Posted on 10/25/2008 7:00:34 AM PDT by DouglasKC
It all looks like so much fun and seems so harmless: jack-o'-lanterns, grotesque grinning masks, long black witch attire with pointed black hats, costumes painted like skeletons, outfits that represent demons and goblins, and children going door to door, soliciting treats from compliant neighbors.
But when Halloween comes around, do you find yourself yearning for the hours to pass until the whole trick-or-treat farce is over? If you don't, you should!
Since when is it acceptable for little children to threaten to commit vandalism?
What happens if the homeowner doesn't come to the door or doesn't have the treats the kids might expect? Is it permissible for children to then soap his windows, toilet paper his trees, chalk mark his sidewalk or turn over plants as they leave? When is it okay for children to commit vandalism while on another person's property?
Isn't it about time for all well-meaning citizens to just say NO to Halloween?
The clergy, in general, hasn't stood against it. Some churches even have Halloween parties. Some citizens do speak up against it, as the letters to the editor in your newspaper occasionally show.
Is Halloween simply good, clean fun, or is it something else entirely? You need to know!
God is giving a wake-up call to professing Christians. As it was with those the prophet Elijah addressed in his day, so it is with us: "'How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.' But the people answered him not a word" (1 Kings 18:21). What will it take for Christians to accept and stand for God's truth rather than harmful traditions that originated in paganism?
Just where did Halloween come from, and why is it so widely celebrated?
The Encyclopedia of Religion explains: "Halloween is the name for the eve of Samhain, a celebration marking the beginning of winter as well as the first day of the New Year within the ancient Celtic culture of the British Isles. The time of Samhain consisted of the eve of the feast and the day itself (31 October and 1 November).
"On this occasion, it was believed that a gathering of supernatural forces occurred as during no other period of the year. The eve and day of Samhain were characterized as a time when the barriers between the human and supernatural worlds were broken. Otherworldly entities, such as the souls of the dead, were able to visit earthly inhabitants, and humans could take the opportunity to penetrate the domains of the gods and supernatural creatures.
"Fiery tributes and sacrifices of animals, crops, and possibly human beings were made to appease supernatural powers who controlled the fertility of the land . . . Samhain acknowledged the entire spectrum of nonhuman forces that roamed the earth during the period" (1987, pp. 176-177, "Halloween").
On this holiday "huge bonfires were set on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits . . . The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day, and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. It was the time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature" (The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia, Vol. 4, p. 862, "Halloween").
It was, bluntly put, a day devoted to appeasing demonic spirits and the dark side of the spirit world—something no Christian should have any part in (Ephesians 5:11).
So how did this dark celebration continue into modern times? Sadly, Halloween came down to us from the Roman Catholic Church, which assigned a day of each year to each of their saints. When it reached the point that they had more than 365, they then combined them together on Nov. 1 and called it "All Saints Day" or "All Hallows Day"—the night before being "All Hallows Eve" or "Hallow Even" (holy evening), contracted to the name Hallowe'en or Halloween.
Why did they choose this particular day? Again The Encyclopedia of Religion explains: "Samhain remained a popular festival among the Celtic people throughout the christianization of Great Britain . The British church attempted to divert this interest in pagan customs by adding a Christian celebration to the calendar on the same date as Samhain. The Christian festival, the Feast of All Saints, commemorates the known and unknown saints of the Christian religion just as Samhain had acknowledged and paid tribute to the Celtic deities" (p. 177).
Thus a pagan celebration was relabeled as Christian.
You cannot find any support for Halloween in your Bible, because God is adamantly opposed to it and the pagan, occult practices it revels in. He warns His people to have nothing to do with these (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10-12). They blind us from the truth of God.
God does not take Halloween lightly. As He says, "Learn not the way of the heathen" (Jeremiah 10:2, King James Version). And, "Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise'" (Deuteronomy 12:30).
God will not always remain tirelessly patient with those who insist on celebrating harmful and superstitious customs such as Halloween. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance . . . What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God" (2 Peter 3:9-12, New International Version).
The author of sin and death, Satan the devil, is also the behind-the-scenes author of pagan customs like Halloween. Jesus said that Satan is a liar and the father of all lies (John 8:44). God is the God of the living, not the dead (Matthew 22:31-32). He is the God of not only true Christians alive today but, because of the certainty of the coming resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15), of those who will yet live when raised from death. So certain is this resurrection that to God it is looked on as an accomplished fact (see Romans 4:17).
Conversely, Satan is the "lord of the dead." Hebrews 2:14 says of Jesus Christ that "only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death" (New Living Translation).
Satan is the lord of the dead in that he leads people by his lies and influence into the way of death and, as the next verse shows, puts them in bondage to the fear of death.
He has foisted Halloween on ignorant people and even well-meaning Christians in a subtle and deceitful way, perpetuating it through the Catholic Church with a "Christian" mask that hides its demonic origins.
When it comes to Halloween—or any other holiday for that matter—you should ask yourself, "Did God make man in His image, or did God intend man to remake God in man's image?" Now that's a sobering thought.
The religious excuse for perpetuating Halloween might be that, as we've seen, church leaders long ago called it a "holy evening" for all the Catholic saints who had no day assigned to them. But face it: People who celebrate this evening today couldn't care less about such religious notions. All they think about is instant gratification, to follow the pack with everyone else and to have some fun.
The Encyclopedia of Religion goes on to say: "Modern Halloween activities have centered on mischief making and masquerading in costumes, often resembling otherworldly characters. Folk customs, now treated as games [such as bobbing for apples], have continued from the various divination practices of the ancient celebrants of this occasion. Supernatural figures [such as the ghost, the witch, the vampire, the devil] play a key role in supplying an aura of the mysterious to the evening, whether or not they originally had an association with the festival.
"Children are particularly susceptible to the imagery of Halloween, as can be seen in their fascination with the demonic likeness of a carved and illuminated pumpkin, known as the jack-o'-lantern. In recent times, children have taken up the practice of dressing in Halloween costumes and visiting homes in search of edible and monetary treats, lightly threatening to play a trick on the owner if a treat is not produced" (p. 177).
Halloween is one of many human traditions that cloud biblical teachings and keep people in the dark from God's truth that can set us free (John 8:32). It is not a harmless holiday for you or for your children. God warns us to avoid it and to follow His ways, because He hates for us to dabble in the spirit world of Satan and his demons! Instead, as God tells us in Isaiah 66:2, "On this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word." GN
Holidays or Holy Days: Does it Matter Which Days We Celebrate?
It's ironic that so many of today's popular holidays—including major religious celebrations like Christmas and Easter—originated in ancient pagan festivals and customs, while God's Holy Days revealed in the Bible are almost universally ignored. Which should you celebrate and why?
God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind
Is it possible to know what the future holds for us? The Creator of mankind does have a plan for us, and He reveals it to us through an annual cycle of festivals described in the Scriptures. It is an astounding plan offering an incredible future to every man, woman, and child who has ever lived.
Halloween's Dark Roots
In recent years eye-opening materials have been published about the questionable background of Halloween
Ghouls, Ghosts and Goblins
It seems like such harmless fun—children dressed as witches, skeletons or Darth Vader ringing the doorbell, enthusiastically announcing, "Trick or treat!" But is this preoccupation with the dead, witches and demons really harmless? And do you realize that Halloween was originally an important religious holiday—and still is in many parts of the world?
Can Halloween Be Christianized?
What should you do in deciding how you will approach this hotly debated issue?
It’s the truth too. :-)
The choice is yours. Have a good day.
I was a witch. See post 64.
Sorry, I meant to respond to this too. I don't see in scripture where a wise response to Satan is to mock him.
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
We are to be aware of the devil. To learn his ways. To keep our faith in God.
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Have faith in God is the key to resisting the devil. Not emulating and mocking his ways.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
"Wiles" are tricks, schemes. We are to do Godly thing, be like God, have faith in the Lord, to know what are tricks of devils.
Eph 4:27 nor give place to the devil.
The verse above was specifically about anger. But it means don't give a foothold to the devil. Don't give him an in. Halloween can do this.
What should you believe if you’re a professing Christian?
I believe you’re too cheap to buy some candy, and you hate little kids.
When my little brother and me were kids, we and about a thousand other kids would go from door to door in the war housing, get our grocery bags full, run home to get another and go out again. we never, ever heard or even thought about vandalism. Trick or treating is fun, harmless and I loved it. Now of course, it’s all psychoanlized and politically disected, including some church killjoy politics to the point of nausea, and of course, the kids might be poisoned, which has never been documented, just hyped.
Boo hiss curmudgeon party poopers.
Great. We are becoming like the Hell-bound Jehovah’s Witnesses. Denying our kids cupcakes because God hates fun.
“There is a vein of Calvinism that runs through many Protestant churches. I do not embrace it. While always remaining mindful that Satan is real and Satan’s demons can attack, I prefer to celebrate and take joy with the children.
“
Oh, so well said! :-D Thank you.
I love candy and I have little grandkids whom I adore.
When my little brother and me were kids, we and about a thousand other kids would go from door to door in the war housing, get our grocery bags full, run home to get another and go out again. we never, ever heard or even thought about vandalism. Trick or treating is fun, harmless and I loved it.
The article addresses this line of thought.
i'm a Christian and Halloween is my favorite holiday... everyone who knows me is shocked when they learn that about me... my second favorite is Thanksgiving... i guess i am partial to autumn... i think if a Christian is not comfortable with it, or if they have some kind of baggage that would make Halloween dangerous for them then they ought not to take part... i love passing out candy to the kids... i usually put together goodie bags and hand those out... i love candy... i have acquaintances who think i'm flirting with the devil because i like Halloween... these are the same people who think CS Lewis was bad, bad, bad for writing The Chronicles of Narnia... and who won't let their children read The Iliad or The Odyssey...
God doesn't hate fun. Of course his idea of what we should have joy in and rejoice in is different than the that of non-Christians. Do a bible word study on "joy" and "rejoice". It's eye opening.
There is no biblical precedent for many things; since when does that make a prohibition?
I believe parents don’t pass out enough peanut M&M’s...trick or treat
Why?
That aside, the term “pagan” is taken from the Latin “paganus” meaning rustic peasant, or more succinctly, hick.
Some newer bible translations use "pagan", but nearly all of the older translations use "strangers" or "gentiles" or "nations" to generally describe those who don't worship the true God.
what is my choice?
It doesn't in and of itself.
Almond M&M's are better...
No way. You sir are mistaken. ;^p
I am mistaken about many things ma'am, but Almond M&M's are FAR superior to peanut. Far. :-)
Like you, we home school, teach our children logic and teach our children to think for themselves.
Yet in all we teach our children, our base is the Bible. Our children know about the freedom they have in Christ and not to flaunt their freedom. They know not to indulge the sinful nature. We train our children to be godly, to love discipline and to run in such a way as to get the prize.
We are by no means perfect and try not to make anybody else stumble. We press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God was called us heavenward.
What we don't want is to be mediocre in our Christianity and we try to best understand this freedom we have. We also try to accept those whose faith is weak and to not judge fellow saints on disputable matters.
For us and how we live our lives, we find Halloween harmless.
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