Should Christians celebrate Halloween? The answer is complex. As you and your family prepare for Halloween, continue to study, pray, and seek God’s wisdom.

Across the world, the month of October ushers in a new season of weather, pumpkin themed foods, and fall celebrations. Also, October means the arrival of an often-celebrated day: Halloween. While the celebration provides an outlet for costume creations and candy consumption, for many Christian families the question remains: Should Christians celebrate Halloween?

The answer: it depends.

God desires faithful obedience for you and your family. For Christians, Halloween offers the opportunity to model faithfulness and obedience in our decision-making.

At the very least, Halloween provides a conversation starter between you and your kids, or a neighbor, or even a co-worker. From there, Halloween presents an incredible opportunity to develop new relationships and share your faith. As a parent, continue to study, pray, and seek God’s wisdom on this topic. Follow the conviction of your own heart through the Holy Spirit so that, whatever your family decides, others might see Christ working through you.

As you make your decision on whether to have a celebration on Halloween, here is more information about the celebration – how it started, what it means, and what the Bible tells us that can guide our decision.

Let’s begin with exploring the history of Halloween.

History of Halloween

What comes to mind when you think of Halloween? There’s a good chance you think of an assortment of dancing skeletons and decade-old candy corn. But the origins of Halloween extend all the way back to a group of Celtic pagans living in the Iron Age.

In fact, Halloween originated under the title of Samhain. This ancient festival was a three-day created by the Celts in Northern Europe. Translated in modern Irish, “Samhain” means “summer’s end.” So, the festival literally signaled the conclusion of summer and beginning of a new season. Originally, Samhain stemmed from pagan and supernatural roots, through sacrifice and offerings.

Throughout centuries, Samhain continued in mutated forms until around 609 A.D. when Pope Boniface IV declared a new celebration.

Initially, Pope Boniface IV created All Saints’ Day or “All-Hallows Day” to be celebrated before summer. All Saints’ Day focuses on celebrating martyrs and saints who sacrificed their lives for the Christian faith. Later, Pope Gregory III moved the celebration to the fall season to coincide with Samhain.

Over the years, All Saints’ Day or All-Hallows Day continued its evolution into the modern celebration of Halloween. Samhain’s sacrifices morphed into Halloween’s handing out a different kind of offering: candy. Nevertheless, Halloween contains roots in a pagan celebration of death and rebirth. So, should Christians really celebrate Halloween?

Christians and Halloween

For many Christian communities, there are three main responses to Halloween. The rejection, acceptance, or redemption of Halloween. Approaching difficult circumstances surrounding the celebration of Halloween requires communication within your family about expectations and boundaries.

Do Christians Celebrate Halloween?

It’s safe to say Halloween is one of the most marketable and culturally popular celebrations on our calendar. Clever marketing schemes across streaming channels such as Netflix and HBO contribute to Halloween’s growing popularity. Additionally, spending for Halloween is predicted to cross 10 billion dollars for the first time ever in 2021. And according to a variety of statistics, Halloween participation is only going to continue its meteoric rise.

Most of the debate surrounding the celebration of Halloween focuses on the celebration’s unhealthy fascination with evil. Now, are there things about Halloween that are clearly Anti-Christian? Absolutely. Is there anything inherently evil about letting your kids dress up as a cheerleader or superhero to ask for candy from their neighbors? Not necessarily!

But, if Christians are going to take part in Halloween, our behavior and presence should mirror our belief in God who conquered sin and death to save us.

Reasons Why Christians Don’t Celebrate Halloween

Swirling around Halloween’s fall festivities and trick-or-treating are the not-so-subtle connections to problematic supernatural practices. Despite the distance from its period of origin, Halloween still remains connected to paganism.

On a general level, Halloween is a time of the year celebrated by advocates of Wicca, a network of practicing witches. As the official religion of witchcraft, Wicca believes October 31 to mark the time when the separation between the spiritual and physical realms is the thinnest. In other words, Halloween is the best time to try and interact with the supernatural realm, according to Wiccans.

Going further, some of those otherworldly connections align with Satanism. Halloween has always maintained a relationship with occultism. Additionally, Halloween’s premise includes an intentional and public display of imagery, mischief, and behavior generally looked down upon any other time of the year.

All things considered, this leaves Christians in a difficult place. On one hand, there are elements of Halloween that are harmless and fun. While on another, Halloween contains sinister influences and promotes behaviors that present troubling realities for families of all backgrounds. So, let’s explore a few more key questions about Halloween.  

Questions about Halloween

What Does Halloween Mean?

In linguistic terms, Halloween is simply a contraction of “All Hallows” and “evening.” The word itself means “Saints” evening, and it comes from the Scottish term for All Hallow’s Eve. Over time, a variety of roots and word stems morphed into the modern spelling of Halloween.

Is Halloween the Devil’s Holiday?

If we base our answer off the historical origins of Halloween, then the answer is no. However, that doesn’t exclude its overarching associations with death and paganism.

Within the context of Christianity and biblical references, Satan’s, or Lucifer’s, origin has little to do with Halloween. Yet, the relationship between the Devil and Halloween exists for a reason. The reason has developed over centuries because of the original emphasis upon death and even more sinister elements.

Is Halloween a Christian Holiday?

As mentioned earlier, Halloween contains direct roots with paganism and historical pagan practices. To most historians, it’s unclear how long the ancient celebration remained strictly a pagan holiday. However, the early church held yearly celebrations and vigils for martyrs and deceased saints.

Then, throughout the Early Middle Ages, various figures within the Catholic Church adopted influences from Samhain. Yet, it is clear to say that the modern interpretation of Halloween hardly resembles anything associated with Christianity or the Bible. 

Is it a Sin to Celebrate Halloween?

For followers of Christ, our actions and behaviors are judged according to our obedience to Christ. Within the context of celebrating Halloween, this truth remains. We are defined by our actions and how closely our heart is aligned with God’s desires.

Whether it is a sin for Christians to celebrate Halloween depends on how exactly you plan to celebrate.  For some families, this might require more intentionality in discussing how you plan to celebrate Halloween. For other families, these discussions might lead to a change in your plans. And that is a perfectly acceptable response.

It’s true, the Bible contains no direct references to Halloween by name. However, Scripture carefully instructs Christians against participation in pagan practices directly involving witchcraft, the occult, and the worship of other deities.

In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul writes, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Our obedience to God requires a careful understanding of how much God cares about our choices. In deciding whether to participate in Halloween, you and your family can consider how your actions might align with God. 

Dressing up in a costume and handing out candy on October 31 is not a sin. Just as it wouldn’t be a sin to do the same thing on April 1. However, how you represent Christ matters, especially on polarizing days such as Halloween. Remember how you portray Jesus in your behaviors, how you interact with people and even your costume choices. 

The battle against the sexualization of our children can only be won if we as parents recognize where the battle ground begins.

The sexualization of children has become a terrifying epidemic. American girls are increasingly being fed a steady diet of products and images that pressure them to be sexy. From clothing to cartoons, choreography to commercials, the emphasis on sexuality undercuts parents’ efforts to instill purity in their daughters.

The American Psychological Association (APA) warns that this sexualization of girls is harmful to their self-image and healthy development. “[Girls are] experiencing teen pressures at younger and younger ages. However, they are not able to deal with these issues because their cognitive development is out of sync with their social, emotional and sexual development,” the APA reported.

The proliferation of sexual images also undermines a girl’s confidence in her own body. In fact, research links sexualization with three of the most common mental health problems diagnosed in girls and women — eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the cultural influences bombarding our daughters, and strive to raise strong, confident young women.

Suggestive Fashion Leads to Sexualization

Have you shopped for girls’ clothing lately? Toddlers to teens are inundated with adult fashions. Pop singer Beyonce now has her own clothing line that introduces the red-light district to the school lunchroom.

Popular clothing items among teens include thong underwear and shorts displaying suggestive words across the backside. The abundance of racy clothing emphasizes the message: Dress sexy.

Sexualized Toy Departments

As young girls, most moms probably owned Barbie dolls and enjoyed collecting their clothing and accessories. Mattel today takes style to a new level with the introduction of Black Canary Barbie for adult collectors. Designed as a comic-book character, this doll is dressed in fishnet hose, a leather bikini bottom, and a black leather jacket.

She’s available in toy stores, right next to Ballerina Barbie. Explain that to your preschooler.

Pop-Culture Icons

You can’t walk through the grocery checkout aisle without seeing the latest shenanigans of young celebrities. The lives of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan fascinate young girls. The Hannah Montana phenomenon, while seemingly innocent at first, is a prime example of the media pushing young starlets to move beyond “precocious and cute” to “sensual and sexy.” All the while, impressionable tween fans stand by in wide-eyed wonder, wanting to be just like them.

Who’s to Blame for the Sexualization of Our Daughters?

While it’s easy to blame media for these poisonous influences, we also need to scrutinize ourselves. How many of these influences have we allowed into our homes? Are we modeling a healthy biblical view of gender and sex? If we fret over physical appearance or enjoy media laden with sexual images, chances are we will pass on the same mind-set to our daughters.

We must take a fresh look at what messages enter our home. While it would be impossible to shield children from every damaging influence, we can certainly take a stand against the worst offenders. And we can inoculate our kids against the world’s counterfeit sexuality by talking to them about God’s good plan for men and women.

Our culture tries to convince our daughters that they amount to nothing more than the sum of their parts. Only by addressing this lie head-on will we equip our children with the truth. Our daughters need to know that God’s standard for beauty is the only standard that matters.

We can’t always trust they are watching something wholesome.

If you have a Netflix account, you have access to parental controls. With more than 15,000 titles in its library, that’s a whole lot of TV shows and movies to sift through and vet to make sure it’s suitable for your family. And, let’s be honest: Even with Plugged In’s help, ain’t nobody got that kind of time.

So, what can you do to make Netflix a bit safer for your kids? Well, you can activate the parental controls on your account to help ease your mind a little when it comes to what they’re watching. You can update your password and/or PIN so your kids can’t change the settings on their own. And, as we always suggest at Plugged In, you can have a discussion with your kids and teens about what they should or shouldn’t be watching so that they can learn to think critically about what they’re watching and discern what’s appropriate on their own.

And don’t worry, no matter what your speed (i.e. video tutorial or good ol’ fashioned step-by-step instructions), we’ve got you covered.

The All-Powerful, Ever-Helpful Video Tutorial

If you despise reading instructions or just prefer someone to show you how to do something, then go ahead and follow along with this video at Plugged In.

How to Create a Profile

One way to ensure a safer viewing experience is to create individual Profiles for each member of your family. This will allow you to adjust the Maturity Ratings and Title Restrictions based on each person’s needs.

1. Hover over the arrow next to your profile pic in the top right corner and click on “Manage Profiles.”
2. Click on “Add Profile” or the plus symbol.
3. Give the Profile a name and do one of the following:
   • If your child is under the age of 12, or if you don’t want them viewing titles rated PG-13 and up, click on the “Kid?” query to create a Kids profile. (Unless this is the default Netflix kids profile that your account was created with, you can always change this later.) Then click “Continue.”
   • If your child is over the age of 12, or if you approve titles rated PG-13 and up, just click “Continue.”
4. When you return to Manage Profiles, click on the pencil icon of the Profile you just created. Note: If you skip this step, the default maturity ratings for non-kid profiles will allow all titles, including those rated NC-17.
5. In Edit Profile, click the “Edit” button under “Maturity Settings.”
6. Enter your account password and press “Continue” to adjust the Profile Maturity Rating and Title Restrictions.
7. Select the max Maturity Rating you want that Profile to have.
   • If you forgot to make this a Kids Profile earlier (or if you changed your mind), you can select/deselect that option now.
   • If there’s a specific TV series or movie, regardless of Rating, that you don’t want your kids to watch, search for it under Title Restrictions and click on the result to block it.
8. Click “Save.”

9. Put a Lock on Non-Kid Profiles

   Once you’ve created separate Profiles, you’ll want to add a PIN to each of them (except maybe the youngest child’s) in order to make sure that younger kiddos don’t accidentally watch an inappropriate show for them on big bro’s Profile.

   1. Hover over the arrow next to your profile pic in the top right corner and click on “Account.”
   2. Scroll down to “Profile & Parental Controls” and click on the Profile to which you wish to add a PIN.
   3. Next to “Profile Lock,” click “Change.”
   4. Enter your account password and press “Continue” to edit the Profile Lock.
   5. Check the box next to “Require a PIN to access profile.”
   6. Enter a 4-digit PIN that your kids don’t know.
      • For additional security, on your personal/main profile, check the box next to “Require PIN to add new profiles.” This will prevent anyone from creating a temporary Profile to watch something they shouldn’t and deleting it later without your knowledge.
   7. Click “Save.”

   Change Password/Log Out of Devices

   Now, I won’t want to assume that if your kids have the Netflix password, they’ll use it to watch inappropriate stuff. That’s neither fair nor true for many kids. But if you do suspect that your kids are abusing the Netflix password (or if you just want to limit the number of devices they’re watching it on), then follow these steps to tighten things up a bit.

   1. Hover over the arrow next to your profile pic in the top right corner and click on “Account.”
   2. Click on “Change password.”
   3. Type in your old password and create a new one.
      • You can knock out two birds with one stone here by checking the box next to “Sign out of all devices.”
   4. Click “Save.”

   As an additional note, when logging into new devices (or logging back into old ones), enter the password yourself if you don’t want your kids to go back in later and change the settings. And don’t allow your device or browser to autosave your login details.

   If you realize you forgot Step 4a (or maybe if you forgot to log out after watching Netflix at a friend’s house), then proceed with the following:

   1. Hover over the arrow next to your profile pic in the top right corner and click on “Account.”
   2. Scroll down to “Security & Privacy” and click on one of the following:
      • “Sign out of all devices,” which is what it sounds like. Then confirm by clicking “Sign Out.”
      • “Manage access and devices,” to select the individual device(s) you wish to log out of. Confirm by clicking “Sign Out” on whichever device you want to remove.

   Monitor What’s Being Watched

   A quick note before we dive into this section in earnest: At Plugged In, we like to encourage discussion. If your son or daughter wants to see (or perhaps has already seen) something you don’t think they’re ready for, blowing up at them probably isn’t the right reaction. We’ll give you the tools here to figure out what they’re watching. But it’s up to you to have the conversation to figure out why and perhaps to help them learn why not in the future.

   1. Hover over the arrow next to your profile pic in the top right corner and click on “Account.”
   2. Scroll down to “Profile & Parental Controls” and click on the Profile you wish to monitor.
   3. Next to “Viewing activity,” click “View.”

   Delete Profiles/Account

   The final option in all of this is to delete certain Profiles (not a bad idea, in my opinion, if your teenager abuses their Netflix privileges) or to delete your Netflix account altogether.

   To delete a Profile:

   1. Hover over the arrow next to your profile pic in the top right corner and click on “Manage Profiles.”
   2. Click on the pencil icon of the Profile you wish to delete.
   3. Click on “Delete Profile” at the bottom.
   4. Confirm by clicking “Delete Profile” again.

   To delete your account:

   1. Hover over the arrow next to your profile pic in the top right corner and click on “Account.”
   2. Scroll down to “Plan Details” and click on “Cancel Streaming Plan.”
   3. Click “Finish Cancellation.”

   As we said at the outset, Netflix has a lot of content. Some of it might be just fine for your family. Other shows and movies? Definitely not. And while Netflix’s parental controls can help keep your kids a little bit safer, keep in mind it’s not a perfect solution. Sure, it can automatically filter out films with R-rated content, but it certainly won’t help you comb through shows with philosophical or worldview issues. Netflix’s parental controls can be a helpful tool—but never treat it as a cure-all. When it comes to protecting your kids from problematic content, the best tool is you—your guidance, your grace and your on-going conversations with them.

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