Should Halloween be Considered as a Religious Holiday (Essay Sample)

Should Halloween be considered as a religious holiday?
Name
Institution
Should Halloween be considered as a religious holiday?
Halloween is a word with a Christian relevance that means “hallowed evening” or “holly evening.” The word originates exclusively from the Scottish term “All Hallows’ Eve, meaning the evening preceding All Hallows’ Day. All Hallows’ Eve used to be a significant religious holiday many years ago in nations across Europe. The celebration that was conducted the day before Christian holidays was a Christianized feast that was influenced by Celtic harvest festival (Horowitz, 2010, p. 1). The activities of the day prepared Christians to approach the Christian holidays with a strong sense of humility and dedication (Horowitz, 2010, p. 1).
Despite the relevance of the Eve in Christian life, questions are being raised on whether the day should be considered further as a religious holiday. The questions are pertinent given that Halloween has been turned into a weird type of celebration that most Christians abhor. The Christians of today note that the celebration is characterized by paganism and inconsistent practices that erode Christian norms and values. Based on my assessment and that of most Christians, Halloween should no longer be considered a religious holiday. There should be reservations because of diverse reasons that touch on morality, spiritualism, ethics, and values. Ideally, the day has lost its religious significance as revealed in various empirical studies involving wiccans and druids. The key elements of the festivity in the present day are anti-Christianity, with some lacking positive religion consequence while other activities are associated with demonic undertakings.
Secondly, essential Christian spiritual features that are imperative for holistic growth no longer characterize the celebration (Lippy & Williams, 2010, p. 1013). The celebration also lacks spiritual touch as before since Christians no longer consider it the true worship time (Horowitz, 2010, p. 1). Evidently, the activities of the day are inappropriate since they tend to promote paganism and erode moral values ...