What Does Halloween Mean In The Bible? Is It A Sin?

What does Halloween mean in the bible? Growing up, I was a big fan of Harry Potter, Charmed, Twitches, and any other movie or series where magic was the central theme.

It was rather fascinating to see spells being cast and being able to experience a virtual reality that wasn’t a norm in everyday life.

I was always of the impression that it was just a movie and totally harmless. I knew what reality and there was truly no harm in being entertained.

But, surely there could be nothing wrong with:

Dressing up in a cute costume and doing trick or treat, right?

Checking out a local haunted house?

Bringing out the Netflix and watching scary movies with friends?

It’s all harmless fun, right?

In this article, I hope to dive into, the truth about Halloween, what does Halloween mean in the bible, what does it have to do with the roman catholic church and give you some ideas on making it through Halloween as a Christian.

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my full affiliate disclosure here.

What is The True Meaning of Halloween?

Time and time again, we see the church comprising its values in an effort to gain acceptance into the culture of the day. Halloween is not much different. But what is the origin of Halloween?

According to the history channel, Halloween, this pagan holiday originated with, “the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. People would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts during this pagan festival. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints; soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, the pagan origins of Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating sweet treats and other Halloween traditions.”

The modern celebration of Halloween sounds pretty mild right? I would encourage you to watch this 45-minute documentary produced by the History Channel that dives into Halloween’s origin. What you will uncover about Halloween’s dark history, just might surprise you.

 

 

What Does the Bible Say About Halloween?

Halloween in the Bible is there such a thing? The Bible has a lot to say about the state of the dead, witchcraft, casting spells etc. but you won’t find the actual term Halloween in the Bible.

It is important that as Christians we don’t just accept the practices of the day but turn to the word of God to see what the Bible has to say about the topic. With that being said, here are some Halloween Bible verses (Bible verses on the concepts associated with Halloween) which we have compiled into a bible reading plan for October. This Bible reading plan includes biblical verses about Halloween, a journaling page for daily reflection as well as a cute coloring page. A great Bible study on Halloween!

What Does Halloween Mean in The Bible

Would Jesus Christ celebrate Halloween? If you are torn between whether or not you should celebrate Halloween, the following Bible verses about Halloween might help. While the Bible doesn’t specifically talk about Halloween and this Satanic holiday, it does talk about evil, witchcraft and the state of the dead. All things God warns us against in his word.

In the verses below, you will repeatedly see God speaking out against sorcery, spells, spirits of the dead etc. These Bible verses about Halloween have all been taken from the New Living Translation.

“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.  Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you. But you must be blameless before the Lord your God. The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things.” Deuteronomy 18:9-14

“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,  envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21

“Manasseh also sacrificed his own sons in the fire in the valley of Ben-Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger.” 2 Chronicles 33:6

“Stay away from every kind of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22

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

Meaning of Halloween in the Bible – Halloween Bible Verses

Halloween has so much evil associated with it. You don’t even have to go very far to see this on display. Just check out the Halloween aisles in the grocery store or your neighborhood, you are sure to see skulls and tombstones and other objects geared towards scaring onlookers.

But, what about the cute innocent costumes and candy?  That’s harmless right?  I completely understand the desire to dress up your child in cute costumes and go around collecting candy. It certainly sounds fun, and I have been that parent too that had a desire for doing this!!

However, the Bible clearly speaks out about avoiding the very appearances of evil and have personally opted not to participate in a day set aside to celebrate evil things. If you are looking for some additional scriptures about Halloween, here are some additional Halloween Bible verses to consider and don’t forget to download the reading plan above that has way more Halloween Bible verses.

” I will put an end to all witchcraft, and there will be no more fortune-tellers.” Micah 5:12

“ They even sacrificed their own sons and daughters in the fire. They consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery and sold themselves to evil, arousing the Lord’s anger.” 2 Kings 17:17

” For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

Biblical Verses About Halloween

Halloween glorifies evil, not God. If we abhor evil, should we also not abhor any day designated to celebrate evil?

“Anton LaVey, the founder of the church of Satan, himself declared that by dressing up, either by wearing a costume or by coloring oneself in celebration of Halloween, signifies that you allow Satan to own you. He further said that when you adopt the pagan practices, you subconsciously dedicate yourself to the devil. He took joy in Christians who take part in the tradition, saying:”

I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year. Welcome to Halloween.

Whether or not he actually said this, I don’t know, but certainty food for thought for us parents. If you are still struggling on whether or not to celebrate Halloween, I will encourage you to give the following thought-provoking article on 10 reasons I kissed Halloween goodbye a read. Who knows, you just might change your views on Halloween.

“Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.” Titus 1:15

“The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. Ecclesiastes 9:5

” The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord, for they have gone into the silence of the grave.” Psalms 115:17

Is Halloween Evil in the Bible? Why Christians Don’t Celebrate Halloween

If you watched the video above on the History of Halloween produced by the History channel, it would have re-confirmed that Halloween is essentially the celebration of the dead. The Bible in several instances speaks out against witchcraft and the state of the dead which is why some Christians don’t celebrate Halloween.

In lieu, some church’s plan a fall harvest party, filled with treats and activities for the family. Other Christian families if they do dress up, opt to dress in biblical costumes. If you do opt to celebrate Halloween, I have listed some Christian Halloween ideas below to help you point your kiddos to Jesus or use Halloween as a witnessing initiative.

Is Halloween A Sin? – Christian Halloween Ideas

Halloween is one of those times a year when you will likely see your neighbors and their kids out and about. Why not use it as an opportunity to share what you believe about this popular cultural practice instead of hiding in the confines of your home?  Here are some ideas that you can do right from the comfort of your home.

Bible Study on Halloween – Christian Alternative

Instead of costume parties and haunted house events, why not invite your neighbors and kids over for refreshments, family games and an age-appropriate Bible study on Halloween where you share a story from the Bible combating some of the ideas associated with Halloween.

Quick Tip: Just Google Halloween Bible Stories and you will find lots of topical Bible Stories you could use if you need some help. There is even a book called Bizarre Halloween Bible Stories.

This book supposedly includes wild, wacky, and weird stories you’d be surprised to find in the Bible to help your kids learn about God’s power, that every good gift comes from God, and how to accept who we are. Be sure to critique these resources beforehand to ensure they align with the word of God, and you aren’t doing anything that promotes spiritualism as fun.

Teach Sunday School also has some great resources that you can incorporate into your event. 

• Halloween Lesson Pack that turns Halloween into a teachable moment
• Monsters of the Bible
• Harvest Printable filled over 50 harvest themed games and activities
• Harvest Escape Room
• Christ Centered Halloween treats
• Harvest Lesson Plan

Halloween Pumpkin Prayer

Carving pumpkins is a family friendly activity to do in the fall season. Instead of carving scary objects why not use this as an opportunity to point your kids to Jesus and teach them how to pray. My friend Mindy has a really cute printable with instructions on how you can execute your very own pumpkin prayer and activity.

Halloween Light Party

A light party is all about being a light on one of the darkest nights. Timberley at Living Our Priorities does this every year where she opens up her home to the community, plays gospel jams, and hands out candy while offering to pray for those who are interested. A wonderful opportunity to get to know your neighbors. Visit Living Our Priorities to learn more about hosting a light party. 

Halloween Trunk or Treat

Instead of the ghost themed candies, you could hand out scripture candy or healthy treats with an invite to an upcoming series being held by your church. Simply add them to a christian halloween treat bag.

In collaboration with your church, you could also develop bookmarks which directs the reader to a website where they can learn more about topical issues such as:

What happens when you die?

Are ghost real?

Can the dead come back and visit you?

The key here is to create bookmarks that sparks enough interest that will direct the reader to want to learn more by visiting your church’s website. Once on your website, they can view videos and blog content that deals with what the Bible says about these various frequently asked questions as it relates to death. This makes for a lovely Bible study on Halloween!

Some churches also organize community events known as truck or treats. A great way to get to know the people in your community as well as a fun and safe way for kids to trick or treat. Typically, you would decorate your trunk to fit a theme like this Noah’s Ark Trunk or Treat theme. In addition to treats you could display scripture, hand out coloring pages, as well as invite visitors to your church programs.

Here are some extra goodies you may want to pick up if the Noah Trunk or Treat Theme piques your interest.

• Zoo themed treat boxes
• Motts Animal Fruit Snacks
• Individually wrapped animal cookies
• Jungle Safari Photo Backdrop

 

Halloween Bible Bingo

Halloween Bible Bingo combines the fun of Bingo and learning Scripture!

Kids will enjoy playing the game and getting to read from the Bible. As you call a card, take time to have kids look up the Bible verse, read it together, and discuss. Some ideas to use as bingo markers: candy corn, M&Ms, Skittles, etc.

What Does Halloween Mean in The Bible?

Is Halloween a sin? When it comes to Halloween and the Bible, The Bible speaks out about the state of the dead, sorcery and witchcraft. For those Christians that choose to celebrate Halloween instead of condemning them, yes being christian is hard, pray for them that they might see the light.

I would love to hear from you, what does your family do when Halloween rolls around? Do you stay indoors, or do you find creative ways to share the gospel with your community? 

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