As Christians, we wrestle with entering into the world without being a part of it. The music we listen to, the friends we hang out with, the parties we choose whether or not to attend—all have the ability to determine who we are, and ultimately our path of sanctification. To be clear, there is something to be said about blasting a Post Malone song, and some find a thrill in seeing the new It movie.”. Christians cannot deny this. It can be said, however, that the integration of faith and beliefs into everything we do, say, see and hear puts the weight of these actions into question. As our hearts seek to align with Christ’s, should we pursue these things? Specifically, does attending Universal Horror Nights edify the psyche and the soul of a growing Christian? Is the risk of fear and potential trauma worth our minute long rush of adrenaline?
WHY SHOULD WE CARE
It seems there are two possible answers to these questions. First, one can say, “I am not a person who struggles with satanic practices, nor have I worshipped the devil. Therefore going through an axe murderer maze or witnessing a staged witch ceremony will not make me ‘stumble.’” Those who do not suffer from over-imaginative brains or say, demonic dreams, would not be first to claim an effect from attending a scare night. Second, one can say that by attending Scare Nights or dressing up as scary characters for Halloween, one allows negative and evil thoughts and ideas to permeate their minds, giving space for the devil and his ideologies to nest within the dark corners of one’s mind.
HISTORY OF HALLOWS EVE
For a more solid understanding, in order to settle on a personal view given two biased opinions, it serves helpful to place your personal view up against or within a larger Christian context. Understanding Christianity’s historical interaction with Halloween helps to do this.
“The Druids believed that on the eve of Samhain—Halloween—the veil between the present world and the world beyond was pierced, releasing demons, witches, and hobgoblins en masse to harass the living. In order to make themselves immune from attack people would disguise themselves as witches, devils, and ghouls to attempt to ward off evil spirits. They would also carve grotesque-looking faces on gourds illuminated with candles, and they would try to placate the spirits with a variety of treats,” according to the Christian Research Institution.
SEEKING PHILIPPIANS 4:8
The article goes on to say that Christians, abstaining from these festivities, designated Oct. 31 as a “spiritually edifying holy day on which to proclaim the supremacy of the gospel over the superstition of ghosts.” This implies that “All Hallows Eve,” from which we get the name Halloween, originated as “an overt attempt on the part of Christianity, to overwhelm the tradition of ghouls with the truth of the Gospel.”
This does not imply that we as Christians should abstain from dressing up. Nor should we strive to be as our forefathers, necessarily, making the night one of prayer—although a little more prayer in our lives would not hurt us. Instead, we should seek to find what is edifying and positive about Halloween. There is fun to be had on Halloween without contributing monetarily to demonized nights in the dark for the purpose of fear. We are called to live in the light.
I leave you with Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Does a haunted maze fall into this category? Does the image of a demon-turned-clown stealing children promote lovely thoughts in your mind?
