Halloween: A Catholic View

Excellent explanation here of why we celebrate Halloween. Unfortunately, the images of demons, etc, which previously held much meaning for people are now “out of touch”, if you will, for modern folks.

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I totally agree. We get much too comfortable in our own little worlds and forget about what else is out there, and always present.

I agree about Halloween too. I remember being in Catholic grammar school and drawing pumpkins and having treats on Halloween. So it is our belief that there is a life beyond what we can see or imagine. Have a great day and a Happy Halloween.

I am growing averse to Halloween not because I don’t like to face the reality of evil, but because I don’t enjoy seeing a child enthusiastically putting on an evil persona.

I am not scared to see those costumes. It’s just weird to know people, especially Catholic, are so happy to be dressed up like a demon, a devil etc, and having a joyful party with a group of pretended evils. What is the purpose of celebrating these things? There’s no need to celebrate Halloween in such a way to remind us there is life beyond. Jesus tells us about it in a different way.

Halloween! Halloween! Why should a Catholic Christian celebrate ‘evil’? If Christ taught that there is evil, is that enough reason to make an evil day an occasion to celebrate? “Deliver us from all evil…” we say in Our Lord’s Prayer. It is not right for us to get involved in what we should be delivered from. It is good to know that evil exists but for Catholics to celebrate EVIL sounds abnormal. This celebration of evil is gaining grounds because the evil one has convinced people that he does not exist. There is a snare there! Catholics watch out for the evil one who prowls like a ion looking for people to ensnare and devour is about and around.

That’s just silly. We should not be so scared of evil that it needs to be kept out of our lives. Halloween is not a celebration of evil…what about the kids dressing up as angels…just sayin. You say that evil is gaining ground because it is not exposed. So, should we no expose it! I feel like the churchs should do more to embrace the holiday and turn itin to a time of self assessment for its parishioners. I mean every once in a while it wouldn’t hurt to stop and look at where evil is winning in our own lives.

I think we should be scared of evil, because the devil shows himself in a way of an angel. If we celebrate evil, evil will live within us.
I would take part of anything that has to do with evil. And yes, you are absolutely right, Halloween is evil. We are co-participants with the devil in this celebration.
Also you are correct in your research about the origins of Halloween, but as you know, human tend to distort everything to its own beliefs, or what is more convenient. We live in a secular world. Right now everything is about making money, regardless of who gets hurt.

Clement, you write, “Why should a Catholic Christian celebrate ‘evil’?” We should not, but nowhere have I suggested that we should.

You’ve come to that conclusion through a series of assumptions that clouds the discussion. You assume that celebrating Halloween is celebrating evil because you assume that Halloween itself is evil.

But in the article that I’ve linked to in this blog post, I discuss the Christian origins of Halloween and expose the myth that Halloween arises from evil pagan practices. It does not; it is the Vigil of All Saints Day—or, to use the traditional English title, All Hallows’ Eve, from which we derive the word Halloween.

Halloween has no meaning by itself—that is, separate from the Feast of All Saints. That said, over the centuries, Christians—not pagans!—invested Halloween with significance by seeing the three days (the Eve of All Saints, All Saints, and All Souls) as a period in which we acknowledge the entire Catholic cosmology.

On the Eve of All Saints, we acknowledge—not celebrate—the reality of evil; on All Saints, we celebrate Christ’s triumph over evil, manifested in the lives of His saints; and on All Souls, we pray for those who, like us, still suffer from the effects of evil in this world. It’s all there—Hell, Heaven, and Purgatory.

You write, “This celebration of evil is gaining grounds because the evil one has convinced people that he does not exist.” You’re half right. Evil is gaining ground because the Evil One has convinced people that he does not exist. Halloween is not a celebration of evil, but one way to remind us that evil does indeed exist—and the attack on Halloween, therefore, may well be one way in which the Evil One advances his plan.

Using Halloween for a fun time for children is wonderful. However, when you bring this kind of foolishness into the church which Christ died for, you are going a little bit too far. It is a man made holiday, the early church in the New Testament did not celebrate Halloween and Christmas as holy days. If they did, please give me the book, chapter and verse in the Bible. I don’t believe that tradition takes precedence over the written Word. A Christian celebrates the life, death and resurrection of Christ every day of his/her life. Setting only one or two days aside each year to remember Christ is so sad.

Do we worship God or Jesus by dressing up as them? No. So allowing children to dress up as a ‘little devil’ or ghoul is in no way worshiping or celebrating evil.

Also, just because we have images of Saints or Crucifixes, do we worship them? No.

WWJD – Does dressing up as a goblin or devil sound like something Jesus would do? I think all the stuff about “one way to remind us that evil does indeed exist” is just an excuse to join in what has become a pagan “holiday” regardless of its origins. No matter how something started and whether or not it was a “christian celebration” we as Christians should not participate in something that is perceived as worldly by most people: “Let not your good be evil spoken of” Do you honestly think that Christians need another reminder that evil exists? Watch the news; that’s enough reminder.

During service after our fellowship participated in festivities they call alternative fun for the family, “hallejuah night” an alternative adventure for children to come and get candy and dressup in other costumes.

My first statement is that you can have this alternative gathering any day of 365 days that is called a year… why particularly on Oct 31st.

During worship. the Sunday after this event, their was such deep weeping for the church as a whole, the people being so dull ..being such a ready participate to walk in to a slumber around such holidays.

We song a sound that renders a chours, O! How he loves us.. I hear yes, I love you but you still are not responding to me as I have asked you too. My translation does the decieved know they are decieved

During the sharing their was such a mix drink being poured out upon the people. I hear they are drunk, dull because of all the “fun” they had the night before and that posture was giving permission for the slumbering spirit to press into thier minds and rock them to sleep on the percepts of what God is desiring to pour out upon thier souls. Taking liberties, eating food from their idolatrious living. I began to pray for the Helmet of Salvation to be placed upon the head of those professing to be Christ like.. praying for the sanctification process to have a sure and steady growth progression in their lives and that the reading and absorbtion of the word changes our condition (Prov 4.20-…

Lord help our condition may we see that the claok of humanity is a death trap and can only be abridiged by the Blood of Jesus and we must run this race at a pace that confirms Jesus’ triumphant posture over evil. May we live to assure our eternal destination. May we live to be pleasing to God, not to ourselves or the things of the worlds system. In Revelation it says we must run from her, we must break away from the grip of Harlot Babylon.

Halloween.. may we not purposely be decieved.

I believe that it is all about how we perceive the costumes and the traditions of Halloween. If we truly see Halloween as a celebration leading up to the feast days of All Saints and All Souls then it can be a great holiday. Even non- catholics can celebrate the holiday with a positive outcome by having good clean fun. Of course this holiday will bring out those who choose to worship evil, but are we just going to sit in fear in our homes or are we going to get out there and laugh in the face of the evildoers. I say we get out there and show the world the right way to celebrate the lives of those who have gone before us. Pray, celebrate, and have fun!

From the Children’s perspective Halloween is an occasion to dress up in funny costumes and go trick or treating for sweets and treats – hopefully, time spent with friends and family – in a nurturing environment, learning that there is more to life than what you can see and touch – a celebration of things that are scary and things that go bump in the night. We don’t celebrate Halloween here in Australia – although commercial interests are really starting to “push” the idea as a hugely potential moneymaker. Personally I see Halloween as an opportunity to celebrate the lives of those souls who have gone before us. Over-thinking the event and worrying about a few idiots who choose to concentrate on the dark side only serve to wreck the feast day. Relax, keep it simple, spend time with your loved ones and “A Happy Christian Halloween” everybody.

Biggest deception of the 20th century was Satan convincing the world at large that he did not exist.

I like Halloween and I really enjoyed your blog on it. It’s just the truth! let those who have ear s, big or small listen.

My only gripe about Halloween is that it iis becoming like all special days celebrating the seasons, ruined and spoiled by commercialism and influenced by worldly attitudes. I do not like the gory and sleazy costumes they sell in those halloween stores. I liked it when we made our own consumes using our imaginations.

As human beings, we need to be human, to celebrate the seasons that God has created. The seasons are a reflection of our souls journey. There are seasons of light and seasons of darkness. And all of it is good!

Halloween is a wrong holiday it brings back the celebration of the devil and that should not teach the correct catholic religon

A celebration of the devil?? My daughter is going to be a ladybug this year, and she’s going to get some candy and have fun. This celebrates the devil?? Wow and wow…Halloween is both a day for kids to dress up and get candy, etc…and for teens and adults to dress up, party if they wish, and have fun as well. If someone chooses to dress as a vampire or werewolf, etc…then umm…I still don’t think they are celebrating the devil. They are having silly ‘pretend’ fun. That’s all, don’t read into it things that just aren’t there.

Halloween, wasn’t it a day to remember that evil exist in the spiritual world and that good over powers evil? Wasn’t it an acknowledging that when we die our souls may be attacked by evil and so we need to that God will save our souls?
So turn to God and evil, which does exist can not touch you?
That’s what I taught growing up in the 1970’s.
I have heard comments such as Halloween is the devil’s birthday! Funny! I thought in order to have a birthday one has to have a mother. So who is the devil’s mother? Birth is a blessing from God! So, how can a Christian make the comment that Halloween is the devil’s birthday, and since Halloween is only celebrated in a few countries, does that mean that it’s not the devil’s birthday in countries which it isn’t celebrated or acknowledged? Also, what does a Christian say to their child if their child’s birthday falls on Halloween? Are they associated with the devil also? I’m a catholic mom, with children who were born on Halloween, no one religion has hurt my children’s joy on their birthday except for some cold hearted Christians who tell my children that they share the devil’s birthday! After my ones come home with a smile turned upside down because of Christian bullies who say they are evil because their birthday in the U.S.A happens to be Halloween, my response to them is, go tell those mean unchristian children that if they bully you again that you are witches and warlocks and will put a so ell on them. Ridiculous how this country has a bunch of so calked Christians attacking little children because they happen to have a birthday on gallows eve! So, if my kids were born on good Friday, what would the so called Christian world call them then? Bunch of ridiculous thoughts in this country! Have a candy this hallows eve to sweeten up your lives, I know I will! And so will my little witch and warlock! Oh, yes! I’ve been called the devils wife because I gave birth to kids on hallows eve. Too funny!

I feel sorry for those so called christians that offended your children and your family over the day your children were born. Every day belongs to the Lord. It is not the day or hour we are born that makes a difference but our deeds and believes. Scriptures are very clear in that the Lord rewards and will judge everyone according to their deeds: thoughts, actions, inactions, every spoken word and so on. It is not the day itself that we need to avoid because this is obviously impossible. However, it is in the power of christians to avoid participating in Holloween.

This essay is a perfect argument, case in point, for the phenomena of religion as a collective neurosis.

Religion allows a collective group of individuals to believe in public, what only a madman would believe in private.

If you wake up tomorrow convinced that lord Hades and his minions of the underworld are pining for your immortal essence, and that the only way to safeguard your soul is to sacrifice animals to lord Zeus, you have lost your mind.

If you believe the following, almost indistinguishable assertion, you’re just a Catholic:

“We believe in a world that extends beyond the one that we can see, a world in which angels and demons do contest for the souls of men, and the Prince of Lies grows in power by convincing people that he does not exist.”

It is scarcely possible to believe that any moderately moderately educated individual could make the above assertion with a straight face.

The tragi-comical worldview that is proposed by tge Catholic belief system, one in which an invisible “Prince of Lies” and his invisible minions are constantly at war with the forces of good over the fate of human “souls” (whatever it is imagined that a soul is), is made distinguishable from a passage in Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings only by tge names of the gods and demons involved. Coincidently, there is precisely the same evidence for the reality of the Lord of the Rings worldview as the Biblical worldview: both are not validated by a scrap of sound evidence or consistent reasoning, both are based entirely upon text of a book, and both fly in the face of literally every single scientific fact that is known.

More depressing than the simple adherence to the nonsense proposed in this article, however, is the following nihilistic assertion:

“If man is innately good, and there are no “principalities and powers” trying to capture his soul for all eternity, then what’s the point of making the sacrifices that saints make?”

First, it is important to note that the idea that man is “inherently good” has nothing to do with the significance of the argument. Man is inherently capable of being both moral and immoral, and most human lives are a collection of both moral and immoral actions. To say otherwise is to reject, a priori, almost all of the collective knowledge of what it means to be human.

Second, the real tragedy of Scott’s assertion is that it implies (perhaps it is more appropriate to say: explicitly makes the claim) that good deeds are meaningless unless there are “…’principalities and powers’ trying to capture…” the souls of mankind. Again, this claim is psychotic, because there is no evidence whatsoever to support it, but it also proposes a sort of moral nihilism because it suggests that good deeds are not good in-and-of themselves.
In other words, following Scott’s logic, saving a small infant from drowning, preventing the rape of a young girl, abolishing torture and alleviating poverty are inherently meaningless if the “Prince of Lies” does not exist. Of course, the simple truth is that good and bad deeds can be so described, and only have significance at all, because the have consequences for conscious agents in the here and now. Morality is only given significance when conscious agents are involved. The here and now is more than sufficient to give all the weight to any discussion of morality in any meaningful way.

Saving a drowning infant matters, not because of the supposed existence of demons or angels, but because it is an action with profoundly positive consequences for a thinking, feeling, conscious human being. Killing an innocent human being matters, not because of a fantastical “Prince of Lies” or “Lamb of God”, but because this action has profoundly negative consequences for a thinking, feeling, conscious human being. Scott was correct in one of his contentions, however. Some “sacrifices” of the saints are indeed made in vain. Sacrifices such as priestly celibacy (more often preached, than adhered to), abstinence from contraception and the condemnation of homosexuals are indeed meaningless in terms of morality. Indeed, that is the true tragedy of a supernatural, fantasy-laden pseudo-basis for morality: it gives people bad reasons to do good things, and good reasons to do bad things.

Juan,
Hey man I can see that you are very fired up about this whole thing and I can see you have a range of grievances against religion as a whole and the Church in particular. I think it would be best to split up your points into several well researched and linear arguments. I think those topics should be: 1) Spiritualism and the Effects on the human arts 2) Morality, law, and the human condition, 3) The Bible: Its creation and application, 4) The conflict between things that are natural and things that are super-natural 5)The operations of international organizations 6)Human sexuality and the effects on human psychology 7) The history of human thought and religious development.
Lastly, it may be most beneficial to discuss these ideas on blogs not committed to holidays or festivals of any kind. Either way we have alot of reading to do.

Brother and sisters:

Halloween comes from All Hallows evening. But Halloween as is celebrated nowadays is a sad neo-paganism. This night, all occultism and satanists make black masses and sacrileges against the Holy Body of our Lord Jesus Christ really present in Eucharist. They rob the Holy Host for this purpose, and in US is very easily to do it, because in our church we take Host in our hands. And, meanwhile we are teaching to our children that Halloween night is to get fun.
What’s kind of experience we give for our children if they are in contact with this kind of things and we tell them that they can be comfortable with it? So they will also be comfortable with ouija, or satanic sects, or mediums, and this is incongruous with our faith. How can tell our children that is ok to be naughty once in a year?.So in future, I can big and mortal sins once in a year…
As Catholics we should go against world. And ” against world” doesn’t mean fight with people, because this is not catholic. We should give the original sense of Halloween, that is to pray for our people that passed away. We can say to our children: Instead to ask candies: “Trick or Treat” we can give candies for poor children, so they can learn that the best thing is give than receive. We can use positive costume about people that is really to be admired: Our Saints. We should tell the real history of Halloween, and if you don’t know, brothers and sisters, read about it, so you will know about Samhain, Jack o lantern, druids, Celtics, and after that, you reflex in your heart and think if its correct to celebrate Halloween. And overall we should teach our children that during that day, many people make bad things against our Jesus and we should pray to redress His heart.

My problem with the way in which Halloween is celebrated dawned on me when I had two children attending a ‘Catholic’ grade school.
I was rather surprised at the emphasis given to the eve of All Saints Day.
Do we celebrate Christmas or do we celebrate Christmas Eve?
As Catholics our focus must remain on the main celebration, All Saints Day. I am not any longer against acknowledging Halloween, but I am disturbed by the way in which All Saints Day is ignored, even in a ‘Catholic’ school.

Dominus vobiscum, Reg.

Juan, I will be praying for you, that your heart may be opened to our Lord’s love and forgiveness.

Little kids (or for that matter adults) dressing as evil characters on Halloween is a mocking of evil rather than a celebration of it. We do not fear the devil and his minions because we know Christ has triumphed. Who would open their door and hand out candy if they thought that real devils, werewolves and vampires awaited outside?

This is always how I have viewed the holiday….as a triumph over evil. We celebrate the saints after we remember that god has enabled us with the power to do so. We recognize the saints for being able to do this more then we have and look to them to find areas we can improve ourselves. In no way do I think that dressing up as a devil means a child loves the devil…I think it means that they have the ability to overtake the devil with the light inside them that god has provided.

I absolutely disagree with your belief that we Catholics should celebrate halloween. NO! That day happens to be the day before a high feast day on the Catholic calendar, All Saints Day, and traditionally Catholics fast and pray the evening before a high feast day. How is celebrating akin to fasting?
Also, St. Paul himself tells us to avoid all evil. If you are not with Jesus, you are against HIm. We Catholics should take not part in any for of celebration or merriment on the high Satanic holiday of halloween.
Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.

Susan, you’re correct that “traditionally Catholics fast and pray the evening before a high feast day,” with one small exception: Traditionally, we prayed the day before a high feast day, because the feast day itself began at sundown the previous day.

In the modern world, that distinction has been lost, because we think of days running from 12:00:00 A.M. to 11:59:59 P.M. But traditionally, that is not how Catholics marked the day, nor the feasts and fasts associated with particular celebrations.

Which is why, even when fasting was still prescribed on the eve of All Saints Day, Halloween could still be and was celebrated by faithful Catholics.

Your characterization of All Hallow’s Eve as “the high Satanic holiday of halloween” is unfortunate, because you have bought into the myth of the satanic origins of Halloween—a myth that, as I have explained in Should Catholics Celebrate Halloween? was specifically anti-Catholic in its origins. Halloween was first celebrated by Celtic Christians centuries after they had converted to Christianity. It was first banned by the virulently anti-Catholic Puritan Parliament in post-Reformation England, along with All Saints Day and even Christmas.

In other words, the Puritans attacked Halloween not because they regarded it as satanic but because they—correctly—regarded it as Catholic.

Here in the United States, Irish Catholic immigrants revived the tradition of Halloween (just as German Catholic immigrants revived the tradition of Christmas, which was not celebrated by the English settlers of North America), and it was gradually adopted by other Catholic immigrant groups, before spreading to the population at large.

When Halloween came under attack once again in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, it was at the hands of such virulently anti-Catholic fundamentalists as Jack Chick, whose argued that the proof that Halloween was satanic was that it was Catholic.

Sadly, over the last 30 years, many good and faithful Catholics have adopted a view of Halloween that was developed and promoted by our enemies.

This catholic family is going to celebrate Halloween, and your twisted views on this day will have no bearing on what we do, thank god!

The only problem I ever had with Halloween costumes was when the pastor of my former parish was dressed as Satan, complete with horns, a tail and a pitchfork. He greeted the children at my son’s elementary school (K-8) gleefully. I thought that was taking the concept a bit too far. In my mind, a SHEPHERD should maintain a certain decorum at all times. I left the parish not too long after this event (and many other instances of poor judgment on the part of the same pastor).

Catholics and christians should not participate in Holloween. This open doors to bad spirits. God allowed me to see evil spirits roaming in a house and warned me in a dream not to participate in Holloween anymore.
Holloween is a pagan festivity and christians are called by our Lord to abstain from pagan rituals and celebrations.
Satanic followers seem to understand this celebration very well but christians seem to be very naive about it. Satanic people commit horrible deeds and crimes on this night. Christinas are called to do just the opposite, pray, go to Mass and read bible. It is best to stay home this night. I do not need to celebrate a pagan festivity to know evil exists. Read bible to the kids and explain how the Lord Jesus expelled demons from people. This is sufficient.

Oscar, you undercut your argument when you make it clear that you do not understand the origin of the word “Halloween.” To refer to “Holloween” is to miss the Christian origins of this vigil, and it is no surprise, then, that you fall for modern anti-Catholic attacks on Halloween.

But remember this: Those attacks are bound up with attacks on All Saints Day and indeed on the Catholic veneration of saints. Fall for one, and you are in danger of falling for the other.

Here in Portugal, a Catholic country, people and kids do not actually celebrate Halloween, at first we mistook the arrival of children at our gate for just that but of course it was not 31st Oct, it was 1st of Nov and they were celebrating All Saints day by collecting candies from all the villagers.

The use of pumpkins is purely for soup and other meals.