September 17, 2025
Halloween can feel like harmless fun—but for Christian parents, the question goes deeper. Is it just cultural, or does it carry spiritual risks?
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Is it a sin to dress your children in their favorite superhero costume, or as little monsters, and escort them around the neighborhood? No.
Can Christian parents celebrate Halloween? Yes.
The bigger question that needs more thought and consideration is: Should Christians celebrate Halloween?
Personally, my family stopped celebrating Halloween in 1984. At the time, it was not because of religious conviction. We were young parents, and I really hadn’t given it much thought. After all, I grew up in the ’60s. In spite of the perpetual rumors about razors in apples, and LSD-laced candy, I had fond memories of my childhood Halloween nights. We made our own costumes, and always came home with buckets full of candy. However, all of those memories melted into sheer disdain for the holiday after one horrific day.
On October 31st, 1984 in Decatur, Illinois, my hometown, three little girls went out to trick-or-treat. Only one came home. Actually, she was found and brought home. This traumatized 7-year-old had spent Halloween in a vacant building watching as her sister and cousin were raped, and strangled to death. 12-year-old Sherry Gordon and 9-year-old Theresa Hall’s brutal killings haunted my soul. It would be decades later, with the advent of DNA testing, before the killer would be found.
That tragedy forced me to ask myself, Why am I participating in a holiday that routinely targets children and glorifies death and terror?
You could argue, that crimes are committed every day of the year. And you would be correct. Nonetheless, because Halloween so often centers on darkness, death, and the occult, the question lands differently for us as Christian families.
To make a wise choice, it helps to understand the holiday’s roots and how they’ve changed, and most important what does the Bible say.
So, let’s begin with exploring just exactly what Halloween is.
Whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween, is question that has been picking up steam since the 1960s.
What comes to mind when you think of Halloween? There’s a good chance you think of it, as I once did, as nothing more than good family fun, and a chance to create childhood memories. However, the origins of Halloween extend all the way back to a group of Celtic pagans living in the Iron Age.
In fact, Halloween originated with the pagan ritual Samhain.
According to Encyclopædia Britannica;
Samhain, in ancient Celtic religion, one of the most important and sinister calendar festivals of the year. At Samhain, held on November 1, the world of the gods was believed to be made visible to humankind, and the gods played many tricks on their mortal worshippers; it was a time fraught with danger, charged with fear, and full of supernatural episodes.
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 evolved into Halloween’s handing out a different kind of offering: candy. Nevertheless, Halloween still contains its roots in a pagan celebration of death and rebirth.
In short, today’s Halloween is a far cry from Samhain, but its historic associations with death and the supernatural are still very much on display throughout neighborhoods and grocery stores.
Before we can answer the question, should Christians celebrate Halloween, we need to check the scriptures. Obviously, Halloween is not mentioned in the Bible. However, believers have always lived among unbelievers, death, and wickedness.
While the New Testament doesn’t directly mention Jewish feasts being replaced by pagan ones, Paul warns against mixing Christian faith with idolatrous practices:
So how do Christians apply these principles on October 31?
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. Many Christians understand, there are hidden traps within Wicca, and it has become very attractive to our teens.
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.
If we base our answer on 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.
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 fair to say that the modern interpretation of Halloween hardly resembles anything associated with Christianity or the Bible.
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.
Just as it wouldn’t be a sin to do the same thing on April 1. However, consider 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.
Since the Bible doesn’t address Halloween, many Christians liken the celebration to other moments where the Bible discusses witchcraft, sacrifice, and worldly behaviors. The Bible contains various teachings on how to behave or interact with the world’s troubling celebrations.
In Deuteronomy 18:10-12, the Lord establishes rules for the Israelites concerning a wide variety of practices. These include human sacrifice to conjuring spirits to telling fortunes and even those who practice sorcery. These verses provide clarity for what Christians should not do. Yet some might ask: how many Christians are making human sacrifices or telling fortunes on Halloween?
Well, hopefully none at all. While that is a far cry from hanging spiderwebs and skeletons in your yard, the New Testament expands upon how Christians should approach situations that can arise from things connected with Halloween.
Ephesians 5:7-15 – Living in darkness and light
Within this section of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul discusses the negative effects of “worthless deeds of evil and darkness.” Paul compares sin and our harmful decisions to living in darkness. But there is a way to live in the light and walk in obedience with God.
When it comes to living within our modern world, our decisions and obedience to God still operate in the same way. With Halloween, what matters is how you interact with others, your decision-making, and how you represent Jesus to others.
For example, it doesn’t really scream “Jesus loves you” if you are wearing a fake bloody hatchet on your head as you open the door for your neighborhood trick-or-treaters. On the other hand, a smile and kind words offering children at your door can bring light into a dark holiday.
Acts 8:9-24 – A magician is converted to Christianity
One of the Bible’s primary accounts involving supernatural magic follows an interaction between Simon the Magician and the early Apostles. Simon the Magician was a popular figure throughout Samaria. The local people were often amazed at his magic saying, “This man [has] the power of God that is called Great.”
One of the apostles named Philip visited the city. After preaching and living among the Samaritans for a while, dozens of men and women were baptized and converted after hearing the Gospel. And one of those men was Simon the Magician.
Following his conversion, Simon had another interaction with the Apostle Peter and John. Simon witnessed the duo lay hands on townspeople to receive the Holy Spirit. Despite his previous conversion, Simon the Magician offers money to Peter and John for the secret to their power.
Peter quickly admonishes Simon and tells him to “Repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that the intent of your heart may be forgiven.” Peter corrects Simon in saying, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money.”
It’s easy to leave Simon’s story dwelling on his conversion and the Apostles’ miracles through the Holy Spirit. However, a relevant observation involving Halloween is Simon’s belief about supernatural power.
Simon the magician, wrongly believed that he could buy and bribe his way to interaction with God. Moreover, Simon thought that the Holy Spirit’s power was distributed in a consumer-based relationship. In other words, Simon tried to buy his way to God.
More than ever, Halloween reminds Christians that people are searching for answers. Part of our inherent human nature craves attention. But for Christians, we can help guide others to the true source of power and supernatural works, just as Peter did for Simon.
Following a sizable conversion of individuals who practiced magic and sorcery, Paul and his followers led a burning of magical and supernatural books done “in the sight of all.” Following the book burning, the account says that “so the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”
Within Paul’s context, practicing magic arts was seen as a visible threat and limitation to the conversion of others in the area. In other words, the simple presence of deceptive behavior prohibited the effective conversion of the entire community.
Concerning Halloween, our takeaway should not be to go out and burn down haunted houses. Not only would that cause more problems, but it also misses the core of this account in Acts.
Consider for a moment: If Paul acknowledged the wickedness of magic and sorcery, should we as Christians dress our children as witches on Halloween, or any other night of the year?
Our decisions about Halloween should jive with the decisions we make every other day of the year. If we forbid dressing up as an evil villain because it violates our understanding of Ephesians 5:11, which says, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them,“ then that principle should carry over into what we allow our kids to watch and read throughout the year.
Likewise, if we value the importance of hospitality 364 days a year, we will need to be clear with our children why we do not extend it to our neighbors on October 31. Living a life of consistency that is in sync with the principles we declare, or the things we abstain from, may prove to be far more consequential than which side of the Halloween fence we end up on.
C.S. Lewis argued that “conscience reveals to us a moral law whose source cannot be found in the natural world, thus pointing to a supernatural Lawgiver. For my family, the memory of three little girls seared my conscience and brought the evil of Halloween into the spotlight as a young parent.
You, too, have the freedom in Christ to follow the conviction of your own heart through the Holy Spirit. So that, whatever your family decides, others might see Christ working through you, and you can be a light in the darkness of a fallen world.
Married to her high school sweetheart, Rhonda Robinson is the mother of nine and grandmother of 37. An award-winning author with over 25 years of writing experience, she currently serves as manager and content producer for the Parenting and Marriage pages at Focus on the Family.
A veteran homeschool mom, her latest book—The Thriving Homeschool: A Christian Parent’s Guide—releases April 7, 2026, through Focus on the Family.
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