Salem, Massachusetts

FaithT · May 31, 2025

Is it sinful to visit Salem and tour all the Haloweenie/witchy stuff in the fall? I’ve kind of wanted to go but realistically, after my dud of a beach vacation due to my anxiety, it probably wouldn’t happen anyway. I wouldn’t want to drive all the way from the Midwest and flying is even more daunting.

RileyG · May 31, 2025

Nope. It’s just a visit. Nothing sinful about it at all.

Have fun!

mourningdove~ · May 31, 2025

FaithT said:
Is it sinful to visit Salem and tour all the Haloweenie/witchy stuff in the fall? I’ve kind of wanted to go but realistically, after my dud of a beach vacation due to my anxiety, it probably wouldn’t happen anyway. I wouldn’t want to drive all the way from the Midwest and flying is even more daunting.

I know of no 'list' that would say visiting Salem is a 'sin' ...
but it could be a sin for you, if you get a sense that God is not wanting you to go ...
and yet, you go.

It is like, in general, it is not a 'sin' to drink alcohol.
But for some persons it is a sin, if God has put it on their heart not to drink it, and yet, they do.

While there are some things that are a sin to all of us, our walk with God is not just 'corporate', but also personal.
Sometimes He guides us individually, to abstain from some things that just may not be spiritually beneficial for us.

So I would say, pray and ask God if going to Salem is a good thing for you to do.
And then go with what you believe God is saying to you.

JimR-OCDS · May 31, 2025

The problem is that there are two groups trying to make Salem what it is becoming.

One group is the historical side which seeks to preserve the history of Salem and the
infamous witch trials. It would not be sinful to visit Salem to learn the historical context.

The other group is the one trying to make Salem into a Halloween type of town, and
they promote witchcraft and sorcery. To follow this could be sinful if you believe
in such things.

My wife and myself have visited Salem a couple of times, but when the history
of the witch trials was still the focus.

We also visited the Peabody Essex Museum which is in Salem MA and had more
to do with Chinese history and culture than witch trial history.

FaithT · May 31, 2025

mourningdove~ said:
I know of no 'list' that would say visiting Salem is a 'sin' ...
but it could be a sin for you, if you get a sense that God is not wanting you to go ...
and yet, you go.

It is like, in general, it is not a 'sin' to drink alcohol.
But for some persons it is a sin, if God has put it on their heart not to drink it, and yet, they do.

While there are some things that are a sin to all of us, our walk with God is not just 'corporate', but also personal.
Sometimes He guides us individually, to abstain from some things that just may not be spiritually beneficial for us.

So I would say, pray and ask God if going to Salem is a good thing for you to do.
And then go with what you believe God is saying to you.

It’s kind of a moot point because I have severe anxiety disorders and doubt I’d ever go anyway. I just love Halloween and think it would be fun if I wasn’t so anxious.

FaithT · May 31, 2025

JimR-OCDS said:
The problem is that there are two groups trying to make Salem what it is becoming.

One group is the historical side which seeks to preserve the history of Salem and the
infamous witch trials. It would not be sinful to visit Salem to learn the historical context.

The other group is the one trying to make Salem into a Halloween type of town, and
they promote witchcraft and sorcery. To follow this could be sinful if you believe
in such things.

My wife and myself have visited Salem a couple of times, but when the history
of the witch trials was still the focus.

We also visited the Peabody Essex Museum which is in Salem MA and had more
to do with Chinese history and culture than witch trial history.

I don’t follow witchcraft or anything, I just like Halloween.

RileyG · May 31, 2025

FaithT said:
It’s kind of a moot point because I have severe anxiety disorders and doubt I’d ever go anyway. I just love Halloween and think it would be fun if I wasn’t so anxious.

God be with you.

FaithT · May 31, 2025

RileyG said:
God be with you.

Thanks, same to you!

RileyG · May 31, 2025

FaithT said:
Thanks, same to you!

Thank you.

Blessings!

JimR-OCDS · Jun 1, 2025

FaithT said:
I don’t follow witchcraft or anything, I just like Halloween.

The problem in Salem is that Wicca groups dominate the town. There are Wicca shops and various workshops
they hold throughout the year.

Halloween in the secular sense which most people celebrate on Trick or Treat Night, is not really the same as
the actions taking place in Salem.

RileyG · Jun 1, 2025

FaithT said:
I don’t follow witchcraft or anything, I just like Halloween.

There’s nothing wrong with that!

Joy Allen · Jun 2, 2025

I was Betty Parris in "The Crucible" about twenty years ago when I was in high school. I had to make a stop on my way back from Maine. I visited the graveyard and saw all the names I knew from the play. It was really neat walking through history. I even toured the big museum-like place they had and there was another exhibit/museum in the area that I think was Asian history. ??? I can't remember.

It was fall break, so it was Halloween time. Of course people were dressed up as witches (Halloween-style). One guy stood still like a statue and would jump and scare people. Another was a saxophone player who was really good dressed up as something spooky. Another was a witch dressed up and he was a comedian and he would call people out. It was really fun and interesting. The town is beautiful. I recommend it during the fall time for it's history and beauty.

What I didn't like is that everything in the town is labeled as "witch." So you didn't really know if it was a witchy or gothic type of business because I know the history of the town, so maybe it's just named with a witch business name. I went into a witch mall and it was just weird, silly, gothic junk and I didn't feel comfortable in there. Every store looked about like a Hot Topic store and possibly had a fortune teller in it, so I told my husband, "Let's get out of here." Haha.

I understand how you feel. I kinda had some weird feelings too, but I think mine was just being around the people who are into witchcraft and stuff. Like I thought of my conviction of not being engaged in that stuff, so I guess I felt some guilt- like going into that mall. Observing the people around, you just know they are lost. Crazy thing is... there are people everywhere like those people. It's really up to you. It's a beautiful town. If you are just visiting for the history, there is nothing wrong with that.

JimR-OCDS · Jun 2, 2025

Just for the record, no witches were hung in Salem. All except one, went to their deaths,
rather than sign a document confessing witchcraft.

The only one who agreed to sign was Tituba, the black slave. She signed the document
realizing that the punishment would not be much different than living as a slave anyway.

Salem, Massachusetts

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