Every year, when Halloween comes around, I see some Christians getting involved, dressing up their children, decorating their homes and taking them trick-or-treating. And I find myself wondering… have we actually stopped to think about this, or have we just accepted it because everyone else is doing it?
I know some people will say, “Oh, it’s just for fun! The children are only collecting sweets. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
But honestly, is it really just about sweets and costumes?
What has light to do with darkness?
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:14:
“For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”
Now, I’m not here to argue with anyone, and I’m certainly not here to tell anyone how to raise their children. But as Christians, I think we need to be able to ask ourselves some honest questions.
We know that Halloween has historical roots in ancient pagan customs associated with the dead and the supernatural. And when we look at what Halloween has become, with all the emphasis on witches, ghosts, spirits and frightening things, I have to ask myself: How does any of this glorify God? Where is Christ in this?
Seriously, where does Jesus fit into all of this?
And before anyone says, “But we don’t do anything evil,” I get that. I understand that not everyone celebrating Halloween is involved in anything occult. But does that mean we should automatically participate?
Not everything that is popular is something we need to be part of.
Let me ask you something… would Jesus be celebrating Halloween?
I know we can’t answer every hypothetical question about what Jesus would do today, but we do know what the Bible teaches us about walking in the light and turning away from darkness.
So why are we so comfortable trying to make room for something that, in our Christian convictions, doesn’t honour God?
And then there’s another thing I’ve noticed on social media…
Some Christian parents say they don’t celebrate Halloween, but they organise something else for their children on the same day.
Now, I understand wanting your children to have fun. Of course we want them to enjoy themselves! But I do sometimes wonder… why do we feel the need to replace it with something else on that very same day?
Why not just tell our children, “We don’t celebrate Halloween, and this is why”?
It’s okay for children to learn that we don’t do everything other people do. It’s okay for them to understand that, as a family, we have certain beliefs and boundaries.
We don’t have to find a replacement for every single thing we choose not to participate in.
And please, I’m not saying you can’t have a family night on 31 October. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with spending time with your children! My point is, why do we sometimes feel the need to create an alternative because we don’t want them to feel they’re missing out on Halloween?
Let’s teach our children to stand by their faith, even when it means doing something different from their friends.
Because if we’re not careful, we can spend so much time trying to make sure our children fit in that we forget to teach them that it’s okay not to.
The Bible says in Romans 12:2:
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
We cannot teach our children to follow Christ and then be afraid to explain why certain things are not for our family.
And listen, this isn’t about judging anyone. We all have things we need to examine in our walk with God. I’m including myself in that!
But I do think we need to stop and ask ourselves whether we’re making certain choices because we genuinely believe they honour God, or simply because we don’t want to feel left out.
At the end of the day, we call ourselves Christians because we follow Christ. That means our choices, even the everyday ones, deserve a little thought.
So, this Halloween, before we get caught up in the costumes, decorations and celebrations, maybe we should ask ourselves one simple question:
Does this honour the God I say I serve?
Because the truth is, we don’t have to celebrate everything the world celebrates. And our children will be okay! They can still have fun, make memories and enjoy their childhood without celebrating Halloween.
Just something to think about, my fellow Christians.
What do you think? I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Leave a Reply