Today on The 700 Club, Pat Robertson faced a question from a viewer who wondered about the ethicality of his church’s haunted house event, which uses Halloween to reach the “unsaved community.” Robertson condemned the church and said that Christians shouldn’t celebrate the holiday because “Halloween is Satan’s night, it’s the night for the devil.”
This wouldn’t be the first time the Christian Broadcasting Network targeted Halloween. Apostle Kimberly Daniels, who now serves on the Jacksonville City Council, wrote a long screed on the CBN website condemning the holiday for its “occult roots.” She claims that demonic curses from witches are passed through Halloween candy and that traditional activities include “sex with demons,” “orgies” and “sacrificing babies,” among others.
Meeuwsen: This is Ken, he says ‘Pat, it may sound odd, but Halloween is one of the biggest events at my church. Every year, we host one of the area’s largest haunted houses. They say it’s a great outreach to the unsaved community, but it’s starting to irk me. I feel really unsettled by the fact that our church has a Haunted House. What are your thoughts?’
Robertson: I agree with you, we need the power of God not some kind of ersatz entertainment. We don’t believe in haunted, we don’t believe in ghosts, we don’t believe in all this business.
Meeuwsen: You don’t celebrate it.
Robertson: Halloween is Satan’s night, it’s the night for the devil. It’s All Hallow’s Eve but its time when witches and goblins—
Meeuwsen: Ok that’s evident in the kinds of things that are for sale.
Robertson: Of course, it’s out there. Its skeletons and all this, like the dead rising. Churches shouldn’t do that, you should do something else besides having a haunted house. I’m sure it’s popular, it is probably a big deal, people come to get scared, you’ve got spiders and cobwebs and all that. But—you can bob for apples, you can do all kind of different things and have a big party.
Meeuwsen: Most churches have actually an alternative evening for families.
Robertson: That’s what you need but not a haunted house, I agree with you. You’re feeling badly? You should.
