by Johnny
Halloween has come and gone (only 361 days left till the next one), but I want to briefly call to attention one important aspect of this fascinating holiday; that of confronting your fears with laughter and mockery. A while ago, I came across an interesting article by James B. Jordan (director of Biblical Horizons) titled “Concerning Halloween” exploring the Christian elements in Halloween. Jordan writes:
The concept, as dramatized in Christian custom, is quite simple: On October 31, the demonic realm tries one last time to achieve victory, but is banished by the joy of the Kingdom.
What is the means by which the demonic realm is vanquished? In a word: mockery. Satan’s great sin (and our great sin) is pride. Thus, to drive Satan from us we ridicule him. This is why the custom arose of portraying Satan in a ridiculous red suit with horns and a tail. Nobody thinks the devil really looks like this; the Bible teaches that he is the fallen Arch-Cherub. Rather, the idea is to ridicule him because he has lost the battle with Jesus and he no longer has power over us.
The idea of mocking Satan is not new. Martin Luther said, “The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn” and Thomas More said, “The devil…the prowde spirite…cannot endure to be mocked”. It is no wonder C.S. Lewis uses these quotes in his epigraph to The Screwtape Letters.
J.K. Rowling seems to recognize the power of laughter and mockery in overcoming fear. In Prisoner of Azkaban, we are introduced to a dark creature known as a boggart. A boggart, to quote Hermione, is “a shape-shifter” which “can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most” (133). When you encounter a boggart, there is already that fear element. The antidote, according to Professor Lupin, is laughter. This laughter is not a simple one; a nervous laughter will not work here. It “requires force of mind” because you need to “force it to assume a shape that you find amusing” (134). By saying the charm riddikulus and concentrating on what “ridiculous” shape you want the boggart to assume, the boggart will turn from your worst fear to something funny. This is a form of mockery at the expense of your fears.
The same concept is at play in Halloween. Many times we dress up as our favorite characters, but we also dress up as ghosts, goblins, zombies, and others. Many people are not afraid of these, but how about tombstones, skeletons, and the Grim Reaper? Are we making sport of death? I suppose, but keep in mind that even Paul mocks death when he quotes from Hosea 13.14, “O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?” Halloween is a time when we confront our fears and mock them. Jordan said that “the defeat of evil and of demonic powers is associated with Halloween.” Is it any coincidence that J.K. Rowling had Harry Potter defeat the Dark Lord on Halloween when his mother’s love and sacrifice protected him against murder? I think not.
Riddikulus.
Joivre on 
Red Rocker on 
Tom on 
Arabella Figg on 
Travis Prinzi on 
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Luther also said in his Table Talk (p78):
‘Almost every night when I wake up the devil is there and wants to dispute with me. I have come to this conclusion: When the argument that the Christian is without the law and above the law doesn’t help, I instantly chase him away with a fart.’
Another reason he’s my church-history hero.
That’s a neat parallel you draw, Johnny, between the spirit of Hallowe’en and the Riddikulus spell, in that both are about reducing the power of something frightening by mocking it.
On an almost unrelated tangent, that is an excellent example of an idea that would pass the “fair use” test for material derived from another source: re-working the old material with a new idea or perspective.
Better be careful or a Taboo will be slapped on us because we aren’t showing the devil proper respect.
“But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9 NIV)
II Peter also includes the command not to mock demons.
(2 Pet 2:10) But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
“dignities” does not refer to demons. it is the Greek word for “glory”.