There is much debate about whether or not trick or treating on Halloween is demonic or innocent. The average Christian has almost certainly heard that Halloween is of the devil and therefore should not be celebrated. No matter if the kids decide to dress as Princess Peach or a Transformer truck, both are said to be rooted in this demonic practice. I would like to propose that Halloween itself is not the problem; it is the associations with it that matter to us. After all, we have holidays like Christmas and Easter that have no root in Scripture or Christianity, yet we celebrate those with great fervor in our church services every year. So, what makes Halloween so different?
The concept of a holiday in December stems from the Roman gods, Scandinavian celebrations of the end of the long winter months, and the lighting of bonfires to keep the cold away. Christmas trees and garlands were incorporated into common house decorations because people wanted to celebrate the soon-coming of spring. Santa Claus is based on the Catholic bishop, St. Nicholas, who gave riches to the poor. Even more details into the history of the holiday can be found in this article by Mindy Haas. Needless to say, the purpose of this holiday was not to celebrate Jesus’ birth; it was a celebration of the coming of spring and giving to the poor. This does not mean that Christians were wrong to adopt this holiday and attribute it to Jesus being born; it just means that they adapted it to fit their needs. Today's presentation of Christmas is all about giving gifts, fellowshipping with family, and celebrating the life of Jesus, which, once again, is a meaningful part of many peoples lives.
Christianity views Easter as the celebration of Jesus dying and rising again. Adventists in particular look at this as a model for the second coming of Christ, who overcame death and will soon come back for those who believe in Him. What might come as more of a surprise for people is that Easter was not made specifically to celebrate Christ's resurrection. It was actually adapted to align with Passover.. As was commanded by God, there was no need for the sacrifice of a lamb once He rose from the grave because He had taken its place. Nowhere in the Bible is the name Easter present –only the term Passover. The article The True Origins of Easter by David Pack outlines how Christianity has morphed this holiday to be something we celebrate and accept. We, as Christians, have adapted a once-pagan festival to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, which is a great thing! Now, instead of celebrating goddess Ishtar or god Tammuz who has awoken for the springtime, we can celebrate Jesus' sacrifice to save us.
The question then remains: why do we hold the origins of Christmas and Easter to a different standard than Halloween? All are rooted in pagan practices, yet we accept only two out of the three. As shown above, Christianity adopted these pagan holidays and made them into something we now deem as acceptable. Who is to say that people are not doing the same with trick-or-treating and dressing up? Though the SDA church has not made an official stance on Halloween, there are plenty within the church who do not condone celebrating the holiday. Gerhard Pfandl, who works for the General Conference Research Institute, commented on the holiday and children dressing up saying, “To teach them that there is no harm in imitating evil spirits is contrary to God’s will.” This is a bold statement, especially considering Christmas lights were originally lit to keep dark spirits at bay.
All of this is to say that many holidays originate from pagan practices in some way or another, but only some holidays have been adapted by the church and are now considered admissible. The decision on their “rightness” seems to come from what people think the holidays represent, not what they actually meant to people hundreds of years ago. I am not here to provide an answer as to whether Halloween is good or bad, nor do I think stating my opinion one way or another would actually solve the debate. After all, everyone has a different option on the issue. What is important is acknowledging that though some Christians celebrate Halloween, that does not mean they are worshiping the devil. Their intentions and interpretations of the holiday are not meant to serve dark purposes or to lead people away from God. Afterall, Christmas and Easter are both rooted in pagan practices but are meant to point towards God and we have fully accepted them as good. So go out, celebrate God, refrain from jumping to conclusions and maybe, just maybe, carve yourself a pumpkin.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.