I’ll start blunt. We do not celebrate any part of Halloween.

I know that the stance I’ll present in this post is not mainstream. We are in the minority in our beliefs on this topic. That does not matter to us. Now, please don’t think I’ll judge you if you do not agree with me on this topic. We are all personally accountable to God, and I would never try to force my standards on anyone. I do want to encourage those who do share our beliefs on this issue. You are not alone! I want to challenge those who are on the fence to think and pray through this issue. Also, I want to have something to reference when I once again have to explain why we have made the decision to ignore this holiday.

Romans 12:9 “Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”

I have been meditating on this verse recently. I have come up with a mental image for both ends of the spectrum. Abhor: Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines abhor as hating extremely, or with contempt; to lothe, detest or abominate. I hate beets! I have horrible memories of being forced to eat them as a child. It did not end well. Even today, the thought of them makes me want to vomit. I abhor them! Cleave: Webster defines cleave as uniting or be united closely in interest or affection; to adhere with strong attachment. My minds eye imagines me drowning in the sea. A piece of driftwood comes my way. I grasp onto it and hang on for dear life, knowing that if I let go I will perish. With those pictures in mind, let me apply it. I want to abhor this world. I want all of it’s glitz and glamour to have no hold on me. I should abhor the darkness. That is how I feel about Halloween. I abhor it. It literally makes me sick to my stomach to see the evil that is so blatantly shoved in our faces. On the flip side, I want to cleave to my Saviour like my life depended on it. He is my life. I am nothing outside of Him. I am so in love with my Jesus that I want to glorify him in every aspect of my life. What my eyes see, what my ears hear, what I participate in, I desire to glorify Him in it all. All aspects of my life should go through this filter- does what I am doing (seeing, hearing, thinking, etc.) honor and glorify my Savior? My God is holy. My God is pure. My God is light. My God is hope. My God is life. My God casts out all fear. My God gave EVERYTHING for me. I owe Him my EVERYTHING in return!

John 3:19 “. . .men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

There is so much darkness surrounding Halloween. Many make the excuse that they just do the cutesy costumes and get candy. Friend, look around you. This is not a fun, lighthearted holiday. Death, fear, gore and darkness are the underlying currents that infuse this holiday. I am not going to give a history lesson of this holiday. A brief internet search can give you information on that. I will state that it is rooted in pagan, cultic rituals and celebrations. You can read testimonies of former Wiccans who will say that Satan, the spirit world and the cultic followers revel in the fact that this holiday is so widely accepted and promoted. I walk out my front door and see jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, ghouls and witches decorating my neighbors homes. I go to the store, restaurant, grocery store, basically anywhere, and I am surrounded by zombies, skeletons, grim reapers, cauldrons and crystal balls. These things have no place in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ!

II Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

It only takes a quick glance at this holiday to see that it is one shrouded in fear, darkness and unstable minds. Just walk down the Halloween isle at Walmart. Most of what you’ll find can be listed under one of those categories. In contrast, Timothy writes that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind! So why on earth would we participate in something that is stark opposition to the gifts the Lord has blessed believers with? In Romans 12, Paul is beseeching the Roman believers. He is imploring them. He is entreating with urgency! What is he beseeching them about? He writes, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renenwing of your mind.” I can only imagine the delight Satan gets when those who say they are Christians, or little Christs, conform themselves to this world. What better way to keep the lost from finding the truth? If a believer is presented as one who is just like everyone else other than the fact that they give up a day of their weekend to go to church, why would anyone want that? If we are not conformed but transformed, there will be a difference between a Christian and a lost person. My heart breaks to see that the line is becoming so blurred that you can’t tell a Christian from a non-believer anymore. Christ was willing to come to earth as an outcast because of His beliefs. Am I better than Christ? Am I more worthy of acceptance and favor from others than He was? If he sacrificed everything for me, why is it so hard for me to be willing to sacrifice my everything for Him? I have a feeling that we will stand before a holy God one day with tears in our eyes as we remember how often we chose the world over our beloved Creator! If giving up a holiday that brings Him zero glory is a sacrifice I must make to be more like my Savior, is that too much of a price to pay? Think about it in light of eternity, I believe you’ll come to the same conclusion as I did.

I’ll take it a step further. We also believe that the church has no place participating in this holiday. I know it’s become popular for “trunk or treats” and other celebrations on Halloween night. The argument is made that they do it to give a replacement for the world’s activities. Why do we as Christians feel like we need to imitate the world to keep our children out of the world? That seems very confusing to me. If it confuses me, how much more does it confuse our children? I’ll take a strong stand on this point, but if our concern is keeping our church kids out of the worlds celebrations, wouldn’t it be more effective to disciple the parents and let the Holy Spirit work in their hearts regarding this issue? When did it become the church’s job to protect children the from things of the world? God gave parents the responsibility of training their children in the way they should go. If the church feels that it must provide an alternative, you can do so without it having any resemblance to Halloween. There are many other things the church can do that kids would love to participate in!

I John 1:5 “. . .God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

God is light. In Him is NO darkness AT ALL. That is very strong, straightforward language. Every day that I live, it’s my hearts desire to know more about my God and conform more into His image. As He guides, convicts and reveals things to me, it is my responsibility to act upon what I have been shown through prayer and His Word. My beliefs on this issue have come about through the pursuit of Him. Maybe you disagree with me on this topic. That is fine. I’m not trying to force my standards on anyone. I am simply giving a testimony of how the Lord has worked in my heart and my husband’s heart regarding this issue. Every believer’s walk with Christ will look a bit different, but there will be many things that are the same as we follow Scripture. Our circumstances, spiritual maturity and upbringing, to name a few, can take us down different paths, but they all should lead to the same end goal- Jesus Christ. May we determine to be intentional as we pursue Christlike holiness. May we be willing to abandon anything that doesn’t bring glory to our Lord. May we be courageous to stand for light though we are surrounded by darkness!

I Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”