The Dark Side of Halloween

I love autumn. I love cozy sweaters and warm drinks and the palette of earth tones around me.

I must confess I also love Halloween. Cute costumes and slightly spooky decor are all in good fun. That’s the position I’ve long taken. But as I grow older, the tone of Halloween seems to be getting darker — and its influence in our society more powerful.

“Whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.”

Halloween is definitely a broadly celebrated but still controversial holiday. The one night per year when children dress up in costumes and walk around the block to trick-or-treat has morphed into a month-long celebration that rivals Christmas with its elaborate front-yard displays and weeks of parties leading up to the big day.

Many people in conservative Christian groups refuse to acknowledge the event due to its pagan roots, except to potentially offer a church-held fall festival or “trunk or treat.”

What is most concerning is the complete lack of common sense that comes with Oct. 31. When did our current culture’s celebration of Halloween devolve into an evening of adult-only activities? When did Halloween become a night for a no-holds-barred attitude that anything is acceptable?

Related: Halloween Hijacked by Adults

College students have soirees for days that are devoted entirely to dressing up and partying with a “what-happens-at-Halloween-stays-at-Halloween” mentality.

Scary costumes are graphically realistic in both their creepy subject matter and depiction of violence. Many women’s costumes (and shockingly, young girls’ costumes as well) are risqué. Then there are the costumes that are completely inappropriate. Cable channels offer “scare fests” for nights on end. Decorations include axe-wielding mannequins holding severed heads or zombie manger scenes.

But if a person has a complaint or points out legitimate offense, that individual is told to “lighten up.” It’s all in good fun, right?

Too much of a good thing is still too much. Often, what was “all in good fun” is spoiled into something that is not much fun at all. The children who hoped to get candy and dress up like their favorite cartoon characters are afraid to walk down the street because of all the grotesqueness. Parents are concerned about creepy clowns lurking in their neighborhoods, while costumed adults roam around on Halloween night in what is now a socially accepted practice.

Can realistic boundaries be drawn and convictions followed when it comes to Halloween? Can Christians celebrate Halloween in good conscience? This should be an issue of the heart, and for each person to consider individually.

Related: ‘We Have No King but Jesus’

The Bible clearly states in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.”

If things that one might focus on are horrifying, depraved, or despicable … is that honoring of God? If darkness is celebrated, is there room in that celebration for truth and light?

The point of the verse isn’t to deprive Christians of fun; it’s to encourage them to be healthy — mentally and spiritually. It is difficult to abolish fear when fear is being pumped into the brain at every turn. It is difficult to embrace purity and loveliness when the ugliest aspects of human nature are being celebrated. Therefore, the fun is spoiled.

Celebrating Halloween is not the issue — the encouragement of the holiday to shock, disturb, and frighten is. Every year, it seems, the bar gets raised to push the envelope. Maybe it is time to rein in some of the tricks.

Katie Nations has been married for 15 years and is a working mother of three young children. She lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.