Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? (Episode 33)

 ✅In this episode, I explore the contentious topic of whether Christians should celebrate Halloween. I present both sides of the debate, discussing the origins of Halloween, its spiritual implications, and the cultural practices surrounding it. This conversation emphasizes the importance of scripture in guiding decisions about participation in Halloween festivities, ultimately advocating for a careful consideration of the spiritual roots and messages conveyed through such celebrations.

The Origins of Halloween:

🔗https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2021/10/the-origins-of-halloween-traditions/#:~:text=Carving%20pumpkins%2C%20trick%2Dor%2D,of%20the%20traditions%20of%20Samhain.

Mike Winger's take on Halloween: 

 🔗https://www.youtube.com/live/ALY9aLKm9YI?si=66sSt9qh4EBVUosW

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Halloween Debate
• 0:59 The Case Against Halloween
• 3:59 Origins of Halloween
• 8:57 Spiritual Roots and Biblical Perspectives
• 15:38 Ex-Satanist Perspective on Halloween
• 16:45 The Call to Expose Darkness
• 20:36 The Case for Halloween Celebrations
• 24:17 Conclusion and Open Discussion

Transcript

What's going on everyone? Welcome back to Carry Your Cross with your host Pedro Espinosa. case you guys weren't aware, my channel is also on YouTube at Carry Your Cross Studios. So whatever I upload audially, if that's a word, I also upload on YouTube. So go and check it out at Carry Your Cross Studios. Well, thank you guys for joining me for episode 33.

today I will be discussing and hopefully answering the age old question, should Christians celebrate been an age long debate and there are two sides of this debate. ⁓

There is the side for, yes, it's okay for Christians to celebrate Halloween versus it is not okay, it's demonic and Christians should not with any form of darkness. So today I'm gonna break that debate down into two sides, into the ones that I just described. And so hopefully by the end of this episode, you guys will have a better

understanding of what Halloween is and hopefully a more informed decision and approach when it comes celebrating and participating in this holiday. like I said, the first side is Halloween is celebrated just for fun, right? So the costumes, the candy, the

decorations, the trick or treating, et cetera, right? And so what's the harm in this, right? So if you're for the camp that does celebrate Halloween and allows and your kids to participate, you're asking yourself, what is the harm in dressing up as your character or your favorite costume, going door knocking, asking for candy,

supervising your kids if you have kids, what is the actual harm in doing so, right? The other side of the spectrum is that Halloween is demonic. There are rituals performed, sacrifices that are made on this holiday, which we will get into in just a few seconds. just to be fair, I understand that this

is not so black and white. It is nuanced in that sense. There's a lot of gray area when it comes to this topic slash debate. So I understand that completely. And I just pray that I'm able to proceed accordingly and with fairness, right?

So with all that being said, I personally am of the persuasion that should not celebrate Halloween. That we should avoid it altogether. from the jump, the primary focus of this episode is going to be about that. Now the secondary focus is going to be the more balanced and fair view of Halloween.

which like I stated is that there's no harm in going door knocking for candy. There's no harm in dressing up in your favorite costume and getting together with the community in this event, in this holiday. So let's just go ahead and get started. God's word actually say about this?

We're going to explore this question together through scripture and see why just maybe Halloween isn't something we should celebrate.

What are the origins of Halloween? before we can get into the main discussion, we first have to identify what the origins of Halloween is. And so Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. And Samhain is a harvest celebration that marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter believed

the boundary between the living and the dead blurred. So let's just take that into account. To ward off ghosts, lit bonfires and wore costumes. In the eighth century, the Christian holiday, All Saints Day, moved to November 1st, incorporating some of the traditions of Samhain and

leading to the evening before called All Hallows Eve, which eventually became Halloween. So going to link that source in my description. If you wanted to read further, you will have access to that link.

are my key takeaways from I just read.

The Celts were pagan. You know, they were a culture that celebrated multiple gods and goddesses. They believed the boundary between the living and the dead blurred. going to also get into that as well. The Bible actually speaks against that. And what I find ironic is all hollows Eve is right before all saints day.

Again, there should be no darkness. Light should have no fellowship with darkness, right? But I believe that it's ironic in the sense that, you know, this pagan holiday is or was celebrated right before All Saints Day. there's this intermingling of the two worldviews that are just coming together.

So I'm of the persuasion again that this shouldn't occur even at all. So just to kind of put things in perspective, I'm going to share a video with you and talk about it right after.

Yeah, so what I really like about Mike Winger is that he has a very balanced approach to a lot of ⁓ topics in Christendom. And he doesn't really have a committed sort of rigid approach and one angle to things. And ⁓ this is actually something that I do appreciate about him a lot. But in that video, he did describe how

Satanists have a field day pretty much when it comes to Halloween. And we're going to actually get into another video soon here. And this video is by an ex-Satanist by the name of Ryan Swiegler. I hope I'm saying that name right. But yes, Ryan Swiegler describes the horror and the experiences and sacrifices that

Satan is actually partaken. But I want to talk to you guys about spiritual roots and I want to start in Deuteronomy. So Deuteronomy, well, first of all, before I get into that, this episode will be very scripture heavy. So I will be doing a lot of reading.

Deuteronomy 18, 10 to says, there shall not be found among you anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer

one who inquires of the dead for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord so pretty straightforward right and Necromancers are those who communicate with the dead they are trying to Thin the veil and blur the line between the living and the dead which was one of the roots of this Celtic pagan holiday So I acknowledge that that is strong language

Right? An abomination to the Lord. Halloween at its core glorifies many of these exact things. Witchcraft, necromancy, spirits, and the dead. Even if people celebrate it just for fun, the imagery and themes of Halloween are deeply tied to a spiritual darkness. The Bible doesn't give us room to flirt with things that God

cause detestable.

And again, I'm going to go example after example as to why I believe that light shall not fellowship with darkness. Okay.

1 Corinthians 10, 20 to 21, it does give us a sobering reminder.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table.

of the Lord and the Table of Demons.

In other words, you can't mix the holy with the unholy, right? ⁓ It's what I was just saying. So when we dress up as ghosts, witches or monsters, when we decorate our homes with images of the dead, we're symbolically taking part in the table of darkness, even if we don't mean to. Paul reminds us that spiritual compromise is dangerous. You can't walk in both.

worlds.

It's interesting because I just saw a YouTube video of a very famous pastor and YouTube creator where he does a lot of street evangelism and he went to this, it was like a voodoo festival or tarot card reading festival, something like that. And he went and sat down and he actually paid for a reading.

And so he paid for this reading and he, he, he had a reading from the medium. They call themselves mediums and he took that as an opportunity to, to connect and build a bridge between himself and the medium. Well, after evangelizing to this woman, he uploaded it to his channel.

and he was actually called out by another prominent Christian content creator. it turns out that this evangelist repented for what he did because he realized that he, should have never bought the tarot card reading. So that kind of just goes to show that

He knows that this is wrong. human. We slip up, but he repented because of the passage in first Corinthians. But now second Corinthians six 14 is talking about non-believers, right? So what fellowship does light have with darkness? With that said, let me share this video with you of this ex-satanist.

who was actually a church leader and he converted to Christianity. And again, this is Ryan Swiegler, ex-Satanist, and he shares his thoughts and views on Halloween from a Satanist perspective. Here it goes.

So again, this guy was an I would definitely take his word for it. As you can see, there are practices during Halloween that are highly questionable and demonic. hopefully that offers you a different perspective.

And we are called to expose darkness, not entertain it. Ephesians 5.11 says, take no part in the works of darkness, but instead expose them. So ladies and gents, we're not called to celebrate darkness, we're called to shine light on it. What message do we send to the world, especially to our children, when we participate

and something that glorifies fear, death, evil, even playfully. Halloween isn't neutral. It's a night where the world makes lights of darkness. Scripture tells us to expose it, not embrace it.

So as I said, this episode will be scripture heavy. I have more. 2 Corinthians 6, 14 through 18 adds just another layer. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers for what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing and I will welcome you.

That word, separate, is powerful. God calls his people to live differently. Not because we're better, but because we're redeemed.

When we choose to step away from traditions that glorify sin or darkness, we're not being weird,

Teaching the next generation. So this is a very common verse, very popular one. Proverbs 22, 6 tells us, Train up a child in the way he should go. Even when he is old, he will not depart from it. can seem harmless to kids. Costumes, candy, fun, but are we really training them to celebrate?

If we teach them to make light of dark things now.

Will they know how to discern good from evil later? We have a calling to guide their hearts toward holiness, not compromise.

Isaiah 520 warns, woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness. That is exactly what our culture does with Halloween. It turns darkness into something cute, something fun. But God says, woe to those who blur that line.

We can't afford to call evil good even for one of the year.

And again, we're not called to compromise, we are called to be obedient.

So the question is, who are you imitating?

3 John 1 11 says, do not imitate evil, but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God. Whoever does evil has not seen God.

Every action we take as believers sends a message about who we follow. Are we imitating the world or are we imitating Christ?

And I just want to wrap up this first point of view by stating that we have been redeemed. Just keep that in mind. We have been redeemed. Galatians 3.13 reminds us, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Meaning, Jesus became a curse to free us from curses. Why would we ever go back to celebrating what he died

to save us from? Just ask yourself that question and logically doesn't make sense. As Christians, our lives should reflect his redemption, not the world's rebellion.

So that is the first perspective or point of view of Halloween, the side that argues against it, which again, I am of the persuasion. But just to be fair, I wanted to give you a more balanced and fair view of the opposing side, which is a little more lenient when it comes to celebrating Halloween and participating in its activities. So let me offer this scripture.

Romans 14, 5 through 6 states that some people consider one day more special than another, while others consider every day to be the same. It encourages believers each be fully convinced in their own minds about which practice they follow, as long as they are doing it to honor the Lord.

So what I take from this passage is, do you feel convicted in the things that you were celebrating, the days that you're holding a higher level than others? Do you feel a sense of conviction in what you are participating in is not of God? you know, do you believe should celebrate

other days versus opposing ones. So I want to go deeper. The passage emphasizes that those who observe a special day do so to honor the Lord. It also states that this principle applies to other practices such as eating certain foods.

The main point I want to drive home,

to avoid judging one another over disputable matters of opinion, as long as the practice is done with reverence for the Lord.

So when it comes to Christianity, ⁓ is just a side tangent, but there are secondary, and even tertiary issues that don't really have an impact on your salvation, right? ⁓ What I like to call, these are not issues. So, you know, this whole debate arguably is a

Disputable matter of opinion and again, I'm giving you the fair view of the opposing side I want to give you an example so Let's say my son wants to get dressed up to go to a kid's birthday party It shouldn't be any more special or different than wanting to dress up for Halloween and go trick-or-treating So that is what Romans 14 5 through 6 is implying

doesn't mean that one day is more special than the other, but just keep in mind, we are participating in these days that we hold reverence to. We are participating in them to bring honor to God. So as long as you are bringing honor to God, you him and you are not separating yourself from the gospel, then should give yourself a pass.

Respect yourself, others, respect the gospel.

Romans 14 13, the apostle Paul urges believers to stop judging one another over disputable matters and instead focus on not causing a fellow believer to stumble. is very important and I'll wrap things not focus on disputable matters, rather let's focus on preventing a fellow believer to not stumble. So if you see tempted or

If you see them drifting away, it's our responsibility as believers in Christ that individual back in, speak love and light into them and help them get back on course.

And to end this episode, wanted to share a video from Cliff and Stuart Conneckley. This is probably the fairest viewpoint of Halloween that I found.

and see if you resonate with the points made.

Alright guys, so what do you think? I gave you my opinion of Halloween and I gave you the opposing side's opinion. What do you guys think about celebrating Halloween? Should Christians celebrate and participate in Halloween?

Should they abstain altogether from participating in Halloween? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, but I wanted to include that video as more of a balanced view. So let me know what you thought about this entire episode, about the video shared, the scriptures, and whether or celebrate Halloween.

Until next time, take care of yourself and take care of each other. Bye.