What Does God Say About Halloween

“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 20:6-7 ESV)

Throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, God urges us to “be holy.” The word “holy” means to be set apart, separated from the sins of humanity. Mediums are those who consult the spirit realm apart from God. Necromancers are people who consult the dead. Connecting to these things will cause God to “set His face against” us, which means to oppose or confront us with determined hostility. After many types of practices done by these particular nations are stated, at the end of this chapter, it says two things:

And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. (Leviticus 20:23 ESV)

You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine. (Leviticus 20:26 ESV)

When God sent His people to conquer Israel, He gave them explicit instructions. They were not to follow the customs or traditions of those nations, for their ways were determined by and dedicated to other gods. With this in mind, let’s look at what Halloween is about according to the Britannica definition.

Halloween, a holiday observed annually on October 31, and noted for its pagan origins…

Halloween began as a pagan celebration. Narrowing down the roots of this holiday is much more complicated than I first assumed. Most people are aware that it is connected to the Mexican holiday, the “Day of the Dead,” however, it is debated when this holiday began. The use of skulls and the building of shrines and altars are included in the Day of the Dead Aztec-based celebration.

Looking back in time we can discover other origins for Halloween. According to the History Channel:

November 1st was the start of the new year for the Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago mostly in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France.

This day marked the end of summer, the harvest, and the beginning of the dark, cold winter—a time of year that was often associated with human death. The Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. They celebrated Samhain on the night of October 31, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires where people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically made of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes.

Druids wore a variety of costumes, including some that were “witch-like.” The origins of the costumes and ghosts are also found in the pagan celebration of Samhain. Another custom grafted into this holiday is centered on Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees, whose symbol is the apple. The incorporation of her celebration into Samhain likely explains the Halloween tradition of bobbing for apples. The History Channel also states:

Borrowing from European traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today’s “trick-or-treat” tradition. Young women believed that on Halloween, they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple parings, or mirrors.

In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks, and witchcraft. At the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day.

Trick or treat is linked to foretelling the future without God, which is the job of a medium or psychic. Everything about this holiday directly opposes God’s ways. After the 1800’s we attempted to gloss over the roots of the holiday, but it makes it no less pagan!

Celebrating Halloween is a good way to get God’s face set against you. If your prayers are hindered, perhaps consider what being holy unto God means. Taking Jesus as our Lord means we are willing to learn and walk in His ways. We are to be His disciples.

Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then He will repay each person according to what he has done. (Matthew 16:24-27 ESV)

Being a Christian means being committed to following Jesus and God’s ways. It means denying what the world is doing because it opposes what God says to do. We indoctrinate our kids into these pagan traditions with the thrill of getting candy and dressing in fun costumes.

We could actually buy more candy with the money we save from buying costumes and handing out candy to strangers, but that isn’t the point, is it? Halloween is about getting surprised and delighted by the good surprises and unexpected bonuses from strangers… another great lesson for our kids.

Many argue that it is about building memories with our children and that we have no intention of celebrating pagan traditions. This is why God told His people to remove all the other people from Israel when they conquered it, to prevent God’s children from walking in the ways of pagans. We have failed to do that. When Christianity came into Ireland, we adapted their traditions and customs into our culture, even into our churches.

If you go into a dark building and light a candle, placing it on a handy stand that is set up, that is not wrong. Once you learn that the building is a temple to another god and they light candles to honor their gods, well, then you need to stop doing that!

And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. (Luke 12:47-48 ESV)

Knowing that something is wrong and doing it anyway leads to negative consequences. Not knowing something is wrong still has consequences, just less severe. Perhaps your prayers are a little hindered, or you find you are drifting away from God. Following customs and traditions may be why.

In the Americas and in most of the countries of Europe, the majority of people are Christians. If we did what God’s Word says to do and reject pagan customs, there would be no Halloween. It isn’t a kindness to “honor” customs that are from other cultures; it is directly against God’s ways. It causes Him to fight against us. Check out the traditions and customs you are following. Where are their roots? Confessing, repenting, and removing customs and traditions may lead to much freedom in your life.