Halloween Hypocrisy: Sources and Resources
Dale Stringer, A Living Parables Book
Every study, book, and article cited in Halloween Hypocrisy, with live links. Each link was checked on October 1, 2026. Where a journal article sits behind a paywall, the link goes to the abstract or to a free summary.
A note on how to use these: a study's headline is never the whole study. Read the abstract, notice who was studied, and hold findings loosely, especially in psychology. Where this book flagged a limit (small samples, correlation rather than cause, a challenged result), the limit is real.
History of Halloween and Its Customs
Hutton, Ronald. The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. Oxford University Press, 1996.
- Library record: https://archive.org/details/stationsofsunhis0000hutt
- Excerpt on Samhain and Frazer: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/10/christian-not-pagan-origins-of.html
Rogers, Nicholas. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. Oxford University Press, 2002.
- Publisher page: https://academic.oup.com/book/47512
- Chapter 2 abstract (the quote about Samhain and the April date for the saints' festival in Ireland): https://academic.oup.com/book/47512/chapter/422622868
Pope Gregory I's letter to Abbot Mellitus (AD 601), preserved in Bede's Ecclesiastical History, Book I, Chapter 30
- Fordham University: https://sourcebooks.web.fordham.edu/source/601gregory1-lettertomellitus.asp
- Christian Classics Ethereal Library: https://ccel.org/ccel/bede/history.v.i.xxix.html
- How scholars read the letter (Cambridge): https://resolve.cambridge.org/core/journals/studies-in-church-history/article/gregory-the-great-and-a-papal-missionary-strategy/260D9C6CE6C15DF0B50FDB026F9536DF
"Trick or treat" and guising
- WordOrigins.org, "Trick or Treat" (Popik's newspaper citations, 1922 and 1927): https://www.wordorigins.org/big-list-entries/trick-or-treat
- Smithsonian Magazine, "The History of Trick-or-Treating Goes Back Centuries": https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-history-of-trick-or-treating-goes-back-centuries-79408373/
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, "Halloween": https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/halloween
- Atlas Obscura, "Scottish Halloween" (guising in Scotland since at least the 1500s): https://atlasobscura.com/articles/scottish-halloween
Jack-o'-lanterns
- Oxford English Dictionary dates, as summarized in the Wikipedia article "Jack-o'-lantern": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack-o%27-lantern
The Ouija board
- History.com, "What Are the Origins of the Ouija Board?": https://www.history.com/articles/ouija-board-origins
- Smithsonian Magazine, "The Ouija Board Thing": https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-ouija-board-thing-its-not-a-game-5860627/
- The Strong National Museum of Play: https://www.museumofplay.org/?p=24454
Safety and Myths
Best, Joel. Research on "Halloween sadism" (University of Delaware)
- CBC News, "Trick or truth? The real story behind Halloween candy tampering": https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5341734
- Smithsonian Magazine, "Where Did the Fear of Poisoned Halloween Candy Come From?": https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/where-did-the-fear-of-poisoned-halloween-candy-come-from-822302
Staples, J. A., Yip, C., & Redelmeier, D. A. (2019). Pedestrian fatalities associated with Halloween in the United States. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(1), 101–103.
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.4052
- Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6583441/
Lanning, Kenneth V. Investigator's Guide to Allegations of "Ritual" Child Abuse. FBI, 1992.
- Summary (National Criminal Justice Reference Service): https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/investigators-guide-allegations-ritual-child-abuse
- Full report (PDF): https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/136592NCJRS.pdf
Religious Observance and Church Practice
Berger, Helen A. "Halloween Isn't About Candy for Modern-Day Pagans." The Conversation, October 29, 2020.
Pew Research Center, 2014 survey (about 0.4 percent of U.S. adults identify as pagan or Wiccan), as reported by Catholic World Report
Anton LaVey, The Satanic Bible (Avon, 1969), Chapter XI, "Religious Holidays," and the Church of Satan's holidays
- Encyclopedia.com, "Satanism": https://encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/satanism
Konderla, Bishop David A. "Memorandum on the Celebration of Halloween." Diocese of Tulsa, September 28, 2018.
- Full text: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=12001
- News coverage: https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2018/10/04/spooky-scary-saintly-how-catholics-can-see-halloween-at-its-best/
Lifeway Research
- 2022 survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors: https://news.lifeway.com/2022/10/18/more-pastors-influencing-church-members-response-to-halloween/
- 2015 survey of Americans: https://news.lifeway.com/2015/10/26/lifeway-research-halloween-2015/
Church conflict
- Roozen, David A. A Decade of Change in American Congregations, 2000–2010 (Faith Communities Today): https://oldhartsem.hartfordinternational.edu/2011/09/major-study-examines-ten-years-changes-american-congregations
- Hadaway, C. Kirk, in "Conflict and Decline" (Episcopal Church Foundation): https://www.ecfvp.org/blogs/765/conflict-and-decline
Psychology and Mental Health
Batson, C. D., Kobrynowicz, D., Dinnerstein, J. L., Kampf, H. C., & Wilson, A. D. (1997). In a very different voice: Unmasking moral hypocrisy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(6), 1335–1348.
Brady, W. J., Wills, J. A., Jost, J. T., Tucker, J. A., & Van Bavel, J. J. (2017). Emotion shapes the diffusion of moralized content in social networks. PNAS, 114(28), 7313–7318.
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1618923114
- Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5514704
Bushman, B. J. (2002). Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(6), 724–731.
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167202289002
- Author's copy (PDF): https://public.websites.umich.edu/~bbushman/PSPB02.pdf
Chida, Y., & Steptoe, A. (2009). The association of anger and hostility with future coronary heart disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 53(11), 936–946.
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2008.11.044
- American College of Cardiology summary: https://www.acc.org/about-acc/press-releases/2010/02/22/13/35/9-2
Dittmar, H., Bond, R., Hurst, M., & Kasser, T. (2014). The relationship between materialism and personal well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 107(5), 879–924.
Feinberg, M., Willer, R., Stellar, J., & Keltner, D. (2012). The virtues of gossip: Reputational information sharing as prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(5), 1015–1030.
- UC Berkeley news summary: https://news.berkeley.edu/2012/01/17/gossip
Grubbs, J. B., Warmke, B., Tosi, J., James, A. S., & Campbell, W. K. (2019). Moral grandstanding in public discourse. PLOS ONE, 14(10), e0223749.
- DOI (free): https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223749
Jordan, J. J., Sommers, R., Bloom, P., & Rand, D. G. (2017). Why do we hate hypocrites? Evidence for a theory of false signaling. Psychological Science, 28(3), 356–368.
- Journal page: https://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/psychological-science/0956797616685771/
- Plain-language summary: https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/we-dislike-hypocrites-because-they-deceive-us.html
Kennedy, K. A., & Pronin, E. (2008). When disagreement gets ugly: Perceptions of bias and the escalation of conflict. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(6), 833–848.
Larimer, M. E., Palmer, R. S., & Marlatt, G. A. (1999). Relapse prevention: An overview of Marlatt's cognitive-behavioral model. Alcohol Research & Health, 23(2), 151–160.
- Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6760427
- Abstract: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10890810/
Mostofsky, E., Penner, E. A., & Mittleman, M. A. (2014). Outbursts of anger as a trigger of acute cardiovascular events. European Heart Journal, 35(21), 1404–1410.
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehu033
- Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/4043318/
- Harvard Chan School news summary: https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/angry-outbursts-may-boost-heart-attack-stroke-risk/
Pronin, E., Lin, D. Y., & Ross, L. (2002). The bias blind spot: Perceptions of bias in self versus others. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(3), 369–381.
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167202286008
- Abstract: https://collaborate.princeton.edu/en/publications/the-bias-blind-spot-perceptions-of-bias-in-self-versus-others/
Scrivner, C., Johnson, J. A., Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, J., & Clasen, M. (2021). Pandemic practice: Horror fans and morbidly curious individuals are more psychologically resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personality and Individual Differences, 168, 110397.
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110397
- NPR interview with Coltan Scrivner on the three kinds of horror fans: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1132658607
van de Ven, N., Zeelenberg, M., & Pieters, R. (2009). Leveling up and down: The experiences of benign and malicious envy. Emotion, 9(3), 419–429.
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015669
- Abstract: https://repository.tilburguniversity.edu/items/2a96534b-4cec-4018-811b-ef111b0444cd
van de Ven, N., Zeelenberg, M., & Pieters, R. (2012). Appraisal patterns of envy and related emotions. Motivation and Emotion, 36(2), 195–204.
Books cited without links: Festinger, L., A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (Stanford University Press, 1957); Marlatt, G. A., & Gordon, J. R., Relapse Prevention (Guilford Press, 1985); Klass, D., Silverman, P. R., & Nickman, S. L., Continuing Bonds: New Understandings of Grief (Taylor & Francis, 1996).
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