the archrival

I don't feel much of a need to comment on the appropriateness of Halloween for Christians. Although it's well-known that the roots of Halloween and its practices do have some pagan roots, going through the motions of a Halloween practice doesn't automatically make you a pagan any more than going through the motions of church attendance automatically makes you a devotee of Christianity. On the other hand, there's no getting around the fact that glorification of evil/gore/devilry/debauchery, no matter how insincere, is repugnant to the sensibilities and strivings of a Christian devotee. As is often the case, the issue is complicated enough to require judgment. Some Halloween activities are harmless, some are not, and some may be merely distasteful and unedifying.

One of the topics that Halloween tends to raise among Christians is witchcraft. And almost without exception, the danger seems overblown to me. Witchcraft is among the most unambiguous no-nos, so it isn't much of a temptation. Its spiritual power is trumped by our Lord, so it isn't especially threatening (and of course external forces cannot "take" your soul or salvation). I doubt that its popularity is nearly as high as some claim, and in my opinion it verges on ridiculous to view fiction that contains witchery as a "gateway" to actual occult. It's analogous to viewing Da Vinci Code as a gateway and popularizer to heresy, or video games as an irresistible stimulus to violent acts; people who could be so influenced by these factors must have had other problems and confusion before exposure (e.g. a lack of education about what constitutes a canonical Christian document and a grievous confounding of games and reality, respectively).

By and large, anxiety about witchcraft, at least in present-day America, is somewhat like watching attentively for an animal attack while sinking in quicksand. And the identity of that quicksand isn't another favorite hobgoblin, philosophical/scientific humanism, but simple materialism. This archrival of Christianity is ancient. Its spell is much more subtle than witchcraft. A "Christian witch" is unimaginable but we can observe Christian materialists every day. 


Furthermore the Gospels warn time and again about this possible infection. In Matthew 6:24 we learn that no one can serve both God and money. Matthew 19:24 resorts to hyperbole: it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. 


The question really becomes relevant when the two conflict. A materialist makes a sacrifice as long as it's sufficiently convenient and low-cost. A devotee holds nothing back. A materialist is concerned with earthly materials. A devotee sees earthly materials purely as tools for Good rather than ends. A materialist (addict?) craves, satisfies the craving, then craves still more. A devotee recognizes that the pursuit of mundane cravings is no more than a "treadmill" while the craving for God is the path to eternity. Desires aren't sinful, but the resulting loss of focus can possibly set the stage for sin.


Chances are that witchcraft is not the prime archrival to Christianity for most people. Open eye, remove plank, and double-check that your materials aren't a curse to you.