has its origins in Celtic festival Samhain that celebrated winter and death. They would offer sacrifices of animals, crops, and even human lives. It was demonically inspired and demonically driven. Then, at some point, the Celts converted to Christianity. The church renamed the festival All Saints Day. Some of Celtic rituals were based on the erroneous belief that dead souls would return to their original home. They were scared of these spirits and the night before All Saints Day, would put treats out on their doorsteps to appease them. They believed if the spirits accepted the bribe, they wouldn’t bother them, but if they did not accept it, they would cast evil spells on them. It was based in superstition and the occult pracitces that carried over from their pre-Christian days. And if the Celts had to go out on the eve of All Saints Day, or Halloween as it came to be called, they feared the spirits and so they dressed up as demons, hoping to trick the spirits into believing they were one of them.

You can see how many of the activities that surround Halloween are satanic in origin. Even the jack-o-lantern has its roots in pagan beliefs and practices. The tradition is that a man named Jack was turned away from heaven for being wicked and turned away from hell for playing tricks on the devil. As a result, he was doomed to spend eternity roaming the earth as a demon and haunt the people who crossed his path. The story goes that he carved a face in a turnip and put a candle in it to guide his way at night to his next victim. In the United States, the turnip was replaced with a pumpkin. Many people just see jack-o-lanterns as harmless fun, but it is symbolic of helping evil spirits on Halloween. The tale of Jack has no basis in truth, but the idea of setting out a carved pumpkin to guide evil spirits is not harmless. Embracing any occultic symbol, even if it is rooted in fanciful tales, aligns us with the forces of evil and opens the door for demonic activity in our lives.

So, from dressing up in scary costumes, to trick or treat, to vampires, ghosts, witches and demons, it all has its origin in the occult and from demons. The Bible is clear about such practices and condemns them. In the Old Testament, the Bible even told the children of Israel not to permit a witch to live. Why? It was because they practiced witchcraft that comes from the realm of the devil and not from God. As a matter of fact, Hallowen is the most sacred day for withcraft and other occultism. We do not need to be a part of that.

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. II Corinthians 6:16-18 (KJV)

We are to be different from the world. We are not to learn their customs or practice their ways. The Bible condemns all occultic practices because they lead us away from God and open the door to evil spirits. They draw people toward the realm of satanic darkness.

Some parents are hesitant to forbid their children from taking part in Halloween festivities because they feel their children will think they are missing out on fun. We can avoid this if we frame it correctly when we speak to them about it. Instead of telling them that God disapproves of it, which would make them feel like God is keeping something from them, we need to tell them that Halloween opens people up to bad things and that there is better fun to be had without Halloween. We can replace Halloween activities with other celebrations. For example, many churches offer activities such as harvest festivals and parties where children dress up as Bible characters. The devil is the one who counterfeits God’s good things and makes them bad- so we need to strike back with some festivities of our own that honor God.

And we can turn the table on the devil by using Halloween to reach out to trick or treaters with the gospel. Give out candy- good candy not the cheap stuff- and attach a scripture or fun Bible fact to it. You could include a gospel track or some other item to point children (and their parents) to the Lord.

Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. III John 1:11 (KJV)

Halloween has its roots in pagan practices and it is wise for us to turn from it and do things that honor God. instead (Romans 12:9, I Thessalonians 5:22).

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Ephesians 5:11 (KJV)