The Night No One Can Laugh At: The Record of Halloween
At the end of October, children put on skeleton costumes and young adults fill the streets in bloody makeup. The church stays silent in the name of culture. But if you look at the record Halloween has left in recent years, no one can laugh.
Halloween means "All Hallows' Eve," the night before All Saints' Day. The church tried to cover the Celtic night of Samhain with All Saints' Day on November 1. Samhain was the night people believed the dead returned, and they dressed up to blend in with the spirits. But what the world remembers today is not the saints. It is the ghosts. When Luther posted his theses on this day in 1517, it was not a celebration. It was a war against indulgences, which sold relief for the souls of the dead.
The Bible draws a clear line. "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too" (1 Cor 10:21). "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness" (Eph 5:11).
Tokyo, 2021: On Halloween night, a man dressed as the Joker swung a knife and set a fire on a train, injuring 17 people. At first, witnesses thought it was a Halloween prank. The attacker said he wanted to kill people so that he would be sentenced to death.
Illinois, USA, 2021: A shooting at a Halloween party killed 2 people and injured more than 12. The father of a woman who died wept that his daughter lost her life in a costume for no reason at all.
Itaewon, Seoul, 2022: Halloween crowds were trapped in a narrow alley, and 159 people died. Most were in their teens and twenties. It was the worst crowd crush in South Korean history.
Kansas City, USA, 2022: Uninvited guests opened fire at a Halloween party, killing 1 person and injuring several others. Because the shooters wore Halloween costumes and masks, they could not even be identified.
Tampa, USA, 2023: At 3 a.m., as costumed crowds poured out of the bars, a fight between two groups turned into a shooting that killed 2 people and injured 18. One of the dead was a 14-year-old boy, and one of the suspects arrested was also 14. That Halloween weekend, shootings across the United States killed at least 11 people and injured more than 70.
Orlando, USA, 2024: On a Halloween street where 75,000 people had gathered, a 17-year-old boy opened fire, killing 2 people and injuring 6. One of the dead was a 19-year-old college student.
California, USA, 2025: An argument at a Halloween party turned into a shooting, and two teenagers, aged 15 and 17, lost their lives. On the same day in Santa Clarita, someone was also killed in a Halloween party shooting.
Shibuya, Japan: After drunken crowds went as far as flipping over a truck, the city banned street drinking on Halloween, and since 2024 it has banned nighttime street drinking all year round. The city rejected Halloween.
On top of this, there are statistics that repeat every year. In the United States, the risk of pedestrian death on Halloween night is 43% higher than usual, and deaths among children aged 4 to 8 reach five times the normal rate.
Most of the victims of recent Halloweens were in their teens and twenties, and the attackers were teenagers too. Masks hid the killers' faces, crowds trampled one another, and alcohol and guns turned pranks into murder. It was not ghosts that killed people on this night. Satan does not come dressed as a ghost. He comes through the human heart.
Read the original (Korean) →
1. A Pagan Night Swallowed the Day of the Saints
Halloween means "All Hallows' Eve," the night before All Saints' Day. The church tried to cover the Celtic night of Samhain with All Saints' Day on November 1. Samhain was the night people believed the dead returned, and they dressed up to blend in with the spirits. But what the world remembers today is not the saints. It is the ghosts. When Luther posted his theses on this day in 1517, it was not a celebration. It was a war against indulgences, which sold relief for the souls of the dead.
The Bible draws a clear line. "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too" (1 Cor 10:21). "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness" (Eph 5:11).
2. The Record of Recent Halloweens
Tokyo, 2021: On Halloween night, a man dressed as the Joker swung a knife and set a fire on a train, injuring 17 people. At first, witnesses thought it was a Halloween prank. The attacker said he wanted to kill people so that he would be sentenced to death.
Illinois, USA, 2021: A shooting at a Halloween party killed 2 people and injured more than 12. The father of a woman who died wept that his daughter lost her life in a costume for no reason at all.
Itaewon, Seoul, 2022: Halloween crowds were trapped in a narrow alley, and 159 people died. Most were in their teens and twenties. It was the worst crowd crush in South Korean history.
Kansas City, USA, 2022: Uninvited guests opened fire at a Halloween party, killing 1 person and injuring several others. Because the shooters wore Halloween costumes and masks, they could not even be identified.
Tampa, USA, 2023: At 3 a.m., as costumed crowds poured out of the bars, a fight between two groups turned into a shooting that killed 2 people and injured 18. One of the dead was a 14-year-old boy, and one of the suspects arrested was also 14. That Halloween weekend, shootings across the United States killed at least 11 people and injured more than 70.
Orlando, USA, 2024: On a Halloween street where 75,000 people had gathered, a 17-year-old boy opened fire, killing 2 people and injuring 6. One of the dead was a 19-year-old college student.
California, USA, 2025: An argument at a Halloween party turned into a shooting, and two teenagers, aged 15 and 17, lost their lives. On the same day in Santa Clarita, someone was also killed in a Halloween party shooting.
Shibuya, Japan: After drunken crowds went as far as flipping over a truck, the city banned street drinking on Halloween, and since 2024 it has banned nighttime street drinking all year round. The city rejected Halloween.
On top of this, there are statistics that repeat every year. In the United States, the risk of pedestrian death on Halloween night is 43% higher than usual, and deaths among children aged 4 to 8 reach five times the normal rate.
3. Satan Comes Through the Human Heart
Most of the victims of recent Halloweens were in their teens and twenties, and the attackers were teenagers too. Masks hid the killers' faces, crowds trampled one another, and alcohol and guns turned pranks into murder. It was not ghosts that killed people on this night. Satan does not come dressed as a ghost. He comes through the human heart.
