So Halloween was yesterday, raising the perennial question of what a Christian response to the holiday should be. My husband and I have struggled and discussed and found our personal peace, so I thought I’d just share my own thinking in relation to the dilemma.

It seems to me that there are aspects of the All Hallows Eve traditions that a Christ follower should steer well clear of. The Bible is pretty definite on subjects like witchcraft and divination and the exist of spirits that are inimical to human beings. Exodus 22:18 makes the point about magic use rather dramatically: “You shall not permit a sorceress to live” (ESV). Deuteronomy 18:10 reiterates: “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer” (ESV). Some might say this is just the Old Testament, but note that Paul lists sorcery (witchcraft in some translations) among a list of “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5:19-21. The list ends with the warning that “those who do^[b] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” Galatians 5:21b (ESV).

It seems to me that if God is serious about his people avoiding witchcraft and sorcery, we should take that seriously today. We should recognize the reality of the spirit world and the danger of trying to manipulate or foresee through use of that spirit world.

So where does that leave us. Halloween certainly has relationships historically (and, for some, today) with that spirit world. My personal belief is that we need to be very careful to avoid involvement with those relationships. Is it a sin to dress in a traditional witch costume? I don’t know; I personally don’t really think so, but I don’t know. I’m sure that trying to cast a spell is wrong. Is pretending to cast a spell wrong? I don’t know. I think it might have to do with what your audience may think. I am pretty certain that dressing in costumes that aren’t related to the occult and going to door to door asking for candy is not a sin. I’m also pretty certain that handing that candy out is not a sin.

But what about the accoutrements, the decorations, the gore in many cases, the deliberate frightening aspect of haunted houses and the like? I would offer that I become more and more convinced that these are things that Christians should be careful about involvement in. First, there’s the purpose of them. 2 Timothy 1:7 says that we were not given a spirit of fear. So what does it mean if we deliberately involve ourselves in activities meant to scare us or others? We’re told to set our minds on things above Colossians 3. In Philippians 4:8, we’re call to think about “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise” (ESV).

I’ve come to think that while much of Halloween and the activities associated with it may not actually be sinful, much of it does fall into either activities that aren’t profitable for our growth as Christians or activities that can fall into Paul’s discussion in Romans 14 about activities that can cause others to stumble even if your faith is strong and they won’t harm your own walk.

This is one of those things that I believe every Christian has to work through for him or herself, but my own household is going to keep handing out candy but stay pretty clear of the other elements associated with the holiday.