Name: Halloween, Sins and Purgatory: Debate in Christian Circles
Uploaded: 2023-10-28T21:35:43.000Z
Duration: 12 min 51 s
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Every year, as October 31st approaches, the familiar debate is reemerging primarily among

the Christian community - Is celebrating Halloween a sin?

If you are not a religious person, it might sound absurd that some view Halloween as sinful.

I mean, come on... it's just kids dressing up and collecting candy, right?

Apparently, not everyone thinks that way!

There are actually some religious groups, particularly some sects of Protestant Christians,

proclaiming that joining in Halloween festivities is a grave sin!

The unease arises from Halloween's origins in the pagan festival of Samhain and its associations

Modern Halloween, with costumes and trick-or-treating, is largely secular.

However, some still associate it with perceived dark forces, leading to objections.

For instance, certain Christian groups might avoid Halloween, fearing its perceived ties

In some schools, Halloween celebrations have been replaced with "fall festivals" to avoid

Some of them even downright cancel it, for example, in 2021, several schools or school

districts in Seattle, East Lansing Michigan, and Princeton New Jersey decided to forego

Halloween celebrations, citing reasons of "equity" and concerns about "marginalized"

The phenomenon is a result of deeply held beliefs intersecting with evolving cultural

This question has been discussed, debated, and dissected by numerous individuals from

Hi, I am Shao Chieh, welcome to what people also ask, where I answered some of the most

Googled questions with even more Googling.

Today's query is “Why do some religious people, especially Christians don't celebrate

Is Halloween a sin from Christians' perspective?

Before we judge the holiday, understanding its historical roots is crucial.

According to Beth Allison Barr, a historian, and author specializing in medieval and religious

history in her article titled “Why Evangelical Christians Are Afraid of Halloween” published

in Patheo on OCTOBER 31, 2018, Halloween holds a close connection to the Christian festivals

Contrary to the popular belief that Halloween is mostly pagan, Barr suggested that it's

On the other hand, the website of Focus on the Family, a global Christian ministry founded

in 1977 offers a counter perspective on its website, focusonthefamily.com.

In an article published on their website titled “Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?”,

it's stated that Halloween dates back to the Celtic festival of Samhain, which involved

However, the article also highlights that Pope Gregory III later moved All Saints' Day

to coincide with Samhain, signifying the onset of Halloween's association with Christian

Celts believed that on Samhain, the souls of the dead would visit their homes - and

that those who had died in the past year would travel to the next world.

As a result, people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.

They also believe the presence of spirits can enhance their priest called Druid's

This belief could be a contributing factor to the widespread practice of fortune-telling

As to the Catholic root of Halloween, it is closely related to the Catholic festivals

Especially the practice called souling where the poor would go around asking for a pastry

called soul cake with the promise of praying for the donor's deceased loved ones.

Which later became the tradition of trick or treating.

Nowadays, many Protestants, and specifically Evangelical Christians, tend to disapprove

of Halloween due to its perceived pagan origins and the ways in which contemporary celebrations

of the holiday are believed to conflict with Christian values.

Evangelical Christians often emphasize strict adherence to the teachings of the Bible, and

many interpret scripture as being in opposition to engaging with the supernatural or participating

in practices that might be seen as celebrating evil or darkness.

Catholics, on the other hand, have a different historical and theological context for understanding

The connection of Halloween to All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day provides a framework

that ties the holiday more directly to Christian beliefs and practices.

The Catholic tradition of honoring saints and praying for the deceased fits naturally

with the historical practices associated with Halloween, making it easier for Catholics

to participate in the holiday while still aligning with their religious beliefs.

Furthermore, some protestants also oppose specifically Catholic's adaptation of Halloween

into "All Souls' Day,", and In order to explain what's going on we have to talk about Purgatory!

As it turns out, a lot of Catholics in medieval times believed almost all Catholics would

go to purgatory where they would be tortured with fire until they were purified.

The great news is that purgatory, where Christians go, is not an eternal punishment like hell,

where non-Christians are believed going to.

But keep in mind, “temporary” can mean a very long time.

According to an article titled "Tetzel on 7 Years in Purgatory for Every Sin" published

by Patheos, which is an online media company providing information and commentary about

Johann Tetzel, a German Dominican preacher known for selling indulgences during the early

16th century claimed that every sin committed by a Christian would result in 7 years of

According to him, despite Jesus Christ's sacrifice to erase the penalty for original sin, Roman

Catholicism believed that post-baptism sins require temporal punishment.

This punishment occurs in Purgatory, where souls endure fiery torment.

While the pain in Purgatory is temporary, it can last a very long time.

And according to Tetzel, it's seven years of fiery torture for each sin.

Many medieval Christians especially Catholics believed this teaching.

Just take a moment to imagine believing that:

Let's say you are a very good person and only commit one sin per day, which is not very

likely because that includes eating too much butter and using Facebook as a verb.

You will end up spending 2,555 years in purgatory for the sins you commit per year.

If you live to 70, you would be facing 178,850 years of suffering in purgatory burning alive.

This is why it is important to pray for the dead because they also believe prayer can

shorten the time your loved ones spend in Purgatory.

The Catholic Church back then believed you could reduce your time in Purgatory through

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Halloween, Sins and Purgatory: Debate in Christian Circles

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